Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
Ouida Mae helped Sophie get ready for school the next morning, making sure the girl looked her best and hoping it would give her some of the confidence she’d need to get through the day.
“Keep your chin up. You haven’t done anything they haven’t done or thought about doing. You just didn’t know to prepare properly.” Ouida Mae winked at Sophie. “If you get overwhelmed, go to the nurse’s office and lie down. I’ll let her know I told you that you could.” She smiled and turned Sophie toward the mirror. “Whoever made you believe you weren’t pretty was dead wrong. Look at yourself. You’re a beautiful young woman.”
Sophie raised a hand to the shiny brown curls framing her face. “How did you make my hair do that?”
“I’ve had years of practice taming my red waves. They’re not nearly as lovely as your rich brown curls. Sometimes, you have to scrunch them just to get them to be their best.”
Sophie smoothed her hands over the pale pink ribbed knit shirt Ouida Mae had given her to wear with a pair of stone-washed jeans and white canvas sneakers. “Thank you for the loan of your clothes and shoes.”
“They aren’t a loan,” Ouida Mae insisted. “If you like them enough, they’re yours to keep. Are you going to be all right in those shoes? They looked a little tight.”
“They aren’t too tight.”
“Good.” Ouida Mae smiled. “I was going to donate them because they were too big for me.”
“I like them,” Sophie said. “And the shirt and jeans. Thank you.” She stared at herself in the mirror, her brow wrinkling. “I don’t know if I can do this.”
Ouida Mae wrapped an arm around her waist and met her gaze in the mirror. “Take it one day at a time. I’m there all day if you need me—and so is Mr. Vachon.”
She gave a brief smile. “I have both of you for at least one hour each.”
“That’s right. That leaves only six hours in other classes and lunch.” Ouida Mae hugged her tighter. “You can do this.”
Sophie gave herself a battle-ready nod and lifted her chin. “I can do this.”
As she climbed into the passenger seat of Ouida Mae’s car, her chin dipped, and a worried frown creased her forehead.
Ouida Mae drove to the school and into the parking lot, unsure of how things had gone with the school board the day before. She’d received two texts after the board meeting concluded. One from Principal Ashcraft, saying We’ll see you at school on Monday . The second text had been from Shelby saying, Congratulations, you are loved. Principal Ashcraft will fill you in on Monday.
After listening to Katherine Edouard’s rant about how sex education was poisoning students’ minds, Ouida Mae was glad she’d left when she had.
She walked in through the front entrance with Sophie at her side. “You’re going to be okay,” she said as she turned toward her classroom, and Sophie turned toward her first-hour class.
The girl walked with her chin up and her back stiff. As she had predicted, some of the other students pointed and whispered to each other.
Ouida Mae wished she could shield Sophie from their comments and ridicule, but the sooner Sophie learned to deal with her situation, the better.
Principal Ashcraft came out of her office with a smug smile. “The good news is you still have a job.” Her lips twisted. “The bad news is you still have a job.” She winked. “Do you know how hard it is to find a good science teacher?”
Ouida Mae shook her head.
“I do,” Principal Ashcraft said. “And when you find a good one, you hold on tight.” She hugged Ouida Mae. “Now, get to work.”
Ouida Mae ducked into the nurse’s office to let her know about Sophie and then hurried toward her freshly painted classroom. The attack on her room seemed to have occurred weeks rather than days earlier. Sophie’s problems had taken all of Ouida Mae’s focus.
As she passed other teachers in the hallway, Ouida Mae was surprised at the smiles and comments.
“Wow, Miz Mo, you missed a good meeting,” the math teacher said.
“You should be proud of your students,” the art teacher said. “They love you.”
When she arrived at Ms. Durrand’s door, her friend wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tightly. “You left too early. Every student in the gymnasium went to bat for you, along with three-quarters of the parents and every teacher. The only ones with a gripe against you were Katherine Edouard and her group of mean-girl mamas.” Ms. Durrand grinned. “Not only did the school board nix the idea of firing you, but they also asked that your sex education course be put back on the schedule—the sooner, the better.”
“That’s wonderful,” Ouida Mae said, glad things had worked out for her but still worried about Sophie.
Ms. Durrand frowned. “I would think you’d be a little happier your school stuck up for you.”
“I am,” Ouida Mae said. “I just wish the students could all be empathetic to Sophie. It’s hard enough being a pregnant teen. She doesn’t need to be bullied and ostracized by her classmates.”
Ms. Durrand nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out for her. It’s really great of you to take her in. I understand her mother is of no help.”
“She’s better off with me, at least for now. I’m not sure what will happen when Child Protective Services gets their hands on her. She doesn’t want to go into foster care.”
“I can’t blame her. She could end up anywhere else in Louisiana. This is her hometown and her school.”
Ouida Mae nodded. “She needs a stable environment, now more than ever.”
“Have you thought of being her foster parent?”
“I understand it takes a lot of paperwork and time to be accepted into the program.” Ouida Mae glanced down the hallway where the pregnant teen had disappeared into a classroom. “While I weed through bureaucratic red tape, what will happen to Sophie in the meantime?”
“You need somebody to champion your cause and push the red tape through quickly,” Ms. Durrand said.
Ouida Mae gave her a crooked smile. “Do you know anybody who can do that?”
Ms. Durrand sighed. “I wish I did.” She glanced down the hallway, and her eyes widened. “Wow, the scenery is going to be a lot better around here.” She tipped her head toward the office.
Valentin stood with Principal Ashcraft, dressed in dark, tailored slacks and a short-sleeved, white button-down shirt, with his dark hair slicked back and his beard neatly trimmed. The man made Ouida Mae’s heart flutter and her knees go weak. Yes, indeed, the scenery had improved significantly.
He faced her direction and gave her a brief nod and a smile.
Ouida Mae couldn’t hold back her own smile. During dinner the night before, she’d gone over what little she knew about the PE program, ending with the advice to just keep them moving. Busy teenagers were less likely to get into trouble.
The first bell rang.
Ouida Mae dragged her gaze away from Valentin and hurried into her classroom, wondering if the PE teacher would swing by her place later that evening. She had been sure to mention they had enough leftovers for another full meal if he cared to join them the next night.
He hadn’t actually committed to dinner with them, but he also hadn’t declined.
Ouida Mae might be foolish to hold out hope that he would join them again, but she couldn’t help it. She liked his company, and so did Sophie.
Throughout the day, she wondered how Valentin was handling the teenagers in his PE and Gifted and Talented classes. If he came to dinner, she’d find out.
Valentin hurried to the gymnasium to change into clothing more suitable for working out. Principal Ashcraft had kept him longer than he had anticipated. He’d wanted to make a good impression on the first day by wearing nice clothes. In the future, he'd come to work dressed ready to go to work in a tracksuit and tennis shoes.
He arrived in the male locker room in time to find two bigger boys pushing around a skinny kid wearing glasses. The little guy had been changing into his PE uniform shorts and a T-shirt. The bigger guys shoved him against a locker.
Apparently, they hadn’t seen the PE teacher enter the locker room.
Valentin cleared his throat, capturing their attention.
Immediately, the big guy released the skinny one’s shirt and stepped back.
“Anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
The big guy crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head.
The skinny kid straightened the hem of his shirt and opened his mouth.
One harsh look from the big guy, and the skinny kid shut his mouth.
“Are all of you in the PE class this morning?” Valentin asked.
The big guy shook his head. “Nope. We were just leaving.” As he passed the little guy, he bumped his shoulder into him, knocking him backward into the metal lockers.
Valentin didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to recognize when a kid was being bullied. However, he also knew having a teacher demand an apology from the bully wouldn’t solve the problem. The skinny guy needed some lessons on how to defend himself against bullies.
Once the bullies left the locker room, Valentin met the skinny guy’s four-eyed gaze. “Are you all right?”
The skinny guy shrugged and rubbed his shoulder.
“Does that guy do that often?” Valentin asked.
“Every day, sometimes twice a day,” the boy muttered.
Valentin held out his hand. “I’m the new PE teacher, Mr. Vachon, and you are?”
The kid laid his limp hand in Valentin’s grip. “Nigel Owens.”
Valentin gripped the kid’s hand. “Lesson one in dealing with a bully is to give a firm handshake.”
“How will that help?”
“Shows you have confidence.” He nodded toward their joined hands. “Show me what you’ve got.”
The teen squeezed, but not enough to squish a fly.
“Squeeze like you do when you open a jar for the first time,” Valentin said.
The boy’s grip tightened.
“Better,” Valentin said, even though the amount of force the kid put into it wouldn’t open any jar he’d ever worked with. “We’ll work on that with some strength training.”
Nigel blinked up at him through his glasses. “Huh?”
If Nigel was a prime example of the rest of the kids in PE class, Simon had been spot-on with his description. What did Valentin know about motivating teens who could care less about getting physical?
“Look, I need to change. Go out there and let the others know I’ll only be a couple of minutes.”
“Uh, yeah. Okay.”
“The correct response is ‘yes, sir,’” Valentin said.
“Uh, yes, sir?”
“Say it like you mean it.”
“Yes, sir,” the boy said with even less enthusiasm.
“Now, go.”
The kid hurried out of the locker room.
As he flung off his first-impression clothes, Valentin muttered, “And I left the Navy so I wouldn’t have to train recruits who were wet behind their ears.”
In less than two minutes, he entered the gym dressed in the only tracksuit he’d ever owned, the one he’d been issued as a new Navy recruit a million years ago. It had been in the storage unit he’d rented for years and finally cleared out before he’d made the move to Louisiana. Navy blue with NAVY written across the left breast in bright yellow, it was tight across the shoulders and a bit faded from age, not use. He preferred to wear shorts and a T-shirt when he worked out.
A rag-tag group of students sat on the bottom row of the bleachers, looking as enthusiastic as a yard dog on a hot day.
Valentin had his work cut out for him. He channeled his favorite drill instructor from basic Navy training and stood tall. “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m your new PE teacher, Mr. Vachon. You can call me Mr. Vachon or Sir.”
“Are you kidding?” A tubby kid with his lip curled up on one side lounged on the bench, his shirt hanging out and his socks sagging around his ankles.
“I assure you I am not,” Valentin said. “Sit up straight and tuck your T-shirt into your shorts.”
The boy slowly sat up. “Where’s Ms. Sutton?”
“Not here. I’m your new PE teacher. We’ll do physical training my way. We will work and train as a team. If one member of the team slacks off or causes problems, the entire team does pushups. If you can’t complete all of your pushups during class, you will report to the gym after school to finish. As. A. Team.”
The group of students groaned.
“This isn’t the Navy,” the big kid said.
“Obviously,” Valentin said. “But with determination and teamwork, any one of you could join the Navy and serve your country.”
“What if we don’t want to join the Navy?” Big kid asked.
“You don’t have to, but you will have the confidence and physical ability to make that choice instead of having the choice made for you, barring you from service.”
Seeing that he wasn’t getting through to them, he changed tactics. “How many of you are tired of bullies picking on you and your friends?”
More than half of the students raised a hand. The others sat quietly, looking afraid of their own shadows.
“Quite a few,” Valentin said with a nod. “If you work hard and respect your teammates, I’ll show you some self-defense techniques you can use the next time a bully tries to push you around.”
“What if the bully is twice your size,” Nigel asked.
Valentin met the skinny kid’s gaze. “The techniques work no matter the size of the aggressor.” He looked around at the boys and girls.
“It’ll never work,” Big Guy said.
“You’ll never know if you don’t try.” The lack of enthusiasm was killing him. “Give yourself a week doing things my way. If you don’t see improvement, I’ll come to school dressed as your choice of a cosplay character.”
“Make it Harley Quinn, and you got a deal,” Big Guy said.
The group of teens laughed. Some nodded.
“Yeah, make it Harley,” a tall, painfully thin boy called out.
Valentin arched an eyebrow. “On the flip side of that promise, you all have to have skin in the game.”
When they all looked at him as if they didn’t understand, he clarified. “You have to give it your best effort as a team. If any one of you doesn’t, all of you have to come to school dressed as Harley Quinn. Is it a deal?”
“Deal,” Nigel was first to say. “I want to know how to deal with the bullies. I’m sick and tired of being shoved into lockers or tossed into the trash bin out back.”
Several others murmured agreement.
“As a team, do I hear you’re in?”
Some kids nodded.
Others murmured, “Sure.”
A couple said, “Yeah.”
He stood at attention and projected his voice like a drill instructor. “That’s yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir,” the group of kids said.
“I can’t hear you,” he called out.
“Yes, sir,” they said a little louder.
“Principal Ashcraft can’t hear you,” he said.
By now, the teens were on their feet. As one, they shouted, “Yes, sir!”
“Go, team!” Valentin shouted.
Over the remainder of the hour, he showed the students how to line up in formation, stand at attention or parade rest and how to perform basic marching movements. He assigned four squad leaders. A short girl named Abby, Nigel, a tall, heavyset girl named Stella and the big guy, Herschel.
By the end of the hour, they looked pretty good for new recruits. The quiet group of students left the gymnasium, all talking at once.
Valentin drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. One PE class down, four to go and one Gifted and Talented class he had no clue how to handle. He made the same agreement for the next two PE classes, getting buy-in from the students. By the end of each class, they knew how to fall into formation, stand at attention, forward march, halt and perform an about-face. For homework, they were to practice what they’d learned and come back the next day even better.
He was glad to take a break at lunch and join the other teachers in the teacher’s lounge. As soon as he entered the room, he scanned the faces until he found Ouida Mae. She smiled when his gaze met hers. She nodded toward the empty chair beside hers.
He waded through the room and was stopped several times by teachers eager to meet him. When he finally reached Ouida Mae’s table, he sank into his seat. “Hey,” he said. “How’s your day going? Principal Ashcraft told me the school board backed you one hundred percent, to include reinstating your sex education class.” He grinned. “That’s great, right?”
She nodded. “I’m a little hesitant to put the course back on the schedule.”
He nodded. “Afraid of another attack on your classroom?”
“Yes.” Ouida Mae sighed. “But I don’t want anyone else injured because of my choice of subjects to teach.”
“Then again, these kids need the information in order to make better choices.”
“True. I’ll feel better when they catch the guy who trashed my classroom.” She looked him over. “You didn’t bring a lunch, did you?”
He shook his head. “I was focused on my first day of teaching.”
Ouida Mae opened her lunch bag, pulled out a sandwich wrapped in a zip-lock baggie and handed it to him. “I hope you like ham and cheese.”
He pushed it back toward her. “I can’t take your lunch. It wouldn’t hurt me to miss a meal, anyway.”
She snorted. “Like you have an ounce of fat anywhere on your body. Take it. I made two in case you forgot to bring something.”
“Always taking care of others,” he said, opening the bag and taking a bite.
“That’s our Miz Mo,” the woman on her right said.
Ouida Mae turned to the woman. “Valentin, you remember Ms. Durrand from our day of painting?”
He swallowed quickly. “I do. It’s good to see a familiar face.”
Ouida Mae introduced him to the other two teachers seated around the table—all females. Valentin felt like he stuck out like a sore thumb among them. But they were all friendly and eager to give him all the feedback they’d heard from the students who’d been in his morning PE classes. The students due to attend those classes in the afternoon were eager to find out what all the hubbub was about.
“So, Harley Quinn, huh?” Ms. Durrand cocked an eyebrow. “I’d pay money to see you dressed as Harley Quinn.”
All the ladies in the teacher’s lounge shouted, “Me, too!”
Ouida Mae laughed. “Why Harley Quinn?”
Valentin shrugged. “Because she’s female, which would make the kids want me to dress like a girl—the more embarrassing, the better. And because she’s a badass.” In a whisper, he added, “Like you and Sophie.”
Ouida Mae’s cheeks flushed a pretty pink.
Holy hell, he wanted to kiss her. There in the teacher’s lounge, in front of God and everybody.
“What do you have planned for the Gifted and Talented class?”
“I want to find out what they’re working on. If they’re between projects, I think I’ll have them do something geared toward community service. A team project to design, create blueprints, determine supplies needed and build a tiny home for a homeless veteran.”
“Wow,” Ms. Durrand said. “That’s ambitious.”
“Where will they get the money for the supplies?” another teacher asked.
“That could be one of their challenges,” Valentin said. “Perhaps they could write a grant proposal or come up with a fundraiser for the project.”
“Will you be here to see it through?” Ouida Mae asked. “What happens to the project when Ms. Sutton returns?”
Valentin frowned. He hadn’t really thought about another teacher taking over. “I could consult with the students and Ms. Sutton to help them to completion. The Bayou Brotherhood Protectors could provide volunteer hours for the actual building of the home. The students would have to calculate the hours and contribute their own time to construction. Not only would they be gaining experience in design, project control and hands-on construction, but they would be helping a veteran, someone who fought for their country and now needs help getting back on his feet. They could plan to have the veteran help in the construction to build his confidence, sense of worth and pride in his own home.”
“I feel like I should stand and sing the National anthem at this point.” Ms. Durrand said, her expression sincere, not snarky at all.
“Me, too,” said the other teachers around the table.
“Us, too,” said the teachers at the other tables around the room.
Ouida Mae grinned. “It’s a great idea. Where do we sign up?”
Valentin’s brow furrowed. “It’s just an idea at this point. I want to see where the class stands with current projects before I go further.”
“If the project is a go, let us know what we can do to help,” Ouida Mae said.
“I think the students would get a charge out of it,” one of the teachers at their table said.
“They could get the entire school involved in the fundraising and hands-on labor,” Ms. Durrand said.
Ouida Mae laid a hand on Valentin’s arm. “Look at you fitting right in as a teacher and role model for a bunch of Junior high students. Giving them structure, helping them learn to work as a team and coming up with new and exciting ideas. Be careful, or Principal Ashcraft will insist on keeping you.”
Her hand and her words warmed Valentin’s arm and heart and made him feel like he could provide value, not just be a placeholder for the absent Ms. Sutton.
He thanked her for the sandwich and went to the assigned classroom to face the Gifted and Talented students, feeling a little less of a fraud. The kids were intelligent, asked pointed questions and were actually excited about the idea of building a home. By the time the bell rang to go to their next class, they had identified tasks, assigned people and started laying out a project timeline.
The rest of the PE classes went as well as the morning ones. He had Sophie in the second to the last class of the day.
She looked sad and tired. He hated seeing her so despondent and hoped she would regain some of her confidence soon. Sophie was a good kid. She fell into formation with the other kids and worked with them as a team, even when some of them treated her as if she had cooties.
She was last to leave the gym when the bell rang.
Valentin pulled her aside for a moment. “I’m proud of how you jumped right in with the others. You showed a lot of courage.”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to be the one person who caused everyone to do pushups.”
“Hang in there; the day is almost over.”
“There’s another one right behind it,” she said.
“Every day will get easier.”
She laughed. “Easy for you to say. You’re not pregnant. Your body won’t be changing over the next nine months, growing a baby that depends solely on you for gestational survival and ultimate delivery.”
He blinked at her intelligent and informed response. “You’re right. My apologies. You’ve been researching pregnancy?”
She nodded. “I used my study hall to use the computer in the library. The more I know about what to expect, the better decisions I can make. It’s too bad I didn’t know more before I made the decision that landed me here.” Her lips twisted. “I can’t change the past, but I can help shape my future.”
Valentin smiled at the girl who was growing up fast. “You’re smart and determined. I have no doubt you’ll accomplish whatever you set your mind on.”
She left the gym to hurry to her last class of the day with Miz Mo.
Valentin was glad Ouida Mae had Sophie for the last class of the day. He worried that someone or something would set off the girl, and she would run away. She needed to know she was safe with Miz Mo.
It was Valentin’s job to make sure the two women were safe. The attacker was still out there and potentially could strike again since the school board had reinstated Ouida Mae’s sex education course.
After witnessing Katherine Edouard’s tirade against teaching sex ed in school, he wouldn’t put it past her to hire someone to sabotage Ouida Mae’s classroom.
But, then again, she was a politician’s spouse, the president of the PTA, a Sunday school teacher and supposedly a pillar of the community. Would she hire someone to destroy school property and injure an employee of that school?
It didn’t make sense. Destroying school property wasn’t helping students—unless the person she’d hired had gone overboard.
The Edouard woman had used the incident to argue her point.
As far as Valentin was concerned, the woman was still in the running as a suspect and bore watching.
Who else would trash a school classroom?
Perhaps a self-righteous zealot trying to prove a point? One who might not have a child at the school and had no qualms about destroying public property.
His thoughts went to the hothead, Regis Fontenot, who’d almost picked a fight at the Crawdad Hole Saturday night.
Valentin still wondered where the man had been at the time the school was attacked. Though, what motivation would he have had for trashing the school? The man probably didn’t give a damn what was taught in the schools. The only motivation he might have to do such a thing would be if he got something out of it.
The intruder hadn’t taken anything of value. If Regis had been the one to cause all that damage, someone would have had to pay him.
Again, Valentin’s thoughts returned to Katherine Edouard.
As students streamed into the gym for the last class of the day, Valentin had to shelf his thoughts for the moment and focus on corralling kids.
At the end of the day, he changed into his first-impression clothes. When he emerged from the locker room, he found Ouida Mae and Sophie in the hallway.
“Will we see you tonight for dinner?” Ouida Mae asked.
Valentin looked at Sophie.
The girl nodded. “We’d like it if you’d come. I’m making spaghetti.”
“I love spaghetti. Thank you.”
They walked out of the school together, and Valentin followed them to Ouida Mae’s cottage on the edge of the bayou.
They worked together to make spaghetti and ate together at the dinner table like the perfect little family.
Valentin could have told himself he’d accepted the invitation to better keep an eye on Ouida Mae and Sophie, but that would only have been half the truth.
He loved their company and couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be.
He pushed to the back of his mind that this was an assignment that would one day come to an end. He didn’t realize just how soon that would be.