Hissy Fit (The Southern Gentleman Series Book 1)

by Lani Lynn Vale

  I also couldn’t wait to hand over the tests.

  I’d changed them up a little from the norm, and I had a feeling that today’s test wouldn’t be as easy as the last two had been.

  Apparently, someone was handing out the answers, and not one single person had made below a ninety the entire semester.

  Though this was an easy class, it wasn’t the type of class that would have every single student passing every single test with flying colors.

  Life just didn’t work like that.

  I’d expected at least one B, because I hadn’t made the test easy, but they were all doing well.

  Sure, some of them I’d expect to actually read the material and study, like Johnson and Morgan.

  However, Mackie making a ninety-nine when he refused to do any of his homework, or even open a book, left something inside of me suspicious of his actions.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Johnson drawled. “We’ll be good. Pinky promise.”

  He held up his pinky, and jokingly I walked over to him and took the pinky with mine.

  Afterward, I walked out of the class and toward the office, feeling dread replace my calm before I’d even made it halfway.

  It didn’t help that I saw Ezra coming out of the principal’s office just as I was arriving.

  It also scared me when he wouldn’t look at me as he passed.

  By the time I was sitting in front of Mrs. Sherpa’s desk, I was a nervous wreck.

  “We had a parent log a complaint about you,” Mrs. Sherpa said, not beating around the bush.

  My brows rose.

  “Okay,” I paused. “What about?”

  I was thinking it was one of my calculus student’s parents who were unhappy with how I was grading their child. I couldn’t be farther from the truth.

  “We would like you to know that the complaint will be investigated, but we don’t foresee anything following the investigation. But, by law, we have to investigate,” she explained.

  I was flabbergasted.

  “What was the complaint?” I repeated.

  She wiggled in her seat. “The parent said that you made a comment to a male student, and when the male student told their parents what you said, they felt that it was a sexual advance.”

  My mouth fell open.

  “What?”

  “It happened in your sex-ed class,” she explained. “And apparently, you asked the student a question about something in the textbook, and you made a sexual innuendo as you did.”

  My mind raced.

  I had no idea who she was talking about, or what I might’ve said.

  “I teach straight out of the book,” I explained, trying to relay how I taught. “Honestly, I follow the chapters, and give tests straight out of the books exactly like Coach McDuff did previously. Nothing that I’ve done can or will ever be misconstrued as a sexual advance toward any student. Honestly, those students scare the absolute bejesus out of me, and you very well know it.”

  She nodded in understanding. “I know. Which is why I don’t think the investigation will go anywhere. For the time being, though, Coach McDuff will be taking over the class until the investigation is taken care of.”

  That explained Ezra’s panicked look as he exited the office and saw me standing there.

  He knew.

  Oh, God. I felt like a fool.

  And I felt sick to my stomach.

  I’d never once said a word to my students that could ever be misconstrued as anything other than appropriate.

  I was not that kind of teacher that played around with her students—I literally couldn’t handle that.

  And everyone knew it.

  Why hadn’t Ezra said something?

  Did he believe her?

  “What about my regular classes?” I asked carefully.

  “Those you can continue since the student that complained wasn’t attending those.” She paused. “I don’t want you to think that we don’t believe you, because we do.”

  I waited.

  “But with the student’s parents being who they are, the school board will overrule me if I don’t follow through on this to the letter.” She gave me a sympathetic look. “This happens, so don’t fret. But, be careful of what you say, and if anything happens that you think I should know about, don’t hesitate to share it with me, okay?”

  I mentally reviewed things that I thought she might want to know about and other than Ezra and I having a relationship outside of school, I was coming up empty.

  “Okay,” I sighed and stood up.

  With my next period now suddenly free, I wasn’t sure what to do with myself.

  All of my work that I’d brought was back in my classroom where I was sure Ezra was on his way to, but I wasn’t sure what I should do.

  “Can I go back and get my stuff?” I asked. “Or should I wait until after school?”

  She shooed me away with her hand. “Go back and get it.”

  I did, leaving the principal’s office behind.

  I was so caught up in my own thoughts that I wasn’t prepared for the hand that came around my arm to jerk me to a stop.

  The fingers bit into the fat of my armpit, and I cried out in pain.

  My eyes jerked up, and I found myself face to face with Mackie.

  I glowered, jerking my arm away, and put distance between us.

  All the while, my heart pounded.

  Before I could ask him what had happened, or anything about why he’d squeezed so hard, Ezra rounded the corner, a scowl on his face.

  When he saw Mackie standing so close to me, his scowl darkened.

  “Back up, Mackie,” Ezra barked.

  “Sorry, Coach.” Mackie backed away with his hands in the air. “I didn’t want her to fall. Floor’s wet.”

  I looked down, and sure enough, the floor was wet.

  But I’d been in no danger of falling.

  I had on fairly slip-resistant shoes, but Mackie’s words did ring true when he explained his actions.

  My arm still throbbed where he’d gripped me, but I couldn’t very well contradict the kid.

  I was prone to busting my ass—and had actually done that quite a few times.

  Many of which had been in this very hallway.

  Needless to say, I was not the most graceful of teachers.

  “Thanks,” I murmured, trying not to rub my arm and tip Ezra off. “I didn’t know it was wet.”

  Mackie’s eyes didn’t show a hint of anything.

  No anger. No pity. No derision. No happiness. No nothing.

  It was weird, really.

  But before I could think to say anything else, Morgan rounded the corner, a look of worry on his face.

  “Uh, Coach?” Morgan paused. “Ms. Crusie? Someone broke into your desk. All your stuff is spread out all over the classroom. Johnson and Mackie helped me to the bathroom, and we weren’t in there for five minutes tops.”

  Forgetting the wet floor, I took off in the direction of the senior hallway, as well as my classroom that wasn’t my classroom any longer.

  I came to a halt in the doorway with Ezra standing right behind me.

  His growl made my chest vibrate.

  Heart in my throat, I walked into the room and scowled at all the papers—the tests—and my things that were scattered everywhere. My gradebook was also ripped to shreds, as well as any receipt that was in my purse.

  Hell, even my tampons had been opened and thrown all over the floor.

  The money from my wallet was splayed across the desk, and all of my spare change was on the floor surrounding where my purse had been hastily dumped.

  The only thing that wasn’t a mess was the answer sheet, which was clearly displayed in front of the entire room full of students—which were early for once, likely due to the commotion.

  “Shit,” Ezra pushed past me to gather my things.

  I picked up my phone and keys, followed shortly by my money.
<
br />   Ezra got the extras, like my toothpaste and mini-toothbrush.

  I picked up the tests last and threw them in the trash.

  It didn’t matter now what I would’ve used. I was no longer the teacher for this course, and since it was nearing the end of school anyway, it didn’t really matter any longer.

  Once my things were cleaned up, I smiled at the students—at least the ones that weren’t looking at me with blank faces—i.e., Mackie.

  I headed to the door without another word, and Johnson was the one to stop me.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  I turned to survey the group. “Ezra—Coach McDuff—has decided to take the class back over. Now that he’s found time again.”

  See, the thing about teenagers, they knew damn well when someone was lying—like I was doing right then.

  Yet, none of them called me on it.

  Without another word, I walked out of the room and told myself I wouldn’t cry.

  I managed not to until I got to the staff bathroom and shut the door.

  Then I cried for as long as I could without it being more than obvious that something was wrong.

  I came out to find Camryn stuffing a donut into her face.

  She was mid-chew when she got a load of my puffy eyes.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked in alarm.

  I looked down at my hands. “I got a student/parent complaint. They said I made a sexual advance toward a student, and that I will not be teaching that class any longer.”

  Her mouth fell open. “They what?”

  I nodded. “Yep.”

  “You wouldn’t do that!” she cried out. “Out of any teacher in this school, I’d expect it from all of us before you!”

  I would, too.

  Yet, there was nothing I could do about it.

  “What are you going to do?” she questioned.

  I walked over and took the rest of her donut. She gave it up without a fight.

  “I’m going to teach my other classes and enjoy my new free period I guess,” I muttered, stuffing the entire bite into my mouth without another word.

  Chapter 15

  Hold on. Let me overthink this.

  -Text from Raleigh to Ezra

  Raleigh

  Getting in trouble did not sit well with me.

  Hence the reason I was sitting in a bar, drunk off my hiney, with Camryn at my side just as drunk.

  I couldn’t tell you why this bar in particular.

  Honestly, neither Camryn nor I were much into drinking, so it didn’t take much to garner our attention.

  And when we read ‘real life rodeo bull inside,’ we’d decided that this particular bar, ‘Ride Em Joe’s,’ was the one we’d be drinking at that night.

  We were a town over in case things—or we—got out of hand, and neither one of us were feeling any pain.

  Well, Camryn hadn’t been feeling much pain to begin with since she wasn’t the one in trouble.

  Me, on the other hand? Well, I was feeling pain, but I was able to forget about it while I drank nasty beer after nasty beer.

  I’d never been a fan of beer before, but after the fourth watered-down cup, I didn’t particularly care anymore.

  It all tasted the same, and Camryn was getting funnier and funnier by the second.

  “Do you think that Ezra will have boy children or girl children?” Camryn questioned.

  I swiveled my head to stare at her where she was perched on the barstool next to me.

  “I would think that it’s possible to have both genders,” I paused. “Why are you asking me that?”

  Camryn shrugged. “Because I can. Do you think your brother will get married one day?”

  Croft, the man that my best friend had a crush on since we were in college together. All it’d taken was one single time of Camryn coming home with me over the holidays for the crush to become concrete.

  Seemed we were both doomed to only fall for one man, and one man only.

  And like Ezra, Croft didn’t even know that Camryn was alive.

  Logically, he of course knew that she was a person, and my best friend. But he didn’t see her as anything but that. It didn’t matter what Camryn dressed like, or how much she put herself out there. Croft was so freakin’ focused on whatever the hell Croft focused on that he didn’t even see her.

  Just like Ezra didn’t see me—not until he’d knocked me down and bloodied my nose, anyway.

  “Oh, boy.”

  I looked over to Camryn, blinking to try to get the haze out of my vision.

  Unfortunately, it seemed like it was there to stay, because I couldn’t make it go away.

  But, since I was drunk, I also didn’t care.

  “I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “My brother is a pain in the ass…we should just call him.”

  Camryn giggled. “Your brother doesn’t answer your phone calls…what makes you think he’ll answer this one?”

  I knew that.

  Croft only responded to text…hours after they were sent to him.

  But, since I had nothing else to lose tonight, and I was feeling quite wild, I dialed his number, put him on speaker phone, and then waited for him not to answer.

  I’d had grand plans to leave him a long, drawn-out voicemail.

  However, to my surprise, as well as Camryn’s, he answered.

  “’Lo?”

  I gasped. “You answered!”

  There was a long pause where I could practically envision Croft contemplating hanging up on me, but since he’d answered, I knew as well as he did that he was stuck talking to me.

  “I didn’t mean to,” he admitted. “I was going to send the call to voicemail and reply with a text, but my fat fingers pressed the wrong button…where are you? It’s loud.”

  I looked around the bar.

  For a Thursday night, it was quite restrained. In fact, I wouldn’t even call it very loud.

  I mean, I could hear him. That was an indication right there as to how loud it wasn’t.

  “I’m at a bar.” I licked my lips. “Croft, do you think you’ll ever get married?”

  There was a long pause again, and then he said, “No. Not right now, anyway. Why are you asking?”

  “Camryn wanted to know…ouch!” I cried out as Camryn’s palm met the flesh of my thigh. “What was that for, Camryn? Seriously, I swear to God. If you hit me again, I’m going to punch you in the nipple.”

  Camryn flicked me on the arm, and I did exactly what I said I was going to do—punch her in the nipple.

  “Owwww!” Camryn whined. “Holy hell. Was that really necessary?”

  “Girls,” Croft growled. “If there was no reason for your call, I’m going to have to let you go. I’m out on a date.”

  Camryn and I both gasped. “You’re out on a date?” I screeched.

  “Yes,” Croft said tiredly. “I am. Is that okay?”

  “No,” I immediately disagreed. “You canceled dinner plans to go out on a date with someone? Do you know what happened to me today? I was fired!”

  “You were what?” Croft barked.

  “She’s lying,” Camryn soothed Croft’s pique of temper. “She wasn’t fired from all of her classes. Just the one. But only because she was accused of sexual favors.”

  There was a third long pause, and then Croft groaned in frustration. “Don’t drive, you two. I’ll be there in a little bit.”

  “You don’t even know where ‘there’ is,” I pointed out. “And I’m not talking to you right now, you blew me off. I just can’t deal with your rude self.”

  Croft moaned.

  “I’m sorry,” Croft lied through his big, fat, buck teeth.

  Camryn snorted.

  I flat out laughed, which turned into a coughing fit because I was also trying to take a sip of my drink.

  “Does your coach know where you are?” Croft asked silkily.

  “No,” I said
. “Because the butthead was the one to take over my class. I suffered through that class this year! Can you believe it? I was a freakin’ virgin when I started that class. I’m sure half of those students knew more than I did about freakin’ sex, yet I taught it because I was told to. And I started to overcome my fears! Then what do I have to show for it? They’re all going to remember stupid Ezra now, and not me.”

  “Stupid Ezra?” Croft laughed. “I dare you to say that to his face.”

  I just very well might.

  “Bye, brother,” I said, then threw the phone down on the table.

  I vaguely remembered that there was something else I probably should’ve done, but then the blinking light over the bull started to flash, indicating that the bull was free, momentarily distracting me.

  Both Camryn and I watched in fascination as some buxom blonde climbed up, her dress hiking up to her hips and exposing her nearly see-through lace panties.

  Then the bull started to move and twist, slowly at first, followed shortly by jerkier up and down movements.

  Each twist had her breasts jiggling precariously in the small, spaghetti-strapped black dress until suddenly the bull jolted forward and knocked her ass over tea kettle onto the ground.

  She sat up laughing her ass off, and that was when Camryn turned to me.

  “We have to do that,” she ordered.

  I bit my lip, looking warily at the bull, and shook my head. “I dunno…”

  I looked down at my cast, then back up at her.

  “Come on,” she pleaded.

  It took me another entire drink to agree, and only then did I say yes if she went first.

  Which was what she did moments later.

  Camryn hurried to the bull, her hand on the banister that led to the lower stage, allowing everyone in the establishment to see what was happening down below.

  And then she stood beside the bull and thought about the best way to get up onto it.

  “Run and jump!” I hollered.

  Camryn flipped me off with a small grin on her face.

  I grinned back, then called out a ‘woo hoo!’ to her as she started to mount it.