“Perfect. It’s a date,” Nick said and he started to walk out of the room.
“Come back here,” I said.
“Do you want one more kiss?” he asked.
“No, I want a hug,” I said as I moved towards the back of my room, behind a large cabinet.
Nick snuck with me into the corner and he hugged me close, looking down on my face with a sweet smile.
“Nick, are you sure you have never felt this way towards anyone else at school? No other first year teachers?” I asked looking up at him.
Nick stepped back, “Laura? You can’t be seriously asking me that, right?”
“I just keep wondering if it’s too good to be true.”
“Laura, no. There’s never been another person in my life like you. There’s never been someone who I would risk it all for. Until you came along,” Nick said, stepping back, “I’m kind of pissed you even asked me that.”
“Nick, please don’t get offended,” I asked, “I’m just feeling nervous about…being so vulnerable.”
“Laura,” Nick said, “Look, we’ll talk about it tonight at dinner. I’ll pick you up at 6:30 so we can drive to the restaurant together.” Nick started to walk towards the door of my classroom.
“Sorry, Nick, I—”
“Stop it. I really like you. Don’t fuck it up,” Nick said and he shut the door.
What have I done?
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was dismissal time and after I hugged and high-fived my students, I decided to run over to Nick’s office. I just wanted to make it better before our date. I knew it was a bad idea, but I felt compelled to go to him. How many times do women screw things up by questioning and overthinking? What the fuck is wrong with me?
I breezed by the secretaries, “Is Mr. Bloomgren available?” I asked, peeking through the window of his office door, “I’d like to talk to him.”
“Yes, Ms. Roland, you can enter.”
I tapped on the door of his office and peered through the window. I could see that he was on the phone so I decided to wait. I stood and watched the bustle of the front office. The secretaries were talking to parents that came in to meet with teachers after school. There were students who got in trouble in the classroom and were waiting to see the assistant principal before they went home. Classroom assistants were photocopying lessons for the next day.
Then I noticed a woman pushing her way past parents to get to the front desk. She was wearing an expensive beige trench coat and even though she appeared young and pretty, her hair was disheveled. Even from my vantage point about five feet away, I could see that her mascara had run down her face.
She started walking past the desk, towards where I was standing in front of the principal’s office. A secretary stood, looking alarmed.
“Ma’am, you need to wait your turn behind the desk.”
“I need to speak with the principal immediately,” she said, her eyes flashing with anger. It was obvious she wasn’t going to take no for an answer and she rushed towards the principal’s office door, pushing me aside. When she opened the door of Nick’s office, I watched the color drain from his face and he hung up his phone call.
“There you are you fucking son of a bitch,” the woman said.
I was standing partially in the doorway wondering if I needed to intervene to protect Nick from this crazy bitch. But then I thought that he was a grown man and he could defend himself. After all I knew from experience, he was pretty built.
Nick stood up behind his desk. His gaze shifted from the strange woman to me. It was clear that he had just noticed that I was standing there. He quickly motioned to me with one arm, seeming to say ‘get the fuck out of here.’
The woman turned and looked at me, as if she had just noticed me too.
“And who might you be? The girl he’s fucking, maybe?”
I froze. Oh my god, was this Julie?
“Laura, please leave me alone. Please go,” Nick’s eyes were wide and I could tell he was trying to get me out of there to protect me.
“Nick, it’s her isn’t it? Why doesn’t she join us? She should hear all about what a fucking louse you are.”
I took a step back out of the office. It finally had sunk in that this woman was nuts and I needed to leave for my safety.
But Julie lurched towards me, gruffly grabbing my arm and pulling me into the room. She threw me to the other side and slammed the door shut, locking it. She was fiddling around with the pocket of her trench coat and then she pulled out a dark object. It took me a moment to realize that she was brandishing a pistol.
I saw Nick reaching under his desk for something and for a moment I thought that maybe he also had a gun down there.
With her by the door, I had no direct route out. However, I could see through the window in the office door and I hoped they had an inkling that something was not right in the principal’s office.
Julie started shakily lifting the gun up at Nick’s body, “Why did you break up with me?”
Tears were rolling down her face. Slowly I moved from a standing position to a kneeling one.
“Don’t move!” she yelled at me. Instinctively I put my hands up.
“Julie, please let Laura leave the room. She has done nothing wrong.”
Nick looked at me and I could see the fear in his eyes. He stared at me and although he was trying to look impartial, I could tell he was attempting to convey something else.
“No, Nick. She’s stuck here. I’m not a fucking idiot. I can see how you are looking at her. You probably like her. Maybe you’ve already fucked her,” Julie took one hand and rubbed her forehead, “Well, I hoped you liked it because that’s your last fuck.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Adrenaline had kicked in during the first moments of being in Nick’s office, but now reality set in: we could all die in here. I do not want either of us to die. I cannot fucking die today!
“You didn’t answer my question, Nick. Why did you break up with me? What happened to us?” Julie seemed to falter a little, moving and leaning towards Nick as if she wanted a hug. Then she remembered she had a gun and she regained her stability.
“Julie, it isn’t you. It’s that we aren’t a good match. You’re a great person, we’re just not great together. Now, hand over the gun and let’s get on with our day,” Nick replied.
“Nick, what do I have to do to get back together with you? I want you to fuck me again,” Julie said.
I looked down at the ground. I did not want to hear intimate details about their relationship. I just wanted Nick to be okay. I needed this crazy woman put somewhere where she could get the help she needed. I wanted my life to go back to what it was just a few minutes ago.
“NICK, if you don’t want me anymore, then I don’t want anyone else to have you,” Julie cried, tears rolling down her cheeks.
I looked at Nick with wide eyes, trying to communicate to him that he needed to say that he loved her and they would get back together. He looked over at me again and Julie looked at me, too.
“It’s this girl, isn’t it? She’s the one who made you break up with me,” Julie raised her gun and pointed it at me.
“Would it hurt you Nick if I shot this girl? What’s your name? Did Nick say it was Laura?” Julie asked me with a half smile.
“Please, Julie, whatever you want please don’t shoot Laura or me or anyone right now,” Nick paused for a second, “Julie, I still love you and we can be together. I made a terrible mistake breaking up with you.”
Julie looked at him with her half smile and said, “You’re lying, Nick. Aren’t you lying to me? You just don’t want me to shoot your girlfriend. You want her to live.”
Julie continued, “Now I have to decide whether it’s better to shoot you first, then her, or shoot her first and then move on to kill you, Nick.”
“Julie, please don’t shoot me,” my voice caught in my throat as I begged for my life, “I think that you can still make this right by putting down t
he gun and leaving through the door. This was just some kind of honest mistake.”
She walked over to me, “Oh how sweet, Laura has something to say. Laura, yes please enlighten me.”
Julie held the gun out, pointing it straight at my head. I closed my eyes and I thought of my dad. I’m going to join you dad in heaven. I can’t wait to cook with you again. Let’s make a special feast.
There was a loud bang and another pop. My eyes flashed open to see Julie falling to the floor. Then I saw Nick fall down. The last thing I remember before I fainted was police breaking down the door of Nick’s office.
Chapter Thirty-Five
I woke up in a blurry world. I was lying down and in a warm bed. My eyes were shut, but I could sense light. I saw shadows moving around and I heard muffled voices.
“The school was so lucky: no students were hurt.”
My eyes snapped open and I tried to scream out. All that came out was a breathy squeal, “Help!”
The nurses came over to me, “Laura, are you okay?”
“What happened? Is Nick okay?”
“Laura, relax honey. It’s your mom.”
I turned to see my mom and she leaned in for a hug.
“Nick’s the principal, right? The doctors think he’s going to be okay.”
“What do you mean ‘think he’s going to be okay’?”
“He’s in surgery right now, sweetie. Just lay back and rest. You’ve had a stressful—“
“He’s in surgery?” I immediately burst into tears.
My mom hugged me again and I couldn’t control my sobbing. It’s more than I can bear.
“When can I see him?”
“Sweetie, I’ll ask the nurses. Try to rest. It’s so nice of you to be worried about the principal. He’s a young healthy guy—I’m sure he’ll be fine. He might have some trouble using his left arm, that’s all.”
“What?”
“From what I gathered from the press conference, the woman that shot him missed his body, but the bullet went through his forearm, shattering both bones, his ulna and his radius. Who knows about nerve damage, time will tell.”
I cried quietly to myself, wiping my tears away. At least he is still alive. I couldn’t believe that she hadn’t shot me. I thought she was going to shoot me first and then shoot Nick. For whatever reason, she spared me and then shot him.
“I’m just so lucky that you are still alive. That crazy woman shot herself after she shot your principal. Thank god she didn’t shoot you. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess. Well, she’s not with us anymore.”
“Did she die?”
“Yes, she killed herself. Turns out she was a principal too and they had been dating. He broke up with her and she couldn’t handle it. A real looney tune, that one. Thank god she didn’t kill you, too. I have to be grateful for that,” my mom said and then she burst into tears.
I squeezed my mom’s hand and we hugged some more.
“Your phone’s been beeping and vibrating this whole time. I noticed that Jonathan has been texting you. I jumped in and texted him back that you were fine. How sweet of him!”
My heart dropped. I just wanted Jonathan out of my life. I just wanted to move on.
“It’s nice that he thought of me, but we’re broken up. I don’t want anything to do with him. I’m moving on.”
I noticed that we were alone in the hospital room and I decided to tell my mom about Nick and me.
“Actually, Nick, the principal, and I had just started dating. He had broken up with Julie because we were together. I even called Jonathan to tell him that we would never get back together. I was in his office because I wanted to have a word with him about a date we were going to go on later,” I choked on the last words. We were supposed to go on a date, but instead we’re both in the hospital and now Nick is in surgery.
“Wow, Laura, you were dating your principal?” my mom commented.
“Ever since I first saw him there was chemistry, a connection that I couldn’t explain. Don’t worry, it’s not going to jeopardize my career. For the next school year, I’m going to switch to another school in the district so we can continue seeing each other. No one knows about this, Mom. Don’t breathe a word of it. Also it is still very new. But Nick is special to me.”
Chapter Thirty Six
I was scheduled to be discharged the next day, but before I left the hospital, I knew I had to see Nick. The nurses gave me the okay. I was worried about seeing him injured; I thought it might be too much for me to handle emotionally. I viewed him as an all-powerful man. What would it be like to see him lying in a hospital bed? Could I maintain my composure?
I knocked on the door of Nick’s room and a nurse opened it for me and moved to leave, “He’s ready for visitors at the moment. Close the door after yourself.”
I stepped into the room softly and shut the door behind myself. I could only see the bottom half of his bed so I leaned to one side as I walked in to peek around the corner.
Nick was propped up in bed without a shirt on. His left arm was wrapped up in bandages and he was looking out the window. He turned and saw my face and he smiled.
“I missed you, Laura,” Nick reached out to me with his right hand.
Even though he was over six feet tall, in the bed with his arm bandaged up, he looked small and fragile. I could feel tears coming to my eyes as I took his hand and sat down on bed.
“Don’t cry, sweetie,” Nick said, looking at me with his deep blue eyes, “I’m sure I’m going to be back to work in a few weeks.”
“Oh Nick,” I said leaning over and cupping his face in my hands. I stared into his eyes and kissed him deeply on the lips.
“I think I’ll be ready a lot sooner if you’re around,” Nick said.
“Nick, I feel so bad right now. I feel like I caused this. Because of me, you broke up with her – Julie. And now—”
“Don’t say another word. Julie was mentally ill. I knew that she had problems dealing with big changes in life, but I never anticipated her to go totally off the deep end…”
Nick looked at me with a penetrating stare. “Thank god she decided not to shoot you,” he kissed me back.
I smiled weakly, “What she did was traumatic even though I escaped with my life. And look at what happened to you. What did the doctors say?”
“Well, they don’t know what’s going to happen next. They think I will have decreased sensation in my pinkie and ring fingers permanently. I’m going to have trouble moving them. But there’s a chance after the bones heal and the swelling goes down that I will be able to regain some function with occupational therapy.”
I burst into sobs and Nick rubbed my back.
“What if that bullet had gone into your spine or your heart? I feel lucky to be sitting next to you. One moment we were looking forward to a date together and the next minute somebody’s shooting at you,” I said through my tears.
“If the bullet had gone through my heart, it wouldn’t have mattered because I already gave my heart to you,” Nick said with a half-smile.
I couldn’t stop myself from laughing, “That’s so cheesy that it’s cute,” I said, looking down at him and stroking his face. I moved my hand down to his chest and rubbed him lightly.
“Watch yourself, Laura, we’re in the hospital and a nurse could interrupt us at any time,” Nick laughed, “Plus, look down at the street. Are there still tons of reporters and photographers out there? If it bleeds it leads, right?”
I straightened up peering out the window and down towards street level. There were little clusters of people milling about, hanging around with video cameras and cameras. They weren’t looking up, but instead there were looking into the hospital waiting for an update.
“Jesus, I guess people are interested in this stuff,” I said.
“Let’s not make them aware of our relationship,” Nick said.
My heart jumped when he said that. I guess he did feel like we had something special. I loo
ked at Nick’s face. He was so beautiful even injured. I just stared at him and I didn’t look away or try to hide my feelings. His deep blue eyes caught my gaze. We looked at each other for a few seconds. I could feel tears rolling down my face. I reached out to stroke his face. I stroked his cheek and he reached up to hold my hand. He put it to his lips and closed his eyes while he kissed my hand.
“Nick, I love you,” I told him. I couldn’t stop it. I barely knew the guy, but something had brought us together. We had a connection I couldn’t describe.
“Laura, I can’t imagine losing you. I can’t imagine what I would have done if she shot you,” Nick said, wiping his eyes, “I know it’s early, but I think I love you too.”
My heart was beating so fast in my chest. All of my instincts about him were right: this was the relationship I had been waiting for.
“When can you get out of this place?” I asked.
“I don’t know, I got shot after all,” he laughed.
“Laura, you should go before the photogs get wind of our relationship,” he looked at me beseeching me to go.
“Okay honey, rest up,” I said, leaning over to kiss him.
“See you later, Laura,” he said after he kissed me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
When I got home, I had to put my life back together. The school canceled classes for a week so that they could keep the crime scene, aka Nick’s office, available for the police and other investigators. I vowed to go back after the week was up even though a representative from human resources said I could take as much time as I needed.
I spent the first few days with my mom. Even though I didn’t live that far away from her, I didn’t have a ton of spare time during the week to hang out. Normally we would spend Sunday together every other week, cooking and eating. Then we’d watch Downton Abbey and I’d leave as the credits rolled.
Teach Before You Fuck (Before You Fuck Series Book 1) Page 7