SWNOVELS Class Act: Chapter 4
bane of every teacher’s life, and no year passed when the school didn’t assign me to the tedious task. Not that it was a hard job; it was boring, and being inactive for forty-five minutes while rowdy teens trafficked through the cafeteria wasn’t my idea of time well spent. But I understood. The school had a high standard and monitored the students at all levels from class to extracurricular activities.
We didn’t have too many “incidents,” but from time to time, ones like I’d witnessed in the halls two days ago cropped up.
I’d never wanted to smack a kid before that day.
It was also the day I’d decided to stay as far away from Emery Cannon as possible. I didn’t even need to understand it, but I trusted my gut. The way he’d tilted his chin in defiance and basically called me out when he thought I had a problem with the bra he was wearing had left me unnerved. About the whole situation.
And it had nothing at all to do with the blush pink lace bra. On his flat, hairless chest.
He also happened to be the first person I saw when I entered the cafeteria. Was it his laughter that had drawn me? One second I was walking. The next I froze, seeking the sound that drifted across the room.
He was sitting with some members of the cheerleading squad, my daughter’s arms around him. The way they touched each other seemed so natural to them. How far did they go?
The boy looked better today than the other times I’d seen him. The day I’d broken up the fight with Priest, he’d covered a bruise with his makeup. He hadn’t done a good enough job hiding it, though. Did more people bully him than just Priest? Was that how he’d gotten that bruise?
I shook my head and marched in the opposite direction of their table. I’d encouraged Emery to report being bullied, but he’d turned down my offer. If he had been a younger kid, I would have reported it without hesitation, but he was eighteen or so, and he’d decided not to. I’d respected his wishes.
As the teacher on lunchroom duty, I had to walk around while trying not to bother the students eating and chatting, but I had to be vigilant and look out for anything suspicious. One time I’d caught a student distributing weed in the cafeteria. He’d been smart about it too. He’d hidden the stuff in bags of chips.
My boys from the football team were cool enough to wave me over and chat with me for a few minutes. They were discussing an NFL game they’d watched over the weekend and whether a star player was losing his form. I mostly listened to them argue it out, a sense of pride filling my chest. How passionate they were about the game.
Sadly, few would make a career out of the sport, but I’d made it my point of duty to inform them of the different professions that still involved sports.
We had a few players with real potential, and I’d steered a few college recruiters in their direction. Three of our boys were offered scholarships to play for a college team. Whether they joined the NCAA or pursued different options, I was proud of them all. One of my former players was now a doctor, and whenever he came to town to visit his family, we went out for drinks.
Football bred brotherhood and family.
My phone vibrated, and I excused myself from the boys’ table. They barely noticed as they launched into a debate about who the best players were for the current football season.
I frowned. Teresa never called me at this time of the day unless something was wrong.
“Hey, Ter, what’s up?” I walked away from the kids so no one would overhear my conversation.
“Babe, please don’t be mad.”
I rubbed at my forehead, tension growing in my shoulders. I stepped out of the cafeteria and leaned against the wall.
“What am I not supposed to be mad about now?”
“My flight’s delayed until tomorrow.”
“Your flight’s delayed, Ter, or you pushed it back?”
“I might have pushed it back, but that’s just because I ran into some friends here, and we’re hanging out tonight. Please don’t be upset. You know how hard I work, and I rarely have these moments to relax.”
Not true at all. She played as hard as she worked, but usually, she balanced it with our family life. Unlike lately. Now she spent most of her free time away from us.
“This has been happening a lot, Teresa. Sometimes I wonder…”
“What are you implying, Abe?”
“Nothing.” For all her flaws, and we all had them, she was a trustworthy person.
“Were you going to ask if I was cheating on you, Abe?”
“It did cross my mind.”
“You really think I’m that kind of person? Is your opinion of me that low?”
“I didn’t say it. I know you’re better than that.” Teresa was too practical to cheat. If she had a problem with our marriage, she would rather divorce me and move on to a new man. She was a woman of action, a trait I’d loved about her when we first met.
“Just so you know, Abe, one thing you can always count on is me being faithful to you.”
“It’s been so long since we’ve spent time together.”
“Is that what this is about? You should’ve just said that, baby. I promise, the moment I get home, I’m yours. You think of me tonight, Abe, because tomorrow, when I get home, I’ll be sitting on your face.”
Shit.
Had I forgotten already how dirty my wife’s mouth was? Usually, it turned me on, but now unease settled in my gut. I glanced around me to check no one was overhearing.
“You want to tie me to the bed, Abe?”
“Ter, now’s not a good time, okay? I’m at—”
“Fight! Fight! Fight!”
Fuck no. Not on my watch.
“Ter, I have to go.” I hung up and rushed into the cafeteria. My heart sank. A group of students stood around the table where my daughter and the rest of her friends had been sitting.
“Break it up now.”
The students parted when I approached. I hadn’t expected it to be Mandy. She was too smart to get caught up in fights, especially at school. Emery swung at Priest, landing a solid punch in the bigger boy’s face that had everyone oohing.
“I’m gonna fucking kill you.” Priest charged after Emery. No way in hell was I going to let him get his hands on Emery. Not when it seemed he’d already gotten away with at least one hit, judging by the bruise on Emery’s cheek. I stepped between them and grabbed the young man’s arm, halting his movement. He struggled to pull back his hand, and for a few seconds, I tightened my hold on him.
I hadn’t seen the start of the fight, but I knew without a doubt he’d been the one to initiate it.
“Will somebody explain what’s going on?”
About a dozen students started talking at once. I released my grip on Priest. “Stop! You, Priest, want to explain yourself?”
“She punched me.”
“My pronouns are he and him, you fucking asshole. Use them,” Emery growled and would have launched himself at his opponent had I not caught him around the waist and pulled him back.
“Emery, you need to calm down,” I said sternly.
“I don’t need to do shit. He’s been fucking with me since my first day in this school, and this is the last fucking straw.”
His body was tight with rage, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he started frothing at the mouth. It was clear that what Priest had done this time was the drop of water that had caused the bucket of anger and hurt to overflow.
The school took fighting seriously, and whether or not he’d started it, enough students were filming the scene, broadcasting Emery’s belligerence. His behavior wouldn’t be excused because someone had pushed him too far.
“Priest, kindly make your way to the principal’s office.”
“B-but I did nothing wrong. I was defending myself.”
“You ripped my pants.”
“It was an accident.”
“This was an accident?” Emery spun around, showing the huge tear at the back of the lightweight material of his pants. Black lace crested his bare ass cheeks, giving everyone an eyeful of his round ass. There was no way a rip that big was an accident.
“Fuck.”
Oh hell, I was going to regret letting that word slip out while being filmed, but having a student’s bare ass presented to me wasn’t something I’d have expected in a million years. I shrugged my blazer off, wound it around Emery’s lower half, and knotted the arms around his waist.
“We need to take this to the principal’s office.” When Priest opened his mouth again, I pinned him with a glare. “Save it for the principal. I don’t need to hear it.”
His face turned red, and he huffed as he stalked out of the cafeteria. Emery made to follow him, but I held him back. The two needed some space between them. I didn’t trust the pint-sized boy not to let anger get the best of him.
“You, sit right there.” I indicated the bench where Emery had been sitting before. He opened his mouth as if he might argue, and for a second, I thought he was going to defy me, but he let out a frustrated huff and plunked his ass in the seat. Mandy threw an arm around his shoulders.
“Every one of you who made a video of this needs to delete it right now.” Wishful thinking, but I could try. “If we get word that any of you posted this video to your Instagram, your TikTok, or whatever names they’re using these days, I’ll personally oversee your detention.”
Since I didn’t dare leave the students alone, I made a call to have another teacher sit in for the rest of the lunch session. By the time I was relieved, Emery had cooled down.
With his head hung, he walked ahead of me to the principal’s office. Throughout the whole incident, Mandy had been trying to get my attention, but I’d ignored her. The last thing I needed was for the entire school to get the impression I was on Emery’s side—although I was—because he was friends with my daughter.
We walked along the hall, neither saying a word, and then Emery stopped.
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice small, tears streaming down his face. Emery’s crying threw me. He didn’t avoid confrontations from what I’d seen. He’d been ready to go another round with Priest, showing the whole school that he was tough. That he could fight his own battles.
But that little crack in his veneer that had him crying in the hall stirred me.
“I didn’t mean to curse at you when you helped me not get my ass beaten.”
I frowned. “If you thought you had no chance of winning, why did you fight back?”
“Because I’m tired of being somebody’s punching bag. I don’t care if I lose as long as I get a punch in too.”
My chest tightened, and it took everything inside me not to pull him into my arms and reassure him that no one was ever going to treat him like a punching bag again. Not while I was around.
“Hey, it’s okay. I know you were angry, and after your last interaction, I can see why your anger is justified. Just be careful you don’t give up your rights by also doing wrong, okay?”
He nodded.
“Now, I need you to be calm and explain everything once you get to the principal’s office. Don’t look at Priest. Tell yourself he’s not there and give your side of the story. I’m sure there are enough witnesses who can confirm the truth of what happened. Do you understand, Emery?”
He nodded again and rubbed his face with the back of his hands. “Do you think I can stop at the bathroom and wash my face first?”
“Sure. That’s not a bad idea.”