Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99766 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 499(@200wpm)___ 399(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Grandma: How you feeling?
Me: Fine.
Grandma: I can see your lying face all the way over here.
Me: Not lying. See you soon.
Cal pulls into the staff parking lot at the high school, making me snap my head his way.
“Oh hell naw,” I grind out. “The fuck you didn’t.”
“The fuck I did.”
The dickhead grins at me.
I could barely deal with this shit hole when I went here, much less now. I’m shaking my head in defiance.
“I’m not cut out to be a teacher. What part about I can’t look at a goddamn computer could you not understand?”
“When you’re done throwing your pity bitch party, get out and let’s go see Karen. She’s waiting on us and you know how she hates tardiness.” He smirks before climbing out.
I fling off the sunglasses and follow after him, plumes of rage puffing out in white clouds with each angry breath I take. While Cal strides along without a care in the world, I try not to limp. The pain that slides from my hip down to my fucking toes is unbearable sometimes. Just another complication from the accident.
We make it inside and Cal leads us to the main office. I spent more time in Ms. Frazier’s office than in class. This is some fucked-up shit.
“Hey, boys,” Karen greets upon our entry in her office. “Have a seat.”
It’s the weekend and still winter break, so Karen is dressed casually in jeans and an orange Hood River hoodie. Cal and I plop down in the two seats across from her desk. Anxiety creeps up my spine, cooling my blood. I’m reminded of the many times I spent in this office, about to get my ass reamed for whatever shit I pulled. Grandma rode my ass so hard in high school. It takes a conscious effort to remind myself I’m a grown-ass man now.
“Hey, Karen,” Cal greets, sprawling out in his seat and flashing her a wicked grin. “Asked to speak to any managers lately?”
I snort out a laugh because he is such a fucking asshole all the time.
“Cal, sweetheart,” Karen says in her bitchy principal voice. “Remember you’re an adult now, not a bratty teenager.”
“My bad,” he states, holding his palms up. “I forgot.” He laughs. “Tell my boy what you have for him.”
Karen glances my way, the irritation melting off her face as she regards me with a soft smile. “You need a job, huh?”
“If you say so,” I grumble, still pissed at Cal.
“We need a new music teacher.” She smirks and I make a horrified face. “Kidding. Calm down. The girls’ basketball coach had her baby. She’s informed me she won’t be back after maternity leave. It leaves me in quite a bind considering tryouts are supposed to happen this week. The girls have games starting in January. We need someone who knows what they’re doing.”
I gape at her in confusion. “You want me to coach?”
“No, I need you to coach, Terrence. I need you. The girls need you. The school needs you. And as much as it pains me to have not one, but two Hoodlums on my payroll, it doesn’t change the fact you’re the best man for this job. You’re someone I trust to do an excellent job.”
“You trust me?” I ask, clarifying and biting back a laugh of disbelief. “After all the shit I did to you at this school.”
“Naughty children aren’t bad people,” she says, her brows furrowing. “They need support and guidance and love. They need direction. They need someone to have faith in them. When they have that, they grow into good adults—good men. You and your Hoodlum friends may have driven me crazy, but it doesn’t change the fact you are good people. Cal hasn’t let me down this past semester and neither will you. I have a knack for knowing these things. Now trust me and say you’ll accept the job.”
“All I gotta do is coach these girls at the sport I love? And you’re gonna pay me for it?” I ask, rubbing at the back of my neck.
“Well, it’s not the best pay by any means, just ask Cal. But it’s a decent salary that comes with health insurance.”
Garrett has paid for every damn one of my medical bills. I thought he’d back out of that once we discovered it wasn’t Charlotte driving, but he continued on, never mentioning it. When I saw him yesterday at the clinic, the lady at the front desk said the visit fee had been waived. As much as I was relieved not to be drowning in hospital bill debt, I don’t feel right about continuing to take from this man. Having health insurance could be a good thing.
And if the girl is mine…
It’s time to man the fuck up.
“Do I gotta teach history or some shit?” I ask, frowning.
“Cal mentioned your trouble with computers because of your head injury,” she says, her voice soft. “I’ve written into your contract that no classroom instruction is necessary to your employment. However, if later you decide this is something you want to do, we can find a good fit for you. We’ve recently lost an English teacher. Don’t act like I didn’t see your SAT scores. You may have given me trouble and skimmed along in high school, but you got your degree at OSU and your SAT scores, especially in reading, were exceptional. If it’s something you want to pursue, I can guide you in the right direction.”