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I smacked my lips reigning in my anger as best as I could. “Stick to brewing beer and being bitter about your ex.” I tossed my napkin on the table and stood up to have a chat with Evan. I’d let him know Remi was off limits and then I’d go back to bed in my sweet smelling sheets and see how long it took to forget the girl from last night.
6
Kiara
There was something obscene about waking up on a Monday morning still hungover from the Saturday night. I snuck out of mystery man’s place like a thief in the night. I’d never even taken my boots off after our hot sex session. I skipped church, and brunch with my sisters.
Please, God forgive me.
I called out of my family dinner nursing a headache. For which my mother did not forgive me. Alicia Roberts put me on notice and blast forcing me to silence my phone once everyone on speed dial got the memo I was perfectly fine. They called relentlessly. No need to mention imbibing far too much and the walk of shame that followed in the strangest taxi ride across town. The car smelled like a little too much like jerk chicken and my stomach rolled the entire ten minute ride. My driver told me his kids were both in college here locally. He showed me their pictures along with his lovely wife. He told me they opened up a dry cleaner in town if I ever needed anything pressed. He handed me his card as he dropped me off and I staggered inside pulling all the blinds shut. I definitely wasn’t going anywhere today, not even for a sedate walk on the trail.
Strolling into school today proved to be difficult at best. I hadn’t had this level of dehydration since training for the cross country championships in eleventh grade before my life went to utter shit. I vowed to never drink that much again, and I spent extra time this morning stretching out all the kinks I could because my traitor body still felt him.
Him.
That massive, beautiful specimen of man I left without a goodbye. It was probably best that this weekend’s escapades were a one-time deal. I hadn’t dated since my last serious boyfriend and I chose to not dwell on that ever again. I finally got my lady mojo back. Even my curls were perkier from the way he made my body respond.
I daydreamed about the heat of his bike between my thighs despite the chilled air. I shifted back and forth on my feet unable to ease the ache. He wrapped me in his leather jacket and handed me a spare helmet securing it gently under my chin. He took the turns slow and revved the engine on the straightaways like he knew exactly what it was doing between my legs. Sweet torture.
“Ms. Roberts?”
“Huh?” I turned at the sound of our high school principal Dr. Cesar Payne forcing a smile on my face. I might desperately need to fan myself if thought about David. I was too young to claim hot flashes and this wasn’t the proper place or time for that. Instead, I pulled my cardigan tighter around me, rush of hormones be damned. This guy wasn’t the worst to have as an administrator, but he definitely had the worst timing. I pulled my sunglasses off my face and regarded his demeanor. Serious. Shoulders back. Clearly on a mission of sorts.
“Dr. Payne can I help you?” More like pain in the ass and I grimaced.
“We’re having a meeting this morning to introduce some new staff. As you know our IT administrator took on another job downstate for a tech company and our history department needed a new AP advisor.”
“Of course.” I muttered not entirely sure what that had to do with me. I taught physical education, health, and coached the girls varsity track team and cross country runners.
“Good. Staff lounge during the freshman fourth period lunch.” He bobbed his head up and down, brushing past me as I saw my friend, Amber Granger come from the opposite hallway. She carried a basket of red apples like she was going on a picnic. In fact the basket seemed to weigh about half her size.
“What was that about?” She asked watching him saunter away as she handed me an apple balancing them precariously. I took a second one that was about to roll out of her hands.
“New staff introductions during fourth period lunch.” Intimidated, we watched him saunter away. Mr. Payne was after all our boss.
“Oh yeah. I heard a rumor the new computer guy is hot. He’s like brick house hot. The AP history guy not so much.” Amber took a bite of her apple chewing loudly.
“I guess that’s something.” I shrugged as more of a question then a general comment.
“Something?” Amber pressed.
“What?” I joked. “Ignore me, I’m still slightly hungover from Saturday night.” And in the middle of a sexual fantasy where I stayed in bed with David all day yesterday instead running away like a scared rabbit.
“Oh yeah, that was nice of that guy to buy our drinks. Will you see him again? I was worried when you left.” I was glad Amber came out on Saturday, she was probably worse than me not dating as she made active plans with her knitt
ing club. No judgement, but for a new librarian in her early twenties, she also owned three cats and I worried about her too.
“He was nice, but we didn’t exchange numbers.” And commence that self-kicking and punishment. We both stared down the hallway humming. That kind of summed up our current state of mind.
It wasn’t like I could date either of the new faculty. The school might not have a policy about relationships, but I had my own rules clear as a bell. No dating co-workers. I didn’t have time for the drama as I navigated the hormone filled hallways of my students. Maybe after tenure I’d connect with someone. It wasn’t unheard of, but I wasn’t jumping into the drama pool of a high school teacher hookup. My focus was on my students.
“What are the apples for?” I put mine into my messenger bag as she pulled me along toward her domain of the library.
“Remember how Ms. Roome would get them at the beginning of the school year for all the teachers?”
“Yes.” I thought about Ms. Roome fondly. The elderly secretary was a sweetheart and passed away last year over the holiday break. She’d worked for the district for forty-four years tirelessly managing the front office. Everyone missed her and the apples where a tradition it seemed Amber was taking on.
“It’s not the same without her. She used to stand in the hallway every morning when the kids got off the buses until the second bell.” Her shoulders moved up and down sadly. “So I thought she could start the year with us if I passed out apples like she used to do.”
