See Me After Class(29)

Gunner: That’s a great idea.

Greer: We’ll see. In the meantime, thank you, boys, for your service. I couldn’t have done it without you.

Romeo: Oh shit . . . he just walked into our office.

Greer: Abort. Abort.

Romeo: From the look on his face, I’m going to guess this won’t go over well.

Greer: Do not crumble. Protect my name at all costs. Do you hear me? ALL COSTS.

Romeo: It was nice knowing you, Greer . . .

Greer: Romeo . . . GUNNER!

Greer: Do you hear me?

Greer: ALL COSTS

“Oh, sorry, I thought this was Arlo’s classroom. Unless, is it?”

Startled out of my intense texting, I glance up to find a beautiful woman in a lovely red sundress with capped sleeves, standing with a bag of food in her hand and a smile on her face.

“Arlo is next door.”

“Hmm, that’s what I thought, given the jailcell classroom, but he said he was in there and he’s not.”

“Oh, I think he went to go tell Romeo and Gunner something. You can sit in here and wait if you’d like.” I tap my ham sandwich. “Just squeezing in a quick lunch.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” I gesture to the seat in front of me. “Have a seat. I’m Greer. I teach English.”

“Ohhh.” She smiles. “You’re the new English teacher here, right?”

“Yes, that would be me.”

She nods slowly, taking the seat across from me. “My brother has said many disgruntled things about you.”

“Arlo is your brother?”

She nods. “Yup, I’m Coraline, by the way. Cora for short.” She chuckles and shakes her head. “Arlo’s mentioned you. He struggles to—”

“He hates me.” I roll my eyes. “I’ve heard.”

“Did he tell you?”

“Pretty much.”

She sighs heavily. “That’s my uptight brother for you. He has zero filter and doesn’t bat an eyelash about it.”

Zero filter runs in the family.

“Yeah, he’s shown zero remorse for his comments.” The night we played pool is still at the forefront of my mind. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over that night and the things he said.

“Fortunately, his behavior doesn’t run in the family.”

“So, you’re not going to tell me I’m a not an educator but rather a babysitter?”

Her expression morphs into shock. “He said that to you?”

“Yeah . . . which . . . ugh, I probably shouldn’t be telling you this. He’s your brother—”

She points her finger at me, her eyes stern. “You listen to me, Greer. I love my brother, but he’s an asshole. If he’s being an asshole to you, I need to know about it, so I can be an asshole to him. Us girls have to stick together.”

I chuckle. “I guess so.”

“Anyway, I could use some friends. Living with Arlo has taken a toll on my social life.”

“You’re living with him?”

She waves her hand. “Long story, but yes. I was living in New York City but moved back home a little over a month ago. All my friends are either knee-deep in diapers or have moved away from here. I’m in desperate need to start a book club with a few girls.”

“You like to read?”

“Sort of.” She shrugs.

“Sort of?” I laugh. “Then why start a book club?”

“Because it’s code for let’s drink a lot of wine and talk about our lives.”

“Ohhh.” I laugh some more. “I could use one of those. Right now, all I have is school and volleyball. But nothing outside of school. I bet Stella and Keiko would want to join the club.”

“Keiko Seymour? God, I love her so much. She’s brought Arlo down a peg or two a few times. He’s told me all about it.”

“You mean to tell me he actually admits defeat?”

“It’s rare.” She adjusts the gold bracelets on her wrist. “But when he does admit it, he goes into great detail to prove why someone bested him. And I’ve heard a story or two about Keiko bringing my brother to his knees. Which means . . . I’m going to need to meet this girl.”

“She’s amazing. Quirky, but amazing.”

“And who’s Stella? Wait . . . does she coach volleyball, too?”

I nod. “Yes. Stella Garcia. She teaches Spanish.”

“Ahhh.” A large smile crosses her face.

“What do you know?” I ask. “I barely know any gossip around here since I’m new, and my two friends tend to stay out of it.”

“You’re probably aware that Arlo’s best friends are Gunner and Romeo?”

“Hard to miss that,” I say, picking up my sandwich and taking a bite. Oddly, I offer it to her, but she just laughs and shakes her head. Yeah, didn’t think so, but it’s nice to be polite.

“The boys come over on occasion, and I like to sit at the top of the stairs and listen to their conversations.”

“Like any good sister would.” I laugh.

“Obviously. As a little sister, I have responsibilities, eavesdropping being one of them. Anyway, I’ve heard Romeo mention Stella a few times.”