Chapter 3 It’s Not a Competition #2
“Thank you, sir,” Cooper said smoothly, though his fists were clenched at his sides.
“Now, on to the particulars. There are two chemistry courses offered—Fundamentals of Chemistry and Advanced AP Chemistry—each with two sections.”
I sat up a little straighter as my enthusiasm returned.
“The person who attains the role will be responsible for leading all four sections. However, for the purposes of this trial, each of you will teach one section from each course. That way we will be able to compare apples to apples, so to speak.”
My eyes flashed to Cooper as both he and I nodded.
“The learning objectives of each course are established,” Richmond continued, “but you will need to coordinate on lesson plans, homework assignments, and exams for the sake of consistency.”
The situation was not ideal—far from it. This job was supposed to be my chance to spread my wings. I was supposed to mold young minds and help them find their path.
But no. I would have to share my classroom with a guy that had been surly, rude, and generally unpleasant every time we crossed paths.
“How will we be assessed?” Cooper asked.
I hadn’t thought of that. I looked at Richmond expectantly.
“Test scores,” Richmond replied. “This is an institution, and unfortunately test scores are a fact of life.”
I tried not to look as disappointed as I felt. Test scores were a horrible metric for rating the effectiveness of an educator for a myriad of reasons.
“I will also be performing classroom observations, and the students will complete an end-of-term evaluation.”
I bit my tongue to keep from protesting. Student evaluations were an even worse metric than exam scores. Richmond had to know.
“The goal is to make sure that the successful candidate is a good fit both academically as well as culturally. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir,” Cooper and I said in unison.
Everything about this sucked. I couldn’t have imagined a worse situation in my craziest nightmare—an unexpected competition with a spiteful opponent being measured by subjective and biased metrics. Actually, it was worse than a nightmare.
Glancing over again—why couldn’t I keep my eyes off him—I found Cooper giving me the side eye. Game on. I couldn’t let him win. With Tim living with Silvia, I had no place to go back to. There was no other option but to make this work.
“Excellent,” Richmond said, clasping his hands together and looking at us both with fondness. “In addition, as staff members, you will be expected to advise an extracurricular student activity. There are currently two vacancies, and you are welcome to volunteer for whichever draws your interest.”
“What are the options?” I asked. Hopefully, one of the activities was soccer or cheerleading, the two sports that I had done in school. Though really, I would be happy to coach any sport at all.
“We need a faculty adviser for cross-country—”
“I’ll do that,” Cooper said before I could even open my mouth. “I’m an avid runner.”
I whipped my head to glare at him.
“I’d like to lead cross-country,” I said. “I’m an avid runner too.”
“Based on what I’ve seen of your running, I’m confident I’m a better fit.”
Of all the patronizing bullshit…
“Just because you’re faster, doesn’t make you a good fit,” I scoffed. “I have experience with high school athletics—”
“The irony of you bringing up experience—”
“Excuse me, I—”
“Mr. Cooper, Ms. Burke,” Richmond snapped, “that is quite enough! You will sort out your issues in the next two days as this constant bickering will not be tolerated when students arrive on campus.”
I glared at Cooper, but said clearly, “Yes, sir.”
“Now,” Richmond continued, “will you be able to reach an agreement like professionals or will I need to assign your extracurriculars to you?”
I tried not to hang my head. Beside me, Cooper looked similarly chastened. We locked eyes for the briefest flash before looking away.
“He can have cross-country,” I said with little enthusiasm, but feeling morally superior.
“Excellent,” said Richmond, clasping his hands together and smiling at me. “Then, you, Ms. Burke, will lead the October Lovers Club. The group was a passion of Mr. Stephens, and I’m sure you will lead with zeal.”
October Lovers Club—what the hell was an October Lover?
It wasn’t my first choice—or even my tenth choice—but I was confident that I could figure it out. Hopefully, it wasn’t camping. I didn’t know a damn thing about camping.
“Sounds great,” I said with all the zeal I could muster. “I’m excited to get started.”
“Me too.” Cooper’s gruff tone was at odds with his words.
“Now that that’s all sorted, you are both free to go. TJ will send you an email with additional information.”
Headmaster Richmond closed his folio and escorted us from his office, back to the antechamber where TJ sat. My tailbone was sore from sitting on the hard chair, and my palms were tender from my fingernails digging into them.
“Ms. Burke, please remember to give my regards to your father,” Richmond reminded me, before saying to both of us, “I look forward to seeing you at the orientation. And of course, my door is always open.”
With that, he retreated into his office and closed the door.
Cooper and I stood alone next to TJ’s empty desk. I rounded on him, my anger and indignation flaring now that we no longer had an audience.
“What is your problem?” I hissed. “I’ve never done anything to you.”
He took a step closer, radiating menace in waves. “Look, Princess, you might have a fancy education, but that is no substitute for experience. I’ve spent the last six years actually teaching.”
“So, you don’t think I belong here?” I demanded.
“I know you don’t belong here,” he said. “You can’t just show up and expect to be successful. Teaching teenagers isn’t a ride on Daddy’s yacht.”
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” It was a challenge to keep my voice low when all I wanted to do was shout. “You don’t know anything about me or what I’ve been through. I’m here on my own merits!”
“Merits? Is that what we’re calling nepotism now?”
I seethed. If it were possible for flames to erupt from the sides of my face, the building would be an inferno. I stepped forward into his space, looking up into his dark eyes.
“Where do you get the audacity? My family has absolutely nothing to do with me being here! I applied and interviewed just the same as you did.”
Cooper huffed a humorless laugh, cocked his head to the side, and looked down his nose at me. “I’ve always wondered—how much does it cost to get your name on a building here? Surely, less than a teaching post would cost—”
The front door opened with a snap, and TJ strolled in with a massive iced coffee and a glowing smile. “The weather is gorgeous this morning. I hope you have a chance to get out there and enjoy it before the students get in.”
With one final scowl at me, Cooper turned on his heel and strode toward the door, offering TJ a tight smile on his way.
And then he was gone, leaving me rooted to the spot, head spinning, and angrier than Vesuvius on the verge of eruption.
The whole morning had been a harrowing roller coaster ride, between the jump scare during my run, the shock of our employment terms, and the very personal—not to mention unwarranted—attack on my competency.
My dream job was going to be a nightmare if I was expected to work closely with Jackson Cooper. I could see the semester unfolding before me—nights and weekends spent arguing over lesson plans and exam questions, his hulking shadow darkening the chemistry lab door when I tried to lecture.
There had to be a way out.
But there wasn’t. Richmond left no room for argument.
Cooper and I had to work together. Full stop.
All I could do was figure out how to rise above and work with him if I wanted to keep this job. Aside from the fact that it paid considerably better than any other school, Newbury was where I wanted to build a career.
He was ice, and I just needed to figure out how to melt him. Or better yet, crack him. And while a hammer to the head was tempting, I would need a more subtle strategy. But first, I needed to do some reconnaissance.
“Hey, TJ, does the school keep old yearbooks somewhere?”
“In the Burke Library. Are you looking to take a walk down memory lane?”
I cringed at the fresh reminder of my legacy.
“Something like that.”