Chapter 11: Chapter 11

Ru’s classroom was almost ready to greet students Monday morning. She just needed Candice to come help her with a few things, and she’d be all ready, which was a good thing because that day—Friday—would be full of meetings. She always wondered why administrators thought it was a good idea to plan a day of trainings on the last possible day before students came in, as if teachers wouldn’t be completely distracted, wanting to be in their classrooms.

She’d met her students the night before at Meet the Teacher, and she just knew this was going to be a great year. There were some familiar faces since she’d been teaching here long enough to start having siblings of former students. A few of the parents told her how happy they were that they had another child in her class. That was one of the rewarding parts of being a teacher, getting to interact with families who really appreciated what she was doing. Sometimes, parents didn’t always understand everything that went on at school, and feelings could get hurt, but good communication seemed to go a long way toward mending all that.

Glancing at the clock, Ru saw that she had about twenty minutes before her first meeting. She wanted to get name tags on all of the desks before she left. It was one thing she could do herself. She also had the ladder set up in the corner, but she wasn’t about to climb it, not after last time. Principal Long had already forbidden it.

She sat down behind her desk with a stack of laminated desk name tags, a marker, and her class roster, ready to check one more task off her list, when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her mother, she let out a sigh and picked it up. If she ignored her, she’d call all day long, and even with her phone on vibrate, that would get annoying. “Hello?”

“Ruin? Where are you?”

“I’m at work, Mom. What’s up?” She tried to ignore the accusatory tone; where else would she be?

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were going to be here on time today. You know how important it is, don’t you? The other night, you talked like you didn’t get it.”

“I know, Mom. I’ll be there.”

“You’d better be. If you’re not, and this party gets ruined, like pretty much anything else you have your hand in, I’m holding you responsible.”

Ru didn’t appreciate the way she said “ruined,” emphasizing the part that was her name. “It won’t be ruined.” She said the words, but she had no way to know for sure. Earlier in the week, her hair dryer had caught fire, but then she should’ve known not to be using one anyway. Avoidance was key, and she’d gotten lackadaisical. She wouldn’t let that happen with Melissa’s party.

“All right. Don’t forget, four o’clock sharp.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Her mother hung up without so much as a goodbye, and Ru groaned as she dropped her phone onto her desk and her head into her hands.

“Everything okay?”

She looked up to see Cutter standing in her doorway and immediately folded her arms, trying to force a smile and change her countenance. She’d gotten to know him a little better over the last few days, and he really was a very nice guy. He was dressed in light brown slacks and a shirt just a shade lighter with a brown tie, and as always, he looked delicious. Of course, Ru was well aware he was far out of her league, and she wasn’t even contemplating the possibility of being anything more than friends, which alleviated any pressure of trying to be more than she was.

“Oh, hi. Good morning. Yeah, it was just my mom. My sister’s birthday party is tonight, and she wants me to be there by 4:00 to decorate. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll pull that off since I have to be here until 3:45 and Tarrytown is more than a fifteen minute drive, but I guess I’ll figure it out.” She knew she was oversharing, but the frustration had mounted, and apparently, she needed to vent to someone.

“Yeah, that might be a challenge. Your room looks good. You all done?”

“Thanks,” Ru replied, looking around. It did look nice, if she did say so herself. She had been going for fun and inviting, and she thought the pastels she’d chosen would be calming. Most of her décor consisted of borders on the walls for student work that would start to appear in a few weeks. “I still have some posters to hang up there, but I’ve got to wait for Candice for that.” She eyed the ladder; they were not friends.

“Why is that?” Cutter asked, crossing his arms as he walked into her room and stopped by her desk. “She’s not taller than you.”

Ru giggled. Candice was about six inches shorter than she was. “No, it’s just….” She hesitated, not sure if she should tell him. If they were going to be friends, she may as well. Besides, he’d probably already seen a bit of her chaos earlier in the week. While she’d only broken the copier and no other appliances, she’d managed to knock a stack of papers over and had a pen explode in her hands, spraying ink all over the empty chair next to her. Thank goodness no one was sitting there. “I’m not supposed to climb the ladder. Anymore.” She looked up at him through the ends of her bangs before brushing them out of her face.

“Anymore?” Cutter repeated, looking at her suspiciously.

“Yeah. There may have been an incident last year.”

He chuckled. “But it looks like you survived.”

“Yes, but let’s just say there used to be a houseplant over there on top of that filing cabinet, and there isn’t one now.”

His chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. Taking a step toward the ladder, he said, “Well, I’m taller than you, I think. What do you need done?”

“Oh, Cutter, you don’t have to do that,” she protested, standing up and banging her knee on the side of her desk. She winced but tried to hide the pain.

“I might not have to, but I want to.” He placed his hand on the ladder and turned to smile at her. “I don’t mind, Ru.”

Despite her decision that they would make lovely friends, looking directly into his eyes still made her a little breathless. Something about the electricity within them stirred a reaction she couldn’t explain. “Well, I just need these four posters hung up there, above the cursive alphabet. I already put ticky-tack on the backs.” She had them laid out on a table underneath the row of windows.

“No problem. Let’s get it done.”

It would be better if it was finished before the meeting so she didn’t have to worry about it all day, and she could finish the name tags after lunch. That way, if the last meeting got out early, she could sprint to her car and go without worrying about her classroom not being completed. Not that she expected the meeting to get out early, but she could dream. Glancing up at Cutter standing on the ladder next to the wall also inspired fantasies of a totally different kind. She rushed off to grab the first poster.

“So, maybe right here?” he asked as she handed it up to him.

“Yes, that looks good,” she agreed. They were inspirational posters, meant to keep her kids positive. All pleasant thoughts left her mind as the sound of a new voice echoed through her room.

“Well, looky here. Ru’s already got you doing her bidding.” The tone was an attempt to be light and playful, but it still grated on her nerves.

“She is quite the taskmaster,” Cutter teased, pressing the final corner against the wall before descending so he could move the ladder. “Good morning, Jane. How are you?”

“Just peachy.” Ms. Owen was wearing a black pencil skirt with a mostly black top, though the piping was white. It seemed everyone was dressed up today. Ru had worn a floral print dress in pinks and whites because that’s what she’d planned to wear to the party tonight, assuming she didn’t get anything on it. She had a backup dress in her car. She assumed Jane’s look had more to do with the gentleman climbing back up the ladder. The week had been a bit of a tug-of-war as Candice and Jane fought for Cutter’s allegiance. Ru had left all of that up to them and attempted just to get to know the man, though she was fairly certain he’d side with her and Candice should a decision need to be made. She handed up the second poster.

“Did you need something?” Ru asked, forcing a smile as she faced her nemesis.

“Actually, I did. I spoke to the custodian after school yesterday. Rosie—you know her?”

Ru nodded. Of course she did.

“She mentioned that you’ve been leaving your light on and your door open. You know that’s against policy. You’ll need to stop doing that.”

Her eyebrows went up. She’d spoken to Rosie about it not long after she’d started working there, and she assured her both matters were fine. The motion sensors were there for a reason. “She’s never said anything to me.”

Cutter was ready for the third poster, and Ru picked it up off of the table and walked it over to him as Jane replied, “I think she was afraid to.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, catching Cutter’s eyes. He looked as confused as she felt, but he seemed to be trying to stay out of it.

“She is a little afraid of you. You can be intimidating, you know?”

Ru giggled—she couldn’t help it, but then she saw that Jane was serious. “Me? Intimidating?”

With a shrug, the team leader replied, “That’s what she said. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what agreement you thought you had with her. You’ll have to start turning off the lights and shutting your door.”

The thought of having to flip the light switch and unlock her door every morning was almost enough to give Ru a panic attack. She knew she’d be blowing through bulbs at an unbelievable rate. But what could she say? “Fine,” she muttered.

A triumphant smile beamed from Jane’s face. “Perfect! Now, don’t forget, the meeting starts in ten minutes. We’ll need to all sit together.” The last comment was directed at Cutter, who sometimes sat with Coach Clark.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. He smiled when he said it, but there was an edge to it, like he was also a bit put off by her bossiness.

Jane laughed like he’d said the funniest thing on earth, batted her eyelashes at him for a moment, and then turned and sauntered out the door, her hips attempting to send him a message as she went. While Ru found it slightly humorous that he wasn’t even looking in her direction, worry about her message was still eating at her, and it wasn’t until Cutter rested his hand on her shoulder that she snapped out of her daze. He’d hung the last poster without her help.

“Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” she stammered as he pulled his hand away. “I just…. It’s fine.”

“Ru, I’ve noticed you avoid electronics. Why is that?”

The sincerity in his face compelled her to tell him the truth, even though she thought it was crazy to divulge her secrets to someone she’d only met a few days ago. Even Candice didn’t know the extent of her problem. Nevertheless, he’d asked, and she didn’t want to lie to him. “I, uh, don’t do well with them. I’m always… shorting them out. I’m not sure what it is.”

“Well, that’s got to be frustrating,” he said, and while his face did show concern, he didn’t seem surprised or amused.

“It is,” she admitted. “I can’t tell you how many small appliances I’ve broken. At home, it’s a little easier because I can take certain precautions, but here….” Thoughts of walking around at school with thick oven mitts on both hands had her practically rolling her eyes.

“Well, look, I get here about the same time as you every day. I don’t mind stopping by and unlocking your door, flipping on your lights. It’s no problem.” His eyes showed he was nothing but sincere in his suggestion.

Ru didn’t know what to say. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she said, though her first impulse was to say thank you. She fought it and went back to her tradition of assuming she was a burden; that was what she was most comfortable with.

“Yes, this is quite the hardship.” He flipped his finger up and down several times, as if he were turning the lights on and off.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“I mean, I could sprain a finger, but until that happens, I think I can manage.”

He sounded a bit like an exasperated teen, and Ru laughed even harder. “Thank you, Cutter. I really appreciate it. And… Jane probably doesn’t need to know about… any of this.”

“No problem,” he replied, and she was sure he meant on both accounts. “I’m guessing there’s more to that mom situation, too,” he continued, his voice softening, “but we can save that for the next episode of Dr. Phil.”

Nodding, Ru caught his eyes. There was something about the way that he looked at her that made her think it was okay to tell him anything. It was almost like a trance of sorts. Breaking away from his gaze, she physically shook her head and attempted to clear her thoughts as well. “Yeah, right. We need to get to the meeting now, anyway.”

“Yep,” he replied. “I’m going to go grab a pen.” He headed for the door. “Think Candice is here yet?”

“Probably just coming in the door,” Ru laughed. She had no idea why Candice was always late. She only lived a few minutes away and only had herself to get ready and just one pet.

“I’m here!” she hollered, flying in the door closest to their classrooms. “Save me a seat!”

“Will do,” Ru replied. She had her water bottle, phone, a notepad, and a pen. She didn’t think she’d need anything else, but then, she wasn’t really sure what they were doing. She headed for the library, and Cutter caught up to her. Smiling up at him, she felt like she had made another good friend, which was nice. Candice was great, but she wasn’t always available. It was nice to know there was someone else she could lean on if she needed to.