Austin laughed. “There really wasn’t a good moment. You were all hysterical, and then we were making a plan to save the world, so this was the first chance I had.”
I smacked his stomach with the back of my hand as I got up. “Order me pad thai, I need it after today.”
“You got it, babe.”
I made a beeline for my bathroom, and sure enough, I looked like a drowned raccoon. There were tracks of mascara down my cheeks, my eyes looked like I had taken a van ride with the members of The Grateful Dead, and my hair looked like a small rodent had made a home there. Just great.
As I methodically wiped the makeup from my face, my mind wandered to the man in my living room. He’d said I never had to worry about being without him, but I knew that wasn’t true. One day, he would get over his hang-ups with relationships. Or worse, he’d meet someone who he loved enough to make him get over them, and he would have no choice but to leave me behind.
I knew that if either of us got a significant other, our friendship would have to change. Austin wouldn’t be ditching his evening plans at the drop of a hat for me, he would be ditching them for some other girl’s bad day. The thought had me rubbing the space between my breasts, trying to ease the burning sensation there. What was that quote from Sixteen Candles? Oh, yeah. “That’s why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they’d call them something else.”
13
Austin
Pulling into a parking spot in the school’s lot, I spotted Carter leaning across her car’s front seat to grab her bag, her skirt pulling tightly across her ass. I also saw that I wasn’t the only one noticing. Some pencil-pushing fucker was taking an abnormally long time fumbling with his keys while his eyes were fixed on my little firecracker’s ass.
My little firecracker. Fuck. Carter wasn’t really mine, but somewhere along the line, I’d started thinking of her that way. I slammed my door extra hard, jarring the joker from the trance Carter’s ass had him in. She looked over my way and waved. Joker looked back and forth between the two of us and stepped towards Carter. I picked up my pace.
“Hey, Austin.” She beamed up at me. Fucking beamed like I had solved all her problems just by showing up here. “Austin, this is my friend and colleague, Kyle. Kyle, this is one of my best friends, Austin.”
Kyle looked as if he had just tasted something sour. “When you mentioned your friend, Austin, I always assumed you were talking about another girl.”
Carter let out a choked laugh. “Um, nope. He’s very much a dude.”
I smirked and extended my hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”
His beady little eyes narrowed as he attempted to squeeze my hand harder. “You, as well.”
Carter, oblivious to the tension, said, “So glad you guys finally got to meet! Austin, we’d better get in there so I can move the desks around and get everything ready for your presentation.”
I stretched out my arm and pulled her to my side, grabbing her bag in the process. “Show me the way.” She pointed towards a set of blue double doors that screamed “school,” and we set off, Kyle the creeper following behind us.
As we walked through the hallways, I couldn’t help but be taken back to my elementary school days, remembering all the mystery meat Mondays, and my favorite teacher, Miss Rachael, who starred in so many of my pre-pubescent daydreams. I bet Carter starred in quite a few fantasies herself.
Carter unlocked the door to her classroom and pushed it open, flipping on the lights and walking over to her desk, taking her bag from my shoulder. I took a moment to soak it all in. I shouldn’t have been surprised since I had seen her crafting decorations that day I came over to apologize, but somehow, I still was.
She had covered every spare inch of wall space with handmade posters, paper flowers, and even an intricately crafted map of the world where each country had an animal, flower, and food item drawn on it. I couldn’t begin to imagine how many hours it had taken to put this all together, and I was sure she hadn’t gotten paid for that time. I sure as hell never had a classroom that looked like this one. “Carter, this is incredible.”
She was already at work moving the desks in the first row to the sides of the classroom. “You like it?” Her eyes sparkled with pride.
I pulled another desk to the side, following her lead. “I love it. You’re an awesome teacher, you know that?”
She blushed the pretty shade of pink that had become one of my favorite colors. “Thanks, Austin. I hope so.”
I reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering on her cheek, that familiar energy buzzing to life at the touch. “I know so.”
She looked down at her shoes, breaking the contact. “I should run you through how things will go today before the kids get here. They know you’re coming and are super excited. Pretty much all the boys are huge UFL fans, even if they are way too young to be watching that stuff. I’ll introduce you and then let you go through your speech. You’ll have to use me to demonstrate on because I didn’t want to send the kids home with permission slips for a self-defense workshop, just in case there’s something bad happening at Michael’s house.”
I could tell Carter was nervous, she was talking faster and faster the way she always did when she was anxious, so I reached out, grabbed the back of her neck, and squeezed. “Hey, it’s going to be okay. The kids are going to love it because they won’t have to do school work for an hour. And, hopefully, it will encourage Michael to open up. But, at the very least, we’ll be giving everyone some valuable information.”
She let out a slow breath. “You’re right.”
I felt my cheeks pull into a smile. “Can you say that again? I want to record it on my phone so I can play it back to you later.”
Carter slapped me playfully in the stomach. “Jerk.”
Just then the bell rang, and I heard the thundering footsteps of what could only be hundreds of little terrors. Oh, shit, I hoped I could pull this off. I did not want to let Carter down.
Carter welcomed each kid in with a high-five or a funny handshake. “Come on in, everyone. If you normally sit in the first row, your desks are on the side of the classroom today. Like I told you yesterday, today is a special day because Mr. Lyons is here to talk to us about self-defense. Now, let’s give him a warm welcome and show him how much we appreciate him being here.”
All the kids began to clap, with varying levels of enthusiasm.
I stepped forward, and my eyes swept over each of the faces looking back at me. “Hi, guys.”
“Hi, Mr. Lyons,” they answered. Clearly, Carter had been teaching them manners, as well.
“I’m really glad to be here to talk to you today. We are going to cover a lot of different situations, and it’s important that you pay close attention so you don’t miss any important details. And if you all do a good job listening, then you just might get to see Miss McCarthy kick my butt at the end of my talk.” I grinned over my shoulder at Carter, whose lips had pursed.
This sent the kids into fits of laughter, but once they were under control, I launched into my spiel. I covered how to handle school bullies, gang members, and finally if someone at home was hurting them. In each scenario, I gave them examples of who they could go to for help, and how they could recognize a safe resource. I then rewarded them with having Carter show them how to break a few different holds and get away. They got quite a kick out of their teacher pretending to knee me in the balls. I ended with a recap, asking, “Who can give me an example of a safe person to go to if you need help?”
A small girl in the second row tentatively raised a hand, and I pointed to her. “A policeman.”
“That’s right. A policeman or woman is a great resource. Who else?”
A boy in the first row shot up his hand, and I nodded in his direction. “A teacher. Like Miss McCarthy.”
Bingo. “You got it. Teachers are a great safe place. I happen to know that Miss McCarthy is pretty darn cool, and she cares about you all a lot, so you can always go to he
r about anything at all.” I noticed another boy, seated on the side of the classroom, whose eyes had become downcast as he stared at his shuffling feet.
Carter stepped forward. “That’s right, you can always come and talk to me about anything. I’m here before and after school and during lunch. Let’s all thank Mr. Lyons for coming in today.”
“Thank you, Mr. Lyons!” echoed throughout the classroom.
“Mrs. Woodward, the secretary, is going to stay with you while I walk Mr. Lyons out. Can you help her get the desks back into formation?”
The students immediately got to their feet, chattering with one another as they moved desks around.
Carter made her way to the door and opened it to a gray-haired woman with a warm smile. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them, Joanne. I’ll be back in five.”
Joanne patted her shoulder. “No trouble at all, dear. Take your time.”
Carter and I started to make our way down the hallway when she paused and grabbed my arm. “Thank you so much for doing this, Austin. Everything you said was great, and I think the kids really liked it.”
“I hope it helps them.” Over Carter’s shoulder, I spotted a face in an open classroom door staring us down. Kyle.
Carter must have seen a scowl on my face because she turned to see what I was looking at. Immediately, Kyle’s face broke into a smile, and he waved. She returned the wave and then turned back to me. “What’s with the angry face?”
I slung my arm around her shoulders and started walking again. “I really don’t like that guy.”
She tilted her face up towards mine. “Who? Kyle?”
I felt my jaw tighten. “Yes, Kyle. He’s a creeper, and he wants in your pants.”
Carter let out an exasperated sigh as I pushed the door open and we were greeted by bright sunlight. “He does not want in my pants. He’s my friend. You’re just being overprotective as usual.”
As we reached my car, I turned to face her, looking at the smattering of freckles painted across her peaches-and-cream complexion. She was pure innocence. “Just be careful, okay? I know you don’t have that much experience, and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Carter’s body visibly stiffened, and I instantly knew I had put my foot in my mouth. “How do you know that?”
I rubbed the back of my neck and swallowed. “Liam might have mentioned something.” Carter scowled. “Don’t be mad at him. He was just trying to paint a picture to show me how wrong my impression was of you.”
“And that picture just had to include my level of sexual experience? Geez, what is it with guys and virginity?” There was nothing I could say to that. Carter’s gaze traveled to her shoes as she began shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Look, it just isn’t something I want the whole world to know. It’s personal.”
I reached out a finger and lifted her chin so she had to look at me. Her skin was petal-soft against my calloused fingers. “It’s not the whole world. It’s just me. I would never judge you by how many guys you have or haven’t slept with. In fact, I think it’s great that you’ve waited.”
Carter’s cheeks turned pink. “It’s not like I’m waiting for marriage or anything. There just hasn’t been the right person or the right time. I just never felt ready.”
I cleared my throat as I tried to empty my mind of thoughts of Carter letting anyone have that part of her. “I think that’s good. You should listen to that voice telling you to wait. The guy you give that part of yourself to should be worthy of it.”
She blushed even redder. “I should get back to my class. Thanks again for everything.” Carter hesitated for a moment, and I hated that I had caused this awkwardness between us. When she reached her arms around my waist, I inhaled her faint flowery scent and breathed out a sigh of relief. “You’re the best,” she whispered into my chest.
“Anything for you, Firecracker.”
14
Carter
The sky was still just a little bit pink, the hue a leftover from a gorgeous sunrise, as I headed up the walkway towards the school’s main doors. My steps faltered for a second when I noticed a small figure sitting on the front steps, baseball cap pulled low. My heart sped up as I realized it was Michael. “Hey, Miss McCarthy. Can I talk to you for a minute?”
“Of course.” I turned and sat on the step next to him.
As I sat, he looked up, and I saw that his cheek was puffy and turning a dark blue. “I need your help.” His lower lip began to tremble.
I bit the side of my cheek until I tasted blood to keep myself from crying. Reaching out, I grabbed Michael’s hand. “I will do absolutely everything I can to help you, but you have to tell me what’s really going on.” He nodded. “Come on, let’s go inside and find a quiet place to talk. And I’ll get you some ice for your cheek.”
He nodded again, and on a faint whisper said, “Okay.”
I stood and helped Michael to his feet. As we walked through the silent hallways, our footsteps echoed off the walls, and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to steel my nerves. Michael was trusting me with his secrets, and I needed to stay strong for him.
I motioned Michael to the main office and pushed open the door. Joanne was already behind the reception desk, getting things organized for the day. “Good morning, Joanne, do you have the keys to Cindy’s office?” Cindy was our guidance counselor, but our budget only allowed her to be here twice a week, and today was not one of those days.
Joanne’s brows furrowed as she eyed Michael at my side. “Sure thing, honey, got them right here.” She slipped the keys into my hand, and I headed towards the counselor’s office.
I unlocked the door and flicked on the lights. “Why don’t you grab a seat, Michael? I’m going to ask Mrs. Woodward to get me some ice.” Michael nodded woodenly and sat down on the couch in the office as I headed back to Joanne. In hushed tones, I said, “Joanne, I need you to do a couple of things for me.”
“Is everything okay?”
“I don’t think so. I need you to call in a sub for me today, I’ll need one at least for the morning. I also have a feeling I’ll be needing you to call the police but wait until I give you the go-ahead on that. I’ll open the door and nod if that’s the case. Also, can you go to the teacher’s lounge and fill a bag with ice for me?”
Joanne’s eyes filled with tears as she patted my hand. “Of course, dear. You just go take care of that boy.”
“Thank you, I’ll do my best.” I turned and headed back to Michael. When I opened the door, I found him wringing his hands. “I’m really glad that you wanted to talk to me. I want you to know that we can go as fast or as slow as you want. And if you need a break, all you have to do is ask, okay?”
“Okay, Miss McCarthy,” he mumbled.
I took a deep breath, steeling myself, and asked, “Who gave you the black eye?”
Michael stayed silent for a moment and then said, “My dad.”
Over the next two hours, Michael slowly told me how his dad, Joe, had begun pushing him around over the past few months, berating him for being “lazy” and “no good to anyone,” and finally hitting him. It turned out that Joe had recently lost his job. This meant that he was home all the time and drinking more heavily. It also meant that Michael’s mother, Sofia, often had to pull double shifts at her job and was home a lot less. Michael said that his mom had no idea his father was hitting him. Joe had threatened Michael that if he told anyone, he could get Michael’s mother sent back to Mexico, so Michael had stayed silent.
I had never experienced such a vicious warring of emotions before. I felt torn in two between my grief for all that Michael had endured, and my complete and total rage at his father. When Joanne knocked on the door to hand me the ice pack, I nodded at her as a go-ahead to call the police. Now, I needed to prepare Michael to face them. “Michael, I had Joanne call the police so that we can make a report.” His tiny body stiffened next to mine. “I know it’s scary, but this is the right
thing to do, and I will be with you every step of the way.”
“They’re going to take me away, aren’t they?”
I rubbed a hand up and down his back. “I’m not sure what will happen, but I’m going to write down my cell phone number for you. You can call me at any time if you get scared, no matter where you are, okay?” I knew that Michael would most likely be placed in emergency foster care until his mother was cleared of any wrongdoing, but I didn’t want to scare him before he talked to the police.
“Thanks, Miss McCarthy.” His words were betrayed by the trembling of his lower lip.
My heart clenched. “Of course. I’m going to go out to the lobby and bring them back here, okay?”
“Okay.” He looked so lost, but I knew the only way that would change was to keep moving forward.
The rest of the day was spent walking through Michael’s story with the police and a social worker. I was grateful that they were all kind, gentle, and seemed to have no doubts about what Michael said. The female police officer had to take photos of Michael’s face, and the faint remnants of bruising on his wrist.
I tried to get Michael to eat some lunch in the middle of all the chaos, but he just picked at his food and sipped his soda. As the police wrapped things up, the social worker confirmed my suspicions, telling Michael that she would be taking him to a temporary foster home tonight. He started to cry, and I almost lost it as I wrapped my arms around his shaking body.
The social worker assured him that he could keep his cell phone with him and that he could call her or me anytime he wanted to. This seemed to ease his mind a little, but he was clearly overwhelmed. I would have given anything to take him home with me, but I knew that wasn’t allowed. I gave Michael one more squeeze as the social worker picked up his backpack, ready to be on their way.
When the door to the office shut, I slumped back on the couch and looked up at the two police officers that remained. “What now?”
Further To Fall Page 8