Page 31 of An Unexpected Turn
My chest deflated as I darted my eyes away. A confusing concoction of relief and panic swirled in my belly.
“It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen Jake look at anyone like that, if ever. Do you care about him?”
“Yes,” I admitted without thinking.
“Good. You’re both about to make a mess.” She coughed out a laugh and tapped my elbow. “Make sure it’s worth it.”
FIFTEEN
PEYTON
“Ithink we should throw you a housewarming party.”
“No, that’s not necessary,” I told Deirdre as I shook my head. “That’s a very generous and sweet offer, but I have more stuff than I know what to do with from my old apartment.”
“But it’s notnewstuff,” Erin, one of the senior math teachers, said from across the lunch table in the teacher’s lounge. I’d found a cluster of friends to eat lunch with on the days a student didn’t ask to see me, and I looked forward to those forty-five minutes every day. They’d been friendly and welcoming when I’d first met them and not opposed to sharing a little tea about the students, staff, and some parents. While gossip wasn’t the most productive activity, it was helpful to have some insider information when I had to deal with strife between students.
“Did she agree to the party yet?” Cam, the PE teacher and baseball coach, smirked as he took a seat next to me.
“Not yet, but almost.” Erin chuckled.
“How about this,” Deirdre suggested. “What if we promise not to bring presents, but bring food and booze instead? It could be just like this, but louder and without the time limit.”
“Okay, that’s different. Once the work is done in my condo, you all have a deal.”
I’d forgotten how nice it was to have camaraderie at work. After everything came to a head at my old school, I’d had two friends left once the dust settled. Thankfully, one of those friends was the head of the guidance department and gave me a glowing recommendation when I applied for this position. I meant what I’d said to Jake at lunch that day—other than my mother and Claudia, it didn’t feel as if I was leaving much behind.
My new school and town were finally starting to feel a bit like home. Dwelling in the past wouldn’t help me in the present, but I had enough going on to distract me from getting sucked in.
Like new friends—and new contractors alone with me in my tiny condo this weekend. The back of my neck heated at the thought of how small my space would get with Jake in it.
“Well, hopefully it’s soon. You have me until baseball season starts. Then my weekends are dedicated to games, practice, and crying alone in my beer on a Saturday night.”
“Judy doesn’t cry with you, Cam? Isn’t that part of marriage?” Erin teased.
“Don’t get me wrong, I love coaching, but I’m not given a whole lot of support sometimes. It’s not as if I’m royalty like the football team.”
“Ugh, please,” Deirdre groaned. “They walk around with such swollen heads now, I wonder how they make it into the classrooms.”
“Encouraging your team is important, so I get building them up—to a point.” Cam sighed, shaking his head. “But Coach Lewis reminds me too much of the bad guy from theKarate Kidmovies.”
I snickered in agreement until I spotted Arlene frowning in the doorway.
“I’m so sorry to interrupt your break, but I need Peyton and Deirdre to come with me. A few of your students got into a fight at lunch, and it’s still a little heated.”
Our chairs screeched across the floor as we rushed into the hallway to follow Arlene.
“Who got into a fight? Is anyone hurt?” Deirdre asked as she jetted ahead of Arlene.
“A couple of punches were thrown from what I understand. They had an issue in the lunch line.”
“Can you give me some names?” I asked, breathless as I rushed to keep up.
“Aaron Score and Michael Russo were the freshman students. Brad Sutton and Jared Marks tried to push them around in the lunch line and didn’t expect Aaron and Michael to fight back, according to the cafeteria workers I spoke to after the fight broke up.”
She pursed her lips before exhaling a loud groan.
“The football team is becoming an issue, especially with the younger students and the ones in academic clubs,” Arlene said to Deirdre. “That’s not the school I’m running, and their coach may need a reminder,” she whispered before pushing open the door to her office.
