Thank you for all the follows, favorites, and reviews! They were all very sweet. Here is the third chapter to this story. I have a good idea where this is a going and this is a stepping stone towards that. Hope you enjoy, and remember to review!
Teddy walked into fifth hour a little early so she could talk to her coach before class started. He said he wanted to see her, and she had no idea why.
"You said you wanted to see me coach?" She asked, smiling as she put her stuff down. She looked particularly pretty that day, with a white dress and a jean jacket on, and her hair cascading down her back.
"Yeah sit down," He replied motioning to the chair across from his. He was only about forty years old but his silver hair shined from the track lighting above.
"What's up?" Not only was Coach Woodruff Teddy's favorite coach but he was also her favorite teacher. He was driven with passion in everything he did, and he could always crack a joke to make her smile. She looked around at the room that felt like a second home to her. Every day she looked forward to that class.
"Is there something going on that I should know about?" He asked. He wasn't asking like she was in trouble, but it seemed that he was concerned about her well-being. You would never get him to admit it in front of everyone, but Teddy was one of his favorite students. He had a special place in his heart for the girl. Over the years he had noticed the lack of presence of her parents at things like academic banquets, and her basketball games and track meets, so he vowed to fill the role of her number one fan as much as he could.
"What do mean?" Teddy knew exactly what he meant but she wasn't going to let on to it. Things at home lately had gotten worse. Frank was coming home drunk more than usual. The more he got drunk, the worse Teddy got it.
"You know what I mean Teddy. You haven't been yourself lately, you've been quiet in my class, you've been very anxious, and you lost that sparkle you always have in your eyes." He smiled the crooked smile that always made Teddy laugh. He truly missed that sparkle she always sported the most, it was one of the many things that made her so beautiful, and reminded him that there was still good in the world, even in the worst of times.
"Yeah Coach, it's just I have a lot on my plate. I have to keep my grades up, and the extra training to make it to states, it's a lot. I'm just tired, I'll be my old self in a few weeks when all of this is over." Teddy hoped that sounded believable it easy a little cliché though. Almost as bad as the "I ran into a doorknob," excuse.
"Why don't you take practice off today, go home and get some sleep?" His thumbs fought each other in his lap, as he looked her directly in the eye.
"I'm a captain coach, I'm not skipping practice to take a nap, I can sleep when I'm dead." Teddy laughed "I have to go get my stuff so I'm not 'unprepared' for your class." She mocked as she began walking out the door.
"Teddy," She stopped dead in her tracks and turned around to face him, "You know you can talk to me about anything right? No judgment, no repercussions, nothing to lose." He asked leaning forward in his rolly chair.
"Yeah Coach, I know." With that she found her friends and made her way to her locker.
Frank was late picking her up for practice so she decided that she would just practice a little longer until he got there. She knew her Coach had his son's baseball game to go to so she told him she'd be fine and that he said he'd be there soon. That was a mistake, she had tried calling him several times but he never picked up, and when she looked to see if she had her Metra card on her, she realized she had left her wallet in her locker. The only problem with that was the school closed at five and it was five fifteen. Teddy wasn't quite sure what to do as the rain started falling, she sat under the bleachers and looked through her contacts for someone to call. She took a second to think about the decision she was making and then pressed the call button on the phone.
"Sargent Hank Voight speaking," The voice said.
"Hey Sargent, this is Teddy."
"Oh hey Teddy is everything okay," His gruff voice worried.
"Oh yeah, everything's fine, you said I could call you if I needed a ride right?" Teddy decided that she regretted her decision as soon as he answered the phone.
"Yeah kid, where are you, you okay?" He asked. He could make this another opportunity to knock some sense into this girl, he wasn't sure how but he would.
"Yeah I'm fine, it's just its pouring and Frank was supposed to pick me up an hour ago, and my card for the Metra is with my wallet in my locker."
"Okay, I'll be right there, Lincoln Park High right?"
"Yup, I'm over by the track."
"Okay try to find some shelter it looks pretty bad out there, I'll be right there." Voight was nonchalant as he grabbed his coat and faired goodbye to the Intelligence team. He made his way to his car and began his drive to pick her up.
Ten minutes later Voight pulled up to the track pavilion to see a smiling Teddy walking towards the car.
"Hey," Teddy said opening the door and jumping in to the passenger seat.
"Oh my god, you're soaking wet!" Voight greeted, turning the heat on in the car in attempt to warm her.
"Thanks for this; I just didn't know who to call. I told my coach Frank would be there in a couple minutes but it turns out that that was a lie." Teddy was much happier than anytime he had forced her to spend time with him. He could tell she was in her element.
"He's an ass-hole Teddy, what can I say." He put the car in gear and began to pull forward.
Teddy sighed at that comment and shook her head. He pulled out of the parking lot and made a left towards the highway. "Geez kid you have to be freezing, look at you I can see you shivering."
"It looks like a pretty epic storm out there." Teddy said looking out the window at the lightning that accompanied the torrential downpour.
"My Justin liked storms too."
"You have a kid?" Voight's ruff demeanor seemed to melt at this question.
"Yup, he's not so much a kid anymore, he turrns twenty nine this year. I have two kids if you count Erin." He smiled, the pride strewn across.
"You don't strike me as much of a kid guy." Teddy said tracing the rain down the window with her finger.
"I love those two more than anything in the world." His words were sweet and full of sincerity. After that the ride was silent.
He turned into a Starbucks and pulled up to the drive through. "One caramel latte, and one coffee black, both grande please." He exchanged money with the girl in the window and took the two coffees she was offering
"Drink this, it should warm you up." He stated handing it to her.
"Thanks," She said taking a sip of it. He was right he could feel the warmth of trickle down warming her body. "Thanks for the ride, I just didn't know who to call, and I didn't feel like walking twenty miles in the rain."
"No problem kid, I made you a promise and I'm always going to keep with that promise. The offers always open, whatever you need I'm always here. I certainly never want to see you walking through this city alone." Voight wasn't done talking, but he was cut off by his phone ringing.
"Yeah…. Uh huh, I'll be right there." He finished finally hanging up the phone.
"You have anything planned for tonight?" He asked putting his blackberry in his pocket.
"Just homework, why?"
"They got a lead on the case; you're coming to the precinct with me."
Teddy didn't fight with him; it had to be better than hanging out at home. She didn't want him to think she was ungrateful.
"Do you want to see the best thing about being a cop." She didnt have time to say anything before he turned the lights on and started to accelerate. Before they new it they were going ninety down a forty five road. Teddy laughed at Voights enthusiasm.
"I like that." Voight said.
"What" Teddy asked quietly, just as quick as she was coming out of her shell she was returning back into it.
"Your laugh, I've never heard you laugh."
"Contrary to your belief, I am a happy person you know," Teddy stated in all seriousness.
"I can tell you're a happy person, I just know he's not."
"You don't even know him," Teddy defended.
"I've seen it plenty of times before." Voight said pulling into his usual spot at the precint. Teddy got out of the car, grabbing her backpack and following Voight. They walked into a busy building with and older woman standing guard at the front desk, and made their way up two flights of stairs to a quieter, more calm, floor.
"Hey everyone, I'd like you all to meet Teddy." Voight exclaimed, pushing the girl forward. "She'll be hanging around here tonight."
A sea of greetings came Teddy's way as she followed Voight to an empty desk across from Antonio's. Her cheeks burned red from all off the attention.
"That's Jay, Antonio, Adan, and that's Russek. You've already met Erin." Teddy's shyness had already kicked in from all the people, she just wanted to curl up in a ball, but instead she gave all of them a small wave.
"So you're the pretty little thing Voight's been spending his time with." Antonio smirked trying to spark some conversation with the girl.
Once again Teddy's cheeks burned red. "I guess so." She smiled.
"You're even more charming than he made you out to be." If Antonio wasn't thirty years older than her someone would probably consider this banter flirting, but really Antonio just wanted to get the girl to talk, and because of his experience with his daughter he knew this was the way. They all knew he wasn't lying though when he called her pretty, she seemed like she didn't care, but she was beautiful.
Teddy pulled out the bit of homework she had thinking the conversation was done, but to her surprise she was proven wrong. "So you're about fifteen right, what school do you go to? My daughter is about your age."
"Yeah, I go to Lincoln park over, on the west side of Chicago. "Teddy said looking up from her homework. She adjusted herself so she was sitting with her legs curled under her and went back to the paper in front of her.
"Oh my daughter goes to Westfield, last time I checked you are our rivaling school."
"Last time I checked my Girls Varsity basketball team beat yours, 50 to 36 in the regional championships." Teddy laughed. This made Antonio smile.
"Oh so you play?"
"Yeah, does your daughter?"
"Yeah she plays JV though. But I was at that championship and I do remember some very unfair calls." He smirked; everyone could tell he was joking. For once that day the mood in the precinct had been lifted.
Teddy laughed at him and went back to her homework.
It was about an hour later when Teddy got a text on her phone and saw it as a way out. Voight was still talking to some people in his office so he looked over at Antonio.
"I have to go, will you tell Sargent Voight, that I said thank you for the ride and the coffee." She asked quietly. Her shyness was like a roller coaster, one second she could speak like she had known someone forever and the next it seemed she was afraid to speak. She didn't give them the time to answer and she gathered her things and left them all a little bit puzzled, and a lot confused.
"Where'd my girl go?" Voight asked walking out of his office.
"She got a text, and then just got up and left."
"You let her fucking leave!"
"You didn't say not to." Antonio huffed.
"I work with morons I swear." Voight muttered rubbing his forehead. With that he walked back into his office and slammed the door.
Hope you liked it! Thank you so much for reading. If you haven't already check out my story for Chicago Fire. Let me know what you think.If I have enough feedback there's a possible fourth chapter I'll post tomorrow. Love you guys. Xoxo- Maddie