Chapter 18 The Gridiron
THE GRIDIRON
ELYXANDRE
“How’s everybody holding up?”
Tonight, there were numerous officers here to help with crowd control.
They’d been walking around school all day, present for the pep rally, which the school had scaled back for safety purposes, and now for the big event.
After yesterday’s scare, which was, in fact, deemed a hoax, they weren’t taking any chances.
“Mostly good. Had about three hundred kids call out, although some of them seem to have made it to the game.”
“Interesting how the kids and their parents are too scared to send them to classes, but sending them unsupervised to the game is okay.”
“Several parents called or emailed admin to praise them for how they handled the whole situation. A few raised their voices about holding the game and the dance, but we just told them to keep their kids home if they were that concerned. I just wish we’d been able to find who did it.”
“Your first year is becoming a trial by fire,” he remarked. “How’s the rest of the week been?”
The first thing that popped into her mind was THE KISS, still in all caps, in Lucas’ living room Wednesday night. She smiled to herself. “Good.”
“Uh-huh.”
When she glanced at him, he had a huge grin on his face. She quickly put her eyes back on the crowd. “It has been, for the most part. The usual shenanigans. At least the students have stopped raiding their own school.”
They started their first walk-through of the grounds, nodding and greeting people as they went.
“You remember how I told you that I had that roof leak? And then my AC went out? Well, I think maybe I pissed someone off.”
“How so?”
“This week, I added some new disasters. All my plants were dug up on Wednesday. Things keep going wrong. I mean, you own a house, there’s always something to do with it, right?”
“What else has gone wrong?”
“Yesterday, after all the shit went down here, my internet went out. Turns out the line got cut. The guy who came out to check it called me this morning. Said it looked like a lawn mower had ripped through the line. But my grass hasn’t been cut since last Saturday morning, which is when the neighbor kid usually does it.
Then there are the prank phone calls I’ve been getting.
All local numbers, but a couple of digits off each time someone calls, like someone’s robocalling me with internet calls.
Sometimes I’ll get a couple of calls an hour, and sometimes I go hours without the phone ringing. It just feels off.”
Frowning, he stopped walking and turned to her. “E, that’s way too much going on to be coincidence. I’ll do an extra ride through or two on my nights when I’m on shift, and I’ll ask the rest of the third shifters to try as well.”
“Thanks. At first, it was easy to let it all go as just bad luck, but now? Combined with the vandalism, both here and during the week, then yesterday’s threat, it’s got me a bit on edge.”
“As it should. There’s been more vandalism here? I haven’t seen anything cross the blotter.”
“Well…” She was hedging, and she knew it.
“You knew about Monday’s fire alarm issue.
Then the greenhouse got vandalized a second time.
Wednesday, a locker room flooded. And obviously, you know about yesterday.
The superintendent didn’t feel the locker room was something on purpose, but that doesn’t feel right either.
Superintendent Sealy reported both the greenhouse and the plumbing leak to the insurance company, but security footage showed no one breaking into the spaces, so we couldn’t do more than that.
I’ve got to admit, none of this feels like coincidence. ”
“They may not be connected to what’s going on at your house. But—”
“But they might,” she agreed. “The air-conditioning and the leak were before the school things, and those all began with the homecoming raid punishments, so I’m thinking the stuff at my house is separate, and yet…”
“And yet,” he repeated. “I’m still going to ask for extra ride-bys.
Even though it’s after the fact, file reports anyway.
At least that way, everything is documented, and if something else happens, we’ve got a string of events to look at.
I mean it, E. Anything. Else. Let me know, and we’ll have some extra presence next week.
” He paused. “Your security system at home is up and running, yes? Arm it every time you go in and out, even if you’re just stepping out into the yard to water the plants. ”
“Well, someone made sure I don’t have to do that anymore,” she joked.
“E,” he growled.
“Yes, Quint. I will. I promise.”
There was a slight pause, and he changed the subject. “So, let’s circle back to how the week has been good. I saw that smile. I also saw a similar one on your face when the Tejeda Springs principal arrived tonight. Anything you’d like to share?”
Her gaze locked straight ahead of her, and it felt like her stomach dropped a bit, like when the floor dropped out of that ride at the amusement park where you stuck to the walls. If she looked at him, her expression would totally give it away that he’d struck a chord.
He murmured low so that only she could hear him. “It’s okay, you know. Meeting someone on the job you click with. As long as your contract doesn’t have a clause about workplace fraternization, that is.”
“How did you know it had to do with Lucas?”
“I’ve seen that look before. A number of my friends, including me, met our significant others where it was somehow connected to our jobs, some of them more directly than others. Just keep it out of the building and off the campus, and you should be fine.”
“It’s… uncomfortable.”
“I can imagine. You’re not just dealing with co-workers.
You’re dealing with teenagers who aren’t always the most sensitive about relationships.
And then there are the parents who may pass judgment without knowing anything that’s really going on, other than their vivid imaginations.
You strike me, though, as someone with a cool head on your shoulders. ”
“It’s more than that.” She hesitated, wondering what to share. “I worked at a station in New Orleans with my husband. It was not a good situation. He made working there uncomfortable while we were married, and then when we got divorced, it was ten times worse.”
“Little bit of relationship PTSD going on?”
“You could say that. Right now, this thing with Lucas… It’s very new. We haven’t even been on an actual date. Just dinner at his house on Wednesday between school activities, and his son was there. As for work, we’ve both agreed to keep it to ourselves.”
“Sounds like you’ve got it in hand.”
They had worked their way to the end of the visitor stands and had just made the turn to go toward the home side when suddenly, her body went solid and her jaw went tight.
At the end of the turn, Lucas stood talking to a couple, and by his side was Jess. Just then, he looked down at Jess and threw an arm around her shoulders, his face alight with laughter, and she had an arm around his waist and was looking up at him the same way.
She tensed further.
“E,” Quint growled. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”
She knew that. She also knew he had been very clear with her that they were just friends.
Ezra had established that as well. Intellectually, she knew.
But it was so hard, though, when she’d been through what she had.
All her insecurities came barreling to the front after Knox’s lies, gaslighting, and infidelities.
As the laughter died down, Lucas took his arm from around Jess’ shoulders, and she dropped hers from around his waist. The conversation continued, but she saw him look in her direction.
When he saw her, he smiled, the expression lighting up his face.
However, when she didn’t smile back, she saw him freeze, and his expression changed to confusion.
He must have quickly realized that she’d seen the two of them in the close embrace because he gave her an infinitesimal shake of his head, letting her know it was not what it looked like.
With a deep, cleansing breath, she stamped down the initial reactionary panic.
There was no surprise or fear in his eyes.
More the opposite. When he saw her, he was obviously thrilled.
The next time they were alone, she bet he would tell her exactly what had prompted the familiarity, and it would be a reasonable explanation.
She had to give him the benefit of the doubt. He wasn’t Knox. She’d probably have to keep reminding herself of that point for a while, but in her heart, she knew Lucas wasn’t like him in the least.
“Dr. Vaughn,” she greeted him when she came up alongside him. “Hello, Jess.”
“Hello, Elyxandre,” she replied. The woman cast a quick, worried look at Lucas and took another small step away from him. Was Jess worried that she’d seen them and gotten the wrong idea?
“Officer Hookstead,” he returned. “Everything okay?”
She understood the question’s double meaning.
“So far.” She looked at Jess and the couple. “Enjoy the game.”
She and Quint continued down the home sideline.
If they were going to try to explore some sort of relationship, she needed to not make assumptions. She made the leap of faith to trust him. She just hoped she wasn’t making a mistake.