Page 15 of Burn for You (Flirting with Forever 3)

Chapter 9

Piper

I’m mortified I was late to school because of my murder cramps, and it’s even worse that my male coworker had to help. And it’s especially bad because it was Damon.

And he had helped. Like I don’t owe him enough right now as it is. I don’t know what sort of magic is in that bottle but I don’t care because it works. I feel much better by lunch.

I purposely hurry to the workroom, grab my food and head for the library where Madison, Sophia, and Quinn were gathering for a little girl talk.

When I sit down, Sophia lays a hand to my arm. “How are you? Zoey mentioned you were feeling pretty crappy earlier.”

I peel the lid off of my container and drizzle dressing over my salad—with chicken, insert eyeroll here—before I answer. Moving my food around with my fork, I stab at a few pieces of lettuce and wince, the memory still fresh. “Yep, it was bad. I thought I was going to die. Accidentally turned off my alarm and made myself so late that Damon had to take my class.”

Quinn cringes. “I heard about that. A couple of the kids in my second period class were in there.” She puts her hand out. “Not that it was any big deal, but there was a lot of talk about why Damon’s class is reading Caraval while your class is doing Fahrenheit 451.”

“Oh, jeez. Well, the honest truth is that his class has already finished the required reading and has headed into some other books he’s picked out.” I frown. “I guess he cleared it with Jake, so …”

Madison scrunches her nose. “So, you don’t really have a lot of room to say anything. That Caraval series is a good one for kids that age. I bet they really like it.”

I groan. “They will. I’m just irritated that he’s doing something that I think Jake is actually going to appreciate. I wonder if maybe Damon is the right person for the chair position.” My shoulders sag, and I poke around my salad a bit more, not really interested in it.

“So, maybe it’s time to dial it up a notch.” Sophia’s brow arches, and I can just see her mind working to fix the problem for me. “What if you plan a field trip or some event that your students will love?”

“That’s not a bad idea.” My brain whirs a bit and lands on what might actually be a feasible plan. “In fact, I think Hadleigh and Sawyer have been preparing to take their US History classes on a trip really soon. They’re going to see a special screening of Hamilton at a theater in Boston. Maybe I can see if it would work to do a joint trip.”

Madison’s lips tease into a grin. “I bet she’d be all for helping you out. I like this idea.”

I fork up a big bite of salad and a piece of chicken. “I love it when a plan starts to form.” Now that the idea is shaping itself in my head, I’m suddenly ravenous. I listen to the girls talk about other things all while I munch happily through my entire salad.

After third period, I make a trip to the office for some copies before heading back to the workroom to get some lesson plans done. When I walk in, there are only two people on the far side of the room, which is where my desk is. Damon leans in and talks softly to a female student. I don’t immediately recognize who it is at first, as he’s kind of hunched over her, but she’s crying and he’s patting her shoulder, all while trying to reassure her that not all boys suck and Valentine’s Day will not always suck—her words first, not his—and everything is going to be okay.

I clear my throat and make some noise with the copies in my hands so they know I’m here before I come any closer. The girl turns her head toward me, and I realize it’s Elena. She’s in my first period class, the same one that Damon had to cover this morning. It’s funny, I know in the back of my head she’s his sister, but it’s kind of easy to forget with the age difference between them. I can’t recall if she’s ever been in here before.

“Hey, Elena. Is everything okay?”

Damon reaches out and swipes a tear from under her eye. He keeps his eyes trained on her when he says, “She’ll be okay. Won’t you, Elena?”

She sniffles and hugs her brother. “I’m fine. Boys are just dumb. You know how it is, right Ms. Mathison?” She glances between me and Damon.

I stifle a laugh. “I sure do, sweetie.”

Elena glances up at Damon. “All boys except my brother, that is.” She gets a funny little look on her face before she asks, “Ms. Mathison, how come we can’t read Caraval like Damon’s class is reading?”

I purse my lips, embarrassed that Damon is doing something for his class that my students obviously are clamoring for. Even worse, he gets to hear me admit to it. Grr. “We’ve got to finish Fahrenheit 451 and one other book before we can do anything else. Then … well, maybe I’ll have to talk to Mr. Madero about possibly using his class set.” I lightly bite down on the inside of my cheek as I allow my eyes to drift over the two of them.

Elena squeals and claps her hands.

Damon just smirks.

And me? I scowl at him. Jerk. He thinks he’s got me right where he wants me.

Elena looks back and forth between us, brows raised. I guess she decides her work here is done. “Hey, can I get a pass to class?”

“Good idea.” Damon quickly pulls a pad of hall passes out of his drawer and writes one out for her so she can be on her way.

After she leaves, I prop my hip on the desk, eyeing him as he goes back to work without another word.

“So, I guess that was a great moment for you, when my class found out what your class is reading.” He just shakes his head, but I can see his lips twitching. “And I assume you let Jake know that I wasn’t here first thing?”

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