Page 23 of Apparently, I’m Trouble

Then Kira glanced between me and her teacher as she started prodding and pulling at her nails. She was nervous. About what? My gut tightened as Mia stepped over the first stair.

“Have you started marking our practice essays, Miss?” Miles asked, and Kira’s eyes snapped straight to him.

Mia shook her head. “Nope. That’s what my weekend is for, love. Unlike you lot, I don’t get to play Ninspendo and watch NetFilms ‘til I fall asleep.”

Miles laughed again. “It’s Nintendo, Miss.”

She shrugged. “You can correct me all you like, and I still won’t remember.” She poked her temple. “I’ve got an entire love-hate affair with Shakespeare happening up here.”

While Miles laughed a third time, my daughter took a step back as Miss Gem flew through the door. Today, she was in a red and white flowy thing that made my eyes itch. Huge baubles dangled from her earlobes, and her bracelets jingled as she moved.

My attention swung to Mia in her skin-tight pencil skirt and button-down blouse. The two teachers couldn’t have looked more unalike if they tried.

“Oh good, good, you’re all here. Miss Walker and I have had a chat about your upcoming scenes, and we’ve made some changes. I’ll need you both to throw out everything from page twenty and read the play over.”

She handed them freshly printed scripts, and my daughter found her voice. “So… what changed?”

“The kissing scenes,” Mia answered, distracted as she climbed the porch steps.

Miles and Kira traded a look, and I watched Kira’s cheeks flush. She was uneasy. I could see it in the way she stared at her co-star. As Miss Gem said something about body language, my whole impulse system went into overdrive.

“My daughter isn’t kissing anyone,” I barked, glaring at Mia.

She looked up at me with surprise, and I almost wanted to kick myself for putting that look on her face.

But this was my daughter. My grieving, unsettled daughter. She was in no state to kiss some random teenage boy in front of a live audience.

Mia’s tone was measured, but I could hear the resentment behind it as she said, “She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to.”

I pointed at the papers in my daughter’s hands. “It’s in the script, isn’t it?”

Her gaze darted to the ceiling, but she stopped herself from completely rolling her eyes. “Oh, will you please calm down? They don’t have to actually kiss. They can make it look like they’re doing it by turning their heads.”

I flicked my glance to Miles; a mixture of disappointment and fear was all over his face.

“And you think that makes it okay? They’re kids,” I grumbled, gripping the railing in my fists. Mia stood just on the other side of it, three steps up, standing on the porch I’d built, but I was still close enough that I could count the individual lashes on her eyes.

Mia didn’t back off.

She held my glare as Miss Gem admitted, “I was actually the one who pushed for it. Kissing is vital for at least two scenes.”

Mia’s stare narrowed. “It’s fine, Gem. He already decided I’m unfit to teach. He might as well blame me for everything else.”

I muttered low, for her ears only, “I don’t think you’re unfit. I think you’re trouble, and I don’t want my daughter getting caught up in it.”

She scoffed. “Oh, so apparently, I’m trouble now?”

I rocked backward, clenching my jaw as Miss Gem nattered reassurances at me.

Kira was already in one of the amphitheater seats, head in her hands, groaning, “Daaaad,” and I knew I’d hear about this later, but I’d be damned if I let her kiss some kid she didn’t know.

I didn’t care if it was for a school play or not. She’d been through enough.

“Let’s forget about the kissing for now and have a look at the costume boards.” Miss Gem turned on her heel and clapped her hands. “Kira, Miles, follow me. Let’s see your designs.”

As they walked out of the room, Mia turned and waved her hand after them, muttering, “You’ve just scared them off. And you think I’m the one causing trouble?”

I turned to face her. “I know you think I’m some grumpy asshole, but I couldn’t give less of a fuck. That is my daughter. She just started here, and now she has to kiss some kid in front of the entire school?”