Helen was busy cooking breakfast just before the first day of school. Will had left for work, and she began to hear the sounds of her children coming down the stairs. First was Kevin, the distinctive sound of the lift reporting his arrival. Shortly afterward, Joan and Luke raced down the stairs, rushing past their brother to get to the table.
After the food was served, Helen asked Joan, "So how's the college search going?" Joan lit up. "I've found a lot of places, actually. It's so much more fun now that I don't have to worry about going to the same place as Adam." Helen sighed. "You were so good together. I was really hoping that would last." Joan took the subject in another direction. "You know, I'm actually a little worried about him. I know his new job pays better and all, it's just I can't help thinking that Ryan guy doesn't have his best interests in mind."
Helen stopped eating. "What do you mean by that, dear? He's been nothing but pleasant in all the school board meetings." "I don't know, he just seems shady to me." Helen replied, "I'm sure Adam has good judgment about his well-being." To this Joan muttered, "Yeah, like how he just had that need to cheat on me." Everyone else's silverware clattered to the table and she realized she hadn't said that quite as under her breath as she meant to.
"Wh…what do you mean?" Helen said hesitantly. Kevin and Luke seemed frozen. Joan took a deep breath. "Okay. I broke up with him because he cheated on me. I managed to forgive him and we're still on friendly terms. That's it, please don't make it into anything else." Kevin interjected, "The hell with that, I'll go down there and pound his face in!" Joan shook her head. "No, please don't do anything. I'm begging you, I'm really just trying to keep this under wraps." Helen was shaking her hands. "How could you not tell us this?" Joan said, "It was a difficult moment, and it seemed like the right thing to do. I don't know what else to say."
Luke finally spoke up. "So who was it with?" Helen glared at the question, but Joan answered, "Bonnie." That got her mother's attention again. "Well, this will make my class very awkward. They were my two top students last year, and they're in my advanced class this year." Joan pleaded, "Just don't think about it. It's easier than you might think."
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Adam waved Joan over after school. He said, "Listen, your mother was acting kind of weird in class, and Luke blew me off when I tried to talk to him and Grace. Is something going on?" Joan looked at him regretfully. "I sort of… told them why we broke up." "WHAT? Not your dad too?" "No, he wasn't there. I'm sorry, we were talking about you and it just came out. I'm just really sorry." Joan felt herself starting to tear up. Adam said, "Well, this will make things pretty interesting. Looks like now the only person who'll give me the time of day is Ryan. Excuse me."
Joan then realized the magnitude of her error. She was closer than ever to losing Adam to Ryan's influence, and would have to work extra hard to keep him on her side.