“I don’t know if that would be a good idea. To be blunt, Mr. Hamilton, I don’t think you should have any more contact with her at all.”
“That’s all right, Chase,” the boy called Riley said with a smirk on his narrow face. “You got Miss Trahearne to have contact with. I think you got the better end of the deal.”
“Shut up, Riley,” Chase said wearily. He looked at Phyllis again and continued, “I just want Ronnie to know that I never meant to hurt her. That was the farthest thing from my mind. I mean that, and you can tell her or not, whatever you think best.”
Phyllis nodded and said, “I appreciate that. I need to get to class now—”
“Hamilton!”
The loud, harsh voice made all of them look around, and Phyllis felt her apprehension grow even stronger. Ray Brooks was striding toward them with anger twisting his face. There was no way this was going to turn out well, Phyllis thought.
Chapter 17
“What are you three doin’ back here?” Brooks demanded as he walked up to them.
“Going into the school,” Chase said. “That’s what we’re supposed to do in the morning, isn’t it?”
“Don’t smart off at me. That’s the faculty parking lot.”
The biggest of the three boys pointed toward the east end of the school campus. “There’s a student lot right over there. It’s just about the same distance whether we go in the front or the back, and our first classes are around here on this side of the school. Anybody can go in and out here, right?”
“You got an answer for everything, don’t you, Duncan?” Brooks sneered for a second, then turned his attention to Phyllis. “Are they botherin’ you?”
“No,” she said. “I was on my way in and we just stopped to talk for a minute.”
She didn’t mention that she’d been nervous at being confronted by Chase and the other two boys. Brooks would seize any excuse to cause trouble for Chase and his friends. Phyllis didn’t particularly want to cooperate with that vendetta.
Brooks looked like he didn’t believe her—or at least didn’t want to believe her—but after a moment he nodded and said, “All right, you can go on in. You three troublemakers stay right where you are.”
“We’re not making any trouble,” Chase said, “and we’ve got to get to class.”
“Are you arguin’ with me, kid?”
“No. Just saying we need to get to class.”
Phyllis said, “I’m sure it’ll be all right, Mr. Brooks. I’ll keep an eye on them and make sure they go on where they’re supposed to be.”
“Yeah? How do I know you can do that?”
Phyllis drew in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I was a teacher before you were born, Mr. Brooks,” she said coolly. “I think I know how to keep an eye on students.”
Brooks looked like he wanted to grind his teeth together, but after a moment he muttered, “All right, all right. I know you punks think you can get away with anything you want around here, but that ain’t the way it is. Now move along.”
“Sure, officer,” Riley said with a mocking tone in his voice. The big young man called Duncan took hold of his arm and steered him toward the door. Chase looked like he wanted to say something else to Phyllis, but instead he turned and followed his friends into the school.
“I’m not surprised you stuck up for them,” Brooks said to Phyllis. “You didn’t back me up with Shula yesterday, did you?”
“I just told Mr. Shula what I saw happen in Miss Trahearne’s room.”
“You mean how that kid attacked me?”
Phyllis kept her voice level as she said, “I told the truth and answered all of Mr. Shula’s questions. Now I have to get to class, too.”
Brooks just grunted and turned away. Phyllis went on inside, halfway expecting to see Chase lingering nearby in hopes of talking to her again. He was nowhere in sight, though, and neither were Duncan or Riley.
A harassed-looking but clearly excited Frances Macmillan was waiting outside the door of Phyllis’s classroom. “This is the big day,” she said. “Friday the Thirteenth.”
“I have everything ready that I baked,” Phyllis said. “Carolyn will finish the snacks she’s making during the day, and she’ll have them ready for me to bring this evening with everything else.”
“I’m glad to hear it. None of the other volunteers have backed out, so I’m hoping that everything is going to go very smoothly.”
“I hope so, too,” Phyllis said. She also hoped that Ronnie would come to the dance, and that things on that front would start to settle down. She thought of something else and asked, “Is Amber Trahearne still going to be one of the chaperones?”
“As far as I know,” Frances said. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
She didn’t seem to know what had happened after school the day before, which was a little surprising to Phyllis. Gossip in a school traveled practically at the speed of light. The fact that Frances didn’t know told Phyllis that Tom Shula was doing a good job of keeping a lid on things.
It might have been better, though, if Amber had backed out. If Chase attended, it would lead to tension, and there had been more than enough drama recently without making it worse.
But in answer to Frances’s question, Phyllis just said, “Oh, no reason. I was wondering, is all. I know that she and Sam have become good friends.”
“You don’t have to worry about that.” Frances leaned closer and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “From what I hear, Amber goes for younger men, if you know what I mean.”
So maybe the gossip had started making its way around the school. Amber might be the target of some stares and whispers tonight. But that was her problem, as well as the price she’d have to pay for giving in to her impulses.
If that was the only price, Amber would be lucky, Phyllis thought.
◄♦►
The day went by quickly, with no more incidents involving Ronnie, Chase, Amber, or Ray Brooks. In fact, Phyllis didn’t even see any of them except Ronnie, who was sitting by herself in the cafeteria during lunch. A part of her wanted to go over and sit with the girl, but she knew Ronnie wouldn’t want that so she sat with Sam instead, as usual. Amber didn’t come to lunch; Phyllis supposed she ate in her classroom. Quite possibly she didn’t want to face them after what had happened the day before. Not wanting to embarrass her, Sam hadn’t stopped in at her classroom to say hello as he often did.
By the time Phyllis got home, she had put all those thoughts out of her head and concentrated only on getting ready for the dance. Carolyn had the containers of mummy cupcakes and mummies-in-a-blanket ready to go. She had also made little cups of cheese crackers with ranch seasoning, explaining to Phyllis, “These will go good with the mummies-in-a-blanket and will give the students another option that isn’t so sweet.”
“They’ll probably eat some of those things,” Eve said, “but the cupcakes and cookies will disappear first, I’ll bet.”
“No bet,” Sam said. “You can’t underestimate a kid’s sweet tooth.” He grinned. “Or an old man’s.”
“Hands off until we get there,” Phyllis warned him. “Did Ronnie say for sure whether she’s going?”
“I think she is. She mentioned it on the way home. Said she didn’t like gettin’ dressed up. I told her just to wear whatever’s comfortable.”
Carolyn said, “Telling a teenage girl something like that can cause trouble. You know some of them like to dress to shock people.”
When Ronnie came downstairs, though, she wore jeans with some fashionable rips in them and a lightweight jacket over a black lacy top. The outfit wasn’t fancy, but it looked good on her and Phyllis was pleased there was nothing really extreme about it.
“You look beautiful, dear,” Eve told the girl.
“Yeah, you do,” Sam agreed.
“Thanks,” Ronnie said with a shrug. “Not that it’ll matter. Nobody’s going to ask me to dance, anyway.”
“You might be surprised,” Phyllis
told her, thinking of Walter Baxter and wondering if the boy was going to be there. Of course, Ronnie might not want to dance with a freshman or sophomore. But from what Phyllis had seen, students these days were a bit less conscious of things like that than they had been when she was young and no upperclass girl would be caught dead even acknowledging an underclassman’s existence.
Sam and Phyllis went upstairs to change into something a little nicer than their everyday work clothes. They met in the hall.
“Don’t you look nice,” Sam said, helping her slip on the purple jacket that matched her slacks. She was wearing a lilac shell under it that matched her low-heeled shoes.
Looking Sam over, Phyllis remarked, “Thank you. You’re looking pretty dashing yourself.” He had on black slacks with a crisp white shirt. Tieless, of course.
Phyllis and Sam decided they would all go together in Phyllis’s Lincoln. There was plenty of room in the back seat for all the goodies they would be taking, as well as Ronnie. They ate a light supper, just some small salads, and then loaded everything in the car.
The overcast had hung around all day, but there was no rain in the forecast. The air was cool but slightly oppressive. Phyllis parked in front of the school this time instead of going around back to the faculty lot, because the front entrance was closer to the cafeteria and they wouldn’t have to carry everything as far.
There were already quite a few cars in the parking lot, and even though the dance didn’t officially start until seven o’clock, some students were already hanging around in the mall, waiting for the cafeteria doors to open.
Phyllis didn’t see Chase Hamilton among them. A dance like this probably wasn’t the sort of thing that would interest Chase and his friends, although they might well be in the parking lot selling drugs. Phyllis told herself she didn’t have any proof of that, but the thought crossed her mind anyway.
Ronnie was carrying a couple of the plastic containers. She said, “Will they let me in the cafeteria since the dance hasn’t officially started yet?”
“You’re helping us with the snacks,” Phyllis said. “I don’t think anyone is going to tell you that you can’t come in.”
Sam said, “You might want to come back out here and hang around with these other kids once we get everything inside, though. That’d be fine if that’s what you want.”
“We’ll see,” Ronnie said.
One of the cafeteria doors swung open before they reached it. Walter Baxter stood there, holding it for them.
“Hello,” he said. “Do you need some help?”
“No, I think we have it,” Phyllis said. “What are you doing here, Walter?”
“Inside the cafeteria, you mean? I help with the sound system.”
Somehow they didn’t surprise Phyllis.
Walter smiled shyly at Ronnie and went on, “Hi, Ronnie.”
She frowned and said, “Walter, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. I’m in your Language Arts and Astronomy classes.”
“Yeah, sure. How’re you doing?”
“Oh, I’m fine.” Walter swallowed hard, causing Phyllis to wonder if he was trying to work up the courage to ask Ronnie if she’d dance with him later. But Ronnie walked on past without another look at him, leaving him with a look of disappointment on his face.
Quietly, Sam said, “Don’t worry, son. She’s only got eyes for somebody else right now, but that won’t last forever.”
“It won’t?”
“Trust me.”
Sam went on into the cafeteria. Phyllis smiled at Walter as she went past and thanked him for holding the door. “My pleasure,” he said.
Frances Macmillan was already there, of course, bustling around and trying to check on a dozen different details at once. Some of her student council kids were helping her, and a handful of teachers were also on hand.
Phyllis saw Ronnie break stride and realized that the girl was staring across the big room at Amber Trahearne. Amber met Ronnie’s gaze for a second, then looked at Phyllis and Sam, then turned away. Under the circumstances, Phyllis might have expected Amber to dress down a little, but instead she looked stunning in a silk blouse, short skirt, and higher heels than she would have ever worn to teach class.
Ronnie looked angry, so to distract her from the sight of Amber, Phyllis moved up beside her and said, “I think all the snacks need to go up there on that table in the front of the room.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Ronnie said. She turned her gaze away from Amber and walked with Phyllis and Sam toward the table.
Frances met them there. “This is wonderful. I’m so glad you’re here. Just put everything on the table. The punch should be arriving shortly.”
“Everything goin’ all right?” Sam asked.
Frances blew hair out of her face, laughed, and said, “So far!”
“Let’s hope it stays that way,” Phyllis said.
Chapter 18
Phyllis watched Sam’s head bobbing slightly in time to the music. She tended to like the music they had grown up with in the Fifties and Sixties, and Sam did, too, she knew, but he was wide-ranging in his tastes and was familiar with quite a bit of the current music. As she had heard him say, he could listen to almost anything.
She had no idea what the title of this song was or who sang it, and she couldn’t make out any of the lyrics. But it had a catchy tune. You could dance to it, as the kids on American Bandstand used to say, ’way back when.
The cafeteria was full of students, some of them dancing but many just standing around socializing. A lot of them were doing things with their phones, too. Phyllis couldn’t grasp the idea of coming to a dance only to stand around looking at a cell phone screen, but she had long since given up understanding the almost mystical connection between kids and their phones.
The dance had gotten underway on time, with several hundred students streaming through the cafeteria doors bent on enjoying themselves. By that point, the table was loaded down with snacks in addition to the ones Phyllis had brought, as well as a large bowl of punch. At the far end were a couple of ice chests with canned sodas and bottled water in them.
Although some of the kids had visited the table for food and drinks, it hadn’t been busy so far. They had their minds on dancing, flirting, and talking. Phyllis tried to keep an eye on Ronnie and see how she was doing, but that was difficult with such a crowd. After a while, Phyllis had to give up. The best she could do was hope that Ronnie was having a good time.
She stayed near the table, but Sam circulated around the room more. Phyllis saw him talking to Amber once, but the conversation lasted only a moment. When he drifted back to the table, Phyllis asked him, “What did Amber have to say?”
“Not much,” Sam replied with a shake of his head. “She just said she was sorry for any trouble she had caused. I told her she needed to think about what she was doin’. She said she would and promised that things were gonna change. She said there wouldn’t be any more problems.” Sam paused, then went on, “I can believe it, too, because Chase is here and the two of ’em didn’t go anywhere near each other.”
“Chase is here?” Phyllis said, surprised.
“Yeah, I spotted him over in the corner with a couple of other boys. Tall, skinny fella with long hair, and a big one who looked like he ought to be a football player but probably wasn’t.”
Riley and Duncan, Phyllis thought. Their presence seemed even more unlikely than Chase’s. The dance was open to any and all students, though, so she supposed they had every right to be here.
Actually, she was more worried about something else. “Do you know where Ronnie is?” she asked.
“I saw her a few minutes ago. She was nowhere near Chase, if that’s what you’re thinkin’. She was talkin’ to that nerdy little kid who opened the door for us when we came in.”
“Walter Baxter,” Phyllis said.
“Yeah, I guess. I don’t know him.”
“Neither do I, really. At least Ronnie’s staying away from Chase.”
“Or she hasn’t realized he’s here yet,” Sam said.
Phyllis frowned. She could have done without him pointing out that possibility.
A short time later, Tom Shula came in and stopped at the table to pick up a couple of cookies. He grinned at Phyllis and said, “It’s sure been good having you here while we get this new school off the ground. Are you certain you don’t want to un-retire and come back permanently? That way we could have goodies like this around all the time.”
Phyllis laughed and shook her head. “Sam and I have been glad to help out, but I think we’ll be even happier to get back to retirement once Frank and Molly come home. Have you heard anything from them recently?”
“Frank’s in a clinical trial that seems to be working pretty well. Conventional treatment wasn’t doing much good, you know.”
“I know. I’m glad to hear that there’s some hope.”
“There’s always hope, I guess,” Shula said.
Phyllis would have liked to think so, but she had lost too many friends and loved ones to believe that. Still, that was no reason to stop fighting. Sometimes, miracles happened.
“I just wanted to stop by and see how things were going,” Shula continued. “I’ll go tell Frances what a great job she’s done.”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate that.”
The principal waved a hand and moved off into the crowd, munching on one of the cookies he had picked up.
Phyllis felt like somebody was watching her and turned her head to see Ray Brooks walking slowly along the wall at the side of the cafeteria. He wore his usual surly expression. Phyllis looked away and ignored him. She wasn’t going to let Brooks get under her skin. He could resent her for not supporting him with Tom Shula all he wanted to. She didn’t care.
Eve’s prediction was right. The cookies and mummy cupcakes disappeared first, but the mummies-in-a-blanket and ranch cheese crackers proved popular, too. As the evening went on, more students began to visit the table for snacks. Teenagers were always hungry, Phyllis recalled from when Mike had been that age.
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