Scandalous Scotsman - M.J. Fields Page 0,46
asshole retorts.
“I’ve got zero chill in me for punks like you.”
If this kid asks for my daughter’s hand in marriage right now, I’d probably give him my blessing.
Standing outside room 234, looking inside, I see Kai lying on the rug, feet up on the wall, right next to Elizabeth, who’s in the same position.
Kai’s wearing some sort of navy-blue robe with shiny silver stars and moons all over it, still sporting my sunglasses. Elizabeth is in a similar robe.
“Look at us, two first day girls, and we made it, looking even cooler than we did coming in.” Elizabeth unwraps a lollipop and hands it to Kai, then unwraps one for herself. “Cheers.”
Kai looks over at her, and I assume she’s making a face because Elizabeth smiles, takes her lollipop, and taps it against Kai’s, making a clink sound.
“So, tomorrow, I get to spend forty minutes with you and your class, talking about my favorite things— art and magic. Do you like art and magic, Kai?”
Kai nods.
“Which is your favorite?”
Kai shrugs as she licks her lollipop.
“My mom loved magic. Harry Potter was her favorite book series. My dad loved art and made beautiful pictures that were truly magic. So, I can’t choose which one I like better, either. Because, even though they’re both in heaven, riding meteors and making stardust art, they’re still both with me in my heart and always a part of me.”
Kai looks over at her.
“Can I see your eyes, Kai?”
Kai shrugs.
Elizabeth leans in. “Oh, my! No wonder you keep them covered. Even through the glasses,” she now whispers, “I can see how magical they are.”
Kai’s lips pucker and do the twisty thing as she tries not to smile.
Elizabeth gasps. “They are, aren’t they?”
A small burst of laughter comes out of Kai.
“I knew it!”
She laughs again and covers Elizabeth’s mouth with her own hand.
Under Kai’s touch, Elizabeth whispers, “Oh, dear. Okay, okay, I’ll keep your secret. In fact, I’ll keep all your secrets.”
When I hear a whispered, “Thank you,” my heart nearly breaks.
“Thank you,” Elizabeth whispers back. “I’m so glad I found a special friend like you on my very first day.”
Kai holds up her lollipop, and Elizabeth taps it and whispers, “Cheers.”
When I feel my elbow getting jacked, pulling me away from the door, I whip my head around and see Tonya.
She holds a finger to her lips, telling me to shush, and then points for me to step aside.
Having had enough of her shit for one day, I’m about to tell her to kiss my ass, when she holds up a pile of folded clothes then tiptoes like she’s the Pink Panther and leaves the clothes just inside the door. Stepping back in a similar fashion, she nods toward the front door, and I really have no choice but to follow her.
Once outside, she sighs heavily, and the realization that I didn’t get a phone call about this situation hits.
“Why wasn’t I informed of the situation?”
“Would you had rather we called you and told you the moment it happened—”
“Yes.”
She gives me a tight smile. “Or take care of it so Kai wasn’t uncomfortable, and then call you?”
“I still haven’t received a call, Ms. Townley.”
“Which is because you told us you’d be picking her up, and we assumed that you’d be on your way. And look, you are.”
“In the future—”
“In the future, we will conduct emergency drills, and you won’t know until after, and we will continue putting the children’s needs first. But regarding this situation, I believe it’s best not to act like it even happened unless she tells you.”
“How did it happen?”
“Apparently, she didn’t ask to use the restroom at all today, and when the class was walking by the one closest to Lizzie’s room on their way to recess, she just snuck in and obviously was too late. Lizzie heard a child sniffling when she was walking by, and she went in and saw the cute little Converse and a puddle, and took care of it.”
“And how did Kai react?”
“Lizzie has a way of making even the most uncomfortable situations magical,” she sighs. “For everyone else except her, of course. Now here they come, so shh.”
When the door opens, I crouch down and open my arms. “Bring it in, a sheòid.”
She doesn’t hesitate, coming at me full steam.
I stand up with her in my arms and ask, “How was yer first day at yer new school?”
“Uneventful,” she whispers, and I can’t help laughing.
Before turning to walk away, I look at Elizabeth and mouth, “Thank