Page 43 of A Royal Menace

So, I do. I tell them about the convention and sharing a room––platonically––with Royal. Karaoke and the drunken almost-kiss in the elevator. His new habit of pouring my coffee in the staff breakroom. His efforts to keep his class noise to a minimum all week. And finally, his agreement to help me make my lessons more fun.

“He came over last night to help me plan. We had tacos and beer. We laughed, like,a lot. I felt a vibe. He checked me out a few times. I thought… I don’t know what I thought, but he didn’t make a move. I even hugged him before he left. Arealhug. Long and tight. He hugged me back, but that was it. And now, I’m going crazy because I know it’s for the best, but I can’t help feeling disappointed.”

“So, you like him now?” Joey asks, her surprise evident.

“Yeah, I do,” I admit quietly.

“Well, then, you should go for it. Ask him out, or something,” Joey says, surprising me a bit.

“I second that,” Raven chimes in firmly, not surprising me, at all.

“It’s risky,” Twila says, looking unsure. “If he says no, or even if he says yes and things don’t work out between you two, you’ll be stuck seeing him every day. You can’t exactly cut him out of your life if things go sour.”

Nobody speaks for several long moments, then I sigh. “Twila’s right. It’s not worth the risk.”

Joey’s face scrunches in thought before she asks, “But what if it is? What if Royal Manning is your person, and you’re tossing away a chance at something real because you’re scared?”

I blink a few times as I stare back at her. Joey might be my younger sister, but she surprises me sometimes with her mature insightfulness. My throat tightens as I digest her words.

Could she be right? And would finding out if Royal is my person be worth the risk?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Royal

From:Calliope Barnes

To: You

Subject: Thank you

Dear Royal,

This week has been amazing. There’s a spark in the kids’ eyes I’ve never seen before, and even my shyest and quietest students are eager to participate in class. Thank you so much for your help. I owe you.

Callie

From:You

To: Calliope Barnes

Subject: re: Thank You

Dear Callie,

You don’t have to thank me, and you don’t owe me anything. I’m happy to help anytime. We’re a team, remember?

Sincerely,

Royal

I smile as I send the response, but it falters a bit as I reread Callie’s initial email. I think that’s the first time she’s sent me one that hasn’t roasted me in some way. That shouldn’t be a bad thing, but for some reason, it feels like it might be. It seems like things have been weird between us all week.

Maybe “weird” isn’t the right word. We’ve chatted in the teacher’s lounge. Greeted each other with smiles and head nods. Had a couple of planning meetings for our upcoming field trip.

It all looks normal from the outside, but I’ve felt an underlying tension between us. The skin around Callie’s eyes has been a bit too tight. Her smile just shy of being completely natural. She always seems sort of…nervous.

And she’s not the only one. Every time we talk, my heartbeat accelerates, and my skin starts to itch. I’m transported right back to her apartment as she held me in a tight hug. But this time, in my mind, I don’t pull away. I tilt her head up and press my––

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