Why is he smirking? Why? Make it stop.
I cleared my throat and shrugged. “It looks all right.”
“Mr. Callahan, cool!” a kid said, walking by us and smiling up at him. “I love Woody!”
“Me too.” He bent down to talk to the little guy. “Why do you like him?”
“He’s brave and the favorite, and I like his toy.” The kid nodded a few times and high-fived Christopher. “Is he your favorite?”
“Jesse is actually my favorite. Do you know who she is?”
“Yes, the lady cowboy with red hair! My sister loves her. Why is the girl your favorite?”
“Because she’s strong and fierce and is a good friend. Woody is great too, but Jesse is my girl.”
“Nice.” The kid beamed at him before Christopher stood up and jutted his chin toward his classroom.
“Want to help get the carpet squares out for reading circle for me?”
“Yes, sir!” The kid took off, and Christopher slid his gaze to mine. He looked guilty with his eyes swirling with something, but before either one of us could talk, Samantha walked into the hall.
“Good morning!” she yelled, making me jump back. “How is everyone today? Oh, Christopher, you look darling. I have a thing for cowboys. A real thing.”
She got closer to him, and I used that as an excuse to drop my stuff off in my room. I needed to run into the teacher's lounge, but I trusted Samantha as much as I would Hitler, so I got my classroom keys and locked the door before heading to the lounge. I could feel Christopher’s stare on my back as I made my way away from them, her voice getting louder the whole time.
I knew her goal. She wanted to fluster me, but I refused to let it show.
“Did you ever hear about that lawsuit last year? About two siblings who destroyed some family members to protect their inheritance?” she asked.
My entire body locked up. Everything took place in Indiana. There was no reason for anyone in the city or our town to hear a whisper of it unless she heard about it there.
“No, I don’t recall.”
I exhaled and was almost drunk on relief. Samantha might be messing with me now, but she wouldn’t spill the news yet. It was one of her two options. If she told my secret, then why the hell would I give her any money?
I can do this.
I made copies of the goal-setting activity I was going to do with my kiddos and smiled as other staff members came into the workroom. There was no malice on their faces or hidden agendas to ruin my life. These were my coworkers who I enjoyed talking to and working with. Christopher and Samantha couldn’t take that away from me. With a new resolve to ignore them, I went back into my room and got ready for the day. An idea struck though, right before the bell. I went to my computer and sent a quick email to APD.
Dave—heard we need help unloading boxes in the basement. Can we send volunteers there today? You know I love help, but I don’t want to confuse the students with another adult when we’re forming relationships this week.
He responded almost immediately.
Good call.
Take that, Samantha.
“Okay,class, we read a different version ofGoldilocks and the Three Bearsyesterday. Who can tell me what was different about today’s version?” I asked the class, smiling at the pure wonderment on their faces a few hours later. “It can be anything from their clothes, the scenery, the pacing—how fast the story moves. Who wants to share?”
Jessica Dowdy raised her hand in the air as high as she could, so I called on her. “My brother’s birthday is in thirty-two days.”
I waited a beat, digesting her words as they were so off topic, I had to blink away my surprise. “Wonderful, birthdays are so much fun. But what is different from the story from yesterday?”
Jessica scrunched her face together before smiling. “The food. Yesterday was porridge. This was soup.”
“Well done!” I wrote her answer on the board and surveyed the class. “Jake?”
“The outfits.”
