Page 3 of Big Rucking Disaster
“Of course I do.”
“Fair. Later.” He scurried out of the room while I was a fraction slower.
Louella had the basketball squad this morning and then ninth-grade girls. I got ninth-grade boys. Yay, fun. Marginally better than eighth grade—but not by much.
I wandered into the gym as Louella gave the girls a pep talk. The teacher was petite, with spikey red hair, deep-brown eyes,plenty of curves, and a wicked sense of humor. At the end of the chat, the girls sprinted for the showers while my co-teacher headed my way. She grinned. “Johnnie Leclerc, eh?”
“Last period. Grade Twelve.” We taught that grade as mixed, so Johnnie would be sharing his wisdom with twenty-two wisecracking kids who wanted out of high school so badly they could taste it. A couple of girls and three of the boys loved rugby. We didn’t have a squad at our school, but Greta played on a local team, and Kenji was hoping to get scooped up next year by a semi-pro team. I was trying to encourage him, all the while knowing sports were brutal.
“I wish I could be there. I’m at Central with the badminton team.”
“It’s great to get them out of the school for once.”
“Small squad with great potential. Underrepresented sport in our school.”
The bell rang again, and a gaggle of girls sprinted from the changing room to their homerooms.
I sighed as I unpacked my messenger bag. Midterm report cards were due soon, and I had a couple of students who thought my class was optional. They were going to find out quickly how I felt about that.
As with most Mondays, the day passed in a blur of kids, sports, drama, and comedy.
Hugo and I ate lunch together as he spoke about a violin player in his class who was showing huge potential. His enthusiasm couldn’t be understated as he carried on about the young woman and how the money that flowed into the school after the scandal was helping tremendously.
The scandal.
In a moment of pique, Hugo’s ex-husband, upon seeing Hugo with Axel Townsend, his former student, claimed Hugo and Axel had been involved in an affair when Axel was a teenager.
Total bullshit. I’d known Hugo back then, and he’d never looked at his student that way. He’d recognized talent and had nurtured it, but he sure as shit never looked at Axel as a potential sex partner.
Gross.
But douchebag ex-husband’s allegations had to be investigated, and Axel and Hugo found themselves under a lot of scrutiny.
Hugo hired a damn good lawyer who uncovered asshole ex was actually up to his neck in fraud. He’d been arrested, Hugo had come off suspension, money had flowed in from people outraged at the school’s arbitrary treatment of him, and now, he and Axel were getting married.
Through it all, my friend never wavered in his dedication to his students. For both of us, teaching was a vocation. A calling. We’d both chosen to work in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Vancouver because we believed in what we were doing.
As we rose from lunch, he gave me another long look. “Johnnie isn’t your ex.”
I snorted. “I should hope not. My ex was very gay.”
“Johnnie’s got a girlfriend.”
“I am aware.”
“Maybe don’t judge him before you meet him?”
“He’s going to come here, show off, sign a few autographs for adoring students, and then take off. Guys like that aren’t in it for the hard work—they’re in it for the glory.”
“And what did I just say about not judging him? Especially for his looks.”
“Ah.” Because Johnnie looked a lot like my ex—golden blond, blue eyes, and a killer jawline. “I got taken in by looks. That won’t happen again.”
Hugo snickered. “Right. Just like I tried to tell myself that grown-up Axel wasn’t my type.”
“You were never interested in me.” I puffed out my chest.
The truth was, we’d been fast friends, but that was it. Although I was Black, like Axel, Hugo had never seen me as a potential mate. Plus, we’d both been married when we’d met.
