Chapter 8
CHAPTER EIGHT
MOLLY
There was something about Monday mornings that just made them drag on and on and on. So much so that I prayed for lunch to arrive just so I could say the morning was finally over.
Today was no different. My students were exhausted from the weekend.
It was like pulling teeth to get them to answer questions.
There had even come a point when I considered banging my head on my desk, but I figured that would be considered unprofessional, and I knew at least one student who would tell their parent I did such a thing.
Yes, Johnny, I'm referring to you.
So no, I didn't bang my head off the desk.
I forced a smile on my face and continued to encourage my students to participate in science class.
Unfortunately the curriculum I was forced to follow scheduled today to be a mostly lecture day.
Tomorrow would be better because at least I had a fun experiment for them to do.
I just needed to get through this hellish day.
ELA––English Language Arts––was this afternoon, and since I was going to be forcing them to write sentences, I didn't expect my day to get any better.
"Why do you look like someone stole your favorite dessert? Did Mary raid your lunch again?" Elle plopped her ass next to me at the table in the teachers’ lounge.
Mary was another third-grade teacher, and she taught the same subjects as me but for a different group of students. Our school was large enough that we had multiple teachers per grade for each subject.
"Ha." Yes, I said the word. So sue me. "No, Mary didn't steal anything, but only because I forgot to pack a dessert today.
" Another reason for me to be pissy. "I'm sure she looked though.
" Mary and I had a playful banter going on. We both loved desserts, so we would see who brought the better one for the day and steal the other’s.
"How in the world did you forget such a thing?" Elle gasped. "That's sacrilege last time I checked."
I rolled my eyes and grumbled, "I was a little distracted this morning."
That piqued my best friend's interest. "Oh yeah? Would a certain someone's husband be the reason for the distraction? I saw the two of you walk out together yesterday after the party."
Ah yes. Savannah's christening party. Or as I liked to call it, the reason for a bunch of adults to get together and shoot the shit.
Although if I was being honest, it was kind of nice to meet Rhett's family.
From what Elle told me, Rhett rarely saw them until she came into his life.
Now they made a habit of getting the cousins together quite often, and damn there was a bunch of them.
Six grown kids would do that to a family.
"He was being a gentleman and walked me to my car. I didn't see him again after I drove off."
"Okay, so if it wasn't your husband, what exactly had you so distracted this morning that you forgot your favorite part of any meal?"
"I never said my husband wasn't the reason for my distraction. I just said I didn't physically see him."
It was clear as day Elle was confused by my rambling, and who could blame her? I was talking in circles.
"You're going to have to spell this one out for me because I'm lost, and I have to say that's not a great feeling. I can usually figure you out in seconds."
A dry laugh slipped past my lips. "I woke up to a ‘Good morning, beautiful. Have a great day at work’ text from Parker."
"Aww, that's so sweet." I could practically see the hearts in Elle's eyes.
"Or . . . not . . ." she corrected when I gave her the stink eye.
"I'm a whole lot of confused. I thought the two of you agreed to date.
That's what he told Rhett anyway, and the two of you looked like you were getting along yesterday. "
"We did agree to see where this goes."
There was a lot of frustration on my friend's face, and I could understand why it was there. I was making zero sense.
Taking a deep breath, I started to explain, "We both know I don't do relationships.
I do fun. I do casual. Hell, I even do one-night stands when the occasion calls for it.
I know yesterday you called Parker a manwhore, but I'm not much better.
I couldn't tell you the last time I kept a man around for more than a handful of dates. "
"Okayyyyy." Elle dragged the word out. "Are you worried this is going to be the same thing?"
I blew out an audible sigh. "I'm not sure worried is the word. I've always guarded my heart. I never let that damn organ have a say in anything because I've seen how fickle love can be. I don't want to end up like my parents."
My best friend grabbed my hands in hers. I rarely talk about my parents but Elle knows about them because I stupidly confessed one night while we were drinking.
I was starting to see a pattern here. Alcohol and I didn't mix well together.
"You're not your parents. They chose to sleep around on each other. Which means they never should've gotten married in the first place. Getting pregnant is not a reason to get married, and it's certainly not a good reason to stay in a loveless marriage just to keep face."
"You mean how Parker and I accidentally got married while drunk? Already I'm following down a similar path."
"Uh no." Elle choked out a laugh. "You already admitted to liking him. That's a step above your parents, and I know for a fact that if dating him doesn't work out, you would file for divorce in a heartbeat. You're better than your parents."
I dropped my head to the table and rolled it side to side. "Are you sure I'm better?" It wasn't like me to have a pity party, but just the thought of being anything like my parents made me break out in hives.
"I promise, and I would tell you if I thought you were following the same path. Ride or die, remember? That includes giving you brutal honesty even if it makes me a bitch."
I turned my head to the side and looked up at my friend with a smile on my face. "You're the best. How would I ever survive without you?"
"You wouldn't, now pick your head up high and act like the bad bitch I know you to be."
I did as she suggested and straightened my spine. There was no time like the present to fix my posture.
I managed to take one bite of my salad when Ben––the gym teacher––strolled over to our table. "There are my two favorite third-grade teachers."
"I bet you say that to all the ladies," I teased.
"Nope, just you two." His smile was just a little too bright.
"So what brings you to our side of the building?" Elle asked. "Usually you hang out with the rest of the related arts over on the east wing."
Yes, our school was actually big enough that we needed to have wings. That's what happened when you combine several smaller elementary schools into one large one in hopes of saving money.
"Our soda machine is broke, so I needed to come use yours." Ben glanced over to the corner where the discussed machine sat.
"Ah. And we all know it's going to take time before they fix it," I joked. Getting anything fixed in the district took an act of Congress.
"Yup, which means you'll be seeing me every day for the foreseeable future." For some reason, Ben sounded a little too happy about that prospect. "Well, I guess I better get my soda and head on back. Our lunches are too damn short."
He waved awkwardly before moving across the room. It wasn't until he grabbed his drink and left that Elle spoke, "You know he has the hots for you, right?"
I snapped my head to look at my friend. "No he doesn't. He's just being nice."
"Ummm, no." Elle shook her head. "I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention. That man eye-fucks the crap out of you."
I thought about the gym teacher who just moments before was talking to us.
He was good looking, I guess, in a kind of preppy way.
His literal job was to wear sweatpants every day to work, but they were more high end, and his sneakers probably cost more than he made in a day.
It always made me wonder how he could afford such nice things on our salary.
"Maybe he does, but I can tell you for a fact I'm not interested. Even before my marriage and certainly not after." I hadn't known it before now, but there was something about a rugged man that got my juices flowing like no other before him.
"You should wear your ring to work. That should put him in his place."
I scoffed at the idea. "Or I could just tell him I'm not interested if he ever asks me out. Something I'm pretty certain he's not going to do since we've worked together for a few years now, and he hasn't yet."
Elle glared at me. "The keyword there is yet."
I shook my head. "You're making a big deal out of nothing."
"I'm just saying. You're a married woman now, and if I know one thing about these men, it's that they take overprotective to a whole new level."
Why the hell did her comment ignite a slow burn in the pit of my stomach?
An even better question was, why did I like it so damn much?