Fuck polite and professional. Those standards shouldn’t apply to you.
I give my head a discreet shake. All Sawyer’s doing is trying to get into my head. Be confusing on purpose.
This is what hedoes.
Just like after that night he picked me up in the rain senior year.
“Oh my gosh!” The teacher beside me reaches for myhand and clasps it tight, clearly in response to something Sawyer said. “He didn’t!”
I focus on his words just in time, delicately trying to extricate my hand from this stranger’s death grip.
“That’s right.” The corner of his mouth twitches as he waits for something to dawn on his audience.
You could hear a butterfly’s wings flutter in the silence. Even the youngest kids are holding their breaths, eyes huge and unblinking, eager anticipation written on their faces.
Sawyer continues, “The BRES Jamboreewillhave a petting zoo this year!”
Everyone in the gym loses their fucking mind. The smallest kids are screeching at the tops of their lungs, the older kids are hugging one another, and even the teachers are whooping and hollering.
Clapping maniacally, the Disney princess next to me leans over and says, “Sawyer’s been working on this formonths! He personally met with business owners and farmers around town to help fund it and pull it all together.”
“Really?” My incredulity tumbles out as I turn my attention back to Sawyer.
He watches the gleeful kids patiently. There still isn’t a smile on his face, but there’s a tint of pink on his cheeks that wasn’t there before, visible only because he’s clean-shaven today.
Like he was that night at the bar.
I’ve barely seen him since then. I keep expecting him to show up at my classroom like he did my first couple days of working here, to micromanage me or embarrass me in front of the students orsomething. But he hasn’t. It’s been radio silence. He’s kept his distance.
Just like I want.
“Ms. Casey,” Sawyer’s voice booms out, startling me.
“Ooh,” the princess coos. “That’s you!”
“I’m sure many of you have seen her around the halls by now,” he continues. “We want her to stay here at BRES, so let’s make sure she feels welcome by all of us.”
The kids all clap politely. I catch Lizzie, beaming in the third row, and return the smile with a little wave.
From next to me, the blond claps with more enthusiasm than a cheerleader on her third latte. “Yay!”
After Sawyer gives his closing reminders and dismisses everyone, I hold my finger up to my class, indicating they need to wait patiently before we can leave.
I was locked out of the computer this morning and, though I’m loathe to do so, I need to ask Sawyer about it.
My new best friend is chatting my ear off while I wait. “PreK nap overlaps with third grade lunch. Want to meet in the teachers’ lounge? My teacher’s aide handles nap so I usually eat my lunch at that time anyway, so it’s perfect. Can you believe our official lunchtime is 10:15?In the morning?”
I hold my hand up, signaling for her to stop, and give her a polite smile. “What’s your name again?”
“Tess!”
“It’s really nice to meet you?—”
“Milo,” she trills serenely as she shuffles toward a little red-haired boy, “hands are not for hitting!” She smiles over her shoulder at me and says, “See you at lunch!” before chasing her class out the gym.
That’s one way to make plans.
One lunch won’t kill me, I decide. Besides, I get the feeling Tess will do most of the talking.
