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But this is my worst nightmare. I drop my chin so she can’t read the expression that I’m sure is written all over my face. Anger, hate, fear, they’re all there, swirling their way through my body. I’m sure they’re all giving me away. I've never had a good poker face. I’m a dancer, so I’m super expressive, but at times like this, I hate that about myself.
“Oh, yeah, maybe he looks vaguely familiar,” I mutter, still in shock. I can't work in the same school as him, not after everything I lost because of him. And he’s literally a part of my department.
I’ve always imagined how it would be if I saw him again. I'd walk right up to him and slap him across his pretty-boy face as hard as I could. It would sting like a bitch, but the feeling would be so satisfying that I wouldn’t care. Then I would storm off without so much as a one-word explanation. The vindication I would feel wouldn’t take away the devastation he left me with. Instead of what I imagined, though, this morning I was caught off guard, and I just froze.
I’m quiet the rest of the tour, letting Scarlet do all the talking as she explains the changes that have taken place since I was a student. When it comes time for the tour to end, I’m literally shaking. I don’t want to see him again. Not ever! It’s only my first day, but I might have to transfer to a different school already. Is that even a possibility?
We walk back through to the staff room, and I breathe a sigh of relief when it's empty and I don't have to deal with being in the same room as him again just yet. I take a second to sit at my desk and go over my schedule of classes, hoping that having a better understanding of what I need to do here will help to calm me. I don't like change, it scares the hell out of me.
Tomorrow the students will be back, and first up I have cheer in the gym. I’m going to prefer dance choreography, but cheer is a part of the job, so I’ve put a little time into watching their past routines already, trying to wrap my head around what this squad is all about. Scarlet took them to the regionals last year, but this year she is passing the pom-poms to me. I also have contemporary dance for the two senior classes and just straight-up dance for the juniors, which is more about fitness than being good at dance. There are five of those classes, and they make up most of my timetable. I also notice that cheer is after school Monday and Wednesday. I’m going to be a busy girl if I intend to keep my ballet classes at the studio as well. Which I do, they are necessary for keeping my sanity and the depression at a manageable level.
“It’s nine. We have our staff meeting in the common room now,” Scarlet announces, startling me. I take a sip of my water and re-apply my lipstick. I hope I come across to the other staff more confident and capable than I feel.
Scarlet places a hand on my shoulder. “Come on, lovely, we don’t want to be late on our first day.” She uses her teacher's voice, and my body responds to her command.
“Yes, of course.” I follow her to the common room, filled with teaching staff. Most seats are already taken, but she guides me toward the back, taking a seat to the side of Miles and Brandon. Miles offers us a kind smile. I like the look of him already. Brandon is chatting to the fellow next to him, but the sideways look he gives me as I take a seat doesn't go unnoticed. Think I might have pissed him off this morning. Well, good. It might not have been the dramatic slap across the face I had envisioned for so many years, but kicking dust up in his face was pretty close, and I get a small sense of satisfaction at that.
Our principal, Mr. Jerry Rodgers, enters the room, and the chatter quits instantly. His presence in the room is commanding, with staff hanging off his every word as he talks us through what is expected of his staff this year. He’s a big man, dressed in a pale gray suit, the jacket stretched to its max over his stomach, the tiny button looking like it might pop if he makes the wrong move. Just by the way he addresses his staff, I can see why he got the top job. He's passionate and engaging.
I listen intently, trying to concentrate and look interested, but a tingling sensation on my skin has me aware that Brandon sits just two chairs over from me. My gaze drifts to the side, catching him staring at me. And this time I can see he’s definitely unhappy with me. Maybe I took it one step too far this morning; I have been known to do that on occasion. But really, what did he expect after how he left things between us? Just the sight of him is enough to kickstart the shitty thoughts that once plagued my mind.
I roll my eyes at him, returning my attention to our principal, trying to focus on what he is saying instead. I give up when the throbbing of my anger becomes too loud in my skull, and instead, I run through some choreography in my head, trying to think happy thoughts to distract me from the discomfort. Sitting still and listening has never been a strong point for me. That’s why as a young kid I loved to dance so much. You get an instruction, and then you move. That is the only way for me, my happy place.
After the meeting breaks, Scarlet introduces me to some of the other faculty members whose names I have already misplaced, and I watch as Brandon works the room. Smiling faces greet him, congratulating him on what an amazing player he is and welcoming him to our school like a fucking celebrity. Mr. Rodgers approaches him with his cheesy smile, placing a hand on Brandon's shoulder in a familiar greeting, and Brandon looks uncomfortable by his over-the-top friendliness. He says something to him and wanders away, moving on to the next fan waiting for his attention. I shouldn't watch, but I can't help myself. His presence has me rattled, and every time I look away, my ears prickle with the mention of his name, and again I'm sucked back in to watching him.
After what feels like an eternity, Scarlet and I make our way down to the gym to go over some of the dance choreography we have in mind. And I can finally relax. I’ve decided that it might only be day one, but I really like Scarlet. She has this fun energy about her. It’s nice to be around someone so upbeat, and I remember that from when she was my teacher.
I make a decision right on the spot that no matter what happens this year, I’m not going to let Brandon ruin this for me. I want to be the kind of teacher Scarlet is, fun and energetic, and that will be my focus for this year. He will be as far from my thoughts and energy as possible. He’s just a past mistake, and that is where he will stay, in the past.
CHAPTER TWO
BRANDON
Herprettygreeneyesrise to meet mine, and for the second time today, I see it, that look of fear as she processes who it is walking toward her. That’s right, Shortcake, I'm back, and this time things are going to be different.
“Miles, Brandon.” Scarlet, one of our dance teachers, gives us a wave and a smile as we pass her in the hall. She’s been given the task of taking Cassandra under her wing for her first week here.
I hold Cassandra’s gaze as long as I can, but she drops her eyes as she listens to something Scarlet is telling her. Probably that I’m the coach and she should know that means I run this staff room and the school. I’m sure that thought will make her squirm. That's right, my little redhead, I’m not just some kid from the wrong side of the tracks anymore. A nobody for her father to dis. I've grown up a hell of a lot and made quite the name for myself. I’m respected around here now.
Seeing her after all this time is bittersweet. She's as stunning at the day I left, and I could get very used to having her around again, but she wasn’t supposed to be here. The moment I was told she was teaching dance here, I felt like I had been tackled to the ground, the wind completely knocked from my lungs. She was supposed to be some ballerina at a dance company in New York, wasn’t she? That was why I walked away, so she could live her dreams. Be the star everyone said she would be. What the fuck is she doing here at Palm Springs High? She had more talent in her little finger than anyone else I have ever met, and I train with professional athletes.
I glance back over my shoulder, watching the sway of her hips as the two of them turn the corner. Man, she looks good in that fitted dress. She has that fresh-face natural beauty look going on. And she hasn’t aged a day since I saw her last and could still pass as a student around here.
Her long hair is gathered high in a long ponytail that runs the length of her spine, and a rush of blood goes straight to my groin at the thought of having her silky hair wrapped around my fist. “Who's that?” asks Miles, my assistant coach, trying to keep his voice low so the girls don’t overhear him. But I don’t like the way he says it.
“Our new dance teacher,” I murmur, hoping to sound uninterested. Because I don't need him or anyone else knowing why I'm really back. As far as any of them know, this year I have one goal, to bring my team to victory. I was hired to win, and I have one season to prove I can do it.
He gives me a hard look. “Name?”
“Don’t even think about it,” I tell him, knowing exactly what he’s thinking. He’s young and dumb, a jock, and a pretty girl like Cassandra would be just his type. But if he lays a hand on her, I might just have to knock him out for it, and we can’t have that when we’re on the same team. Besides, I quite like the idea of being the coach around here. Top dog for a change. Maybe this town will look at me differently, and I might actually want to stay.
He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “I was just asking for her name. She’s going to be sitting across from me and sharing our gym for her dance classes, isn’t she? I don’t think asking for her name is too much.”
“Cassandra Harper,” I give in, hoping that will be enough information for him to drop it. No part of me really wants to talk about her with him. I know I’m going to have to deal with her eventually, and after my failed attempt to get on her good side when I saw her in trouble this morning, I already know she's not going to make it easy.
He raises a brow, the look on his face smug as hell. “You know her, don’t you?” Here I was thinking this kid was dumb—well, he might be, but he’s also observant. And maybe more useful than I first thought.
“None of your business.” The less anyone around here knows about what happened between us, the better. I held up my end of the bargain with her dad and got the fuck out of Palm Springs when he demanded it. And I didn’t come back until now. I wasn’t counting on her becoming a teacher and landing a job at the same school as me. And when her dad gets word I'm back, which I'm sure he will by the end of the day the way news travels around here, it's going to be too late for him to do anything about it. Things are changing, and this time I hold all the power.
