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I smiled. “Great,” I said. “Well, I’m going to class now. See you, Andy.”
“Where should I meet you?”
“Just come to my room at the end of the day.” I smiled, then I thought of Ruth. “Actually, no – you know what? I’ll meet you out front, how does that sound?”
Andy nodded. “Cool,” he said. “See you, June.”
I smiled at him one last time, then turned on my heel and walked down the hall.
The day seemed to drag on and on. I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d boldly (at least, I thought so) asked Andy for a date. I was feeling confident and excited…but part of me wondered if I was really doing the right thing.
To make matters worse, Brett was behaving horribly. He dumped paint on one of the other kids, and he pulled Lila’s hair and made her cry twice in one day. Whenever I closed my eyes, I thought of his handsome father…but that didn’t mean I was going to let Brett off the hook. In the end, after multiple time-outs, I sent him to the principal’s office.
Thomas is going to be angry, I thought as I gathered my things together at the end of the day. As much as I knew that I shouldn’t care, I couldn’t help it. After all, teaching Brett was my responsibility as a teacher. I couldn’t worry about what parents would think – even though teaching in modern times was nothing like it had seemed when I was growing up. Ruth, my teaching assistant, had almost gotten fired last year after disciplining a student for bratty behavior. The kid’s parents had threatened to sue, and it had taken a meeting with the school board in order for them to calm down. The worst thing was, Ruth had been praised for her actions by our principal…but now, New York City had become so litigious that we really had to be careful.
After glancing around my classroom to make sure it was in order, I walked down the hall and out the main entrance of P.S. 151. Andy was waiting by the steps, sitting with his legs splayed open and a tattered paperback in both hands. He looked cuter outside than he ever had in the break room, and a nervous thrill of excitement made my stomach twist and cramp.
When Andy saw me, he grinned. “Hey, June,” he said. “You wanna go to the diner around the block?”
I frowned. “It’s so nice outside,” I said. “I was thinking that maybe we could go somewhere with outdoor seating?”
Andy grinned. “Yeah, sounds good,” he said. He stood up and stretched. When he came closer, I realized he was a full head taller than me. “Where to?”
I shrugged. “There’s a little café a few blocks over,” I said.
Andy nodded. “Don’t think less of me,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “But I might have to get a beer instead of coffee. Today was fucking rough.”
I nodded. “Tell me about it,” I said as we began walking in the direction of the café.
Andy chuckled. “Oh, yeah? You too?”
“Yeah,” I said. I rolled my eyes before launching into the whole saga of Brett March and his bad behavior. As I talked, I felt a streak of guilt – what if I shouldn’t be talking about this? What if it somehow got out and Thomas found out? Then he really would be angry with me.
“Wow,” Andy said. “That kid has problems.”
I shrugged. “I had a meeting with his dad last week, and he mentioned he’s going through a divorce,” I said. I puffed out my cheeks and blew. “That’s probably pretty typical for kids, right? To misbehave because they’re acting out?”
“Probably,” Andy said. He grinned. “Hey, thanks for asking me out,” he said. “I’ve really been wanting to go out with you, June. You’re hot.”
I blushed. “Thanks,” I said awkwardly.
We lapsed into silence as we rounded the corner and crossed the street. One of the things I loved most about teaching was the schedule – even if I had work after class, I could always take it home and be in the front door of my apartment by four. I especially loved it in the winter…no more coming out of an office at five-thirty to be greeted with gloomy, dark skies. I’ve always been a cheerful, optimistic person…to the point where Angela makes fun of me. But I can’t help feeling sad whenever it’s dark outside.
“Come on,” Andy said. “This way.”
I nodded and trotted after him. So far, I wasn’t regretting my decision to ask him out, but I did wonder if maybe I’d opened a can of worms that was better left alone. Andy was a nice guy, sure, but I didn’t feel very much of a spark with him. You’re being silly, I chastised myself as I followed Andy inside the café. Sometimes a spark takes time. Your life isn’t a movie – some dreamy guy isn’t just going to walk up and pull you into his arms for a kiss.
Andy and I asked to be seated outside. A cute, young hostess led us in the direction of the outdoor tables and I couldn’t help but notice Andy sneaking a glance at her backside. A flash of irritation crossed my mind. It wasn’t jealousy, though. I knew that realistically, most people check other people out all the time. But I was annoyed – this was our first date! Weren’t you supposed to put your best face on for a first date?
“This is nice,” Andy said. He sat next to me and peered intently into my face. “Are you having a good time, June?”
I laughed nervously. “We just got here,” I said.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flash of blonde hair and cringed. Hannah, Thomas’s beautiful assistant, was standing there with a smirk on her face.
Please don’t come over here, I thought. Please leave us alone.
As if she could read my mind – and wanted to make me as uncomfortable as possible – Hannah began striding over. All I could do was pray that she was alone, and Thomas was nowhere in sight.
