Page 31 of With This Wish

Luckily, Gabriel left the door ajar when he came into my classroom and the mouse makes its way outside. His eyes come back from where they followed the mouse out of my room and he looks over at me huddled on my desk as I try to come down from my fright. I hate mice.

He quirks a brow, amusement dancing in his eyes. “You were saying?”

I clutch my hand to my chest to try and calm my rapidly beating heart. “One mouse does not a disorganized room make,” I proclaim. I’m so irritated at the timing of that stupid mouse and a tiny bit at myself for my little “jumping onto the desk” freak out. Hopping down off the table, I smooth my top as I calm myself. “There are field mice all over the grounds during the summer, it’s not surprising that one would find its way inside, especially in this heat.” I pout.

A small smile pulls at the corner of his mouth, but it disappears quickly and he clears his throat again. “Well, just make sure it doesn’t get too crazy in here. Students need boundaries and that extends to the learning environment.”

I’m about to rebut this again but another figure appears through the door before I can. Principal Langley makes her way into the room and spots Gabriel. She comes over to our little circle and I am instantly comforted by her presence. Sharon Langley has been principal here since even before my time as a student. She’s short and stocky with her graying brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. She’s wearing her summer uniform of jeans and a school t-shirt with a large paw on the front signifying the school’s mascot, Benny the Bobcat. She is the sweetest woman, but she gives off fierce Mama Bear energy if anything threatens the harmony of the school.

“There you are, Gabe. I wondered where you had wandered off to. I see you’ve met Amelia. She’s been with us two years, six if you count her time here as student.” I beam at the pride in her voice and toss a smug look to Gabriel.

He turns to me with raised brows, as if this information is surprising given the size of our small city. Most people who live in Sun Valley were born and raised in Sun Valley, and odds are you are going to know a lot of people in town. This man, however, is something entirely new and foreign to me, and despite his remarks about my organization or lack thereof, I really want to become more familiar with him. Maybe it’s that I have spent my time in college, and the two years after, dating the quiet, artsy types I had little chemistry with, but I like the idea of Gabriel and the spark our small bout of antagonism created. Besides, it’s been a while since I had anything resembling the stirring in my chest that I’m feeling now, and that’s not the type of thing I tend to ignore.

“Yes,” he says simply. “Ms. Graham and I were just having a discussion about the ideal learning environment and whether or not that might include a class pet.” He smirks at me and, damn, even when he’s being a bit of an ass, I still get that warm, tingly feeling.

“Well, that’s not something we do here at Central High, though I’m sure the kids would love it,” Sharon explains, completely unaware of the little joke he aimed at me. “Gabe, we should really get back to the front office. We’ve got a meeting with the counselors about possible scheduling conflicts. It was nice seeing you, Amelia,” she says to me smiling as she walks out the door.

“You too, Sharon,” I call back. My eyes move over to Gabriel and I’m once again caught in his intense gaze. I swallow thickly. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around, Gabriel.” And by that I mean I hope I see you around so we can interact as much as possible. I like this feeling between us—he must feel it too. Wanting to keep it going as long as possible, I hold out my hand for a farewell handshake.

He looks down at my hand, furrows his brow, and turns to leave. As he exits my classroom he looks over his shoulder and calls, “Good day, Ms. Graham.”

At the formal use of my name and consequent dismissal, I curl up my fingers, pull my hand back to my side, and sigh. I guess I was the only one feeling something after all.

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