Page 29 of When You Left Me Speechless

That can not happen.

I want to be the assistant principal at this school, and kissing Poppy in the copy room would be a terrible idea, but the more I remind myself I can’t have her, the more I want her. It’s becoming torture.

I find my way into the auditorium and try to push all thoughts of her out of my brain. Every seat in the auditorium is full of third, fourth, and fifth-grade students. It’s loud. Teachers line the aisles. I find a spot towards the back so I can keep an eye on Freddie Anderson and hispack of friends.

This assembly is put on by the local police station every year. The theme is “Spring Break Safety”. I’m hopeful this year’s version is better than last year’s, but by the look of the police officers standing on the stage, I doubt it will be. Three policemen are all standing in front of the crowd, each wearing some sort of flotation device. The two overweight men are wearing matching arm floaties, and the tall, skinny one in the middle is wearing a tube that looks like a unicorn. They look ridiculous, but the kids all seem to find it hilarious, so I guess they deserve some credit.

“Oh, I haven’t seen you in ages. How are you doing?” A shrill voice catches my attention.

I can see Ruth’s pink hair out of the corner of my eye. “Hi, Ruth,” I say as I look around, hoping to find somewhere else I’m needed.

“Did you hear about the drama in first grade?”

I shake my head, hoping she will get the hint I don’t care about whatever gossip she is spreading.

“Oh gosh, I was talking with Blair, you know, the cute little blonde teacher in kindergarten?”

I look at her, trying hard to not to come off as annoyed, “I don’t think I know Blair.”

“Oh no? Oh, you would love her. I should introduce you two. You have so much in common. I just know you would hit it off, and you would make the cutest kids.”

I nearly choke. I don’t know what she thinks she knows about me, but it’s pretty bold of her to try to play matchmaker at work. I want to say there is only one woman at Pecan Grove that I'm interested in, and she is not a kindergarten teacher named Blair. Instead, I laugh and force a smile.

“Right, well, if you change your mind, she is a doll. Anyway, she was saying Paige is leaving at the end of this year because the rest of the first grade team has completely ousted her. It’s just the saddest?—”

Keller comes over the mic to grab everyone’s attention.Ruth whispers that we will talk more later and walks a few rows away. The assembly begins and I settle into the chair next to Freddie. I feel a hand on my shoulder and look over to see our assistant principal, Mrs. Calloway, kneeling down to speak to me.

CHAPTER 19: INCOMPETENT GIRL

POPPY

Breathe in for four. Hold for four. Breathe out.

Sitting in the conference room reminds me of my first day at Pecan Grove when I sat at this same table. Part of me feels like I was more confident then, but I know that was just inexperience. It’s easy to be confident when you don’t know what you are about to face.

It’s a smaller group this time. Beth and I sit in the same seats. Around the table sits Mrs. Calloway and the school psychologist.

I am reviewing my notes when I hear the door click open. I look up, and his eyes meet mine. This time, it’s different. We know each other, we’ve worked together, but I’m still surprised to see Logan walk into the room. His eyebrow ever so slightly hitches above his glasses, and he winks at me. He takes a seat at the table directly across from me. My nerves instantly start to calm, but I don’t allow myself to contemplate if that has anything to do with him being here or not.

“Oh, Mr. Peterson, thank you so much for filling in today,” Mrs. Calloway says, “Now that we are all here, I will run out and grab the Wilsons.”

She gets up from the table. My eyes dart back to my notes. Beth pats me on the shoulder and gives me a thumbs up.

I hear the door click open, and this time, Mrs. Wilson walks into the room. She is a tall woman with long, straight blonde hair. She is nicely dressed and carries a designer bag. As she walks in, she folds her sunglasses in her hands and places them inside her bag. Despite the rest of her put-together appearance and flawless makeup, her eyes look tired and a little swollen. She doesn’t speak as she enters; instead, she sits at the head of the table.

The knot in my stomach tightens, and my heart rate quickens.

Hold it together.

“I’m sorry to hear Mr. Wilson couldn’t join us,” I hear Mrs. Calloway say.

Mrs. Wilson’s jaw clenches. “Oh, yes, he got called away at the last minute for an important business meeting. He wishes he could be here.” She reaches into her bag and pulls out a small notebook and pen. “Shall we get started?”

After initial introductions, the school psychologist begins explaining the tests she gave and Abby’s performance. Unsurprisingly, Abby is outperforming her peers in all of her subjects, and the tests given by the school psychologist further back that up. Mrs. Wilson jots down notes as she listens, her mouth forming a tighter line across her face.

“I hear what you're saying, but it doesn’t explain Abby’s grade in reading. It is lower than all her other grades, and she complains it is hard.”

The school psychologist smiles, “Yes, I did see her grade is lower in that class than the others, but it is still a high B. Maybe one of our speech therapists, or Mr. Peterson, can dive more into that one.”

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