Page 103 of Yes No Maybe

Nodding, Julio sits next to my desk. “Rough morning?”

“The roughest.”

“How can I help?”

I sigh, glancing at my swollen foot. “Ice from the nurse?”

“Coming right up.”

The first bell rings. Ashley, Mia, and Eddie enter, carrying armfuls of Jack Graham’s books.

They eye my leg, now propped on a stack of dictionaries.

“Oh, my gosh, Ms. Mackey!” Ashley rushes over. She sees the dark purple and bluish bruise left by my awkward tumble and says, “Ew.”

“What did you do to yourself?” Eddie asks.

“A little misstep, that’s all.”

“It’s a good thing you don’t have to do any teaching today with Mr. Graham coming,” Mia notes with a sparkle in her hazel eyes. I take a deep breath, trying to hold myself together.

Eddie brings two throw pillows from our circle-time collection, propping one under my foot and the other behind my back. “We should probably come up with a better ottoman than a stack of dictionaries.”

“It’s nice seeing them put to use,” I joke.

When the second bell rings, my leg is much more comfortable in a cushioned folding chair and covered with a bag of ice. The students take strategic positions around the winged-back talking chair—some on the floor and others at desks, but all carrying Jack’s books and hopeful expressions as they await their revered guest.

The class quiets and their excited faces turn to me.

A teacher must always keep her shit together—it’s the foundation of teaching. And leave her personal drama at home—it has no place in her classroom.

But for the first time in nine school years, my sturdy and reliable classroom demeanor cracks like a glass table under too much weight. Flashes of Jack andthatwoman mix with his devastated expression when I said he was the worst thing to ever happen to me. I didn’t mean it—I couldnevermean that. The worst thing to ever happen to me is as clear as the scars on my face. I let Jack get to me, and anger get the better of me.Me, of all people.Shame settles on my shoulders along with everything else, splintering the cracks.

“Is he running late?” Mia’s voice shatters my mental shield.

Two tears slip out, one on either side, so I can’t play it off. “He’s not late. He’s not… I messed up.”

Julio stands while everyone else stares in mass shock, waiting for me to explain. He fetches the nearest tissue box and brings it to my desk. “It’s okay, Ms. Mackey. Happens to everyone.”

“I appreciate that, Julio.” I take a breath and force a smile. “But this time, it impacts all of you, and I hate that, especially since you’ve taken such good care of me. Don’t tell the others, but you truly are my favorites.”

They laugh, and Eddie says, “Oh, honey. We already know that.”

“What happened, Ms. Mackey?” Mia asks quietly.

“I got angry, and it must’ve short-circuited my wires because the things I said…”

“Uh, oh, Ms. Mackey. Did you say some choice words?” Eddie asks, grinning coyly.

I chuckle. “Ah, yes, you’d be proud, Eddie. I used some colorful sentence enhancers.”

“She sounded like an angry rapper,” a voice says, entering from the hallway. “Woke the whole neighborhood, and the funny thing is, she was talking to her damn foot. That’s the last time her foot will ever betray her like this.”

Shock precedes laughter as attention diverts to the man strolling into our classroom. It’s good they’re distracted, because my flushed face and gaping mouth prove unequivocally that I’m not keeping anything together.

Thirty-Five

Jack

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