Break Your Heart (15 page)

             
“Come on, there are still a few more tests out there, let’s keep it quiet.” Gina said.  She looked back down to the number. 
What would you even say?
Her mind trailed off thinking about how the phone call might go.  She wondered how odd it would be for him on the other line-suddenly and expectantly hearing her voice.

             
“Miss Fotelli?”

             
“Yes?” Gina looked up to a crowd of anxious students staring back at her.

             
“Everyone is done.” Nicole was sitting at her desk, her hands folded together.  Gina looked around at her students puzzled for a moment.  She looked back down at her desk to see three more tests set in front of her. 
What planet have you been on?

             
“Great.  Well, then, how do you guys think you did?” A roar of mumbled answers flew back at her.  “That good?” She teased.  She looked up to the clock.  Fifteen minutes left in the period.

             
“Since you’re done early, why don’t you all head out to the courtyard and enjoy the weather before your next class. “             

             
The students let out an excited cheer as they gathered their things. They quickly dashed out like a heard through the door and down the hall to the courtyard.

             
“Gina, you joining us for lunch?”  She looked up to see Claire, the science teacher who taught in her block walking through her students into the classroom.  She learned up against the doorframe, folding her arms across her chest and learned her head to rest on the side.

             
“Hi there.  I don’t know. Where you gals going today?”

             
“The mall.”

             
“I packed. But can you pick me up a strawberry banana smoothie from that smoothie place?”

             
“Sure can.”

             
“Thanks.” Gina reached into her briefcase and pulled her black slim wallet out. She pulled out a few dollars and handed them to Claire.

             
“You are welcome. See you in a few.” Claire turned around and disappeared from the frame of the door.

             
Gina’s focused turned back to Grant. She was starting to get comfortable in her ever-wandering thoughts of him.

             
“Miss Fotelli?”  Another voice at her door grabbed her attention.

             
“Hi Jimmy. What can I do for you?” Her question quick, as she felt the interruption of the thoughts that she knew shouldn’t have been consuming her mind.

             
His eyes grew wide as he slumped over feeling the defeat of her response.

“Come in
,” Gina smiled warmly at him waving him

towards her.
 

             
“Will there be extra credit before the semester ends?” He slowly began walking towards her desk.

“Did that poorly?”

              “I think so.” 

             
“Let’s talk on Monday and we’ll see how you did.  If you need some extra credit we will work something out.” 

             
“Okay, thanks.” He replied, letting out a sigh of relief.  He turned around and began towards the door.

             
“Hey Jimmy, lose the headphones.” She pointed to the iPod in his pocket. “Not during school, put it in your locker.”

             
“I can’t hear a little music during school?” He asked. A hint of cockiness filled his voice.

             
“Now honestly Jimmy. What are you listening to that could be that good?”

             
“Just a little Barenaked Ladies,” he paused. “It’s not like that. It’s a band of men.  Nothing dirty or anything.” He rambled quickly.

             
“I know who the Barenaked Ladies are.” She laughed.

             
“Sorry.” He took off his headphones and unzipped his book bag placing them in the front pocket.

             
“Have a nice weekend,” she smiled. 

             
He gave a half wave as he walked into the hall.

             
“Barenaked, of course,” she mumbled under her breath.  She turned back to her planner watching his number sit idle on the page.  Without thought, she pulled her cell phone out of her briefcase and began to dial. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and she began to tremble. 

             
One ring, two rings.

             
“Hello.” His voice shot through the other end, sounding the same; so strong and masculine with incredible confidence.  He had no idea who was on the other line or how his life was about to change.

             
“Grant, hi.” She stopped for a moment to breathe. She could hear and feel the shaking in her words. “It’s Gina.”

             
The other end of the line was silent. The audible sound of shallow breaths slowly moved in and out of the line. “Gina.... my Gina?” What felt like minutes past before another word came through the line. “Hi there, babe, how are you?” He became neutral with his words becoming stale and void of any emotion.

             
“I’m great, thanks. Sorry to call you out of the blue like this.” Her mind was racing with what to say next, but nothing seemed to surface. She took a long deep breath as she scrambled to fill the silence.  “Umm, can you talk now?”  She was sitting at her desk looking out the door of her classroom. Three teachers who taught in her block were standing outside gossiping in the hallway about the students. She could make out slivers of what they were saying and figured they could equally hear the same from her.

             
“Sure babe, what’s up?”

             
“Actually, I am going to run outside. Can I call you right back?”

             
“Sure. Or I could call you back.”

             
“Huh? Umm, okay. The number is…”

             
“I’ve got it.”

             
“You’ve got it? Oh, right. Caller Id”

             
“Yep. We’ll, I’ve had it. I’ve tried you a few times, on your cell, at home. You never answer. Cute voicemail.”  Grant seemed amused with himself. 

             
“Oh, umm. I’ll call you.”
He’s called me? He’s been trying to get in touch with me too? How was he so coy about it?
She grabbed her swipe card from the top drawer of her desk and quickly walked down the hall out the back door towards the football field.  There were a few students running circles on the track as she approached.

             
“Hi Mrs. Fotelli,” two girls shouted from the distance.

             
“Hi girls, how are you?” She wondered if they could tell how erratic and panicked she was feeling.

             
“Good.” They answered in unison before running down the hill towards the locker room. 

             
She reached the bleachers, climbing to the top of the short stands.  She hit pulled his number up in the recent call log and hit send.

             
“Hello again,” he said.

             
“Hey, sorry about that.”

             
“No worries.”

             
“So, how are you?” Gina asked. She felt the knot that had formed in her stomach earlier pull even tighter.

             
“I’m doing well babe, how are you?” 

             
“Good, okay, I mean, I…” She inhaled a deep breath as she looked around the school grounds.  The air was cool, but the warm sun made it comfortable.  “I just wanted to see how you were doing and, umm…”

             
A light chuckle came from the other end of the phone. “I’m doing well. All is good here.  I just got my work assignment yesterday actually. I am making a move back to Chicago.” He said. 

             
Memories of the times they spent in Chicago flooded her mind. “Oh, great.” She paused, not exactly knowing what it meant and almost not caring.

             
“And you?” His questioning felt as if it came with an attachment. It was as if he was fishing for an answer he had already found.

             
“Well, I am good. Real good. I got engaged almost two Yeahrs ago and I have a great job teaching History at the middle school here and, ah, that’s it.” The nerves in her body were more heightened than she thought they would be.

             
“Yeahh, I heard.”

             
“And I hear you just got engaged. Congratulations. That’s great,” she said. It killed her to spit the words out but the lack of anything else to say forced it out.

             
“Yep.” He replied, subtly. 

             
Both paused for a moment waiting for the other to speak, but neither did.

             
Finally Grant chimed in. “Gina, why’d you call me?”

             
“So, when will you be home next?”

             
“I am home.”

             
“No, you know what I mean.”

             
“I know, back home, Kipshaw. I’m here.”

             
Her heart sank. “But, I called your home number.”

             
“You called my cell phone. I don’t have a home phone.” 

             
“Oh.  So you’re here huh?”

             
“Yep.”

             
“Can I see you?” The words flew out of her mouth without hesitation.  Surprised by her own audacity, Gina began to search for something to say to cover up her boldness. “I mean, you’re in town and I think it would be great to say hello to each other.”

             
“Isn’t that what we are doing right now?”

             
“Or we could just talk.”

             
“Or we could meet.” His games brought a smile to her face, Grant didn’t seem to have changed a bit in the time they were apart. It felt so good to her, hearing his voice on the other end and hearing his wit.

             
“I actually have conferences today until about 5:00, want to meet at the park?”

             
“Ah, the park.  Good times. Actually, I promised Ashley that I would take her to dinner and watch some teen movie with her.”

             
“How old is Ashley now?”

             
“Seventeen.”
“Oh my God. I can’t believe that. Time really flies.”

             
“Yep.”

             
“Okay, well, have fun.” She replied, not knowing what else to offer.

             
“How about you come over tomorrow?”

             
“Over where? Your parents?”

“
Yeah.”
“I don’t know Grant, is that a good idea? I mean, I

don’t want them to get the wrong idea or anything. Besides I have not seen them in so long, I would feel weird just showing up at your house. I mean we are both engaged, and--”

              “Hey kiddo, it’s okay. You’re just coming over to say hello.  Besides, they are leaving pretty early in the morning to take Ashley to a basketball tournament in southern Ohio. They won’t be back until Sunday.”

             
“Oh, well in that case, do you think it’s a good idea?”

             
“Sure, it will be fine.” He said, ignoring her flirtation. “How’s breakfast sound?”

             
“Perfect.”

             
“See you around nine?” He asked

             
“Nine it is.”             

             
“Do you need directions?” He was neutral.

             
“Do you think I forgot where they lived?”

“No, just checking.  See you tomorrow Gina.”

              “Okay, bye.”