I laugh at that. Before her head injury, Jules never took a day off. She was known for working most weekends.
“It’s okay. I like to keep busy. Besides, it’s only a few things to pick up at the office and a few online courses to do. Should be done in a few hours.”
“Want to grab lunch? Ruby and the girls are worried about you. They want to start plotting revenge ideas as soon as you say it’s okay to do so.”
I laugh out of shock that they would be all in even though most of them just got to know me. “No, no revenge. But I am game for lunch.”
“Great! Call me when you’re done, and we can decide then. Talk soon. Love ya, bye.” She hangs up before I get to tell her bye, but I heard Flint call her name a second before she did, so no surprise there that she wasn’t waiting around for me to say my farewells.
I head back to my desk to settle in for the trainings I have to get done. I could have done them at home, but I needed to get out of my place. Needed to just not think for a while, and when I’m here, I seem to focus on the job a little better.
I’ve checked a few times over the past hour, and no motorcycle in sight. Probably a good idea that Reese didn’t bring his stalking duties to the school. Pretty sure the cops would have been called, no matter that the school is closed and the Hounds are respected. Bikers just don’t hang out in a school parking lot all day.
“Ms. B?”
I look up at my name being called a second before Hunter knocks on the door. “Hey. What are you doing here?” I stand because I hate sitting when a student comes to talk to me, even if we aren’t in school. I never want them to feel like I’m better than them or something.
“I got a call from the principal’s secretary asking for me to come in. Something about my grade.”
I jerk my head back at his words. “Grade? I submitted those already. You passed with flying colors and can return in the fall as a full senior like the rest of your class. What on earth would he have to tell you about your grade?”
He shrugs, his bag seeming heavier than usual as he barely lifts his shoulder. “Don’t know. I came in, but it was later than he asked. I didn’t get the message that he’d called till my foster dad gave it to me when I got off my night shift this morning. I haven’t been able to find him and figured you might know what it’s about.”
I shake my head. “I’m sorry, I don’t, but I can help you find him. Let me get my keys to lock up, and then we can look around. I’m sure he’s around here someplace if he asked you to come by.”
I grab my keys, putting my purse and phone in my desk drawer and locking it out of habit as I lead the way out of my room, shutting the door as we go since it locks naturally. All the school doors lock automatically after last year’s upgrades made to prevent school shootings.
“So you’re working nights now?” I say as we head down the hall.
He nods. “Yeah. My foster parents can’t keep me after I turn eighteen in a few months, and I need some cash to find a place to rent till I finish school.”
I watch out of the corner of my eye as he deflates on himself and looks to the floor as he continues to walk with me. No doubt knowing that once the fall semester starts, it’ll be twice as hard to keep up with work and school. Not to mention that he’ll have zero social life if he’s worried about keeping a roof over his head and his grades up.
“They can’t let you stay with them till you’re through high school?”
“Nah. Government stops paying once a kid ages out, no matter where they are in school. I think some foster parents will let a kid stay, but mine need the room to bring in the fresh crop.” He snarls at the last bit, making me curious if I should call Izzy to look into them. Hunter’s never mentioned anything bad about them before, but that means nothing in the long run. Kids clam up for all kinds of reasons, and if speaking out could get him kicked out, I can see why he wouldn’t say anything until now.
When we get to the front office, I don’t see anyone there, not even Janet, the front desk secretary. Which is odd, as she’s always here if Troy is. She treats him like her idiot grandson, thinking he can do nothing right without her help. To be fair, she treats us all like that. Well, not me. At least not since Reese came to talk to my class and she saw us walking out together. Now she just winks at me and tells me to have fun when she sees me.
“Well, I don’t see Janet. Do you think your foster dad could have gotten the message wrong? Maybe it was a different day or something?”
He’s shaking his head before he pulls out a piece of paper from his back pocket. “The guy might be many things, but he likes to take meticulous notes on everything. Here, you can see it was for today, but at nine, not ten. And it wasn’t Janet who called but someone named Carolyn.”
Of course Troy’s wife would claim to be someone important. “Well, Carolyn isn’t the principal’s secretary. She’s his wife. Not sure why she would call you, since she shouldn’t even have access to your files.”
I step into Troy’s office and see a typed note on his desk that simply readsGym. “Looks like he might be at the gym. Did you try there?”
“No, I didn’t come into his office. Just saw no one was here and walked around till I found you. I guess I would have eventually made it there if I hadn’t found you,” he says with a shrug, and I nod.
Makes sense that he wouldn’t come in here. Students are rarely allowed behind the front desk. It’s odd that Troy didn’t put this note on his office door, but he also rarely leaves his office door open without being here.
“Let’s go find Principal Troy. He might be in the gym, or maybe somebody out there knows where he is. I need to talk to him about this, too, as it’s against policy to give students’ information out, even to spouses.”
I’m fuming mad over this. My students should never have their privacy taken from them, even if it’s just their phone number. I bet Carolyn was trying to be helpful or something, but I still don’t like it. It’s not like Troy couldn’t have told Janet to take care of the phone call for him. She loves doing anything school related. She’s worse than me when it comes to her dedication for this job. Janet might seem like a grumpy old grouch, but she loves the kids. She especially loves making them squirm, and if she’s given the chance to call a student to come in over what little summer they have left, it would have tickled her pink with joy.
“Come on, maybe we can even lend a hand if Principal Troy doesn’t take too long talking to you. I was going to stop by here on my way out anyway, so this saves me a trip.”
“What are you helping with?”
