Page 60 of The Friend Game

“Okay.” He clears his throat. “Well, I could come back at lunch.”

I fight a sense of rising panic. Lunch is so soon! Then again, I’d hoped to have already told him by this point in the morning. Better to get it done.

“Lunch it is,” I agree.

Unfortunately we don’t get a chance to have our lunchtime meeting, instead, only an hour later, I find myself being summoned to the principal’s office. And when I walk into George’s office and see Lexie, George, and Luke all assembled there I realize it’s too late to tell him.

He already knows.

Chapter 23

“I’M SO SORRY,” I blurt before anyone else can even speak. I’m not paying attention to anyone else in the room; my eyes are only on Luke. “I was going to tell you.”

Inwardly I wince.I was going to tell you. Talk about the oldest, lamest excuse in the book.

“There’s no need for you to apologize, Hannah,” George interjects. “Goodness, this is all getting blown way out of proportion. So she doesn’t have a teaching degree. It’s not as if I hired the woman to teach astrophysics, she’s teaching art and she’s doing a fantastic job of it at that!” George sounds angrier than I’ve ever heard him. Gone is the jolly and effusive man I’ve come to know and in his place is a fierce fighter.

Despite my angst, I’m touched by the way he’s going to bat for me and not backing down.

Then again this whole thingwashis idea.

Another lame excuse I plan to use on Luke if he won’t forgive me.It was your dad’s idea!

Oh goodness. Now I sound like Adam–Eve told me to eat the fruit, God!

Nice try, Adam, but you made your own choice…just like me.

I won’t be pinning the blame on George. No, this was my lie, and I have to deal with the fall out from it.

“The bylaws of the school are quite clear,” Lexie says icily. “All Grace Canyon teachers must have a teaching degree in order to teach at the school. No exceptions.” She smirks at me as she echoes my own earlier words to her.

“I disagree,” George retorts. “She’s the exception.”

“Regardless of how you feel, the rules are what they are, George. Which is why when I discovered through some simple research that Miss Garza graduated with an art degree, I felt compelled to come forward. If I can find her lack of qualification so easily, anyone else can too—and if it came out that we hire subpar teachers it would obviously be bad for the school.” She has the audacity to look bored by the proceedings as she holds out a hand to examine her fingernails, then adjusts her giant wedding ring so that the diamond is more fully centered. “Now then, if you have a problem with the rules,” she goes on, dropping herhands to look his way, “you’ll have to take that up with the board.”

“Actually,” I speak up, willing my voice not to shake and studiously avoiding looking at Luke–if I have to see the betrayal in his eyes I might lose my nerve to and not say what I need to say–“I was planning on bringing this very subject up with the board at the next meeting. You see, I may not have a teaching degree as of yet, but I plan to start taking classes next fall with the intent of earning my degree. I planned on asking the board if they would consider allowing me to continue teaching while I earn my teaching degree.”

There’s silence in the room following my pronouncement and I fight the urge to flee the room. Running away won’t solve my problems. Not for long anyway. As Marshall proved this morning, even when you do try and outrun your problems, eventually they catch back up with you.

“A splendid idea, Hannah.” George speaks first. “Don’t you think that’s a splendid idea, Luke?”

I finally let myself look at Luke, but his expression is unreadable. Guilt and anxiety churn in my stomach. Why didn’t I just tell him this morning? I could’ve made the kids wait in the hallway for a couple of minutes while I laid it all out for him.

Or, you know, I could’ve told him the truth in the first place.

Always the best option. Honesty truly is the best policy.

“I highly doubt the board will go for that,” Lexie huffs. Annoyance chafes against my skin.Duh, Lexie!I want to exclaim.I already know howyoufeel about the subject. What I want to know is whatLukeis thinking! And you spoke before he could!

I wish I were 10 again so I could tell her to shut up then stick my tongue out at her.

Children are so lucky they're allowed to behave childishly.

Behaving adultishly is so much less fun.

“Yes, but you are only one member of the board,” George reminds her. “Hannah is perfectly within her rights to speak with them on the matter.”

A flush of displeasure creeps up Lexie’s neck. “Fine,” she relents. “Go ahead and state your case before the board, Miss Garza. You might as well go out with a bang. In the meantime,” she begins.

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