My chest tightened, realizing what this means. I started to pull out my phone with the natural instinct to call Souxie, but I couldn’t risk another student getting hurt or missing. She would just have to understand in the long run. There was a small knock on my office door when I turned around to see Solomon King walking in with a duffle bag over his shoulder. Quan slipped in between our feet on all fours while Bellamy stood up.
“Are you done playing teacher so you can officially meet your mother-in-law?”
I looked at Quan who gave me a small nod of encouragement.
“If we’re going to do this shit, we need to do it now,” he said. “I’m not sure how far I’m allowed to move freely above ground, but I will do my best.”
“No, you stay here and watch the girls,” I said as I began packing a new bag. “Do we have shovels? Where is Seth?”
“Mrs. Holmes has everything in the car. She’s waiting on us along with Seth,” Bellamy said calmly. “We are waiting on you.”
“I’m ready,” I said with a determined tone. I began locking everything down as Bellamy slipped out the way he came in, undetected. Solomon and I went our separate ways. Quan was the only one who lingered before taking off in the opposite direction towards Legacy Park to see Souxie.
I took one last look at Drew Collins just in case we weren’t able to pull this off in time. Whether I kept a job here or not wasn’t the issue anymore nor a priority. I was stepping over flyers condemning the First Family and mock up photos of Maggie with fangs growing out of her mouth that played in a loop. All of it was scattered around the Grounds almost daily and I sat and played the good teacher role, not saying a word. I didn’t say shit when I knew other teachers were talking shit and I neverlet it be shown that it bothered me. Not them talking but the fact that I don’t know where she is, and we didn’t end on the best of terms.
The last thing I want to do now is involve her friends when she’s been asking me from day one to help her when I could have just…did it. Somehow I could have done this when she was here. I could have done something, but it seemed like a slap in the face now that she’s gone if I were to be with her friends and seek out her family.
I had to do this on my own.
“Coach Namir!”
I turned around to see the dean walking with her security and assistance, holding a clipboard against her chest as we met halfway on the path. She looked up at me with a smile before gently patting down her short, tapered pixie cut from the back of her neck.
“How are you?” She greeted me cheerfully. “You must be on such an adrenaline rush right now as the games begin, yes? The school board of Alumni and Underground is so excited that you’re the face of the games this year.”
“Yeah,” I said with a straight smile, adjusting the strap of my bag against my chest. “It’s going to be a good one.”
“I’m sure…Have you officially met…” She turned around, reaching for the arm of none other than Xavier Martin himself. Just by the way she touched him with her fingers wrapping around his wrist, I knew they slept together. “Xavier Martin? Southern Five descendant? I fear you two may have gotten off on the wrong foot considering the circumstances. I’ve been telling him what a model coach and teacher you are. You’re verypopular amongst the students and know that work comes before anything personal. I admire that about you the most.”
Xavier stood upright with his chest poked out and a politician's smile.
“Oh, I have to take this call,” she suddenly said as she walked off with the phone against her ear. “Dr. Joy Vaughn speaking…”
Xavier looked at me as his smile suddenly started to waiver a bit before clearing his throat.
“I just want to say, it’s nothing personal against you,” he admitted. “In fact, I had a few of your classes on my request list and was looking forward to the late night warm ups and training sessions you do for some of the older athletes and students here. I know Dr. Vaughn can be a little anxious with all of this, but I did want to…formally apologize to you in the beginning for approaching your woman the way that I did. Like I said, no hard feelings. Man to man…It was uncalled for. So my apologies.”
Xavier stuck his hand out for me to shake as I stared at it and him. Ignoring the band playing in the background and people playing music, just outside celebrating being a Drew Collins student all around us, I peeped at his followers all watching to see what my move would be. So I reached to grab his hand for a firm shake and brought him in close.
“The moment you step foot outside of these Grounds, you will be killed,” I said through my teeth as I held my smile. “You spent all this time warning everyone about the First Family but forgot who and what the fuck I am.” I gave his hand another jolting grip, feeling the bones pop and crack before letting go.
“Naaaamiiiir! There you are! You’re supposed to take me out tonight, coach!”
I knew the voice without having to turn around, but she managed to draw the attention of the students like a moth to a flame. Professor Birdie Jones with her wild curly hair and lanky figure came walking up with her arm linking with mine, instantly turning this from tension to romantic gossip.
“Ooooo Professor Jones and Coach Namir?!” Someone shouted with a laugh.
“It’s not like that! Y'all stop it! We’re professional and friends first of all!”
Not to mention she was damn near married to Maggie’s brother. Everyone began talking as we walked, leaving Xavier with his thoughts and broken hand until we started for the iron gates of Cedar Park.
“Bye now! Enjoy your weekend free of homework for crying out loud!” Birdie laughed as she clung to me while waving back at her students.
“If Bellamy sees you holding on to me like this, he’s going to threaten me,” I warned her.
“Well if you two would have hurried the hell up like I said,” she muttered through her clenched smile. “I have a sleeping child in the back seat of the car. If we’re going to do this, we need to move now. You picking a fight with that man is not needed. God,” she groaned. “Traffic is probably insane in Atlanta right now.”
After finding a secluded meeting point, everyone was piled into the SUV with her son sitting in the car seat between us. Solomon and I on one side and Seth on the other. The shovels rattled and clunk together in the trunk with each pothole or bump in the road. Bellamy was having a private moment with his woman, one of the rare times I’d see him this…quiet.
