He peered into Kilmeade's room, nodding solemnly. He did that a lot, the solemn nodding. He was a solemn guy, a serious guy. I was the polar opposite—as my ball jokes proved—but that wasn't going to be an issue for us. I'd had my share of good-time guys and the good times never lasted terribly long. Maybe it was time to get serious.
"Does that mean they're rude, disgruntled, and sedentary?"
"That's a good one, Hayzer." I rubbed the back of my neck. "No, they're wicked awesome teachers. The kids love them like crazy. But if Shay and Jaime are a piña colada, Emme and Grace are a Dark 'n' Stormy. You'll see what I mean when you meet them. They're all close friends and rock-star teachers, but they're also very different." I rubbed my neck again. Everything felt so damn tight. "If you're up for it, I could round up some people for a beer, maybe some bowling. We do that a lot around here. Maybe tonight? Or tomorrow, if that works better."
Jory bit his lower lip, glanced away. "I'll think about it. Okay? Today was—well, it was a lot. I'm trying to process everything, and I'm sure I have a ton of work to do setting up my room, and then there are a few more days of new teacher in-service before the rest of the staff returns and I'm just—"
"Hey." I rested my palm between his shoulder blades. Under that shirt, he was all tension. "Hey, hey. It's all good. There's plenty of time to meet everyone. We've got all year. Don't sweat it."
He gave me an unconvincing nod and my stomach twisted. What was I thinking? He'd probably spent the day being hit over the head with policies and protocols. The last thing he needed was forced socialization with his new colleagues.
"No, I'm sorry. You're being so helpful and I'm spinning out over nothing." He cut his hands through the air as if he was clearing away the things that troubled him. "I'd really dig a chance to meet everyone. I'm not great at bowling but—"
"I can help you with that," I interrupted. "Phys ed teachers can't help with much, but bowling is our lane."
Jory stared at me, his lips pursed as he fought back a smile. I wanted to kiss him more than anything. More than anything at all. I settled for keeping my hand on his back.
"Gym puns, huh?" he asked. I nodded, matching his grin. "Thank you for doing this. These little details really help me feel like I know what's going on here."
"You're welcome," I replied. We smiled at each other for so long, the motion sensitive lights above us turned off.
He glanced at the last two doors. "I guess we should keep moving."
I dropped my hand from his back. "Fourth and fifth grade. Audrey Saunders started out in fourth when she came here but moved up to fifth with her class a few years ago. Everyone loves Audrey because she's the sweetest lady ever and also because she brings in homemade cookies and cakes almost every week."
Jory patted his flat belly. "Audrey and I are going to be best friends."
"We have a new person in fourth grade. Elton or Eldon, I can't remember which one is correct."
His eyes brightened as he shifted to face me. "Tall, slender, Black guy? Yeah. I'm not sure if it's Eldon or Elton either but I met him today. He's a kickass teacher. Makes me want to go back to fourth grade."
"Can I ask you something?"
Jory nodded, stepped closer. I had to fold my arms over my chest to keep from dragging him even closer and finally, finally feeling him against me. "Yeah," he replied, a half smile pulling at his lips. "Go for it."
At some point during the day, he'd abandoned the tie and opened the buttons at his throat. I couldn't stop staring at the exposed skin there. Not a freckle in sight. I'd never cared about the absence of freckles before but now it seemed like an opportunity, a challenge to study every inch of his skin. "What was your weird interview question?"
His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Lauren asks everyone a weird question," I answered, referring to Lauren Halsted-Walsh, the school principal. "There's always one bizarre, left-field question." Thinking back several years to my interview, I laughed. "She asked me how I'd handle a one-on-one conversation with a kid about body odor."
"Why would you have to handle a conversation like that?"
“As I’ve mentioned, I teach phys ed and health. I'm the one who gets to talk to these kids about their changing bodies. Or, that was how it was explained to me by Lauren. Keep in mind, I was twenty-four at the time, fresh out of student teaching, and on my third or fourth real job interview ever. Because scooping waffle cones at the old creamery in Needham did not require an extensive hiring process, you know?"
Jory snorted a laugh and my heart was pounding right out of my chest. "Okay, so how did you answer?"
"Oh, I didn't just answer the question," I said. "We role-played the conversation. She played the part of the shy-but-oblivious kid who hadn't discovered deodorant, and I played the part of the supportive coach who wanted to chat about good hygiene practices as we grew up. She asked random questions just like a sixth grader would. It was tough, man. Really tough. The whole time, I was convinced I wasn't getting the job."
"But, you did," he said.
"I mean, I'm here. I did something right," I replied. "Everyone has a weird interview question story, so I know you have one. Out with it, Hayzer."
He scratched his neck before answering. "She asked me what I'd do if I uncovered an underground slime ring. I wasn't completely clear what she was asking because the slime trade hasn't been an issue at any of my schools. I've dealt with water bottle flipping and Pokémon card hustlers, but not so much the slime. Once she painted the picture of a network of slime sellers all reporting to a slime kingpin, I understood."
"Oh, that's a good one. Last year's fifth graders were all about slime. You'll get plenty of that with your sixth grade class." I gestured for him to continue. "What was your brilliant response? Don't try to tell me it wasn't brilliant. I can tell you're a smart one."
Jory blushed. He actually blushed and I wanted to kiss every inch of that glow. Maybe it wasn't about the freckles or the glow but a runaway desire to kiss him, to explore him.
Forget ten steps ahead. I was a hundred steps ahead. A thousand.
"I proposed first identifying the key players and turning that information over to the administration," he said. "Then, conducting a lab experiment to explore the way bacteria living on slime multiplies when it exchanges hands with increasing frequency."
"Capitalizing on the gross factor. I like it." I stepped toward the staircase because I was going to touch him if I didn't. "I bet you want to see the middle grade hallway."
Jory followed me up the stairs. "You're right about that. I have a recurring nightmare about my classroom being a big pile of desks and chairs, a couple of beakers, and one uncalibrated scale. It's a recurring nightmare based in reality because I've inherited that situation a few times now."
When we reached the landing, I said, "You have nothing to worry about."
"I have everything to worry about," he murmured. "Always do."