The Princess and the Principal

by Shanae Johnson

  “I’ve known her all my life,” he continued. “Some of you have too and you know she is thorough and detail oriented and does phenomenal work.”

  “Oh, Kylee Bauer?” said Mr. Stevens. “The daughter of old Prince Eddie, god rest his soul.”

  A number of the teachers frowned. They were new to the old neighborhood and didn’t realize that there was royalty in their midst. The Bauers had never done anything to draw attention to themselves. Other than Mr. and Mrs. Bauer’s scandalous marriage.

  Though Ron had never seen anything scandalous about Mrs. Bauer. She had seemed to him like most of the other moms in the neighborhood, baking cookies, growing flowers, and doting on her daughter. He knew what the rumors were, that she had had an affair with Prince Edvard while she was still married. But Kylee had told Ron the truth.

  Marilee had been separated from her abusive ex for two years before she’d met Eddie. The two had fallen madly in love. When Eddie’s parents made him choose between a life as a third son who had little to no duties, and a life with Marilee, there had been no contest.

  The two had come to start a life in Adalia, and left all scandal behind. Or so they thought.

  “Yes, I remember little princess Kylee,” Mr. Stevens continued. “She ran off with the biker kid, what was his name?”

  Of course that scandal would rear its ugly head now. For months all anyone in Adalia could talk about was how the class valedictorian ran off with the town n’er do well. But like her parents’ scandal, that was in the past.

  “She’s divorced now,” said Ron.

  “She just moved back into her parents’ home,” said Mr. Stevens. “I saw Jason Romano’s bike parked out front of the house this morning when I was coming in from getting the newspaper.”

  Ron’s world stopped. The eyes were back on him. He no longer felt tall in his big stand. His legs gave out. And he sat down.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The vibrations of the ringing phone chime didn’t sit well with Kylee. It went for two, three, and now four rising digitized bell tones. After the fifth ring, his voicemail came on.

  “Hey, Ron. It’s Kylee. Again. I know I’m calling during school hours.” She looked over at the clock on her desk which told her it was after 3 pm.

  She’d started these calls the first thing in the morning. The first at 9 am when she assumed he might be at his desk and able to talk for a second. But she’d gotten to the fifth bell on that first call. Then again at lunch. And now again.

  “Well, it’s after school now,” she said into the receiver. “But if you could find a moment to call, I really need to talk to you about something. Okay. Bye.”

  She clicked off. Ron hadn’t called or texted all day. It was unlike him.

  Back in high school, he was always responsive. She didn’t think any of her calls to him had gotten past the second ring. He’d never left a text message unanswered for more than fifteen minutes. Another batch of clues that she’d missed that her best friend had had feelings for her.

  She wouldn’t miss any more clues. She wouldn’t miss any more chances. And she would be sure to not keep any secrets. She needed to tell Ron that Jason was back in town. She just didn’t want to leave a voicemail about her ex sleeping on her couch last night.

  Kylee had left Jason there this morning, on that same couch that she and Ron had shared their first kiss. She’d been too tired to fight with her ex. It was easier to deal with Molly’s Terrible Two Tantrums than to convince, cajole, or command Jason to do anything he didn’t want to do.

  Kylee knew what she had to do to get Jason moving. She had to figure out what he needed, what he was there for. It certainly wasn’t to see her. She doubted it was to spend time with his daughter.

  More than likely, Jason was out of money and needed more. He had not been the best provider during their marriage. Kylee had had to work many an odd job as she struggled to raise Molly, attend school part-time, and keep up a household with a big baby constantly plopped down in front of the television watching cartoons.

  She really didn’t have any extra money to loan to him and never get paid back. But if it would get him gone and off her couch so that she and Ron could occupy it again, then she’d stop by the bank before going home.

  It was almost quitting time. Just another ninety minutes to go before she could walk out the doors, scoop Molly from the after-school program, and try to find Ron in the flesh. Maybe she could sneak out a few minutes early? Her work was done. All she was waiting on was to hear who the school system had chosen to lead their test prep program.

  Kylee knew that she’d done her best work with the pitch packet for Thrive. Someone in the office had gotten their hands on Here 2 Learn’s pitch packet. It was a sham, filled with vague questions, errors in the answers, and outdated material. If Kylee were just a parent and not a competitor, she’d be the first in line at the Board of Education if that company was picked to prepare her daughter for a major test.

  She had every confidence that Ron would see that. There was no need for any angle. It was all very straightforward. Thrive was the clear choice for success for the kids. And when Thrive was chosen, Kylee would be moving on up in the office.

  She’d have a place at the post-secondary prep table. She’d have a new boyfriend who was respected and who respected her. And she’d be able to give Molly the financial and family-life stability that she’d had when she grew up. It was all falling into place.

  “I hear that Barton Elementary is leaning towards our company,” said Anthony. His man bun was sloppily drooping down to his neck today. For once, his eyes were on her and not on his device. “Good work, Bauer.”

  “Thank you,” she said, taking in his praise. “I worked really hard on the pitch and the assessment questions.”

  Anthony leaned forward, his brows pressed together as though whispering about a conspiracy. “From what I hear that elementary school principal was quite impressed by you, if you know what I mean.”

  Kylee crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back so that she was not included in this contrived plot. “Principal Kidd was impressed by my work.”

  “Sure. That’s why he came over to your house twice in the last week. Way to use what was in your test bank.” Anthony chuckled at his lame joke.

  Before Kylee could set Anthony straight, his head was back down, eyes glued to his device. She wished it was professional to throw pencils at work. But it wasn’t. And she was done with any thing resembling a scandal.

  Ron was the furthest from scandal that she could get.

  Well… except if people thought she’d used him to get ahead in her job. Which she hadn’t. Anthony might think it. Others in this office might think it. But all Kylee cared was that Ron would never think it. And Ron’s opinion was all that mattered to her.

  When Kylee turned back to her desk, she noted in her peripheral vision that there was someone standing beside her desk. The man was tall with a head of gray hair.

  Great. Her boss had heard the whole exchange. But when she turned fully to address the man who could make or break her, she was met with a wall of Ron.

  Her first instinct was to stand and throw her arms around him. But she stayed in her seat. Something in the set of his jaw told her she wouldn't find that warm, soft place she’d cuddled into last night.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey.”

  No warmth in his voice either. His bright eyes were clouded over. His arms crossed over his chest, causing his suit jacket to tug tight over his muscles.

  “Is it true?” he asked.

  Oh no. He knew about Jason. She wasn’t sure how, but she was sure of it.

  “Let me explain,” Kylee began.

  Ron closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. She remembered him doing that when he was met with a particularly tough problem that he couldn’t work out. She stood then and took a step toward him. But he stepped back.

  “You were just using me to get the account?” he said.
>
  Kylee’s advance halted. “Wait? What?”

  “Am I so blind?” He squinted at her. “Have you changed so much?”

  Kylee looked from Ron to her co-workers looking down at papers or at computer screens pretending they weren’t paying attention to the scene playing out.

  “You actually think I was using you to get points at work?” Kylee said. “You can’t believe I’d do something like that?”

  The tightness in his jaw loosened for just a second. But almost in the same instance, it stiffened again. “I wouldn’t have believed you’d run off with Jason Romano a decade ago. Or that he’d spend the night with you after I left you the other night.”

  “No,” Kylee held up her hands. “That is not what happened. He showed up out of nowhere, without calling.”

  “And you let him in, late at night?”

  “He wasn’t there for me. He claimed he wanted to see his daughter.”

  “But that’s not true?”

  People were starting to openly stare. As much as Kylee wanted to believe she didn’t care what others thought of her, she had to admit that wasn’t exactly true.

  She was making a good decision by choosing Ron. The best decision of her life had been kissing him. She had never cared about a crown, or connections. But she had always cared about this man.

  She wanted everyone to know that she’d picked him. But she also wanted everyone to know that he picked her. Please let him still pick her.

  “Ron, can we just go somewhere and talk?”

  Kylee reached out to him. But Ron pulled away from her. The look of hurt and betrayal on his face brought back a memory. It was of the day she’d decided to run away with Jason.

  Ron had talked until he was blue in the face. He’d debated her logic, attacked her reasoning, he’d even drawn a chart. But Kylee wouldn’t be dissuaded. Again, she hadn’t cared about any scandal her choice might led to. She’d been in love. Or so she’d thought.

  When Kylee had walked away, this was exactly how Ron had looked at her. His eyes had been slits, as though it hurt to look at her. His mouth had been turned down in a frown of utter disbelief. And his shoulders had hunched in defeat.

  Kylee hadn’t thought about that moment again for nearly a year after she’d left. It had taken that long to realize that her best friend had been right. But she’d been too determined to make her relationship work. She’d tossed everything she had at the problem that was her marriage. But no single answer stuck until she’d decided to leave.

  Ron had been right that day. He was wrong now. And now she had to make him see.

  “Principal Kidd, we’re so delighted to have you in our offices,” said Syd Rowen.

  Her boss approached the two of them with his hand out. Ron turned from Kylee and took the proffered hand.

  “I hear you were impressed with Kylee’s pitch.”

  “She made a very convincing argument.” Ron didn’t look at her as he spoke about her.

  “She’s a rising star here at Thrive. With the work she’s done on the elementary school pitch, we’re considering her for advancement.”

  “Well, it looks like we all have a decision to make,” said Ron. “If you’ll excuse me.”

  And with that, he turned and walked out, closing the Thrive office door behind him.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Principal Kidd, look.”

  Ricky, Jr. ran over from his classroom door to greet Ron in the hall. His hands yanked at the bright red tie around his neck. The kid could’ve been a mirror image of Ron as a young boy running through these halls with his white collared shirt, dark slacks, and ever-present tie.

  “I tied my tie myself,” the kid beamed up at Ron. “Well, my dad helped.”

  Ron gave the kid’s tie an unnecessary straightening. It surprised him that Ricky, Sr. had stopped through town. The man traveled so much Ron only ever heard of him being around for the holidays. He’d always know that the elder Ricky had made a stopover or made time to call his son when Ricky, Jr. was beaming bright smiles for the next few days.

  “It must be nice to see your dad,” said Ron.

  “He’s only here for a few days. Then he’s back on the road. But we did play ball. Even though I’m not good at any sports. I taught him Magic the Gathering, but he wasn’t very good. But he said we can play online tomorrow night when he gets to his hotel.”

  The kid ran off back to his class, beaming all the way. Ron had always had his father around every day of his life. Even after his parents divorced, his dad hadn’t moved too far, just a couple of streets over.

  When his mother remarried, Ron had the luxury of two dads who were both amazing. Poor Ricky, Jr. only got a half a dad. If only dads knew how important it was just to call their kids, to be a part of their lives any way possible.

  Ron straightened preparing to head back to his office. He had the strongest urge to call his dad just then. When he turned, he saw Molly Romano watching him.

  “Hey, Molly.”

  She didn’t respond at first. She chewed her lip as she regarded him. Ron had watched her mother do that when they were younger. It had been Kylee’s decision-making face. That was the face she made when she was chewing over whether an answer was correct, and she should mark it down.

  “I don’t agree,” Molly finally said. “Sometimes dads don’t make it better. Are you and my mom gonna break up now that my dad’s around?”

  When Molly had first shown up at Barton, she had been obviously trying to figure out how she would fit in. As a kid who hadn’t had much permanence in her life, she’d likely figured she’d take on the role she was most used to; the role of the outcast.

  In just a week, she’d found her place at Barton. Ron had seen her at lunch the other day sitting with a group of kids from her class, laughing and giggling like a little girl should. He hadn’t heard a negative word out of Mrs. Steen about her. He’d peeked at Molly’s latest grades and was thrilled to see that she’d received the highest marks.

  Having found her place, having figured out where she fit, had had a dramatic effect on her life. And now something, or rather someone, from her past had come back to shake it up.

  Ron walked over to the lockers Molly leaned against. He put his back to them and then tilted his head up and let out a sigh.

  “She’s been sad again since he came around,” Molly continued. “She laughed and smiled and was happy when it was just the two of you. Me, too.”

  That warmed Ron’s heart to hear, that he made Kylee smile and laugh and happy. He felt all those emotions when he was around her. He’d never felt so devastated at the moment he learned her ex was back in her life and he’d stayed over.

  No. He had felt this devastation before. He’d felt it when she’d run off with Jason ten years ago, leaving him and everything they’d meant to each other in the dust of Jason’s motorcycle exhaust.

  “He never stays long,” said Molly. “He’ll probably leave after she gives him money.”

  Ron looked down at the little girl. Her little shoulders were weighted down as though the world sat there. “Come here, Molly.”

  There were rules about physical affection between kids and staff in an elementary school. But Ron didn’t bother to heed the rules at this moment. He bent down and pulled the little girl in for a tight squeeze; a squeeze he hoped would ring all the worries from her adolescent body and knock that heavy weight from her back.

  “Listen, Molly,” he said, pulling away to look her in the eyes, “Promise me something. Promise you’ll let the adults deal with this.”

  “That’s what my mom always says when my dad does something wrong. Which is a lot of the time.”

  “She’s a smart lady, your mom. The smartest lady I know.”

  Molly searched Ron’s gaze. After a moment, she nodded in agreement. He watched the little girl head into her class. She looked a bit lighter in her steps as she did so.

  Back in his office, Ron looked down at the two pitch proposals on his desk. One
company made repeated mistakes but managed to maintain a stellar reputation based on past connections. Another company was filled with innovators led by a person who’d made one mistake in her past.

  Ron couldn’t afford any more mistakes in the future of his school, his career, and these children. He knew what he had to do.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Kylee was not having the best morning. Her eyes were crusted with dried tears. No makeup could fix the redness under her eyelids. Her skirt had threads dangling from a loose hem. She spilled mascara down the front of her shirt. Her phone was dead after checking it all night long. When she’d plugged it in this morning and gotten a cell of energy, she saw she still had no new messages.

  “You okay, Mommy?”

  “Oh, yeah, baby.” Kylee sounded exhausted even to her own ears. “I’ll get out of your way so you can get ready for school.”

  As Kylee made to step out of the bathroom door, she found herself stepping into her daughter’s embrace. Molly wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and gave her a tight squeeze. It was tight enough to pull a few more tears from Kylee’s dry eyes.

  “I know that’s not true,” Molly said as she looked up at her mom. “I know you’re not okay right now. But you’re a smart lady. Mr. Kidd said you’re the smartest lady he knows.”

  “He did? When did he say that?” Kylee sniffed. “He was talking about me? What else did he say?”

  “He also said for me to stay out of it and let the adults handle it.”

  Of course, Ron would say that to a kid. For the last week, he’d been the best parent Molly had ever had. Kylee knew Ron would never turn his back on her daughter. She just hoped Ron would allow her back into his life as well.

  “I just want to say that I love Daddy…but Daddy doesn’t make either of us happy. Mr. Kidd does.”

  It was a struggle to not mess up her mascara with tears. Kylee pulled her daughter to her again. Even firmer this time. It took a long while before Kylee released Molly to take her place in the bathroom.