Page 6 of Reformation

And I was completely right about Cullen Dixon. That boy is going to double my weekly wine consumption. I’ve never had to talk with a parent about a child’s behavior in the first week, and Charlie wasn’t surprised at all when I called her. In fact, her reply was, “Wow, we made it until day three. I owe my husband twenty dollars.”

But, when a kid yells “shit” when he drops a crayon and “dammit” when he messes up his ABCs, I have to step in.

The next day, Cullen came into class with the saddest set of puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. He apologized for saying bad words and promised to never do it again. My heart melted at his sweet eyes and sad tone.

That lasted until lunch, when I heard him tell a few boys in class that his new toy was “badass.”

That boy will definitely be one to remember, yet I have a feeling that after the year is over, he is going to hold a special place in my heart. It’s weird how that works.

Oh, and he is planning on staging a rebellion with Penelope. I know this because Michaela totally ratted them out. See, perfect score.

“What does everyone have on tap for the weekend? Who has the hot dates that we can dissect on Monday?”

The question comes from Chad, the art teacher. He’s the only one in our group in a committed relationship—he and his partner Michael have been together for four years. We’d kick him out of the group for being coupled up if his stories of the gay scene in Virginia Beach weren’t so good.

Sarah speaks up first, filling us in about the guy she met on a dating app. Cassie then goes into a diatribe about the problem with online dating and dating apps—one we have all heard many times over.

I glance to my left and I catch Patrick looking my way. I know he wants to know if I have a date this weekend. I know he wants to ask me out. I can see it in his eyes. Bless his heart, he never has. Which is good, because then I have never had to turn him down.

Although, if I were to date, it would be someone exactly like Patrick. Good-looking without being distracting. Smart. Funny. Loves kids. Stable.

But I don’t date. At all. I’ve tried a few times, and it’s just not worth it. Plus, I don’t have the time, and frankly, I don’t have the energy. Especially when my time can be spent doing something much more meaningful. Things that will help people.

I didn’t date in high school. I knew I was leaving behind my small town in Alabama the second I graduated, and I didn’t want anything… or anyone… holding me back when I made my way to Virginia for college.

Once I got to Virginia Tech, I didn’t seek out dating, I just kind of ended up with Jason. Still, to this day I don’t know if he was my boyfriend. He was sweet, in my freshman English class, and I was immediately drawn to his vintage T-shirt collection. We began studying together and I went with him to a few parties. After one of those said parties, one where I had too much jungle juice, our normally light make-out session crossed the line.

I lost my virginity in a small twin bed in his dorm room.

We never studied together again.

“What about you, Blackstone?” Chad asks. “What do you have cookin’ this weekend?”

I finish my margarita, licking the last bit of salt from the rim as I mentally put together my weekend calendar.

“Well, tomorrow I’m volunteering at the drug counseling center. Then there is a blood drive on Sunday I signed up for. Oh, I forgot that sometime this weekend I have to put together the agenda for the parent-teacher fundraising meeting next week. I think I have finally convinced the school to start a spring food drive, so I have to have all the details ready to present or else The Helicopters will try to take over.”

“What? You aren’t already starting to plan for the Christmas music program?”

“You’re right! I should start thinking about that. I bet if I—”

“Paige, I was joking,” Chad says, shaking his head at me. “My dear, sweet Paige. One of these weeks I’m going to ask you what you’re doing, and instead you’re going to reply with who you are doing.”

I flag down the waitress as I ignore Chad’s comment. So what if I prefer volunteering over dating? I might not have much in terms of romantic experience, yet I have to believe that giving back to the community will give me more fulfillment than a date with forced conversation, awkward flirting, and a fake promise to do it again sometime. I’ve heard the horror stories from my friends. Dating sounds absolutely awful.

Plus, I love giving back. Besides teaching, it’s my true passion. Volunteering started as a way to heal my broken soul and eventually became something in my life I didn’t know I needed.

I mean, honestly, it might not give me orgasms, but it leaves me feeling warm inside. That’s sort of the same thing, isn’t it?

And after the life I’ve led, I’ll take that all day, every day.

Chapter Five

Garrett

“Where are you going?”

Annika’s voice startles me as I’m reaching into the refrigerator for a bottle of water. I had really hoped that when I came home to change before Cullen’s music program that I wouldn’t run into my wife.

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