Page 17 of Stay Toxic

Then again, mine gave me three months off during the summer, so mine wasn’t half bad, either.

“McCoy couldn’t get out of her chores?” Bronc questioned.

“McCoy is McCoy,” I said. “I told her about the meet-up, but you know how she is.”

If there was something she was supposed to be doing, she might be doing it. Or she might be fishing.

There really was no telling. The farm came first but if she could fish, she was at the pond.

That was Mom coming out in her, though.

“Figures.” Ryler laced his fingers behind his back. “How’s school going with the asshole back?”

“It’s going,” I said. “Luckily, he’s not the principal anymore.”

“Can’t believe they were forced to let him back in.” He shook his head. “Have you seen Jolessa?”

“Not yet,” I grumbled, “but I’m sure that I will.”

The school board had filled Jolessa’s previous position as art director.

When they’d gone to court and won their jobs back—as well as had all charges against them dropped for indecency withminors—the school had been forced to reinstate them or risk even more legal ramifications.

So the beginning of this semester, after everything had happened last February, they’d come back.

But not to the jobs they left.

Jolessa was teaching art, and Rupert was teaching science.

I was teaching history in between them both.

This was going to be so much fun.

As it was, I didn’t see it or them lasting long.

The parents that knew about the issues at hand wanted their kids nowhere near the old principal or his flame.

I didn’t blame them.

So the kids were pulled from their classes, one by one, since the semester’s schedule was released.

“As of right now,” I said to my brothers, “I think Rupert has a whopping six students in his class that don’t know—or their parents don’t care—about what he did. Jolessa is teaching art, and she has eight students.”

“He should have no students, the sick fuck,” Milena said as she set four large coffees down. “I can’t believe the school let him back in with children.”

“Technically.” I rolled my eyes and used air quotes. “He wasn’t being indecent. The children weren’t supposed to have access to a locked office.”

“Whatever.” Milena rolled her eyes. “Gotta go.”

“She’s hot,” Tibbs said.

“She’s pretty,” I agreed. “And has a very scary brother.”

“We worked on his house when he first moved here,” Ryler said. “Don’t tell anyone that, though. We signed an NDA.”

“Scary and needs a fortress,” I confirmed. “Why are y’all going fishing this weekend?”

“We all are,” Bronc added. “It’s a fishing tournament.”

---