Every Wrong Reason(16)

I leaned forward, emboldened by righteous anger. “And I didn’t think you were that kind of an *, Jay. During class? Really? Have some respect for her.”

He cocked his head back, shocked at my candidness. A slow grin pulled at his lips and my mouth went dry. Was he going to tell on me? Turn me into Mr. Kellar? I could get in a lot of trouble for speaking to a student like that.

“When she asks for it, I’ll give it to her,” he chuckled, the innuendo screaming through his words.

He turned away from me and strutted toward the door. I couldn’t help but call after him, “Be better than that!”

He waved at me without turning back around, “Sure thing, Ms. C.”

The door slammed shut behind him and I resisted the urge to puke. I placed my hands on my desk and leaned heavily on them. I dropped my head and focused on breathing. Holy shit.

Jay Allen wasn’t the first difficult student I’d had. I’d called the cops more than once and I had been threatened at least once a semester since I started here.

The ego these boys carried around with them was incredible. They thought they owned the world and worse than that, they thought they deserved the world. They didn’t appreciate a teacher that expected them to work hard and try at something other than sports or hitting on girls.

Sometimes the girls were even worse.

Entitled.

Cocky.

Neglected.

Underprivileged.

Apathetic.

These kids were a dangerous mixture of abandon and overpromise. I had to skate the fine line between realistic expectations and stern discipline.

Not one of them respected me for it.

A knock at my door and a deep voice pulled me from the turmoil of my thoughts. “Kate, are you okay?”

I looked up to find Eli Cohen standing in my doorway with a concerned expression on his face. His dark eyes swept over me, taking stock of everything that could be wrong.

“Rough day,” I squeaked out. Fear still pounded in my chest and I wondered if I should go to Kellar. Nothing happened. Jay hadn’t even threatened me. But years of experience taught me that I should trust my gut instinct.

“Your ex-husband?” Eli guessed.

I winced, unprepared for his question. A cynical smile tilted my lips and I stared at my shoes when I answered, “No, not Nick. I, uh, I had an altercation with a student.”

Eli crossed the threshold and stood before me in three seconds. His large hands landed on my biceps, squeezing them compassionately.

I jumped at his touch. When was the last time a man had touched me? Even Nick?

Not for a very long time.

Eli’s closeness immediately felt wrong. I had the strongest urge to smile politely and wiggle away from him. But I realized those were silly thoughts. I wasn’t betraying Nick.

There was nothing left to betray.

“I’m so sorry,” Eli apologized. “I shouldn’t have assumed… I’m so sorry. Really. That was really stupid of me.”

“It’s okay,” I promised him. In the end, I did shrug off his hands. They were too awkward and my head wasn’t right. Plus, I started to worry about someone walking into the room and getting the wrong idea. “It could easily have been my divorce. It’s been a weird few months.”

Eli’s concerned frown made me feel a little better. “I’m a jackass.”

Surprised laughter bubbled out of me. “You’re not.”

“I am. What idiot walks in on a distraught woman and immediately brings up her divorce?”

My smile was soft and endearing. “It’s really okay.”

He gave me a sardonic look and shook his head. “I got divorced three years ago. I should know better.”

His comment took my breath. I had never thought much about people in the midst of divorce before my own. I didn’t even know that many that had gone through one. They seemed to be only stories my mother told me over Sunday dinners. So-and-sos are getting divorced. I knew they wouldn’t last. He was always lazy. She could never settle down.

I never thought it would be me. I never thought I would be the restless girl or that Nick would be the deadbeat husband. Because according to my mother only worthless people got divorced.

“I’m so sorry,” I told him quickly. This time it was me that put my hand on his shoulder. “I didn’t know.”

His deep chocolate eyes found mine and held them. “It was before I came here.”

“How long were you married?” My curiosity couldn’t be helped. Eli was gorgeous and an excellent teacher. He was a total catch. I couldn’t imagine a woman not wanting to stay with him.

But I had once thought that about Nick too.

“Ten years,” he answered with the slightest catch in his voice. “We were high school sweethearts.”

We were quiet for a while as I heard all of the words he didn’t say. The feelings that he didn’t admit.

“Nick and I met in college,” I admitted softly.

He turned around and sat down on the edge of my desk. His hands landed next to his hips and he leaned forward attentively.

I realized how strange it was to have this man’s undivided attention. Nick didn’t listen to me unless we were in the middle of an argument.

I couldn’t count how many stories I’d told him only to have him lift his head and look at me like a lost puppy. “Huh?” he’d say. “Did you say something?”