Page 7 of A Damaged Soul
"Oh hush." Molly waved what I said off. "This is the teachers’ lounge. It's our safe space."
Safe space or not, there were other teachers in the room, and the last thing either of us needed was to be called into the principal's office.
"Anyway." I dragged out the word. "It doesn't matter how good I looked. Rhett and I agreed to just be friends." We did no such thing, but it was implied.
Molly sighed. "A damn shame really. Especially after you described how hot he was."
I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. "Good looks only get you so far in life."
Even as I said the words I knew Rhett was the whole package even if the man didn't want to admit it. He had himself convinced he wasn't a good man, but I could see right through him.
I was taking another sip of water when my phone vibrated on the table where it sat between Molly and me.
"Twenty bucks says that's him now."
I rolled my eyes for the second time in a matter of seconds. "I highly doubt..." I didn't get the opportunity to finish my sentence because I was too stunned by the name sitting there on my screen.
"It's him, isn't it?"
I nodded my head, then swiped the screen to see what he had to say.
RHETT
Sorry. I wasn't purposely ignoring you. My job took me out of the country for the last few days. How are you? How are the students treating you?
My fingers flew across the screen as I quickly responded.
ELLE
Hey! It's okay. I figured you might be busy. I'm good, but the students are crazy. Spring break tends to do that to them.
"Well, don't leave me hanging," Molly begged. "What did he say?"
I hugged the phone to my chest. "He's been busy with work. That's why he hasn't texted me."
"Ohhhh." Molly sounded disappointed.
I immediately went on alert. "Why did you say it like that?"
"No reason." She was saying “no reason,” but I knew that wasn't the case based on the way she couldn't meet my eyes.
"Bull," I called her out. "Tell me."
Molly sighed. "It's just a bit of a red flag, don't you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"It takes all of two seconds to send off a quick text. Are you telling me, in five days, he couldn't even find a few seconds for you?"
"He was out of the country," I argued.
"Ohh." Molly's eyes lit up. "Well, that changes things, then..."
I stopped listening when I felt my phone vibrate in my hand. I wasted no time pulling it away from my chest and unlocking the screen so I could see what he had to say.
RHETT
Need me to come straighten them out?
