Page 50 of Yours for the Taking (Falling For A Rose)

“They’re going to kill me!”

Carla folded her arms, tired of Beverly’s charade. “Stop exaggerating and go.”

“I got here by the school bus. How am I supposed to get home?”

“Go to the principal’s office. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Beverly popped her lips and screamed, then pivoted and stomped off to the principal’s office.

Carla looked at Sicily. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Ms. Jones. Are you?”

Carla pursed her lips. “Child, go inside.”

Sicily smiled softly but stopped at Carla’s side before entering. “Thanks for taking up for me, and your hair is the bomb, too.”

Carla smirked. “You’re welcome, and thank you.”

Sicily strolled inside, and Carla went to deal with Beverly.

Chapter Fourteen

Two weeks later

Boys & Girls Club Community Center

Carla cracked a smile as she looked at the students from Academy College Preparatory High School. They included a mixture of Carla’s four classes, combined with Pricilla Benton’s algebra classes.

In blue jeans, short sleeve shirts, and some with bandanas tied around their heads to keep paint out of their hair, the students stood along a wall waiting for instructions.

“Okay.” Carla clasped her hands together. “We’re going to break off into teams to get the community center painted. This is your first task. It’s also the biggest. Because the club is half the size of the high school, it will take us all day.”

She pulled her watch at eye level. “It’s eight a.m. If you work together, you can get this done no later than five p.m.”

“That is all day!” Carrie said, tucking a loose blonde strand of hair underneath her bonnet.

“I just said that, didn’t I?”

“But we didn’t think you meant it,” Samantha added.

Carla put a hand on her hip. “What do you mean,we?Are you two an ecosystem of some sort that I didn’t know about?”

“Might as well be, okay?” Carrie and Samantha slapped hands and laughed while some of the other students rolled their eyes.

“Don’t worry about it, ladies.” It was Jared who stepped up, lifting his arm to flex a minuscule muscle. “We men will handle most of it anyway. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

Carla took in a deep breath and shook her head.

“Jared, step back in line, please.”

Instead of wearing the same dress code as the other students, Jared sported his Jordans and designer labeled clothes. The earring studs in his ears were new, too. Carla couldn’t wait for the dress code to be implemented. Principal Sharp wanted her to wait until the end of the school year to announce it next semester. It would rock the kids’ world, but she was looking forward to it.

“Are we ready?” a deep voice bellowed.

All eyes flowed to Jacob as he and Luke Steele entered the room. Immediately, the female students swooned while the boys looked on in admiration.

For Carla, however, a prolonged string of heat slipped down her skin. Along with it, chills crept down her spine. She and Jacob didn’t get the chance to talk for long periods every day, but they did make it a point to reach out to one another, whether to inquire about their time apart or give an update about the redesign.

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