I'm Afraid of Change

Joshua LaMontagne. 37. History Teacher at Ashton Preparatory Academy.

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

 Beth looked at him, shrugging her shoulders as she wasn’t exactly sure how to answer that. “I mean, I miss my family more than anything. But I don’t miss the rest, like.. My school situation there was pretty bad, I didn’t have a lot of friends or anything like that.” She had kind of been the town freak so to speak, the pastor’s daughter. “Oh um.. I think subtle would be nice.” She chuckled a little under her breath, as she wasn’t really used to blunt. “I just want to help my friend.”

“That makes sense, yeah” he nodded, “Thanksgiving is coming up, are you going to get to see your family at all for it?” he asked, seeing as she missed her family and this holiday was a great opportunity to get to see them again. “Subtle, right. Then I just say to make it clear that you’re there for her whenever she needs you and that you care about her. Offer her food when you see her, ask her if she wants to get dinner with you and encourage her to at least eat a little bit of something. Don’t push her too hard, but do your best- does that make sense?”

[joshualamontagne]

Text @ Josh

Connor: Not entirely, but he says they're just friends.

Connor: I hope you're right. I just can't help but feel like he's trying to get away from us. I remember wanting to get as far away as possible from my parents.

Connor: But then, I did want my own place even from my siblings, and they're great. Maybe it is normal...

Josh: Hmm

Josh: He's not trying to get as far away from you as possible, that kid loves you and you know it

Josh: See? It's normal, you're thinking too far into it. Every kid wants to move out and live on their own, that doesn't mean anything. You're fine

[joshualamontagne]

Text @ Josh

Connor: I finally talked to Brendon about coming home but he doesn't want to.

Connor: He's staying with a friend and he wants to keep staying there.

Connor: Have I hovered too much? Did I overwhelm him? Maybe I'm just not a good dad. He did move out pretty much as soon as he could..

Josh: Really?? I wasn't expecting that.. Are you sure it's just a friend?

Josh: You didn't hover, you didn't overwhelm him, and you're a great dad. That's not your fault.

Josh: He's fairly independent, that's just the way he is. Having a son who is read to move out and take care of himself at that age is a sign of very GOOD parenting, you prepared him well.

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

 Beth offered him a weak smile, “It sounds a lot like my old town to be honest, even though Ashton has always been bigger in size.” She said, reminiscing about when she’d been younger and they had occasionally driven through Ashton, or even stopped for a milkshake whenever they were going somewhere. She bit her lips together, looking at him, “Yeah.. No, telling her parents would get us nowhere.” She told him truthfully, seeing Esme’s parents had not cared when Ellery had gone missing, she doubted they’d start to care now. 

Josh smiled a little, “Do you ever miss it?” he asked, looking back at her, “Your old town- I mean” he clarified, knowing he missed the way that his town used to be. Sometimes this didn’t even feel like the same place, and it wasn’t the type of place he wanted to raise his kids in anymore. He nodded when she confirmed his suspicions, “Okay, do you want to have a more strong and direct approach or are you looking for something more subtle?” he said, figuring it would be the ladder since Elisabeth didn’t seem like a direct person.

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

 Elisabeth frowned at his words, nodding her head slightly as she agreed wit him, except for the swearing part of course. “I can’t even begin to imagine what this town would feel like being actually safe..” She shrugged at her own words as she really couldn’t. She nodded her head, “Thank you, I will keep that in mind.” Josh and his wife has been there for her at times her own parents couldn’t. Beth shrugged her shoulders at him, “Honestly.. I am not sure. But the last time I saw her she was looking very skinny, I mean, she always has been, but just not.. healthy. I managed to get her to eat, but I am not with her 24/7, so I don’t know what she does when I am not there.” She sighed, feeling stressed about the whole ting. “I tried to, but she isn’t listening to me..”

“It was really nice before everyone started moving in and the crime rates rose, I think you would’ve really liked it how it was when I was your age and when Shawn was little” he said with a small smile, thinking about the memories of how nice the town used to be. It used to be the perfect town for him and his family, and now it had become a nightmare. He nodded slowly as she talked, “I’m assuming I know this person, and if I’m right then I assume telling her parents about your concerns isn’t really an option?” he asked, it not being a secret that Esme’s parents hadn’t been the most involved in their daughter’s life.

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

 Beth did as he gestured and took the seat across from him, smiling ever so slightly at him again. “Yeah.. It was horrible to hear about the body.. And all the speculations that are going around.. I don’t feel safe here anymore if I am being honest.” She said, looking up at him with a weak smile, “I just hope we get answers soon.” Not that it was very likely. “So, I have this friend..,” She paused, figuring he knew she didn’t have many and would be able to work out who it was pretty easy, “And she isn’t eating at the moment. Like at all.” She told him. “I am just worried about her and not sure what to do.”

“Yeah this town isn’t the same as it used to be, it feels like everything’s gone to shit” he said with a small frown, not minding cursing infront of her the one time when they were the only ones in the room. “If you’re ever feeling unsafe, you know you can always reach out, right?” he offered, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable in this town and knowing she didn’t have many other adult figures in her life that she seemed comfortable turning to. “I hope so too” he nodded, before listening as she told him about her friend. He figured he knew who she was talking about, it wasn’t like she had many friends, and since the person he thought she meant was also a good friend of his son, he had a pretty good idea who she meant. “How long has this been happening?” he asked, trying to see how bad it had actually been. “And have you talked to her about it already?”

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

 Beth’s lips creeped into a brighter smile once she locked her eyes with Josh. “Hi!” She said again, “I have been alright um.. How about you?” She asked him, figuring she’d spare him the details of her personal life as it was not something she considered appropriate mentioning to a teacher, even though Josh was not like all the other teachers to her. “I um.. I actually wanted to talk to you, or ask you for some advice.”

Josh nodded, motioning for her to take the seat across from his desk, “Please, sit” he said before taking a sip of his coffee. “I’ve been alright, I think it’s been a very stressful time for everyone in the town right now, but I’m managing” he said, not wanting to go into his own family drama with her, she didn’t need to know about it. “What can I help you with?”

[joshualamontagne]

itselisabethmoore​:

closed | @joshualamontagne​

Beth’s class had been let off a bit earlier than usual, so she found herself waiting outside of the classroom where Josh was teaching. It had been a while since she’d seen him and she wanted to make sure everything was alright. At the same time she kind of needed his help. Once the bell rang, students started exiting the classroom, Beth managed to sneak in between them, walking over in the direction of her teacher. “Hi Mr. LaMontagne.” She said, smiling as she approached him.

Josh was looking down at his laptop, closing the powerpoint that he’d been using during the class only to look up when he hear the familiar voice. “Elisabeth, hey! How’ve you been?” he asked. He’d been having a stressful week, a lot of family drama that he didn’t want to deal with at the moment so this was a welcomed distraction.

[joshualamontagne]

tyler-j-marhsall​:

It had been a busy week for the student and he just finished a presentation, before he decided it was about time for a little break. He strolled down the streets, once he left the campus, stopping by at the first bar on his way downtown, to treat himself with a cold blond. He entered the main door and ordered his beer, his eyes scanning the area for familiar faces. He felt like he was neglecting his social life slightly lately and was hoping to catch up. “Hey! Sorry, but I think your bag is open.” Ty informed the other person next to him once he spotted it. 

@ashtontnhqstarter​

Josh was out at the bar having a drink before he was planning on going home for the night. His wife was already asleep at home and his son was out with some friends, and his only plans for the night was grading essays so he wasn’t in a rush to get home. He looked over at the man before his attention was turned to his open bag, “I could’ve dropped all of the homework I have to grade tonight, thank you! I’m sure my students would be less thankful”

[joshualamontagne]

sarah-houston​:

Sarah was working the graveyard shift at Scottie’s - which for a bar, was the early afternoon. The place was empty and Sarah had her headphones on, her regular rock music blasting in her ears as she cleaned the glasses behind the bar and filled up the containers of lemon, lime and olives. The music had her singing along, and as it progressed, she began dancing. It began with just a little foot tapping, but pretty soon she was doing full-blown choreography behind the bar. With her headphones on and her back turned, she wasn’t aware that someone had entered the bar until - mid-spin - she caught their eye. This brought her to a complete halt and she pulled her headphones off, a rare blush appearing on her cheeks. “What?” She snarled, before remembering she was at her place of work. “I mean, what can I do for you?”

@ashtontnhqstarter​

Josh was having a rough day, his wife and son were in worse moods than usual and it was becoming increasingly more difficult to tell if his efforts to help them were working at all or if they were only harming them more, so he needed a break. Walking into Scotties, he smiled a little bit seeing the bartender dancing to her music. “Nice moves” he commented before stepping over and taking a seat at the bar. “Can I just get a beer?”

[joshualamontagne]

johnathanabotts​:

tw: animal abandoment

John pressed a finger against his lips as he gestured someone to come closer. Strange little noises were coming from a box in front of him. “Kittens.” He whispered with a shake of his head. “Why would anyone abandon these?” He sighed, losing faith in humanity for yet another day. 

@ashtontnhqstarter​

Josh looked over, staying quiet and walking over when the other man motioned to him. He looked down at the box and frowned, “Oh no, that’s terrible” he said, leaning down a little to get a better look at them. “I don’t know how anyone could leave them here like this, that’s awful” he said before looking back up at him, “Have you called anyone for this yet?”

[joshualamontagne]

mrconnorowenandrews​:

Connor nodded carefully before sighing, “Okay, okay. I, um, I did talk to him. He’s alright. I just … I hate this. There’s another kid about his age that’s not alright. It’s just … horrifying.” he explained carefully, “Now though… I’ve got to stop talking myself out of asking Brendon to come home for a while before I see him. I just want my family all under one roof. I want to … I want to wrap everyone in this town in bubble wrap. With a GPS tracker on it.”

“Okay, good, that’s a good start- we know Brendon and Shawn are okay. That’s what’s most important” he nodded. “You haven’t asked him yet? You have to ask him soon, you’re not going to get any rest until you do”

[joshualamontagne]

mrconnorowenandrews​:

“I can’t believe this.” Connor said, half to himself as he paced behind the building. Trying to get himself together before stepping out into the crowd to try to comfort his students. A body, connected to the disappearances. It was his worst nightmare lately come to life. He knew most of those kids, and he couldn’t help but feel that he had failed them one after the other, all the way back to when Rachel had started acting like she was being followed and he hadn’t made an appointment with her before she was gone. And now one of his students, one of his patients was apparently dead, and there was nothing he had been able to do to protect them. “How does this keep happening?” he breathed out in horror.

The first thing that Josh did when the news broke about a body being found was find his son and make sure he was okay. Once he’d found Shawn, who was definitely drunk but that would be a problem for a different day, he was just happy that he was okay. The next person he was worried about was Connor, who he’d known took these disappearances to heart. Finding him, Josh stopped in front of him, “Deep breaths, we’re going to figure everything out, alright? One step at a time” he said, resting his hand on his friends shoulder. Josh was always good at being calm under pressure, unless he thought his own family was in danger, so he wanted to use that to help Connor who was seemingly not so good at it. “First things first- have you talked to Brendon yet?”

[joshualamontagne]

mrcaseyroberts​:

“It’s not that bad.” Casey defended before breaking into laughter himself, “Okay, it is, but it makes Gracie smile, so it’s totally worth it.” he admitted. “I own my own business, every day is casual Friday, but I’m still not wearing an Olaf costume to work! I’ve already had to draw that line with Gracie, actually. She wanted me to wear this all day today.”

“It definitely is that bad” he said before shaking his head. “Oh I think you should. I will pay you $50 to wear that thing for a full day of work, I really need to see that” he nodded. “Gracie and I think a lot of the same things, I might like her more than I like you” he joked

[joshualamontagne]

mrcaseyroberts​:

Casey laughed at his friend’s antics. “Oh, come on. Did your kids never talk you into dressing up with them or am I the only one with a slightly manipulative child?” he questioned, shaking his head in amusement. Gracie had him entirely wrapped around her finger, but he honestly didn’t mind it.

Josh was still laughing before Casey asked his question, “Oh definitely, I was some ridiculous Disney character every year when Abby was younger. But I never looked like that” he said, shaking his head. “it’s a good look for you dude, you should wear that on like Casual Fridays or something”

[joshualamontagne]

thisissofiamartinez​:

Closed! (31st of October 2020)

Sofia had been enjoying the festival so far. She had just reached the haunted house everyone had been talking about for a while but she hadn’t entered it yet. She had been a bit afraid of the dark even if she wouldn’t admit that. She had thought it had been safer to admire it from the outside. Sofia had noticed the tall guy she had seen before and had sent him a smile. “Hi! I bet you are braver than me. I’ve been looking at this for ten minutes and still don’t dare to go inside.” She had chuckled, feeling stupid. 

@joshualamontagne

Josh turned his head when he heard someone talking to him, smiling a little when he saw who it was, “Hey! It’s good to see you again” he said nicely before laughing at her comment. “Oh come on- you can’t come all the way here and then not go through the haunted house, it’s the best part! I’ll go with you, does that make it better?” he offered, “I’m pretty sure I’m taller than any monster they could possibly have in there and I’m a marine, so I think as far as people to take into a haunted house with you go, I think I’m your safest bet”

[joshualamontagne]

mrcaseyroberts​:

Casey stood at the side of the carousel that Gracie was riding, grinning as he waved at his daughter before looking at the person standing next to him. “I’m so glad to see her having so much fun. I was worried there wouldn’t be much to do for her this yeah, but this is nice. I don’t have to take my eyes off of her, and she’s having a blast with her friends.” he shared. “Granted, I think she had a little too much fun convincing me to wear this costume but … I don’t mind letting her have a little fun at my expense. She’s only eight.”

Josh walked over to Casey, not being able to contain his laughter when he saw the other man’s outfit. “I’m sorry, I know it’s for Gracie but I can’t help it” he said, pulling out his phone while he was still laughing and taking a picture of Casey, “Say cheese!” he joked, shaking his head. “I’m going to cherish that picture forever- thank you for this, really, this is the best thing I’ve ever seen. That’s your new contact picture, for sure”