Page 12 of Hot Four Teacher (The Lawson’s #4)

Chapter twelve

Girl Problems Don't Scare Me

Dane

“ M r. Miller?”

I look up to see two of my female students standing at my desk.

“Lindsay, Annie, what can I do for you?”

I know it may seem crazy that I already know most of my students’ names when I’ve only been teaching for a few days.

But number one, my classes aren’t very big.

And two, all of these kids have already warmed up to me like I’ve been their teacher for years.

They have zero boundaries and are open about absolutely everything.

The principal was right. High schoolers are a breed all their own.

Lindsay says, “Ash and I were wondering if you would write us a note to get out of gym class.”

“Why? What’s wrong with you?”

Their confusion indicates that they weren’t prepared for any follow-up questions.

Lindsay says, “Uh…girl problems?”

“And why don’t you just tell Mrs. Magee that you are having girl problems and you need to sit out of class?”

“Because…uhm…” She looks to Annie for help, but she’s not giving any.

“Is it because you know Mrs. Magee would call you on your crap, but you’re hoping that I will hear girl problems and not want to ask any questions and will write you a note?”

Their faces fall as they respond with a deflated, “Yeah.”

I look back down at the paper I’m grading. “You’re going to have to do better than that. I have a sister. Girl problems don’t scare me.”

“Oh, come on, Mr. Miller. Today, we are running the mile, and it just sounds exhausting.”

“Yeah, I’ve done the mile before…in the military. Scratch that. It was five miles…in combat boots…and sand.”

Lindsay sighs. “I hate playing this game with you. The teacher before you was way easier to dupe. She didn’t care what we did.”

“I apologize for caring about your education.”

She sits on the edge of my desk but stands back up when she sees the look I’m giving her.

“Mr. M, don’t you think it would be fun if Ash and I were to come hang out with you?”

Faking some excitement, I ask, “Will you tell me all the hot gossip?”

“Uh, yes!” Her eyes light up.

“Then, absolutely not. That sounds like a horrible time.”

“You’re a cruel, cruel man, Miller.”

Annie chimes in with, “Totally.”

Oh, Annie. Definitely not the head of this operation.

When I don’t say anything, Lindsay goes on, “I just hate that I have to spend my senior year in gym class. It’s a total buzz kill.”

“You know, it’s your own fault. You could’ve taken it in your freshman, sophomore, or junior year. You have only yourself to blame for this,” I say, continuing to grade papers.

Seeing she’s not going to get me to change my mind, she changes the subject. “So, Mr. M, do you have a girlfriend?”

“Which answer will get you to leave me alone the fastest?”

“The truth.”

I highly doubt that.

“Uh, yes, I am seeing someone.” Maybe it’s not entirely true, but it’s not a total lie either. It’s more like wishful thinking on my part. If things go well with Michelle on Friday, maybe I’ll be seeing someone slightly more seriously .

Lindsay opens her mouth with what I’m sure will be a flurry of follow-up questions, but luckily, the bell rings. Nothing will stop a bunch of chatty teenagers faster than a loud annoying ringing that indicates the end of class.

Thankfully, my next period is a free one.

I usually need a little while to decompress after the seniors.

With them, it’s sort of a fifty-fifty crowd.

Half of the kids are already checked out and don’t want to do anything.

The other half are all fighting to be valedictorian and can think about nothing but being the best. There’s not a lot of middle ground.

While I have some quiet time, I turn on a podcast on my phone and keep grading papers.

I want to try to get them all done so that tonight, I can do nothing but relax.

I finally finished unpacking and just want to have a low-key night where I rot in front of the TV.

To do that, I need to get all of this graded.

Could I just push off grading until later if I don’t get it done? I could, but unfortunately, my brain doesn’t really work like that. If I have something to do, I can’t relax until it’s done. I’m sure that is thanks to all my time in the military.

Or maybe I’m just anal.

I get into a pretty good rhythm before I’m interrupted by Tony. I can definitely see what he meant about him not being a typical principal. He’s almost always roaming the halls and is rarely ever in his office. He’s the most involved principal I’ve ever worked for.

“Hi, Dane,” he greets with a smile.

“Hey, Tony.”

“Do you have a minute?”

“Sure.” I put the cap back on my pen. “Come on in.”

He walks inside and leans against one of the student desks before beginning to speak. “How much do you know about soccer?”

I sit in silence for a moment while I try to come up with my answer. His question caught me completely off-guard. “Uh, I mean, I guess I understand the basic principle of it.”

He smiles. “Okay, let me explain. The teacher you replaced used to coach our girls’ soccer team. When she got pregnant, we had a parent take over, but…let’s just say things aren’t going well.”

“How bad is it?” I ask.

“Well, they haven’t won a single game. Other parents are complaining, and the players are threatening not to come to games anymore.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, it’s not great.”

I sigh. “I’m not going to lie to you, Tony. I’m not sure if I would be any good at being a soccer coach.”

“Really, I just need you temporarily until I find another option. I’m a little up against a wall here.

Most all of the other teachers have other after-school sports or clubs that they run.

And the ones who don’t…well, I’m going to be honest…

they’re maybe not the best option to have in a coaching envi ronment. ”

I’m a little scared to ask him to elaborate on that, so I stay quiet.

He keeps going, “I don’t need a soccer savant. I just need someone to encourage the girls and make them feel like they matter. They got the short end of the stick, and I know none of it is fair to them.”

While every fiber of my being is telling me to say no to this, I also don’t want students to feel like they’re not being taken care of if I can help it.

Plus, I’m new around here, and I may need to garner some good favor just in case I need something in the future.

He keeps trying to convince me. “There are a couple practices this week, but then, this weekend, there aren’t any games or anything, so you’ll have a little time to get your feet wet. And I’ll keep trying to find a replacement in the meantime.

His pleas keep getting more and more desperate, so I decide to put him out of his misery.

“Alright, Tony. I’ll do it…on a temporary basis.”

A look of relief washes over his face. “Thank you, Dane. Really, you have no idea how awesome you are.”

He makes a little more small talk before heading out.

When he’s gone, the realization sets in of what I just agreed to. Tonight, I’m going to have to spend time researching soccer rather than relaxing.

Great.

My phone chimes next to me, so I grab it to see a text from Michelle.

Hey, Dane. Just wanted to let you know that we are all good for Friday night.

I can’t help but smile because I figured she’d bail on me.

After that, soccer suddenly doesn’t seem so bad.