Chapter 3 It’s Not a Competition
It’s Not a Competition
My brain was still booting up while I shuffled to the path around Cedar Lake for a run, which I suspect, was how the abs-hole managed to sneak up on me.
I had been minding my business, plodding at a glacial pace and getting lost in Taylor Swift’s new album, when something hulking materialized out of nowhere, inches from my shoulder.
I screamed and leapt off the side of the path, where I had a perfect view of his rear striding off around the lake. His strides were relaxed and fluid at a speed that I wouldn’t be able to hit even if I sprinted. I cursed him under my breath for making it look so easy.
Distracted by my wounded pride and dignity, I answered my ringing phone without checking the caller ID. Stupid.
“Melanie.” My mother’s voice burst through my ear buds, and I flinched.
“Mom—”
“I can’t talk—your father and I tee off in a few minutes—but I wanted to wish you good luck this morning.”
“Mom. Thanks?” I replied.
“Make sure you wear your hair back. It’s more professional—be careful with the clubs!” she called to someone. “I have to run. Give Walter our love.”
And then the line went dead.
Even after a shower hot enough to cook a lobster, and a full skincare routine, I still felt on-edge.
First, the abs-hole, and then my mother—nobody should have to start a day like that.
The feeling would go away with time, but I really needed it gone in the next two to three minutes before I reached the admin building.
“Good morning!” I said when I saw TJ’s warm smile. I had received a good-luck text from Silvia earlier, but a friendly face was just what I needed to bolster my mood back to its usual level.
“You’re here to see the Headmaster?” she asked.
“Yep.” I drummed my nails lightly on the counter. “I’m calling this my official first day.”
“Nervous?” Her perfect brow arched.
I shrugged and flipped my fall of blonde waves over my shoulder. “Probably not as much as I should be. I’m mostly excited.”
She gestured for me to take a seat, and we chatted for the next ten minutes.
TJ was all fired up about the new landscaping company that she had contracted with for the school year, and it was exactly what I needed to get my mind off my own problems. Plus, it was a relief that at least one person here liked me.
At two minutes to nine, the paneled oak door swung open to reveal an older, grayer version of one of the few authority figures from my youth that I had genuinely liked. My bright smile split my face, and I jumped up to greet him with an outstretched hand.
“Headmaster Richmond, so good to see you.”
“Likewise, my dear. Likewise,” he said in his clipped way. “It is a pleasure to have you back on campus.” Rather than shaking my hand, he raised it to his dry lips and brushed them across my knuckles.
My chest swelled at the praise, even as I tried not to recoil at the overly familiar gesture that would have been more appropriate for a donor at a fundraising gala.
“Not half as pleased as I am to be back,” I said. “Thank you again for the opportunity.”
“Of course, my dear. Of course,” he said. “And how are your parents?”
I should have expected this question, but it was still disappointing.
“Well. They’re golfing this morning, I think.”
Richmond hummed. “I trust you will pass along my regards.”
“Yes, sir,” I said, hoping he didn’t pick up on the hint of resignation in my tone. I wasn’t eager to speak with them again. Maybe a text would suffice.
Turning his attention to something over my shoulder, Richmond added, “And here is Mr. Cooper too. Right on time.”
A fresh trickle of apprehension slithered up my spine, and my smile faltered. The meeting notice said we would discuss the terms of my employment and expectations for the role—basically, a normal first-day meeting. There was no mention of another attendee.
Time slowed to a crawl as my gaze slid to none other than the abs-hole himself.
If I hadn’t been so shocked and annoyed—painfully annoyed—I might have noticed that his slim khaki pants and tweed sport coat fit his lean body incredibly well.
Or that his thick hair was a rich, chestnut brown when it wasn’t dripping with sweat.
Or that his smile was a little crooked under a perfectly straight, Grecian nose.
But I definitely didn’t notice any of that since he was crashing my meeting.
“Good morning, Headmaster,” he said, stepping past me without even a sideways glance to extend his hand to Richmond.
The Headmaster grasped the younger man’s hand firmly in both of his and smiled as if he was just as pleased to see the beautiful jerk as he had been to see me.
“Right this way,” Richmond said, ushering us into his office.
Headmaster Richmond took a seat behind his stately desk and clasped his hands, surveying us with kind eyes. My spine prickled as I took a seat in one of two antique wooden chairs facing him, while the abs-hole took the other.
“I appreciate your punctuality this morning. I have a tight schedule, and we have much to discuss.” He opened a thick folio and started shuffling papers. “Let’s get started, shall we? You are both acquainted?”
“No,” I replied at the same time the abs-hole said, “Yes.”
I jerked my head to look at him and found him returning my gaze with a stiff expression.
Headmaster Richmond stilled his paper shuffling and looked between the pair of us. “I see,” he said to himself. Then more loudly, “I suppose we ought to start with introductions. Ms. Melanie Burke, meet Mr. Jackson Cooper. You are both Newbury Academy alumni from the class of 2015.”
I couldn’t have been more surprised if Richmond had jumped on his desk and burst into song. This guy—Jackson Cooper—was my former classmate?
I had no memory of him.
At all.
Surely, I would have remembered spending four years with someone a head taller than me, with cheekbones and a jawline that could cut glass, and thick, dark hair that just begged to have fingers run through it.
I was staring.
And Cooper was frowning.
“We didn’t run in the same circles,” he said.
Heat bloomed up my chest and neck to my cheeks. I didn’t remember him, but he clearly remembered me. I suddenly understood why he had been so spiteful yesterday. It had probably been a blow to his fragile, male ego that I didn’t know him—not that my poor memory excused his rude comments.
What are you doing here…
I forced a smile onto my face and tried to recover a modicum of dignity. “I’m sure I’ll remember once we have a chance to catch up.”
“I doubt it,” Cooper said under his breath.
I opened my mouth to argue, but Headmaster Richmond spoke before I got another word out.
“Now that that’s all settled, let’s get down to the task at hand. You have both been appointed to the chemistry teaching position vacated by Mr. Stephens upon his retirement.”
Time stood still for a moment. Air froze in my lungs. My heart stopped beating. My eyes grew so round that they were in danger of popping out of my face.
“Come again?” said a deep voice, expressing my own thoughts.
Air rushed back into my lungs as I whirled my head to look over at Cooper. He was leaning forward, eyes intent on Richmond. His brow was furrowed, and his lips tipped into an even deeper frown.
“It’s just as I said.” The Headmaster spoke slowly as if he were explaining thermodynamics to second graders.
“The post of chemistry professor is vacant, and I brought in both of you to fill the role on a trial basis. You will lesson plan together so the curriculum is consistent, but you will each teach your own sections. At the end of the term, a determination will be made on future employment.”
If the news that Jackson perma-frown Cooper was my former classmate had been jarring, it was nothing compared to the fusion bombshell of this pronouncement. My heart dropped like a stone from my throat into my gut.
“So, we have to compete?” I blurted.
“Of course not, my dear!” Richmond chuckled, as though any of this news was amusing. “You will collaborate. Separately you are impressive, but together you will be unstoppable.”
My head spun while I tried to organize my thoughts.
“Why weren’t we told before now that we would be competing?” Cooper asked, speaking to the Headmaster as though I weren’t in the room.
Richmond tugged on the lapels of his jacket. “You were both aware that you would be performing a one-semester trial period. It’s immaterial that there is a second candidate.”
That sounded like a lot of bullshit to me, and a glance at the abs-hole confirmed he was thinking along the same lines. This weak explanation of Richmond’s cagey behavior made me wonder what else he might be hiding.
“How is that immaterial?” I asked at the same time Cooper said, “What are her qualifications?”
I huffed in irritation, completely distracted from my previous train of thought. “I was summa cum laude at Columbia—”
“That’s nice,” he said dismissively, turning his sharp gaze directly on me. “But where did you teach? What grades? How many years of experience do you have?”
My lips pulled into a thin line, and I discreetly wiped my palms on the sides of my dress. “I volunteered at Walden High School as part of my curriculum.”
“You have no teaching experience?” he asked, incredulous.
My cheeks were on fire now. Before I could respond, Headmaster Richmond stepped in again.
“That’s quite enough, Mr. Cooper. Ms. Burke’s qualifications are more than sufficient to equip her for this role. You both have unique talents that you bring to the position.”
In general, I preferred to fight my own battles, but I was touched by Richmond’s kind words. He really believed in me. I smiled warmly at him.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” I said. “I look forward to making the most of this opportunity.”
For his part, the antagonistic abs-hole looked somewhat cowed.
“Of course, Headmaster,” he said. “I didn’t mean to question your judgment.”
“Never apologize for questioning authority. That’s what a good scientist and a good teacher does. Regardless, I expect my decision at the end of term will be very difficult, indeed.”