“This was worth it,” Angela said. She gave me a satisfied smirk. “Thomas is going to flip when he sees you in that shirt.”
I blushed. The truth was, I’d been really hoping to hear from Thomas. But two days had passed since our last day and he hadn’t called. I knew that it was the twenty-first century, that men didn’t always have to make the first move. But somehow, I also knew that Thomas was a guy who enjoyed making the first move, that he was the kind of man who would be turned off by a woman who was actively pursuing him.
On Sunday, Angela and I went to the park and I did some schoolwork while she read. The days were growing chillier. I had a feeling by the end of October, I wouldn’t want to be outside at all. As it was, I was wrapped up in a blanket cardigan and enjoying the feel of the sun warming my black hair.
I tried to ignore the growing feeling of dread in my stomach. Thomas seemed to really like me , I thought as I rolled over onto my belly and stuffed the paperwork back into my bag. Why hasn’t he called me yet?
Monday morning, I woke up almost too late. I managed to pull a dress over my head and match it with tights and boots before stumbling out of the apartment and catching a cab all the way to P.S. 151. Cabs were normally a forbidden luxury for me, especially on the salary of a public teacher. But I couldn’t risk another tardy, especially not when it was so early in the school year.
It started raining in the middle of the morning, which put all the kids in a bad mood. Brett was acting especially terrible. Now that I was dating his father, I knew I had to walk a very thin line between Good Teacher and Possibly Dangerous Teacher. Still, I wasn’t going to tolerate any more bad behavior. At ten-thirty, Brett slipped out of his chair and yanked Lily’s pigtails so hard that she shrieked. I dropped the chalk onto the ground and whirled around, glaring angrily at him.
“Brett March,” I said angrily. “Come with me.”
The other students were silent as I took Brett’s arm and walked him down the hall to the principal’s office. He was silent the whole time, his face clouded with anger and rage.
“I didn’t even do anything,” Brett whined. “Why are you picking on me?”
“Becaus
e you’ve been a really naughty little boy,” I said angrily. “And I’m not going to tolerate that kind of behavior in my classroom.”
The principal was in a meeting, so I left Brett with his secretary and pushed my way into the hall. My face was flushed with anger and my heart was pounding. I knew that Thomas wouldn’t be happy with Brett, and I desperately hoped that I wasn’t killing our relationship before it had even gotten off the ground by disciplining his son.
“Hey June.”
I jumped. Andy was standing right behind me, smirking.
“Oh, hi,” I said quickly. “I’ve got to run back to class, Andy, I just had to take a kid to the principal.”
Andy raised his eyebrows. “So, when can I take you out again, June?”
“I’m really busy,” I said quickly.
Andy laughed and looked hurt. “I didn’t even mention a date yet,” he said. He crossed his arms and frowned. “Why don’t you want anything to do with me?”
I swallowed, feeling uncomfortable. “I’m just really dealing with a lot of stuff,” I said.
“Well, I’m not asking you to marry me,” Andy said. “Come on, June. I’m asking you for a date. Just one more date, okay?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Andy, I really don’t know.” I shifted my weight from one foot to the other.
“Just say yes.” Andy’s eyes flickered with anger. “Just say yes, June. Just one dinner.”
“Okay,” I said quickly. “Fine. But I’ve got to get back to class, Andy. Bye!”
Turning on my heel, I jogged in the other direction. I was only grateful that Andy didn’t follow me.
Back in my classroom, Ruth had things under control. I flashed her a grateful smile as I took my place at the front of the class. In a span of just a few minutes, I’d gone from feeling bad to worse. I couldn’t believe that Andy had pressured me into saying yes. I didn’t even like him! I just felt obligated, and he was so pushy that I couldn’t stand it.
I sighed. “Okay, class,” I said. “Please take out your copies of Misty of Chincoteague and turn to Chapter Two.
“Yes, Miss Rogers,” the class echoed in unison.
At least I’m doing one thing right , I thought as I lifted my copy from my desk and began to read. So at least there’s that .
--
By the time the bell rang at the end of the day, I couldn’t wait to get home. A low-grade migraine had started to throb at the back of my neck and my eyeballs were aching with tension. The only good thing was that Andy was leaving me alone…even if I was trapped into going on a date with him sometime in the nearby future.