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They did so well enforcing who I am and how I should never let another woman make me feel any less worthy of what I clearly deserve that I’m able to hold my head up with pride as I get back to work.
So far, I’ve kept myself busy in my classroom. Opting to have my lunch in my room instead of the teacher’s lounge. I made surenotto run into Cera. I’m still healing from the scars she revealed Saturday night. Seeing her now would only make me violent.
While I ate, I imagined seeing her in the hallways after school. There’s no way I would ever do something to her with kids running around. I dreamed I would grab her thick mane of bleached-blond hair, twist it in my fist so tightly she would worry about me pulling her extensions out rather than turning her and then slamming her face into the closest locker.
I wouldn’t stop until I could feel her breathing grow shallow. Only then I would halt, kicking her legs out from under her, making her sink to her knees and wait for her to beg me for forgiveness. I’d never lower myself to that, though.
I don’t care if I would be suspended from work or even fired—not in the heat of the moment at least. Afterward, I’d regret stooping to her level and becoming a monster just to make my point.
No, you would never do that.
I’m a better woman than Cera will ever strive to be. That’s why she dislikes me so much. I have the one thing she never even tried to do for herself.
I’m a good person.
“Miss Reece? What’s those last few numbers? I can’t read them.”
Shaking out of my deliberations of what I may fantasize about doing to Cera but never carry out, I turn around to find the students in my last period of the day, all have a starry-eyed look in their confused gazes.
Glancing back at the board, I find I scribbled where the last few problems I wrote out are supposed to be.
“Oh.” Taking a step back, I look over my shoulder with a sheepish grin. “Sorry about that. My head is all over the place today.” Picking up the eraser, I wipe the scribbles off and write the problems I want them to work on before I set my tools down and begin to make my way around the room to help.
Everyone is doing well until I reach the final row and start to make my way down. With each kid I pass, I can’t help but look up to find Ridge’s head bobbing and his eyes far heavier than I’ve ever seen them.
Something isn’t right about this. Ridge is always excited and full of energy while in class. He loves math.
“Ridge?” Gently, I place a hand on his shoulder. I don’t want to startle him, but I want to help keep him awake. “Ridge, are you okay?”
“Hmm? What?” His head flies up, and he looks around the room with alarm. Finally, he sees me standing over him. “Miss Reece, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey.” I do my best to calm him down when he’s clearly about ready to freak out. “It’s okay.This isn’t like you.”
“I know.” He wipes at his eyes.
“What’s going on? Did you not get enough sleep last night?” I want to run a hand across his forehead to brush hair away, but I don’t because it wouldn’t be appropriate.
“No.” He yawns. “I was asleep, and then I woke up to Uncle Chase yelling at someone and then a girl’s voice yelling back at him. It wasn’t my mom’s or grandma’s either. Patience wasn’t there either.”
Instantly, I bristle with his honesty. Chase had another woman over? Is that why he never bothered to call me?
No, don’t go there.
The voice in my head pleads with me, but it’s already too late.
“I’m sure he didn’t mean to wake you.” I stand back up, doing my best to keep my voice from wavering. “Make sure you write the problems down from the board. If you don’t get them done before the bell, take them home.”
“Thank you, Miss Reece,” he says around a yawn.
Forcing a warm smile to my face, I nod and walk away. “No problem.” Heading back to my desk, the evil thoughts make their way back. I want to beat the shit out of something and let the rest of my rage out on Chase.
But the voice in the back of my head is doing its best to keep the other thoughts from taking root.
Chapter Thirty-One
Chase
She won’t talk to me, and I have absolutely no clue why.
