Principal Morris cleared his throat. “We haven’t been able to locate Andrew,” he said. “Neither have the police.”
I rolled my eyes. “I doubt they’re looking very hard.” I bit my lip, wondering if I should mention anything about the encounter in the alley, or the weird burned dolls. In the end, I decided it was for the best if I didn’t mention any “drama” that had taken place outside of school.
“Well, as soon as we find him, he’ll be arrested.”
I bit my lip. My head was a confusing swirl of emotions and I had no idea what I was supposed to say.
“I…I can’t believe you’re not firing me,” I said quietly.
“We had no intention of firing you at all,” Principal Morris replied. “June, I’m very sorry for the stress we’ve caused you. But I promise – this was just a procedural thing.”
I nodded. “Well, thank you very much.”
“So, will y
ou come back?”
My eyes filled with tears and I nodded happily. “Oh, yes,” I said quickly. “I can’t wait.”
“Good,” Principal Morris replied. “Why not take tomorrow off and come in on Monday?”
“Sounds good.” I sniffled, wiping my nose on my hand. “Thank you.”
I left P.S.151 before I could start crying for real, but as soon as I was outside, the truth hit me and I shrieked, jumping up and down. I didn’t even care that I was in public – I didn’t care who saw me, as long as they knew how happy I was.
“I didn’t get fired!” I shrieked, dancing around in a little circle. I’d practically skipped all the way to the subway station before I remembered Thomas and Angela. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I called Thomas immediately.
“Thomas, I didn’t get fired. I didn’t lose my job! They asked me to come in and told me they wanted me to come back!”
“June, congratulations,” Thomas said. He sounded far-away, distant.
“Can we celebrate?” I was still jumping up and down for joy.
“Sure. Are you free tomorrow night?”
“Oh, yes,” I said happily.
“Good.” Thomas gave me the name of a new Spanish restaurant, and told me to meet him at seven-thirty the next evening. By the time we hung up, I was positively beaming.
When I got home, I texted Angela. She left work early and burst into the apartment with a cheap sheet cake and a bottle of Prosecco.
“I know I shouldn’t be splurging, but I’m so happy for you!” Angela pulled me into a tight hug. “Girl, this is the best news ever!”
“I know,” I gushed. “I can’t believe it. I just feel so good!”
Angela grinned. “I knew you had things under control,” she said. She poured me a glass of the sparkling wine and we toasted to ‘new things.’
“When I told Thomas, he didn’t seem too happy,” I said. I frowned and bit my lip.
“Oh, June, you know him – he was probably just really busy at work,” Angela said. “Give it time – I’m sure he’ll be thrilled when he sees you tomorrow.” She raised an eyebrow. “Just don’t come back here. I’m going to be here all night.”
I blushed hotly. “No way,” I said. I grinned. “But I can’t wait to sleep with him again.”
Angela laughed. “Girl, you’re too much,” she said.
We spent all of Thursday night celebrating. Friday, I slept in, hoping to get rid of my hangover before my date with Thomas. By now, I was barely nervous – we’d been out together so many times that I was expecting something really special.
Aguilar didn’t disappoint. I was floored at the beautiful display inside the lobby – a fountain made entirely of glass mosaic. The water splashed and flowed over gorgeously vibrant tiles.