See Me After Class(83)

But that’s entirely on me.

And even though I don’t want to admit it, I’m fucking regretful.

I wish I knew what her mouth felt like on mine. I wish I knew what it felt like to hold her hand. To snuggle in and take a picture with her, but that emotional block is there. The one impeding me from going any further with her.

She put a crack in it, began to knock it down, and instead of embracing it, I fled.

I got scared.

Worried.

She was right to push me away. She’s someone who deserves to be cherished, worshipped. A relationship girl.

I barely know how to be emotional with my sister, to care for her. How could I care for someone else?

How could I be the man she deserves when I’ve never had an example of what that looks like?

“Uh, where did you go?” Gunner asks me, poking me in the shoulder.

“Huh? Oh, sorry. Was thinking about Coraline,” I lie.

“Everything okay with her?” Romeo asks.

“Yeah.” I shake my head. “I should get some shit done before the teenage pukes get here.”

“Same,” Gunner replies.

“I’m going to deliver donuts unless you guys want one more.”

I shake my head, but Gunner takes another.

Looking between us, he says, “I have a girl, and I’m a dad. I think it’s about time I take this chiseled body to dad-bod mode.”

Romeo groans. “Fine, but when you complain to me about your pants not fitting, I’m going to remind you of this comment.”

Gunner has the donut halfway to his mouth when he replies, “Yeah, I’ll run extra tonight.”

On their way out, Romeo says, “Meet us in the teachers’ lounge for lunch. I’m going to get the scoop on Greer’s date. Maybe there’s love in the air.”

Nauseated, I set my donut down and slump in my chair as they both depart my classroom.

There’s no way in hell I’m going to the teachers’ lounge for lunch. You couldn’t pay me enough to listen in on the date that had me agonizing, tossing and turning, and not getting one ounce of sleep.

Nope, not happening.

I’ll stay here and grade papers.

Hell, I’ll grade other teachers’ papers. Anything to avoid hearing the sordid details of Greer’s date.





I’m here because I’m retrieving my salad, that’s it.

No other reason.

And I’m reading the bulletin board in the teachers’ lounge because I want to catch up with the current events.

A 5K to benefit Special Olympics. I’ll do that.

Oh, and look, Jamie Marino got engaged. She teaches . . . history, right?

And, shocking, the underwear still hasn’t been claimed, but Dewitt is still taking leads.

“Oh, I should not have eaten those three donuts,” Gunner says, holding his stomach as he walks into the teachers’ lounge.

“I thought you had two,” Romeo says, trailing behind him.

“I snuck another in and now I’m regretting it.”

The door opens again, and this time, Stella, Keiko, and Greer walk in. “Romeo, those donuts were so good,” Stella says. “Are there any left?”

Romeo goes to the pastry box and flips open the lid, revealing nothing. “How fucking rude.” He lifts it up. “Who takes the last donut and doesn’t throw out the box? That’s just giving teachers false hope, and that’s the last thing we need when dealing with hormonal nitwits all day.” He tosses the empty box on the floor and stomps on it.

“You okay?” Gunner asks him, hand on his shoulder.

“I think all the sugar is getting to me.” He lets out a deep breath and spots Greer. “Hey, how was the date?”

Now this is the moment where I should leave, because I don’t want to indulge my curiosity about Greer’s date, but you just saw the violent outburst from Romeo. He’s on edge, and I’d be a terrible friend if I didn’t stay through this and make sure he’s okay.

Greer and Stella walk over to the fridge and retrieve their lunches. Keiko claims a spot at one of the tables, and Greer and Stella join her.

“Why are you prying into my personal life? Jason not give you what you want?” Greer asks, unpacking her lunch.

I turn away and examine the bulletin board some more, trying to look casual, not interested, really just here for my friend.

“No, he didn’t give me any information. Walker didn’t talk. Jason was hoping I could pull something from you.”

“And why would I tell you about the date?” she asks. I can practically feel her raised brow.

“Because if I don’t deliver, Jason will continue to ask incessantly. Remember what I told you last night?” Romeo clasps his hands together. “Please, just something.”

“According to the ‘girl gab’ we shared this morning, they exchanged contact information,” Keiko announces to the room.

“Keeks, what the hell?” Greer asks.

“I’d prefer to eat my lunch in peace, not listen to Brock beg for morsels of a night over which he has no claim. Now he can take that information to his friend and be done with the badgering.”

“You exchanged numbers?” Romeo asks as I turn around.

Greer eyes me quickly and then turns to the wrap she packed for herself. “We did.”