Chapter 2: Chapter 2
Shit. How long had it been since he’d been in a classroom? A dozen years? He rubbed the back of his neck as he reached the end of hall and stood in front of the only door ajar. Conversation filtered out and he wondered how many other people were in there. There hadn’t been very many cars outside, but he certainly hadn’t taken the time to count them
Stop it! Just get your ass in there.
He took a deep breath, popped his shoulder one last time, and stepped into the classroom.
Several sets of eyes immediately turned to him and he bit the inside of his cheek, fighting the urge to grunt. He counted eleven people seated among twenty or so desks forming neat little rows, facing the front of the room. He offered a small half-smile as he slid into a chair in the last row, closest to the door. He’d learned years ago to make sure he was always nearest to the exit. His coat stayed on just in case he needed to leave—another tip he’d learned over the years. It was always good to be prepared for a quick getaway.
Footsteps echoing in the hall grew closer and Charlie, not wanting to make eye contact, kept his gaze on the desk as someone entered the room.
He realized he’d forgotten his spiral notebook and a pen. Crap. Not the best way to start back to school. Had he even put them in the car? He pressed his lips together in a tight line, feeling the urge to pop his shoulder again and thought about running to the car for a quick check. He thought he might have a minute or two before the class started. Plenty of time to hightail it to the parking lot—
“I’d like to welcome everyone to the first night of our High School Equivalency classes. Or GED class. Call it whatever you want, I’m just glad you’re here.”
Charlie lifted his gaze and gaped at the cute guy in jeans and a pale blue button-down speaking to everyone. There was no way he was old enough to be a teacher. Was this some volunteer from the damn high school? Shit.He needed to get out of here. As nonchalantly as possible, he rose from his seat and turned to slip out the door.
“Don’t tell me I’ve already lost one of you?”
Busted.
Charlie closed his eyes and took a deep breath, heat spreading across his skin. He hated speaking in front of strangers. He again fought the urge to grunt and swiveled on his heels. “I-I just remembered I left my supplies in the car,” he explained quietly, acutely aware that everyone was watching him. Sure, everyone stare at the big guy who just wants to fade into the background.
A smile spread across the guy’s face and he gestured for Charlie to sit down. “No worries, man. We’re going to be using laptops and I’ve got plenty of paper and writing utensils here for notes.”
Well, fuck. He couldn’t very well sneak out now. “Thanks,” he murmured and slid into his seat, keeping his head down and hoping the next time he looked up nobody was staring at him.
“So, like I said, we’ll be using laptops that you can check out during each class. If you do have your own laptop, feel free to bring it and I can log you in to the online program we’re using. Anyway, I’m Owen Talbot. We’re all adults here, so please just call me Owen. I’m called Mr. Talbot all day at work. I teach English at Linnwood Falls High School and I’ll be honest, this is my first time teaching the GED class here at the Community Center.”
Great—a first timer.
Charlie tried to listen, he really did. But between fighting the urge to pop his shoulder and the memories of high school flooding his mind, it was a struggle. Vivid reminders of why he’d dropped out his junior year were everywhere, the perception of being scrutinized by everyone being the strongest. Feeling singled out in a crowd overwhelmed him. To have everyone look at him was almost unbearable. He could actually feel their gaze crawling on his skin.
It wasn’t always like that. Each situation varied. When he was with friends, he felt comfortable enough to be himself, knowing they would never make fun of him—they all knew he had Tourette. If he needed to tic, he ticked—simple as that. And as far as work went, he was good at his job, so he felt competent in those situations. More in control. So his tics didn’t get out of control at work or with friends. Those parts of his life were manageable.
School had been a special kind of hell for him, though. Which reminded him…what was he doing here?And how the fuck was some kid going to help him pass the GED? He couldn’t help but think his sister was wrong about this class. She’d convinced him to enroll, telling him the GED test was supposed to be really hard and that most graduating seniors couldn’t even pass it—which scared the crap out of him. She’d insisted that taking the class would help him.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone