“No need. Brought my own,” I told her, lifting the lunchbox I used sometimes when jobs were too close together and I didn’t have time to pick something up for lunch. I’d offered to make Jasper lunch as well, but he adamantly refused. I just shrugged itoff. If he wanted cafeteria food more than he wanted to eat food from home, that was his own deal.
The secretary smiled brightly. “Good for you. Here’s a copy of Jasper’s schedule, and your background check went fine, so you’re good to go.”
“Thanks.”
She waved me off and I gestured for Jasper to lead the way to his first class. He scowled at me.
“This is stupid,” he grumbled.
“Maybe you’ll think twice about fighting next time,” I countered with a smirk.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ZERO
It felt like centuries since I’d last been in a classroom. Lucky for me, Jasper sat in the back in his first class, so I could sit behind him without having to squeeze myself into a desk. I got the feeling Simone wouldn’t be so nice about it.
Kids eyed me curiously as they came in and dropped their bags by their desks. Meanwhile, Jasper had his hood up and his face buried in his arms as he tried to block out the reality of his situation. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. As far as punishments went, this one was kind of fun.
The teacher, an older lady named Mrs. Blair, called the class to attention, going over their schedule for the day and shushing them when the announcements crackled over the speaker in the corner. I winced when feedback made it squeak and half the class clapped their hands over their ears. Poking Jasper in the side, I asked quietly, “Does that happen a lot?”
He shot me a scowl over his shoulder. “What?”
“The squeaking? Does it happen a lot?”
“I don’t know! Who cares?” he hissed.
Pursing my lips, I sat back thoughtfully. I’d never been hired for a job at any of the schools before, they probably hired someone who was part of the district or whatever, but we did volunteer shit all the time now that Sierra had started working on our image. I made a mental note to mention it to her, she would get permission way easier than I would, and returned my attention to the class as the teacher came down the aisle, still talking to the students while offering me a book.
“We were on chapter seventeen. How many of you did the readings like I asked you to?” she asked the class without more than a glance in my direction.
Flipping the book over, I studied it. Pretty sure I read it in school, I was at least familiar with it, so I could keep up with the work if she decided to ask me to join in. Leaning closer to Jasper again, I asked, “Did you do the reading?”
He gave me a dirty look over his shoulder, but didn’t answer me until I raised a lazy eyebrow at him. He wasn’t going to get me to stop pestering him. My whole job being here was to get him to act right, and that included doing his work.
“Didn’t have to,” he grumbled. “I finished it already.”
Huh. That wasn’t what I expected, but hey, it counted, right?
“Jasper?” Mrs. Blair called his name, and I got another dark look for drawing her attention his way. “Can you read the first paragraph, please?”
I was mostly invisible in that class, which was fine with me, and my presence seemed to be enough to get Jasper to do what was expected of him. We moved on to the next class, and I offered Jasper my phone to show him the update from Skylar while we were walking, including the picture of Isla and Ryder playing on a blanket on the floor. He seemed satisfied with that and nodded, hands shoved into his hoodie pocket.
While they got settled for the next class, the science teacher approached me, offering me a hand to shake. “You’re Mr. Fletcher, correct? Jasper’s guardian?”
“That’s me. Call me Zero, though.”
He gave me a look similar to what Simone gave me the first time I made the request, but didn’t question me about it. “Nice to meet you, Zero. I’m Joel Stickleman. I’m glad you’re here. Jasper has been… unmotivated.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” I agreed. “I’ll keep him on track. What are you guys working on?”
“We’re currently on Ohm’s Law, or a middle school version of it anyway. Are you familiar?”
My eyebrows shot up. They taught that shit to little kids? “Uh, yeah. I’m an electrician. It’s basically my bread and butter.”
The dude looked overjoyed by my reply, a big grin overtaking his face. “You’re an electrician? That’s amazing. Would you be willing to share with the students what you do? I’m asked at least a dozen times a week why they need to learn this and when they’d use it. Hearing from a professional might help them conceptualize it a little better.”
Nodding slowly, I replied, “Uh, yeah. Sure. Sounds good. I have my tools in the car if you want a demonstration.”
