Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70741 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
He’d missed more than a year of school and was just now getting back to his scheduled classes. So not only was he just now returning, but all of his old friends were seniors this year and leaving him behind.
“I’m fine,” Morgan lied. “Can we go inside?”
He looked away and fidgeted, clearly agitated.
“What’s a soldier’s least favorite month?” I blurted.
I wanted a smile out of this kid’s mouth more than I wanted to feel Ezra’s attention focused entirely on me.
Morgan had suffered through quite a bit, and it was very rare that I saw the poor thing smile.
“Ms. Crusie…”
I grinned, knowing I had him.
“Fine. What month?” he asked, a small smile popping out over his lips.
“Allich.”
He snorted, rolling his eyes like every teenager had before him.
“That’s so corny,” he grunted. “You ready to teach me something new?”
“Well,” I said, walking around the kid. “According to Quentin, there’s nothing that I’m teaching today that y’all didn’t learn last semester.”
I rolled Morgan through the door and to the special table that was put into the classroom specifically for him.
Ezra looked up, interest clearly written on his face, as we entered.
He didn’t stop talking about this Friday’s baseball game against Center, though.
“…game is at six. I think Ms. Crusie should go, don’t y’all?” Ezra asked cheerfully.
“Nooooo!” every single one of my students replied, even Morgan.
I froze for a whole two seconds, before shaking my head. “Y’all don’t want me there. I’m bad luck.”
The entire room broke out in laughter, and they all took turns explaining just how bad of luck I really was.
Seriously, every single game I went to, whether it be football, soccer, baseball, or volleyball, all turned into a loss for our school.
I would not be attending any games in the foreseeable future.
At least, the students didn’t want me to, anyway.
I knew that just as well as they did.
“There was this one time that Ms. Crusie walked through the door of the volleyball game,” Andrea started. “She entered through the right-side doors and tripped and fell on a rug. When she fell, the drink she’d been holding spilled, causing the mascot to slip and fall, too. The sign he was holding went sailing across the court and knocked our middle blocker out cold. She ended up needing six stitches.”
Then it was Quentin’s turn.
“Last year, Ms. Crusie went to our junior varsity game against Tidestell. Do you remember Coach Roby telling you about how that ‘dumb lady with the heart of gold’ knocked out his star player? That was Ms. Crusie’s fault. Apparently, she tried to toss him a bottle of water, and it slipped through his hands and nailed him in the throat. He couldn’t catch his breath the rest of the game.”
Ezra’s eyes turned to survey me.
“She caused an accident, eh?”
I felt my face flame.
I caused a lot of accidents.
“All right,” I swallowed. “It’s time to get to work. Coach, thank you for sitting with my class for a moment.”
Ezra got up from where he was leaning against my desk, and the entire thing creaked when his bulk was lifted free.
I swallowed.
Just standing beside it, my desk that seemed so massive to me looked quite tiny and delicate compared to him.
He started walking toward me, and I went to move out of his way at the same time he grabbed my hand and tugged me with him.
I gave my class a look over my shoulder. “Flip to the correct pages and start working the equation in Test 2B.”
Groans followed my exit, and I was smiling when I finally came to a halt right outside the door.
That was when I realized that Ezra McDuff was still holding my hand.
His fingers wrapped clear around my wrist and overlapped themselves. Our skin couldn’t be more different. I had pale, pasty white skin where he had rough, tanned skin. He looked like he was outside all day everyday—which he was. I looked just like I stayed inside and didn’t dare venture out—which I didn’t.
Venturing out meant accidents and running into people that called me the plague.
That just wasn’t for me.
That, and I really loved to read. It was hard to read when there was direct sunlight glaring across your screen.
“Is Morgan all right?” he asked.
I melted a little bit at the concern in his voice.
“Yes,” I replied, smiling. “He’s okay. Well, he could be better, but I think he’s going to make it.”
He blinked. “I haven’t seen him in months. Not since his accident…he looks bad, Raleigh.”
I blinked.
That was the first time I’d ever heard him use my name. I hadn’t even realized that he knew my name.
He’d only ever called me Ms. Crusie.
“I know. But each day he gets a little bit better. I’m keeping an eye on him, and hopefully he’ll trust me if he ever has any problems,” I murmured.
I knew, better than anyone ever knew, what it was like to be an outsider in this very school.