Heather Hummel Through Hazel Eyes (pdf)

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stay here tonight?
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Through Hazel Eyes
Uh, well.
Nothing more than sleeping, if that s what you
want. Promise
It d be comforting to have you here. And I have a
selection of large t-shirts for sleeping in that you can go
through.
Past boyfriend s shirts? Phil asked nudging her.
No, running race shirts. I get them in extra large so
I can sleep in them.
Phil turned the lights on and went back to the
kitchen. On his way, he called, I ll be back in a
minute.
What seemed like hours later, and after hearing
much tinkering in the kitchen, Madison was presented
with a bowl of coffee ice cream topped with whipped
cream and rainbow sprinkles.
How d you know coffee is my favorite?
Oh, a little bird told me.
Remind me to thank Olivia.
They ate their ice cream and watched television on
the couch for a few hours before climbing the steps to
bed. Phil chose a t-shirt from her stack that filled the
top shelf in her closet. It was from a Valentine s race
two years ago. Madison chose a New Year s Day race
shirt, changed in the bathroom and climbed into bed.
Phil slept beside her, one arm wrapped around her,
while Julie curled up on a fleece blanket on the floor in
the corner of the room. For the first night in a long
time, Madison slept peacefully.
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Through Hazel Eyes
SEVENTEEN
By Tuesday most of the students were able to settle
back into their normal routine. Discussions of Eric
continued on the school bus and between classes
though. Some of Madison s students continued to write
about Eric in their journals, some questioned his
actions, some questioned their role in his decision, but
most were making an effort to move on, finding a way
to make peace and to remember him fondly.
Madison was sitting at her desk between classes
when her phone rang.
Ms. Ragnar?
Yes, who s calling please?
This is Ginny s mom. Do you have a minute?
Why certainly, what can I help you with?
Madison took out a piece of notepaper and a pen in
case she had to document the conversation, as she did
when all parents called her.
Well, as you know, all the students were pretty
shaken up by Eric s suicide.
Yes, they handled everything extremely well given
the circumstances.
They did. I think that many of them grew up
pretty quick as a result of it.
I can vouch for that. They wrote very impressive
letters to Mr. and Mrs. Morrison. It was those letters
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Through Hazel Eyes
that showed me just how much they ve matured, and
how they stepped up to the plate to prove it.
That s why I wanted to call you. I saw Mrs.
Morrison in the grocery store a few days ago. She
expressed to me just how much the letters meant to her
and her husband. She indicated that the students
letters restored her faith in teenagers as a whole. She
struggled so much with Eric and realized just how
much the other teens tried to understand him when
they couldn t.
I can see that. Teens seem to have their own
language at times. I have some insight to it, but they
speak it fluently. Occasionally an adult can catch a
glimpse, but not often enough.
I wish it were more often. Well, I ll let you go. I
just wanted to pass that on to you. I know how hard
you work with the kids and you should know it pays
off.
Thank you, and by the way, Ginny is doing very
well in this class. She s a pleasure to have in here and is
always trying her best to motivate herself and others.
Thanks for saying so. We re extremely grateful.
Have a good afternoon.
Madison hung up and sat back in her chair. After
pondering their conversation for a moment, she picked
up the phone again and called Phil.
Hello?
Hey, it s me.
Hi me. How are you doing?
Good. I just wanted to say hello and see how you
are.
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Through Hazel Eyes
This is a nice surprise. I m fine. Busy getting some
paper work done for California.
How bout dinner tonight? My house. Madison
glanced up at the calendar that indicated less than a
month before Phil was scheduled to leave.
Dinner sounds great. What can I bring?
Nothing, I have everything already. We can eat
some more of the coffee ice cream too.
Sounds good. How is six-thirty again?
That s great.
Later on during lunch Madison found Olivia in her
classroom. What s on tap for this afternoon? Madison
asked.
Oh, I ve got my high energy class. What about
you? Do you want to run after school?
A run would be fine, but I have to be home by five-
thirty or so.
And that would be why? Olivia put down the
poster board she was preparing to hang on the wall.
Phil s coming over for dinner at six-thirty.
Ah ha! Is tonight going to be the big night?
I don t know. We re still getting to know each
other.
Well, that s one of the most important things to
know!
Yes, but it gets in the way of the rest later.
Madison leaned against the door jam, knowing she
would eventually lose this battle with Olivia.
Maybe, maybe not. Sometimes it enhances a
relationship and moves it along better. Do what you
feel is right, but with him leaving in less than a month,
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Through Hazel Eyes
your time is limited. What if it s really good and you
don t find out until just before he leaves?
Is that all you think about? I don t know who s
worse, your students or you. I need to get back to my
classroom. Can we meet at my house and run from
there?
Sure, see you after school. Olivia went back to
putting her poster board on the wall while Madison
made her way back down the hall. Mr. Whyte was
heading her way as she turned the corner leading to
her room.
Madison, how s it going? It seems like the students
have settled back into their normal routine, Mr. Whyte
said.
Yes, I believe they have. It was a tough week, but I
can tell you that Ginny s mother called me this [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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