Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 67553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67553 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 338(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
“I’m just gonna…” I stepped away from the phone.
I couldn’t watch anymore.
Couldn’t really breathe, either.
Years.
I’d spent four years with his man.
Jolessa, my so-called best friend, had set us up on a blind date.
I’d been half in love with him by the end of it.
I’d been more than in love with him the next month when I found out he was the newest teacher at West Dallas High.
Ever since the day I’d asked him if he wanted to have lunch with me in the cafeteria, we’d been together.
We’d been happy.
At least, I’d thought we were.
Hours passed as I put on a fake smile and taught the rest of my classes.
I got a ton of pitying looks from the kids—all of them aware of who Principal Tomlinson was to me. Hell, most of them had classes taught by him at the beginning of their high school careers.
This was a hard blow for everyone, but most of all, me.
If I got one more “are you okay,” I was going to scream.
Luckily, my last class was a study period, so no one would miss me.
The moment I was free, I started my march toward the stupid trailers that housed administration.
All of the teachers that I passed gave me wide eyes and thumbs up, knowing exactly where I was headed.
“What that mouth do, baby?” a man holding a jackhammer up with his hips asked.
I turned my angry gaze to him, and I saw him swallow hard, realizing that I wasn’t one to be fucked with today.
My brothers liked to call it my “crazy eyes.”
Likely, they saw that I was about to lose it, and didn’t want anything to do with me.
I could only imagine what my face looked like right now. “Probably hurt your feelings, sir.”
He nodded, his eyes still wide, and said, “Sorry.”
“You better be,” I grumbled and kept stomping toward the office.
The year had started with a bang—a water main breaking bang.
It’d flooded the entire front office, forcing the upper house to move into the parking lot in a rented trailer.
I, of course, expected to find Rupert in the trailer.
What I hadn’t expected to find was the superintendent standing over him, watching him pack his desk.
The superintendent, Dr. Musgraves, a board-certified child psychologist turned teacher, turned superintendent, was a great guy.
But today he had a terrible look on his face as he watched Rupert finish packing his bags.
“You are asked not to come back onto school property,” Dr. Musgraves rattled on, seeing me and not caring.
I crossed my arms over my chest and watched the scene.
The door behind me opened, and I moved to the side to see multiple police officers enter the office, one of whom had a cuffed Jolessa with him.
My gaze took them all in, and I nearly laughed when Jolessa saw me standing there and flinched.
“Rupert Tomlinson, you’re under arrest for…”
I didn’t listen to the rest. I walked outside, didn’t spare Jolessa a glance, and headed for my car in the parking lot.
I’d seen enough, of course.
“Ms. Sweat!”
I stopped short of entering the teacher parking lot and found Dr. Musgraves standing there, breathing hard.
“Yes?”
“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted.
I rubbed at my eyes with the tips of my fingers and said, “You and me both, Dr. Musgraves.”
“Both have been terminated,” he said. “I would highly suggest you find a different place to live, though. It’s best not to be associated with him right now. It might give the school board the wrong impression.”
I was already nodding my head. “I’m actually headed to U-Haul right now. I’m going to call my brothers, and we’re going to get my stuff packed up tonight. I’ll be out of his house by nightfall.”
“Good.” He cupped my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ms. Sweat.”
I laughed humorlessly. “Not as sorry as I will be when I have to tell my brothers what happened.”
His smile was soft when he said, “Let me know if you need anything.”
I looked at my feet. “Thank you, Dr. Musgraves.”
“Be safe.”
Then he was heading back to the offices, where I could now see my asshole ex being led out in handcuffs.
“…said that it was indecency with a minor,” I heard someone say from behind me.
I felt decidedly empty as I watched them go.
Honestly, as I made my way home that night and entered my house, I truly didn’t think that anything could make this day worse.
Truly, I didn’t.
But then I started getting text messages from my work colleagues.
There was a new group chat—sans Jolessa—talking about something that I didn’t want to even contemplate.
There was no doubt in my mind that they were trying to comfort me for the day.
Truly, I would rather die right now, drown in the bowl of cereal I was making for myself, than look at that group chat.
But it was so persistent that I realized that I would have to mute it.