“Yeah and then I reactivated it, so I could snoop on you. You are boring on Facebook, but you actually did get invited. You should check it sometimes. You might make some friends.”
“Fuck off. I don’t need friends.”
“Everyone needs friends. You should try it.”
“It’s not like you have a load of mates who hang around and invite you to parties.” Good line, Tom. Dad of the year. Yeah. That one must have hurt.
“Fuck off, Dad. I’m fine, okay? I don’t need all that shit.” Max is looking down again.
Way to go, Tom. Good call. We are actually talking. Having a conversation. Socialising with each other. Trying. And you have to be an arse about it all. “Sorry. I was out of line.” Tom sighs. “Do you want another beer?”
Max nods. Still not looking up. It’s bad enough that he hasn’t really had anyone come over to the house to hang out since he was what? Twelve? Max has never made friends easily. He has never been popular and never gets invited to all those cool parties. Never had a best friend. Tom knows all this and he is still throwing out comments like that without thinking.
“I love you, kiddo. Whatever this is, we will sort it out. We will fix this. Find a way of you graduating and then, we will think about Uni or jobs or gap years, or whatever you want to do. It’s okay. Honestly. I’ve got your back. You know I do.”
Max just snorts under that long fringe that covers his face. It’s black again. He hasn’t even noticed. How the hell hasn’t he noticed?
“I like the hair. It suits you. And I like the stubble when you don’t shave, makes you look all grown up. Not like the kid I wish you still were. You were such an amazing kid. My best friend in the whole world. It was just you and me against the world and we rocked. We did.”
“And now I am just a fucking disappointment?” Max doesn’t even look up.
“You are never going to be a disappointment,” Tom says. His voice soft, and his hand reaching out to touch the long fingers in front of him. The nails covered in chipped black varnish. Bitten and scratched in frustration. He remembers it well from his own angst-ridden teens. He doesn’t envy Max, he hated those years. The anger and fear and confusion and sheer desperation that filled his head until he found himself being a father.
“You saved me,” he starts, but Max just pulls his hand away. Stands up with a jerk and pulls his jacket over his shoulders.
“Let’s go.” He snorts and walks off. So Tom follows. Because right now there is nothing else he can do.
LUKAS
Lukas has been completely out of it the entire evening. He has tried to zone in and make his mouth say things that make sense. He has failed. Repeatedly. Got the wrong notes out for the wrong kids and called the parents the wrong names. The poor parents are left probably feeling more confused than they were coming in for the meetings he has so meticulously planned.
All because of Tom Andersson-Björklund. Bloody hell. Well, if Lukas had done his homework properly and checked Max's records, he might have found a few helpful clues. Because now that he is looking properly, it’s actually there in black and white. Previous meetings attended by his father. Tom Andersson. Fuck knows what happened to the Björklund name. Probably dropped it so he would never be found by all the people in the world who probably want the wanker dead. Including Lukas.
No, that is not fair because Lukas wouldn’t wish death and destruction on anyone. Up until an hour ago, Lukas had nursed a soft spot for Max Andersson. Wanted to help nurture the obviously troubled young man into something amazing. Give him strength and pride in having to overcome this hiccup in his education. Because it’s not that bad. Lukas has seen worse.
So what, if he has low grades in every subject, apart from Drama? He has an A+ in Drama. Which means Lukas needs another work chat with Simon, because if that is something Max can do, then there are options in how Lukas can make this work. Not that he is going to make anything work, because, obviously, he needs to drop Max Andersson like a hot potato and get him transferred to Annika’s most capable hands. Or Miriam. Miriam is a good teacher. Patient and calm. She would be good for Max.
He is doing it again. Trying to solve something that he needs to let go of. He can’t deal with this. Seriously, Lukas. He bangs his head against the whiteboard in the room, having paced aimlessly backwards and forwards for the last half hour. He needs to go home. He needs to get drunk. He needs to go to bed. He needs to stop thinking.
Fucking Tom.
He looks almost exactly the same. A bit older. A bit weathered and grey. But he is still Tom. The same mop of hair, which the sad bastard has still kept in the same hairstyle. He probably thought he could still get chicks by pulling his hand through it and winking. Smiling that smile and wearing those damn sunglasses.
Well, whatever.
Tom Andersson-Björklund, the ultimate golden boy at Östra Real. The Student King. Head of the Hazing Committee. Fuck, if he remembers rightly, Tom was head of the Student Union too. Finger in every pie. And he had dated Linnea, the girl of everyone’s dirty wet morning-wood sessions. The one with the big boobs and the easy laugh and the short skirts and the hot friends. Well, apart from Lukas. Because Lukas had wanked off to the thoughts of seducing Tom Andersson-Björklund more times than he wants to remember. Tom was the first of many straight boys he had crushed on. The unattainable, unbelievable specimens of men that Lukas had crushed on until it had almost driven him insane.
Tom. Oh, fucking hell.
No doubt Tom has some hot wife sitting at home. No doubt Max’s mother is some prize of a woman who has completed the perfect life he has ended up with. No wonder his son is a mess with Tom as a father, though.
Lukas shouldn’t judge. Lukas should go home. Instead he opens the teacher-to-student app on his laptop and shoots off an email to Simon asking to have a formal meeting to discuss a student. It’s routine and he marks it in his notes for any referral in the future. He has tried. He has really tried.
FROM [email protected]
RE: Informal meeting
Hi Max, Sorry about today.
Can we please reschedule as soon as possible? If your parents are unable to attend, then I will be happy to meet with you with one of the other teachers in attendance for support. But to be honest, we need to have this meeting as soon as possible to enable us to put a solid plan in place to get you back on track.
Best
Lukas
The reply comes back a little too quickly. Almost like Max had expected it.
FROM [email protected]
RE: Informal Meeting
Lukas. What the hell was that about?
Max
FROM [email protected]
RE: Informal meeting
I think that is something you should discuss with your father. It would not be professional of me to disclose more. Could we meet tomorrow at 5? Let me know if your parents are available. If not, is there a specific teacher you would like to attend to support you? I can ask Simon Vasquez from the Drama department?