continued from here. with @traansversal ; dr. ryland grace
knox sits on the edge of his couch, legs bouncing as he listens to jiji's teacher stumble over himself. last week had been one nightmare after the next, and it amounted to jiji being left at the curb of her new middle school. one major fear become reality; and knox finds himself imagining an ever growing snowball of terrible. someone sees the cracks in the story, and they take jiji from him. some days knox worries that might be best for her, but the only time he mentioned it her face fell with such fear that he vowed not to bring it up again.
"look, dr. grace, i get you're tryin' to help," knox starts, keeping his tone a measured calm against the irritation that thinly veils his fear, "but you can imagine it's not great to hear a teacher drove your kid home, right? what happened last week will not happen again, on either end."
the school calendar is sitting on the coffee table in front of him, and he can see that there is a parent-teacher conference night conveniently scheduled for the next evening. before ryland can say anything more, knox is speaking again, "i've gotta get goin', but i'll see you tomorrow night, dr. grace. thanks for the call."
the next day, knox arranges for nora to pick jiji up and watch her for the evening while he goes to the school. he takes the time to freshen up his beard, shower, and tame his unruly curls. it takes him too long picking clothes out from his closet, only to land on a plain black crewneck (long-sleeved, to hide the scars) and jeans. before heading out, knox walks the few steps from his apartment to nora's to check in. nora shoos him away with haste, keen to spend more time with her goddaughter.
it doesn't take long to find the classroom in the well-lit and bustling school building. parents stand in small groups, chit chatting with each other outside of classrooms waiting for their chance to talk with the teacher inside. it's a little like visiting a foreign country. knox's experience with school started the same time as jiji's. he'd never had to think about things like this before. the door is closed to ryland's classroom, and knox can hear muffled conversation behind it. he sits in the empty seats and waits patiently his turn.
when the door opens, and the parents walk out, knox stands. immediately, knox imagines that dr. ryland grace is the kind of teacher that wants to be seen as cool. the classroom is cluttered with various science-themed artifacts of varying color and craftsmanship. he can see why this is jiji's favorite class, and there's a confusing swell in his chest. gratitude? pride? he's not sure.
knox walks into the empty classroom behind ryland, only turning to shut the door gently behind him before stepping further in. he doesn't find a seat, and stands a respectable distance from the teacher. it's an old habit to size people up when he first meets them, knox tries to soften his gaze before speaking.
"dr. grace, i'm nick aerin," he starts, "sorry about my attitude on the phone yesterday. it's nice to meet you in person."
he barely allows a beat, only long enough to shove his hands in his pockets, before continuing, "i appreciate you lookin' out for jiji. can't imagine teachin' is easy work. and it seems like you really care about 'em, hearin' how jiji talks about your class. i haven't seen her this excited for anythin' in... a few years."
knox takes a breath, willing himself to continue. it's safe, he tells himself, but it's not easy to believe. when he starts again, he makes sure not to drop his gaze from ryland's face, "jiji has been through some tough shit, dr. grace. beyond what you'd imagine. her jumpiness, especially around pickup time, is related to that. i don't believe it's my place to tell you more, but she's in therapy for it. the school counselor's aware."
"as for last week," he tilts his head down only slightly while trying to stop himself from pacing, arms lift to cross over his chest, "i'm new to the public school thing, jiji was home schooled up until this year. wires got crossed, it won't happen again. i've noticed she's doin' good on the assignments, but bombs tests... is there somethin' i can do to help her with that?"
