Brynne #2
“A reasonable request, don’t you think?” Theo laced his fingers together. “I certainly don’t like when a strange man tries to touch me, do you?”
Mr. McKay’s soft chest rose and fell with a deep breath. “It’s against the rules to use phones in class.” He sat in his leather chair, the bolts creaking under his weight. “That should’ve been explained to you.” His eyes shot to me, and I dipped my gaze to the floor.
“Ms. Hughes explained it perfectly well,” Theo said, his tone dismissive. “My problem isn’t that she got in trouble for breaking the rules—but do all students get in this amount of trouble for this offense? Or is it just her? Because she wouldn’t answer your questions?”
“She was rude,” Mr. McKay said hotly. “She sat in that chair—” He pointed at the one Theo was lounging in. “And stared at the wall, ignoring every word that came out of my mouth.”
“She’s listening when she does that. Did you say anything that required an answer?” Theo asked, and Mr. McKay straightened his shoulders.
“Of course, I did. Everything I say requires an answer.”
Theo tilted his head to the side, his mouth clamped tightly shut as if to make a point. The men stared at each other, and testosterone rose in the room so thick and palpable, I felt like I was being suffocated.
“I think what Theo—Mr. Caldwell—is trying to say is?—”
“I think she was punished because you like to throw your weight around,” Theo finished. “I think you were upset that you weren’t getting a reaction, and chose to punish her to see if she’d break. Am I right?”
Mr. McKay’s mouth opened, then closed.
“I’ve done it before too,” he continued. “The difference is, I did it with grown men, not little girls.”
Theo placed an ankle over a knee as he reclined back comfortably, like this entire interaction was beneath him.
I swallowed hard, torn between admiration and the urge to gag him with the closest item before he got me fired.
But I couldn’t force myself to disagree with him—he was right.
Mr. Burr had a habit of being a little too aggressive, and Mr. McKay had an authority complex so big it took up all the air in the room—until it had to battle Theo’s ego.
“I can assure you, Mr. Caldwell?—”
“Please, call me Theo.”
Mr. McKay’s thin lips tightened until they turned white. “ Theo ,” he gritted out. “I can assure you Scout was punished fairly. I would not accept that behavior from any student.”
Theo tilted his head to the side. “Do you know her story?” he asked quietly, his voice lethal. “Are you aware that she barely speaks to anyone ?” He pressed his hand into the center of his chest. “Myself included.”
Silence stretched for a too long moment.
“I’m aware of what she’s been through,” he said tightly. “But that’s no excuse?—”
“You’re right,” Theo interrupted, holding his hand up. He let out a tense laugh. “It’s not an excuse for her to be rude— but here’s the problem: she wasn’t being rude. She was being herself. And I don’t think she should be punished for that, do you?”
I didn’t breathe—I couldn’t.
Mr. McKay’s mouth opened, then closed again. I flicked my gaze between them, waiting for the next thing to be said, for a pin to drop—anything to give me permission to suck air into my lungs.
Theo stayed perfectly still, his predatory gaze locked on McKay. The principal shifted under the weight of it, his eyes darting my way before reluctantly dragging back to Theo.
“Of course not,” he finally gritted out, his ruddy hands curling into fists on the desk. “But?—”
“Great. Glad we’re in agreement,” Theo said, rising from the chair. “I’d love it if you could call Scout to the office—I’ll be taking her out for the rest of the day.”
I twisted my hands together in my lap until my knuckles cracked.
Theo might’ve been my hero standing up to McKay like that.
Or he might’ve been the biggest dumbass in the world.
The jury was still out.
“Uh—wait—no—” McKay floundered as he stumbled to his feet, arm outstretched as if he could physically stop Theo from leaving. He looked my way like I could somehow fix this, but what could I do?
I winced as I got to my feet, limping slightly as I followed Theo. Mrs. Ellsworth tracked us as we walked into the hallway. The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, nearly deafening.
He came to a sudden stop, and I nearly ran into his broad, strong back. His breathing was harsh. Ragged. Like he was riding the edge of control he’d so carefully possessed in that office, but now he was on the verge of letting go.
Reaching out, I hesitantly pressed my fingers to his back, and he stiffened even more.
“Don’t,” he rasped, and I immediately withdrew. “No?—”
His head dropped forward, shoulders curling in.
It looked like the weight of the entire universe had taken up residence on his back, grinding him down until he’d be nothing but dust.
“Are you okay?” I whispered, my voice hoarse.
Behind me, McKay’s muffled voice splintered through the thin-paned glass windows, and I let my eyes flutter shut. We couldn’t have this conversation here. Poking my head into the office, I winced as something crashed in his office.
Mrs. Ellsworth’s eyes were wide behind her cheaters as she looked at me.
“We’re going to be in my classroom,” I said quietly. “Can you send Scout there?”
She dipped her chin, her gaze flicking to Theo behind me. “I can’t believe he—” Her shaky, wrinkly hand lifted to her mouth, hiding a grin. “What a man.” Her throat bobbed as she swallowed. “Go, honey. I’ll send her to you.”
Without giving myself time to second guess it, I grabbed Theo’s arm and dragged him down the hallway toward my classroom, doing my best to mask the limp in my step. Now that the adrenaline of the last twenty minutes was wearing off, the pain was hitting me like a tsunami.
I shut the door after we entered, the light panels dimming the room, making it feel intimate instead of the usually relaxed vibe I was going for. Moving to the opposite side of the room, I watched as Theo paced between the desks, his hands flexing at his sides like he needed something to punch.
Or maybe hold onto.
“Are you alright?” My voice came out too loud, fracturing the heavy, packed silence.
He froze midstep, his back to me, fingers still splayed like he was trying to steady himself.
“Have you seen her today?” His voice was raw—vulnerable in a way I’d never heard before.
“No.” I swallowed thickly. “She’s in my last class.”
“Is she—will she be angry, you think?”
“Maybe,” I answered honestly. “I don’t know.”
A beat of silence passed. The clock on the wall ticked slowly, steadily, like the countdown of a bomb.
“Did I do the right thing?”
I dragged the diamond along my chain, my breath stuttering at the question. “I think so.”
He turned toward me, blue eyes surrounded by a sea of redness. His thick lashes were damp, his face sallow. I wanted to go to him. I wanted to hug him, reassure him, let him know he wasn’t alone.
But I stayed where I was.
We stared at each other from across the room, each of us waiting for the other to break first. Then he cleared his throat.
“I don’t like that principal.”
The deadpan delivery caught me so off guard, I burst into a fit of laughter until tears filled my eyes.
“No one does,” I said through a giggle. “He’s a dick on his best days.”
Theo’s lip curled into a disgusted snarl. “He needs to be fired and replaced by someone who doesn’t hate their job—” His head tilted to the side. “You should take his place.”
That sobered me right the hell up.
“Absolutely not.” I scoffed. “I do not want that job.”
The softness in his face slowly faded, and that heavy weight returned to his shoulders. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come up here.” Exhaustion filled his sigh, and I couldn’t help myself—I moved forward. Toward him.
I kept space between us, but the closeness was enough to make my heart gallop in my chest. It battered against my ribcage until I could hardly breathe.
His cologne was thick and musky—sandalwood layered with something else, something rich and exotic.
It took every ounce of strength I possessed to not lean in and inhale. Everything about his scent invaded my senses, making my head spin and knees go weak. But I couldn’t show him that. Not right now.
And not after last night.
So I pulled myself together, my fingers still tightly pinching the tiny diamond pendant, and forced air to fill my lungs.
“I don’t know how she’ll react, Theo,” I murmured.
“But you showed up for her, and even if she’s mad at you right now, one day she’ll thank you for it.
She’ll realize that you were there for her when no one else was, and that—” My throat tightened at the reality of the words.
“That’s more than any little girl could ever ask of her father. ”
His jaw feathered as he stared down at me, like he was fighting the emotion he desperately wanted to let out.
“Thank you,” he rasped. “I just—I don’t want to fuck her up even more.”
I reached for him, my fingertips brushing his elbow. Before I could say anything else, the door creaked open, and a grumpy preteen sulked in, her eyes on the floor.
Theo leapt back like a snake had bitten him, putting some much needed distance between us. I cleared my throat, dropping my arm to my side. Theo’s chest expanded as he took a breath, like he was trying to ground himself.
“Hey, Scout,” I said, keeping my voice light. Her eyes flicked to me, then to Theo.
“I’m assuming you’re here to yell at me too?”
Theo’s face dropped into that hidden anger he’d held in McKay’s office. “Did that asshole yell at you?”
She shrugged. “He didn’t exactly use his inside voice.”
His eyes flicked to me, and there was a threat there, one I didn’t need to be a mind reader to understand.
“I just spoke to him,” he said, every word clipped. “Seems like I’ll need to talk to him again. But for now, I’m taking you home.”
Scout glanced at me as if looking for permission. “You’re not in prison.” I laughed. “You can go.”
“Why?”
The skepticism dripping from her tone made my heart ache.
“Because I don’t agree with them sending you to detention,” Theo said abruptly.
“You shouldn’t have been on your phone, but they shouldn’t have treated you like that, either.
I don’t like that Mr. Burr tried to take your phone or touch you, and I do not like that Mr. McKay yelled at you. So, we’re going home.”
“Am I in trouble?” she asked quietly. “Like, grounded?”
He let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a pained laugh. “No, kid. You’re not in trouble.” The corner of his mouth tucked up. “Well, we do need to talk about not using your phone and listening to your teachers.”
“We were watching a movie because he was hungover,” she muttered. “I don’t know why it’s such a big deal.”
My lips twitched. I knew she was likely right—Mr. Burr was usually hungover on days that ended in Y.
Theo cleared his throat. “Right, well—” He licked his lips. “That’s fine. Whatever. But if you ignore your teachers again, I’ll—I’ll?—”
Scout and I stared at him, anticipating his next words.
His shoulders lifted an inch, his cheeks reddening. “I’ll buy you one of those flip phones with massive buttons and no touch screen.” Scout’s eyes widened. I pressed my fingers to my lips to hide a laugh. “Try me.”
“Fine.” She glanced at me. “Whatever. I like buttons.”
“You’re impossible,” he said, rubbing his forehead. “Oh, my god. Let’s go before I change my mind and tell them to put you back in tween prison.”
She rolled her eyes in that way only preteen girls could as Theo flung the door open with a touch too much flair.
“Dramatic,” she mumbled under her breath. He gave me an exasperated look, but there was a lightness to his expression that hadn’t been there moments ago. Something passed between us, something that felt too real .
I wanted to shove it away, to stomp on it like I’d done a million times before. But this time was…different. It wasn’t raw sexual tension, it was something else. Something human.
I didn’t want to acknowledge it. I wanted to pretend like whatever passed between us was just the lingering up and down emotions of the last half hour, but that was a lie and I knew it—we both did.
And with the way his jaw slackened, his eyes softened, I knew he felt it too. That undeniable electric charge that had been brewing between us for years, the one we’d ignored and hid with flirty jokes.
“You’re really not gonna ground me?” Scout’s soft voice filtered through the tension, and I shook myself. He patted her on the back, one corner of his mouth lifting.
“Not today—not for this.”
I leaned against a desk, my hand resting at the base of my throat. My pulse hammered as I inhaled the lingering scent of his cologne in the room, wrapping around my head like the worst kind of haze.
A haze that meant trouble. A haze that meant mess.
“I meant to ask you—” I jolted at the sound, my attention snapping back to the doorway. Theo gripped the frame as he poked his head in. “Are you okay? You looked like you were in pain earlier.”
“Oh.” I waved my fingers. “I fell in the hallway, but I’m fine.”
He stared at me for a beat longer. Slowly, he unfurled each finger, but before he pulled the last one away, he stopped.
“Will you be on Pulse tonight?” he asked so quietly, I nearly missed the words. But when they hit me, they landed like a firecracker in my belly.
“Maybe.”
His throat bobbed as he dragged his gaze over my body. “We should talk.”