I looked her in the eyes, not missing the smirk on her face as she watched me assess her.
“What are you thinking about?” she whispered.
“Is that a trick question?”
Alauni shrugged. “No, it’s an honest one.”
“Why are you playing with me right now? I thought you said that you stay on your professional shit when you’re at work.”
“I am being professional. Asking you what’s on your mind isn’t inappropriate.”
“It is when you know exactly what I’m thinking.”
With a lifted brow, she smiled, “I don’t know anything unless you tell me. Do you want to tell me, Coach Montgomery?”
I took a step forward but quickly stopped when Denver entered the room.
Shaking his head, he chuckled. “I find it interesting that the two of you are together in your free time. I wonder why that is.”
Alauni rolled her eyes and walked towards the door. “It’s not what you think. Goodbye.”
“You sure about that?”
Ignoring Denver, she continued her stroll out of the lounge, giving me an eyeful of what I wanted to palm like a damn basketball.
“You’re weighing her down, I see.”
“You think so?” I replied.
“Oh, I know so. She’s struggling to keep her cool. I know Alauni like the back of my hand. You’ve got her ass shook. I don’t know what you’re doing, but I suggest you keep at it. She’s about to crack.”
Laughing, I nodded. “Oh, I can definitely keep doing what I’m doing.”
“Damn, I walked right into that one, huh?”
“Yeah, you did.”
We made our way into the hall seconds after the tardy bell rang. The first face we saw creeping around the corner was Keyon.
He tried his best to back up and get out of sight, but he didn’t move fast enough. It wouldn’t have mattered how fast he ran, I would have noticed his lanky ass anywhere.
“What’s up, Key?” I called out. “Why are you late?”
“Am I late…or did the tardy bell ring too early?”
“Really?” I said, looking at him like he was crazy.
“What? Don’t act like it isn’t possible. Even technology makes mistakes.”
Denver shook his head and motioned for him to come closer. “This is my fourth time catching you in my hallway after the bell in the last two weeks. You’ve got some explaining to do.”
“The fourth time?” I questioned, surprised to hear that he’d been running behind so much.
“It’s not what it seems, Uncle Law.”
“It sounds like your ass has been late four times. Is that true?”
He nodded. “Okay, maybe it is what it seems, but I have a good explanation.”
