The Step Brother

37. So It Goes.

Jace

A part of him dies in Hawaii after she leaves. Once home, he does his best to get back to who he was before the wedding, taking each day as it comes. Some days are easier than others. Some days he can't get himself to feel anything at all. He starts to spend more time alone; developing a routine of gym, work, and home immediately after. He stops seeing Ryder and Zoey as often, though that's not entirely his fault. He understands they're newly weds, they have their own lives and problems. They don't need to babysit a grown man over a break up he probably should've seen coming. It's a good thing he's never been a betting man.

"So, are you going to tell us how Hawaii went?" Gregory, one of his kids, asks the Monday after he returns.

The rest of the class is eagerly awaiting his answer with excited eyes. They know about Willow, just like his class the year before and the year before that one. It's always one of the first things new students ask when getting to know him. And while he tells them he's not married, there is a girl who has his heart. It's not like he's ever used the class to vent about his love life, or lack there of. No, it's just something that is brought up here and there throughout the years. Some students take more of an interest in the matter than others.

It's a painful reminder of the reality of Hawaii. But he doesn't let on to anything. Instead he raises an eyebrow, closing the classroom door and making his way to his desk. "What about Hawaii? Geography isn't until 2. You know this, Gregory."

Gregory rolls his eyes playfully and some of the students laugh. "Did you see her, sir?"

"I will answer that only after we review the substitute's notes for you guys last week," He lifts the papers from his desk and gives a dramatic glance towards the faces of his class. "Before I read these, does anyone want to confess to any crimes? Did we torture Miss..." He squints at the paper. "Dennis last week?"

It's an easy way to distract them and get them onto another topic. They forget about Willow and Hawaii and he does too for the next 8 hours of teaching. And when he gets home, he busies himself with cleaning his already spotless house. He limits himself to only three drinks a night if he absolutely insists on drinking. He's learned that the fourth drink is usually the one that sends him on the Willow dramas.

She never leaves his mind, he didn't expect her to. Certainly not after what transpired in Hawaii. Late at night, when he can't sleep or he finds himself waking up at random hours, he allows himself to wonder what he could've done differently to not have ended up lonelier than when he started before the wedding.

***

"So, who's ready to switch to everyone's favorite subject of the day?" He announces one random Friday afternoon to the class. His back is turned so he can wipe the English notes off the whiteboard. Behind him he can hear the shuffling of chairs, the zippers of backpacks, and movement of papers as the students organize their notes and get ready to cover math for the next hour and a half.

There's a knock at the classroom door then, which doesn't throw him off balance too much since other teachers can pop in needing help, the principal's doing a random observation, or there's a request for one of the students at the front office.

"Carolyn, would you mind getting the door, please?" He asks the small girl who sits closest to the door. He's busy pulling down the projector screen now.

He hears the door being pulled open, along with a pair of heels as they click into the room. Once he's got the projector screen down, he turns to welcome their surprise visitor.