Not Breaking

Chapter # 8

"At a time as hard as this.. And in other moments, scattered like cannot be fixed.." George was left unable to think. The more her talks were listened to by him, the more he couldn't picture why she is being like this. He sighed, and took the glass from her, then Jenna lowered her head, making an almost crying face, speaking.

"It was not my fault that I thought I didn't have any complaints about having a stepmother, they can be nice too.. But my fault was that I didn't think of this.." Then she started crying and started speaking in between, "That my fate would be this much, terrible.. I didn't have any objections, but, the fact is, it has not been much time passed since my mother's death, and my Dad brought her home.. And that.. That-" She looked up at him,

"Yes?" He asked with concern. "She is extremely bad.. That she is not nice at all.. So that I will put her in my Mom's place.. She was very kind and loving.. She doesn't even know that now. Her husband, who doesn't even care or misses her.. And her daughter.. How will she live now? She can't think of anything.." Looking at this state of her, George didn't have anything much to say. "These.. Bruises.. " He said in a low tone.

"Yes! This woman! She does injustice to me.. Yes, I also had been saying to her whatever I think will be said but she.. But she was never nice anytime.. I'm fed up with her, I don't wanna live with her now.." She started crying badly after saying this. "I don't want to live with her! NO! I miss my mom.. But that woman is not even a little nice and kind compared to my mom.."

She doesn't realize, but while crying continuously, she puts her head on his chest. George was, too, getting upset from listening to her, so he was sitting still, not moving. He was not taken aback, but then he rubbed her back to soothe her a little. He was trying to understand and was taking time to let that all sink in. Soon Jenna pulled away from him and wiped away her tears, taking a deep breath, then she looked at him. George gave a smile.

"Of course you always smile.." She said after finally calming herself. "No.. Um, I mean, you did the right thing. A person feels at peace after letting the talk out of themselves.." He told her in a gentle way. "What did I gain.. Nothing is going to change.." She said faintly and disappointed, hanging her head low. "Yes, nothing will be going to change. But holding inside all in yourself can eat you from inside. At least this would change." He explained to her calmly, patting a little at her shoulder. She hummed. After a silence, he asked,

"Also, listen, why do you even need to start a clash with her?" He asked. "What? And what she does, is that right?" She asked in disbelief. "No, absolutely not.. But you should not give her reasons to continue, you should control your anger sometimes." He tried to make her understand. "No, wait a minute, if she crosses the line, then I! I.. Should I stay quiet? I don't have the stamina to tolerate her, and that cannot even come. You are not getting it.." She sighed.

"I'm getting everything. But you should try to understand too, okay?"

"What?"

"She is not capable of getting a decent answer because she doesn't even ask anything good or bad. If you answer her, and the conversation goes on like that, you will, too, not listen. Then you can figure out what will happen next."

"You're right. I also don't really want to share a little conversation with her, but then, she came to me, and then-"

"Nothing can be done with you." He sighed and shook his head. "What do you mean?" She asked confusingly, tilting her head. George raised both his hands in a defensive manner, "I will not speak from now on." After saying this he got up, leaving. She also quickly got up, calling him. "Sir.." He turned, "Sir?" he asked. She took a few steps forward and stood in front of him. "Yes, Sir. Thank you.." She said, sincerely, leaving George standing there all surprised. "Wait- what? Wait a second, my ears must be broken- what?"

"Thank you.. Um, you know-"

"But why? Did I do something in return of hearing this so you are saying this?" He asked with an exquisite smile coming to his lips. "Maybe.." She said quietly. "Maybe?" He asked. "Yes…" Then he chuckled a bit, "Okay, alright. Welcome." They both smiled a little, and she walked him to the door, then George said.

"Tomorrow.. Should I come or…"

"Yes, come of course, I don't have a fever."

He grinned, "Yeah, I just discovered that, but if your attention.." He said and she nodded, and said, "I will focus." George raised his eyebrows, "Really? Man! I had never seen this serious type of girl." He said. "Why? You also want that whatever happens, my focus should be completely on my studies.." She said to him, making her point.

"Yes I want that, but if the person will be attentive enough, then" He said, casually, telling her what he wanted. "How could I be attentive?" She asked, but more like murmured to herself. "You could be." He shrugged. "What If it goes away?" She asked faintly. "What do you mean?" He asked. Jenna stared at him for a second, then kind of shook her head. "Don't you worry.. Sir. Anything you teach me, I will focus on it attentively!" She said, then both chuckled.

"Alright fine, I won't.. " He said, returning his smile. She hummed, "Now.."

"Bye." He said, turning to leave, she chuckled a little, saying, "Bye.."

George arrived home, and was really upset after seeing his student, whom he teaches, for the first time in this situation. Moreover, she cried. The fact is, now she must have been feeling well after throwing a minimum of herself out, but it was still too much coming out from her- and to be expected, for him.

Next day, in the morning, Fred and George were having breakfast, when Fred asked him about yesterday when he was supposed to come. "Bro, where were you? You didn't come yesterday night, nor inform me about anything, and when I came back you were already asleep." He asked, worriedly. "Yeah, I couldn't make it, bro. It was late and, besides, I was tired, and I couldn't take a day off from tuition either." George said, apologetically. "Okay. Max was also asking about you." He said. "If he were asking, then you should have told him." George said, shrugging. "What should I have told him?" He asked, skeptical. "What I'm doing currently, how am I doing. Stuff like that." He told him casually.

"Yeah, yeah, the fact I don't know for what reasons you are teaching here in school, and with that, you are giving home tuition to a girl from this school!" George was silent for a second, then he said, "Yeah, So what? I'm doing this for myself, right? Anybody should not have any problems from that." He said kind of seriously. "Bro, look, if you ask, I will never have any problems with your decisions. But have you forgotten about Max? How does he show off everything?" He said while eating.

"Yeah I know. But only for this reason, I'm not going to lie, you know that," George said sternly. "Yes, but you didn't go yesterday, so he will definitely make something up to say about that also." He said, making weird faces. "What possibly can he do? Think whatever he's gonna think, and you will not hesitate when telling him something. Alright?"

"Yup bro, not from now on." He said and they both smiled. George hummed tiringly. "What happened bro? Why are you tense?" Fred asked after looking at his face, which tells there was something which he had been thinking about. "Um.. I don't want to go to school today."

"Why? Wanna go directly to her home?" He asked with a smirk. "What?" George asked in bewilderment. "Yeah yeah, probably want to cut those paths so that you will go directly to her home.." He said teasingly, "What the hell are you saying?"

"Why don't you just teach there? Leave school, leave all those students, just her- yeah teach Jenna only."

"Look, it was not my decision to give her tuition but, if the Principal and their class teacher suggested this, then I should agree to them. You know right, when I didn't even get my degree, the principal of that school gave me the job so that I could teach there and earn some money." He got a little serious. Fred might be joking but he could never stand back without justifying himself. "I'm the one at fault here, by saying something to you. I knew I was going to hear your lecture." Fred said and shook his head, sighing.

"But no, I didn't say one thing." He suddenly said, "Now what's that?" Fred asked. "Now I too want to teach her. Now I really want to try my best at what they told me to do. I didn't know her before.." He said with determination, a smile coming on his lip after completing the sentence. "So now what possibly have you got to know about her?" Fred asked, curiously. "Bro- I'm leaving, it's getting late." He said, getting up. "Tell me when you will be back." Fred said with a grin. "Yeah Yeah."