AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And if I’m not interested…I’m just fucking not.
A lot of my old guy friends wouldn’t give a fuck about if a woman was their type. If she was ready and willing, and able to consent, they’d be balls deep inside of her.
It’s just never been my style.
A knock on the door echoes throughout the room and we both look to see who’s come to save me from Ms. Wilson. Sure enough, it’s the fucking apple of my eyes.
Okay, so that was corny.
Ms. Lucy Heart walks in with a smile on her face and an arm full of folders and books.
I rush over to her to help her set them all down before they topple out of her arms and we work together to get the pile onto a vacant desk.
“Always right on time, aren’t you, Ms. Heart?” Ms. Wilson drawls. Something in her voice makes me wanna tell her to fuck off, but there’s a bunch of kids around, so I refrain.
“I’m on my flex period, and I ran down to the main office for something and saw you left these for the secretaries to put together. They were done so I figured I’d drop them off for you!” Ms. Heart flashes another smile and I can’t help but want to fucking trace every single one of the pretty little freckles on her cheeks. Why does this woman turn me into a fucking pile of mush? We’ve said like…six words to each other for fuck’s sakes.
Ms. Wilson totally disregards Ms. Heart’s nice gesture, and instead, turns to me.
“So,Sam…” she says, making a show of using my first name as she twirls those long tendrils of hair around her index finger. “A bunch of us are going to the martini bar after school to celebrate our first day of the new school year. Wanna come? It’ll be so much fun. I can introduce you t—”
“Sorry, Ms. Wilson. Not tonight,” I say, glancing from her to Ms. Heart. “That was nice of you to bring all of that down here for Ms. Wilson,” I say to Ms. Heart, acknowledging her since apparently this floozie won’t.
The apples of Ms. Heart’s cheeks redden, just a bit, but I notice.
I notice everything about her.
Dangerous as it may be.
I watch as Ms. Wilson, visibly flustered, walks over to the supplies while shrugging, muttering something under her breath. Ms. Heart turns to leave but not before she gives me one last look. When I wink at her, I swear those pink cheekbones turn a crimson shade of red as she hurries out of the room.
What a fucking year this is going to be.
THREE
LUCY
After catching me in the hall just moments after Sam fucking winked at me, Madeline convinced me we should meet her husband at the local Italian restaurant for “first day of school beers and pizza.”
By the time I walked into my apartment after being on bus duty after school, I had two and a half hours to stress over what to wear. Normally, it doesn’t matter. I’ve gone in my work clothes, but I’ve always showed up in leggings, an oversized sweater, and Ugg boots when I just wasn’t feeling it. Before now, there hadn’t been the possibility of running into the new janitor who happens to kind of be related to my best friend and makes my insides feel like hot mush, though.
After dumping half my closet onto the floor of my bedroom and changing three times, I made it out the door. Thankfully, Ma’s is only a ten minute drive from my apartment.
The only standalone restaurant on Main Street, Ma’s is a River Pointe staple. Most of Blackwell Academy’s staff chose to go to The Lemon Drop, but there is a small group of us that choose to stay away from twenty dollar cocktails and entitled attitudes. Instead, we hang out with the rest of the townies and the public school teachers for pizza by the slice while we drink buckets of beers.
As soon as I walk into the restaurant, the welcoming smell of garlic, tomatoes, fresh bread, and hot cheese hits me. I’m greeted by Brooklyn, the cutie pie of a hostess, who comes in and works after school. I only know this because she’s friends with my little sister.
We’ve gotten to the point that she stops whatever she’s doing to acknowledge me, but she never offers me a menu or asks if I’m meeting anyone anymore. I guess that makes me one of the regulars now. Even Rosie, the weeknight bartender, knows me by name now.
The lounge is full already. Not surprisingly because it was also River Pointe High School’s first day of school today as well. If it weren’t for the constant chatter, Ma’s would be such a cozy spot to settle in with a book and a big bowl of their famous lobster chowder. I’m fairly certain that very thought crosses my mind every time I come in. Every time I tell myself that I’ll have to come back on a Sunday afternoon for lunch, but I have yet to do so.
Madeline sees me before I can make my way over to the corner booth at the back of the lounge—our favorite spot—and points toward the ladies’ room. Her husband Theo waves hello from across the room. In the booth across from him, I see the back of a very bright red head of hair.
I don’t have time to let my nerves settle before Madeline is practically pulling me into the bathroom. Relief washes over me when I see that she changed into jeans too. Her faded Nirvana graphic tee makes me laugh a little. We were barely a part of them, but she swears the 90s were the best decade she’s lived in. And, as usual, she’s rocking her black high-top Converse.
When she catches up to me, she slides her arm in mine and lets out a quiet squeal of excitement.
“Where did those come from?” she asks, looking down at the cleavage popping out of the black bodysuit I paired with the tightest jeans I own, a maroon cardigan, and a pair of black wedges.
