"Okay, dad, I think I've come across an answer you are going to have to look at," Leyna commented.

Eli glanced up at her. "That bad, huh?"

She laughed at this. "No, it's not bad. I think it is the way they worded themselves. I cannot quite tell if it is correct or not."

"Alright, bring it over here," he replied, and she brought the test over to him. He read the question, and then the answer. "I do see what you mean," he commented, and re-read over them both a couple more times before adding, "Give them half credit. There were two points I was looking for, and the one they clearly did not mention at all."

"Works for me," she replied, and thanked him before taking her seat at the second small desk in his office and went back to work on grading tests.

Eli glanced over at Leyna, a small smile coming to his face as he watched her for a moment. For two months now, she had been diligently helping him with his work. He was actually glad he had agreed to let her assist him around the classroom, for she was proving to be far more helpful than he had anticipated. She was a quick learner, and he was pleasantly surprised when he discovered just how knowledgeable of this particular field of study she was. He had always assumed she did not understand, when in reality she was simply not interested.

"It's too quiet in here. Is it okay if I turn on some music?" she suddenly asked.

"Go right ahead," he replied, and she switched on the small radio she had brought in the previous week. Immediately, the office was filled with the sound of Rod Stewart quietly playing, and Eli found his foot tapping along with the beat.

"Were you a fan of him back in the day?" she asked casually. He found it amusing at how interested she was in his musical taste.

"I was, and still am a fan of Mr. Stewart," he informed her, and they shared a smile before going back to what they had been working on.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and before Eli had time to say anything the person barged into the room. "Eli, we need to talk," the young girl said to him, what she said making Leyna frown. Who was she, and why was she calling him by his first name? He never allowed students to refer to him as Eli.

"Beth, what are you doing here?" he asked, clearly uncomfortable with her presence.

She went to say something, when she finally noticed Leyna, and scoffed as she commented, "Is this why you've been ignoring me? You found a new slut to fuck, so I'm old news?"

Leyna's eyes grew wide, and her jaw dropped when she said this. Was she hearing this correctly? Was her father actually cheating on her mom with one of his students? "Beth, please don't do this-" he started to say, when she cut him off.

"No, I want her to hear this, so she can know what a piece of shit you are," she spat at him, clearly beyond being upset.

Suddenly, all eyes were on Leyna. "Dad…what's going on?" she asked quietly, looking back and forth between the two of them.

It was now Beth's turn to be surprised. "Oh god…you're his daughter, aren't you?" she asked, a look of horror on her face. When she looked back over at Eli, she could see the anger etched on his features, and knew she had royally fucked up. "I-I'm so sorry," she stammered, and quickly walked back out of the room.

When Eli looked over at Leyna, he could see a look of hurt, anger and confusion in her eyes. "I suppose I should start doing some explaining, huh?" he commented quietly.

"Don't bother. I don't want to hear it," she said coldly.

When she stood up and began to gather up her things, he asked, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet, but I do know I need to get out of here."

"Leyna, please don't do this," he said, and gently grasped her arm.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, and tried to pull away, but he had tightened his hold on her, so that she could not go anywhere. She continued to struggle against him, but eventually gave up, and went limp when he pulled her to him. "Why, dad? Just tell me why," she said wearily, suddenly exhausted.

"It was a foolish and horrid thing for me to do, I know, and I am beyond upset with myself for doing this to you and your mother. I don't blame you if you hate me now, but please believe me when I say I am so sorry."

"Oh dad, I don't hate you," she reassured him, and finally returned the embrace. "It's just…everything had been going so well around the house. This is going to completely mess that up."

"I know, love, I know, and I am sorry. If I could take it back, I would."

Once she finally pulled away, she quietly asked him, "How long has this lasted?"

Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he admitted, "About two months. I have not done anything with her since before I went to Stockholm, though." She simply nodded. "Thank you."

She frowned. "For what?"

"For being so forgiving. I really don't deserve it," he commented.

"I am willing to forgive you as long as you tell mom everything. You know as well as I do she deserves to know the truth."

Eli nodded. "I will tonight as soon as she gets home." He hesitated, before adding, "Are you still wanting to leave? I was rather hoping you would accompany me to lunch, but if you don't want to, I'll understand completely."

She gave a small smile, and reassured him, "Since you sort of talked me down, I think I can handle joining you." He smiled back, and walked over to his desk to grab his keys. As he did so, she added, "You know something, dad? This look suits you."

He glanced down at what he was wearing, and looked back up at her with a frown. "And what look might that be?"

"The look which makes you less intimidating and more loving."

Touched by this, Eli simply smiled at her and kissed the top of her head before placing his hand on the small of her back to lead her out of the room.

)))))

When Leyna noticed Eli was pacing, she asked him, "Dad, are you okay?"

Eli stopped and looked over at her. "I'm fine. I…I guess I'm a little nervous, that's all," he admitted.

Standing up, she walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mom is an understanding person. I know she'll be hurt and mad, but I think once the initial shock wears off, she'll forgive you."

He gave her a small smile. "I sure hope you are right."

She smiled back and gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Do you want me to be out of the house tonight?" she asked.

"It would probably be best, yes. Is there a friend you could stay with? If not, I can get you a hotel room-"

"Dad, that won't be necessary. I have a friend I can stay with."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "I already talked to Jerry earlier, and he was okay with it." When a confused look came to his face, she explained, "I told him you and mom had some things you needed to discuss, and that my not being around might not be the best, so I asked if I could stay at his place, and he was alright with it. I…I hope you don't mind me explaining the situation to him. I didn't go into detail or anything, but I made it apparent things aren't the best right now."

Had it been anyone else, Eli would have been livid, but he actually liked her friend Jeremy. "No, no, it's okay. Since it was him, it's fine, but please refrain from telling anyone else. I would rather not have the entire neighborhood knowing of your mother and I's marital problems."

Leyna nodded. "I won't, I promise. I guess I'll go ahead and pack a bag, then."

"Okay," he replied, and watched her as she disappeared up the steps. A part of him was grateful of her not being at the house when he did tell Sarah, while at the same time he wished she would be there to help him get through this. "You cannot rely on your daughter for this, Eli. You fucked up, now you have to fix it," he thought to himself, and hoped everything turned out for the best.