Page 84 of Burning Skies
A student nearly runs into me. “No running in the cafeteria,” I say. “Slow down.”
“Sorry, miss,” he says before he ignores me completely and races away.
Being a cafeteria monitor is the least favorite part of my job. Every two minutes, I glance at the clock. Finally, it’s almost time to go. I’m dying to get back to the office so I can text Beau.
Yes, I’m a little pathetic. I feel like a teenage girl all over again, giddy every time he texts or calls.
Adrian walks into the cafeteria and yells, “Hot off the press!” as he hands out stacks of the student newspaper. When he gets to me, he grins. “Hey. Did ya see this?”
The headline on the front page reads, “Mad Crapper Still at Large.”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “How did that article beat out the Halloween fire for top billing?”
“My editors had a huge argument about it. There was yelling. Keith and Sabrina flipped out on each other. Chicken nuggets were thrown. But at the end of the day, in the minds of teenagers, nothing can beat someone dropping trou and taking a dump in the middle of a stairwell.”
I consider the logistics of how someone has gotten away with this. According to the article, there have been three different dumps so far. “Maybe they poop somewhere else and bring it to school.”
“Like a bag lunch?”
“Gross.” We both laugh as I grab a stack for my afternoon class. “Your students are going to win so many awards this year. How could they not with all this juicy stuff going on?”
“I hope so. It looks great on their college applications. Plus, it’ll get my father off my case. He’s always griping about how we don’t print real news.”
“You run a high school newspaper, not theNew York Times.”
He chuckles. “Tell him that.”
“Hang in there.” At least I’m not the only one having issues with my dad.
The bell rings, and with a wave to my colleague, I head for the doors. When I get to the office, I do a double-take. “Aunt June.”
She’s standing in the middle of the room while teachers bustle around her. My aunt is wearing one of her crocheted shawls over a button-up pink house dress. Reaching up, she pats her short hair, which is freshly curled into tight white-blonde ringlets.
When she sees me, her eyes light up. “Hi, darling.” She opens her arms, and I hug her.
God, I hope Cash didn’t open his big mouth. Maybe Aunt June is here to warn me that my father knows I’m dating Beauand has gone to DEFCON 1. “What a nice surprise. What’s going on?”
She grins and points to the conference table. “I brought you some snacks. You’re always working these days.”
I glance over at the tray of food. “They look… delish. What are they?” I squint at the sausages and oddly shaped dough that surrounds them.
Trish walks by and does a double-take. Before I can ask if she’d like one, she scurries off. Okay, so it’s not just me. There’s definitely something strange about the shape of the food.
Aunt June grins. “Pigs in a blanket. Try one.”
“That’s so sweet of you.” I grab a paper plate from our communal supplies in the corner and pick up a pig in the blanket. When I bring it to my mouth, I try not to laugh because it definitely looks phallic, but it tastes good. “Yum. Thank you.”
June pats my hand. “I was going to make you a coochie board, but I wasn’t sure that was enough food for your office.”
I almost choke. “I’m sorry. A what?”
“A coochie board. A coochery board.” She shakes her head, confused. “Or is it a coochy-coo board?”
It takes me a second. “A charcuterie board?”
“Yes, dear. That.”
Oh my God. I press a hand to my stomach as I try not to crack up. “You’re the best, Junie. I love you.” I hug her, grateful to have someone like her in my family. See, my mom’s side is somewhat normal. It’s my father’s side that’s a little psycho. I motion to a chair. “Would you like to sit down?”
