25. Chapter 25
Cole
Why was I nervous? There was nothing scary about a room full of high schoolers. They all sat in their chairs, talking before the bell rang.
I hadn’t known what to wear. My brother-in-law, Travis, was the principal at the middle school. He always wore a suit. I’m not a suit guy, so I went with khaki pants and a polo shirt. I’d bet Joanne would let me know if that wasn’t acceptable.
The bell rang, and I put on my fake smile. “Good morning,” I said. “I’m Mr. H or Coach H. I’ll be your new math teacher.”
Was I coming off pretentious with the Mr. H? That was what all the cool teachers did, right?
“Your sister was my English teacher in middle school,” a girl in the front row said.
The boy next to her rolled his eyes. “We all had her for English.”
She glared at him.
“Yes, my sister Brynlee used to teach at the middle school.”
“My mom’s annoyed you got the job,” a different boy said. “She said that the Harts are taking over Lansing Falls.”
I kept my smile. That was something I’d heard all my life. The Harts are taking over. That was thanks to Grandma owning most things in town. “Tell your mom she’s welcome to apply for the next job. I’m sure she’d make a great football coach.”
There was a lot of giggling, which might have calmed me a little.
“Shush, Jackson,” a girl said. “Everyone knows your mom hates everyone.”
He grumbled something.
I’d recognize a Hall anywhere, and Jackson was definitely a Hall. The Harts might get the reputation of owning the town, but the Halls had the reputation of gossiping and complaining.
“Who in here likes math?” I asked, getting back on track. A few kids raised their hands.
The door opened, and Alyssa hurried in. She didn’t have her usual Alyssa confidence as she glanced at the unfamiliar faces.
I noticed Jackson sit up taller and a few other boys take notice of her. They better watch themselves.
“Class, this is Alyssa. She’s new to Lansing Falls, and my sister-in-law. I hope you’ll all welcome her.”
She gave me a look that said, ‘I’m not sure I want to be connected to you at school,’ and sat in an empty seat. Unfortunately, next to Jackson. He smiled at her, and she gave him a nod as she pulled out a notebook and pen.
“Where’s my marker?” I muttered, looking at the whiteboard.
“In your hand,” someone said.
I rolled my eyes. “Sorry guys. It’s been a crazy week.” I took the cap off and wrote PRIME on the board. “Now. Who is passionate about prime numbers?”
“No one,” a boy said.
I chuckled. “I hear you. But prime numbers are right up there on my list of obsessions. Just above donuts. Just below my wife.”
Everyone laughed.
Except Alyssa.
She looked like she might drag me to the flagpole after school.
Okay, no wife jokes.
Apparently, being the cool brother-in-law only applied in certain situations. We probably should have had a talk about it, but it was too late. I’d already claimed her as family, and she was going to have to deal with that embarrassment.
It’s not hard to quickly learn who is good at math and who isn’t.
I only had to ask one question, then study the class.
There were, of course, those who raised their hands immediately, some who looked neutral, then the ones who were suddenly very interested in their notebooks.
Those were the ones who gave off the ‘please do not call on me’ vibe.
I wouldn’t. I wasn’t Mr. Wiser. My senior year math teacher only called on people who looked panicked. Some kids had learned fast that you were less likely to be called on if you raised your hand.
I was surprised at how fast those days of student teaching kicked in, and I was comfortable by lunch. I went into the teachers’ lounge to eat. Not because I wanted to be social, but because I’d always wanted to see the place.
And boy, what a disappointment.
A lonely gray couch sat against one wall, and a table that could seat four stood on wobbly legs in the center. The fridge sounded as if it might blow at any moment, and the microwave gave off a burned pasta smell.
“Cole Hart?” The voice stopped me in my tracks.
I grimaced, then turned around. “Victoria. Why are you here? I thought you taught at the middle school.”
She grinned. “I did, but I finally got moved here. I’ve always wanted to be at the high school.”
There weren’t many people I wanted to work with less than Victoria. She’d been the flirty, oblivious girl in high school. She pushed a lock of blonde hair behind her ear, and I caught sight of a huge diamond ring. That was a relief.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I’m the new football coach.” I forgot to add the math teacher part. Priorities.
She squealed. “That’s perfect! You know I’m the cheer coach?”
Everything in me died. “Wow. That’s… cool.” Yeah, that’s all I had.
“We get to work together! And do assemblies!”
I nodded, forgetting my frozen burrito.
“Did you hear I’m getting married?” she asked, showing me the ring as if it weren’t visible from space.
“That’s great. Anyone I know?”
“Keith Watson.”
I just stared at her. There was no way. Was it April Fools?
Keith Watson was a police officer in the town and not what you would call a ladies’ man.
Definitely not someone who would even dare ask Victoria and her fake everything out.
I guess I couldn’t prove anything was fake, but she did not look the same as in high school.
“Officer Watson?” I asked.
She grinned. “Yes. Eliza helped get us together.”
“Eliza, my sister-in-law?”
“Yes, Chance helped as well.”
“Wow. Congratulations.”
Poor Keith. What had Chance been thinking? Keith deserved better. But if it calmed Victoria down and made her leave me alone, I was all for it.
“Thanks,” she said. “See you around.”
I hoped she wouldn’t.
I thought about checking on Alyssa, but I figured she wouldn’t appreciate that, so I cooked my burrito and went back to my classroom.
By the end of the school day, I was exhausted, but still had to meet with the football team. I’d been excited, but the week had worn on me. The two days after the wedding had been chaos getting settled, and I wanted a nap.
Also a kiss, but Sadie must have used hers all up that day we looked at the house because she’d been dodging me since.
I wasn’t thrilled to see Jackson Hall was on the team. I’d guess he warmed the bench because he couldn’t weigh over one-thirty. Not that a lightweight couldn’t have skills, but Jackson didn’t take me as the athletic type.
I introduced myself, then had them all running laps. You can tell a lot about a person by watching them run. You can tell who’s giving their all and who’s only here because they want to impress people with their uniform. Jackson ran one lap, then walked. That’s what I thought.
Guilt crept up my back. I hated being judged for things my family did. If Jackson really was Mrs. Hall’s kid, that didn’t mean I should give up on him. Sure, she was a bit of a monster. But that wasn’t Jackson’s fault.
“Pick it up, Hall!” I yelled.
He started running.
I watched them all run, trying to see their strengths. This was going to be great. I could already tell we had potential. There was a determined gleam in several eyes. That, I could work with.
“Hey, Cole,” Alyssa said, walking up behind me.
I turned and smiled. “Hey. How was your first day?”
“Fine. Better than I expected.”
“Sorry I embarrassed you.”
“It’s fine. At least everyone thinks you’re the new hot teacher. I guess that makes being associated with you less painful,” she teased.
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Wait, what?”
She giggled. “That’s what everyone is saying. That’s all I heard at lunch. Girls talking about you.”
I groaned. “That’s uncomfortable.”
“Embrace it, Coach H.”
“Shouldn’t you be on your way home?”
“I thought I’d come see how you were doing,” she said, watching the team run.
I raised my eyebrows. “See how I’m doing, or check out my team?”
She grinned. “Maybe a little of both. There are some tasty-looking boys at this school.”
I glared at her. “Alyssa…”
She laughed. “I’m messing with you. Sort of.”
“Good. You don’t want Sadie freaking out and homeschooling you.”
She laughed. “After our math problems, I don’t see that happening.”
“Have you seen Sadie? She’s supposed to be here doing pep club.”
“She told me she’s in the gym. Maybe I’ll check on her.” She gave me a grin I didn’t know what to do with. “I’d rather check out the football team than pep club any day.”
I watched Alyssa walk back to the building and debated checking on Sadie.
She was doing me a favor, and I wanted to make sure she was comfortable.
But that would mean leaving the team I’d just met—on my first day.
I couldn’t disappear already. I’d just have to trust she’d tell me how it went when we got home.