Page 3 of Hate You, Maybe
“Okay, fine. Maybe I still dislike Dexter a little,” I admit, squirming in my seat. “But only the tiniest amount. I guess one could say … a wee bit.”
Loren guffaws. “Your dislike of Dex iswee?”
“Verywee,” I quip. “The word ‘hate’ gives him way too much power. I’m completely indifferent.”
“Well, you sure talk about him a lot for someone who’s completely indifferent.”
“I just need to stop putting myself in situations where he and I go up against each other. Like running for faculty president. Or campaigning for teacher of the year. Or applying to be senior class advisor,” I add, which I realize too late still counts as talking about Dexter.
Loren’s lips twitch. “Now I’m picturing you and Dex going up against each other.”
“Gross. That’s not what I meant.”
“Kinda fun to imagine, though, right?”
I roll my eyes while simultaneously pressing a palm against my cheek to check if it feels hot. When the light finally turns green, I take the opportunity to change the subject.
“Would you mind dropping me off at the theater? I want to wear my lucky cardigan to my meeting with Mr. Wilford,but I took it off yesterday while the set crew was painting the backdrop forAMidsummer Night’s Dream.”
“Smart move.” Loren chuckles. “I’ve got a couple of your theater kids in my American Lit class, and they seem like a paint disaster waiting to happen.”
Instead of turning into the faculty lot, Loren takes us to the access road that winds around the back side of campus. We pass the two-story red brick humanities building where Loren and I both teach. All her classes are held there, but I spend at least half my day teaching and rehearsing in the theater.
Next up is the math building. Then science, and finally, social science. They’re all two-story buildings, too. Red brick. Shaded by lots of oak trees and connected by winding walkways. As we come around the last bend, my stomach plummets.
The world’s worst car is parked in the stretch of gravel between the theater and the gym.
More specifically, a truck.Mostspecifically, a midnight-blue Ford F-150.
“Ah!” I let out a strangled huff. “That space is supposed to be reserved for district cars. Or for emergency vehicles. He should know better.”
Loren eases her car up behind Dexter’s truck. “In his defense, school doesn’t start for another forty-five minutes,” she says. “He probably figured there wouldn’t be any district people here yet. Or emergencies, for that matter.”
“Still.” My pulse picks up. “Rules are rules.”
“Right.” Loren’s mouth slips into a smirk. “I guess you really have no choice but to go tell him off then. For the safety of the entire school.”
“Maybe I will.”
“Go get ’em, Tiger,” she says. “Just remember to keep that dislike wee.”
I climb from her car and stalk over to the side entrance of the gym. As our school’s performing arts director, I have a master key that unlocks all the doors on campus. When I haul this one open, a sharp screech pierces the air, and I make a mental note to tell Gordon, our head custodian, that he should probably get some WD-40 on those hinges.
I can add that to my to-do list later. But first things first, I have to find Dexter.
Inside, the gym is mostly dark. The courts are deserted, and rows of stands are collapsed against the wall. The only light comes from the front of the building, shining weakly through the glass doors of the lobby. No Dexter.
Hmmm.
If he’s not here, he must be down in his classroom.
He teaches health first period, so I’ll bet Mr. Everybody-Loves-Me parked up here because it’s closer to the science building than the faculty lot is. And for the record, I only memorized his schedule so I can avoid him as much as possible. Unfortunately, I can’t avoid him today. I owe it to our school’s rules to find the man and make him move his truck. Now.
I’m about to head off to search for him in the science building when a crash sounds from inside a room on the other side of the gym, almost like someone dropped a barbell.
Aha!
Dexter must be in the weight room using the school’s equipment off hours. I don’t know much about Stony Peak’s liability policy, but insurance companies have regulations, and this could be a violation. Either way, he’s parked illegally, and I’m not going to let him get away with it.
