Lessons Learned Read Free

wildest dreams did I ever believe I’d return to my former school, but here I was, standing in the doorway of Room 108—the very room in which I’d discovered my hatred for Shakespeare and my love for Poe.
    There were some subtle differences. There were more computers along the wall, and to my absolute joy, the ancient green chalkboard had been replaced with a dry-erase board. Otherwise, my old English classroom looked exactly the same.
    It was oddly comforting.
    Slowly, I walked over and took a seat behind the teacher’s desk. In Mrs. Perry’s mad dash into retirement, she’d forgotten her wooden nameplate. My fingers ghosted over the etched letters, and I smiled as I remembered my former teacher. She wore her pink lipstick a little too brightly, and her pantyhose always had runs, but she was passionate about books and loved her students.
    “I thought I heard someone in here,” a soft voice echoed from the door. I looked up to see a sweet, familiar face standing in my doorway.
    “Aubrey,” I said with a smile.
    Aubrey Bryant and I had been best friends from the first day of kindergarten until I hit my rebellious teenage years and ignored everyone who’d ever meant anything to me. I had convinced myself that if I didn’t care about anyone, then it wouldn’t hurt so much if they abandoned me. In the process, I’d lost every friend I’d ever known, including Aubrey.
    She took a seat in one of the student desks and offered me a sweet smile.
    “I was just doing some work in my classroom. It’s so good to have you home.”
    “Thank you,” I said, hating how awkward this felt. “What do you teach?”
    “Algebra and Geometry.”
    I wasn’t surprised. If it hadn’t been for Aubrey, I never would have made it through Ms. Kelly’s math class during our freshman year.
    “How are you?”
    It was such a simple question, so I decided to be honest.
    “Overwhelmed, I think. But it’s a good overwhelmed. I just have so much to do before school starts.”
    “Me too.” She grew quiet then, and I sensed what was coming. “Sarah, I heard about what happened in Memphis. I can’t even imagine what that must have been like for you.”
    Not trusting myself to speak, I merely nodded.
    “We were all so worried. You see something like that on the news and you just can’t believe it’s real.”
    “It’s real,” I whispered, my voice breaking. “It was very, very real.”
    Suddenly, she was kneeling at my side, whispering soothingly. We hadn’t spoken to each other in over eight years, and yet here she was, promising me things were going to be all right now.
    I wanted so desperately to believe her.
    We shared a hug, and she pulled a chair close to mine as she began telling me about her life. Not surprisingly, she’d married Tommy Bryant, former star quarterback and her high school sweetheart. They had a three-year-old, and Tommy taught P.E. and coached the football team.
    “I’m so glad you’re here,” Taking my hand, she led me over to the supplies closet to show me what few materials Mrs. Perry had left behind. “We have a really wonderful school and plenty of great kids who want to learn. Their goals are pretty much like ours had been when we were their age—to graduate and get the hell out of Sycamore Falls.”
    I couldn’t help but smile. Some things never changed.
    “And yet, here we are.”
    “Here we are,” Aubrey laughed quietly. “It’s strange how things work out, isn’t it? I mean, Tommy and I wanted to get as far away from this place as possible, but we’re still in Sycamore Falls, happy and content.”
    Either Mrs. Perry didn’t use many supplies or she took them with her, because the closet was practically empty, except for some old textbooks that I was sure we’d used back when I was in school.
    “We did,” Aubrey replied when I mentioned it. “Mrs. Perry hated new textbooks. The newest editions are probably stuffed in a closet somewhere.”
    I dropped into one of the desks and took