Chapter 3

Elliot chewed on his lower lip and pulled on the strand of beard he had twisted around his index finger. He probably shouldn’t be so hard on Mick. He needed to be more patient. After all, Elliot knew what it meant to lose everything because of who he loved, and he didn’t want that for Mick.

He groaned and banged his head against the door. Shit. He’d have to apologize to Mick for being insensitive. And practice patience. 2: January

The last class of the first snowy Friday after winter break started like any other. As usual, there had been grumbling when Elliot had presented the overall goals for the term, and the groans grew louder when he’d talked about essay writing, poetry, and grammar. Especially grammar. The kids had perked up a little when he told them they’d start out slow and spend this first hour writing about whatever they wanted. Even something involving Harry and Hermione.