I blinked, unable to stop myself from asking the question. “What is it?”
He tapped his fingers on the desk for a beat, his lips curving into a menacing grin as his eyes flashed with mirth. “SPIRITS is coming up, right?”
“Our staff spirit week? What does that have to do with any of this?” I frowned, trying to anticipate his next move. Our SPIRIT week was an intense, five-day competition where teachers were given prompts and we dressed up as best we could to fit it. There was one winner for each grade level and a school-wide champion each time.
“I’m going to kick your ass at it without spending a single dime,” he boasted and puffed out his chest.
“Uh, okay,” I said, laughing. “You won’t win, but it’s cute you think you can.”
“You misunderstood,Martha Stewart,” he said, the nickname hitting me right in the chest. “You won’t be spending a dime either.”
“What makes you think I’ll agree to this?”
“Because if you win, we both know it’ll be because you bought your way into first place. Just like that award you got last year. It’s easy to win Teacher of the Year when you spent money that’s not yours to fund it.”
I froze. “What are you insinuating?”
“Don’t play dumb. It’s not a good look on you. You know exactly what I mean. You waltz around like you’re good at what you do, but it’s all for show. Win without all the extra crap.” He smirked and looked down at me as he made a fist on top of his desk. “Unless you know you don’t have a shot.”
My blood roared with competition, and before I could rationalize why this idea was absurd, I smacked my hand on the desk. “You’re on. Not a dime.”
He gave me a pathetic smile, one I’d used on mean girls in high school, and he patted my hand and spoke in a condescending tone. “Look at you, thinking you can manage. The woman responsible for keeping Hobby Lobby in business thinks she can win. I admire your confidence.”
My eyes stung, and my stomach bottomed out as APD walked into the room with his typical whistle.
The features on Christopher’s face shifted in half a second, and he grinned at our boss. “Dave, what brings you in here?”
“Oh, perfect. I was going to check in with both of you but can hit two birds with one stone.” He adjusted his tie and sat down on a small blue chair, shifting the clipboard in his lap before smiling. “How are my two star teachers doing? I love that you two are paired up.”
I sat up straighter and plastered on my best professional smile, the one I used when parents went on a soapbox about how they could do my job at parent-teacher conferences. “We’re going over the questions you sent me.”
“Perfect.” He yawned and wiped a hand over his face. “Gil is great, ask her anything. Don’t forget you have the new teacher program tonight. You’re scheduled to do some observations of your team next week, but you’ll want to check in with the head of the program.”
“Right,” Christopher said, his tone easygoing and his lips curving up on the sides. “Will it be done in time to catch the end of the Cubs game though?”
“I hope so. Man, they really have a shot this year.” Dave was a huge Cubs fan and everyone knew it, but the fact Christopher knew and was oh-so-casually talking to him about it pissed me off.
“Tell me about it. I was at Wrigley last fall when they made a play-off run, and it was one of the best experiences. The food, the people, the crowds. Man.” Christopher paused and got a hazy look in his eyes. “Can’t wait to go back soon.”
“I have tickets when the Cardinals come to town, and I’m counting down the days.” Dave hit his knee, and his gaze shifted to me. “Gil, I have you down to collect the funds for theGive Thanksfundraiser. I want to get started early with it so we can raise more than last year. I have a bet going on with the AP at West View, and I want to raise more to rub it in his face. Also, to help those in need. Can’t forget that.”
“Of course,” I said, nodding. “I’ve already started making flyers we can hang up and also post online. The NHS scholarship wraps up at the end of the month, so the timing works well.”
“What is theGive Thanksfundraiser?” Christopher asked, his tone holding an icy edge. His gaze sliced into me when Dave scrolled through his phone. “I can help out with it too. I managed a lot of accounts at my last school.”
“Oh, no need for that. I love this charity. We purchase food to donate Thanksgiving meals for families in the area. We raised about two thousand dollars last year, and it was awesome.” I shared a smile with Dave, but Christopher’s face remained hard and angry. “There’s other fundraisers you can lead.”
“You collect money from students?” he asked, his face paling. “Is there an account set up in the office where people deposit it, or do you hold on to the cash?”
I frowned at his insane round of questioning and looked at Dave. “Both, not that it matters. I keep a detailed account of who donates what,” I said, brushing him off and releasing a long breath. “Is that what you needed to talk to me about, Dave?”
“Yup, for now.” He tapped his clipboard twice and stood, totally unaware that I was fighting the urge to smack Christopher in the head. “I need to check in with the other new teacher, but seriously, Gilly is great. Be thankful she’s your buddy.” Dave left without another word, leaving Christopher and me in his room alone with his scowl etched onto his handsome face.
“What the heck is your problem? Seriously?” I seethed at him.
“You might think you have everyone fooled, but your act doesn’t work with me.” He stood and narrowed his blue eyes, his chest moving faster than before.
I reached my limit. I needed to get the hell out of there and pushed off the chair, hoping he didn’t see my shaking limbs. Right before I got to the door, he said my name.
