Page 55 of Breakaway

He jumped out of the vehicle and walked toward the school. As he neared the entrance, he saw Griff pull into the parking lot. He worked with a different class…maybe he could offer to trade today?

Nah. Couldn’t do that. He had to see how Ryan was doing this week with Tom Sawyer. The kid reminded him of him at that age. Ryan was going to face the same struggles he had too. It made him ache for the little dude, but made him even more determined to try to help.

The kids and Remi were in her classroom. She was sitting at her desk and she looked up at him when he walked in and she kept her face from showing an expression, but she looked sad. There was no hiding that.

His heart squeezed. He tightened his mouth.

“Hey, Jase!” The kids all greeted him and crowded around him and he forced a smile.

They got busy with their reading activities and he signed all their forms listing all the books they’d read since last week. Some kids were crazy readers—a list a mile long—others like Ryan had only read one book.

“You finished it?” He looked at Ryan, who nodded, trying not to look pleased. “Good job, dude!” They bumped fists. “Let’s talk about it.”

Ryan was having a hard time today, Jase could tell. He was unfocused, fidgety; Jase knew the signs. He tried a few times to draw him back, but knew it wasn’t going to work today.

Then Remi came over, having noticed his struggles. “Ryan…what’s going on?”

No, no. Jase looked up at her and shook his head. He didn’t want the kid to get in trouble for something he couldn’t help.

“Nothing.” Ryan shifted in his seat one way, then the other.

“D’you need to go for a drink of water?” she asked him. “I’ll come with you.”

Jase watched them leave the class. He wanted to follow. He was worried for Ryan. What was she going to say to him? A memory flashed through his mind.“Stupid. You’re just stupid. Would you just sit still and pay attention.”

He remembered being taunted and teased by other kids, remembered defending himself with his fists instead of his brains and the shitloads of trouble he’d gotten into because of that, which hadn’t endeared him to his teachers at all.

He surged to his feet and strode across the classroom, leaving the kids on their own for a moment. He had to get to Ryan. He walked into the hall and stopped. Remi and Ryan stood there and she had her arm around his shoulders. “Did you take your medication today?” she asked softly.

Ryan said nothing, then shook his head.

“You have to take it,” she said. “Come on, Ryan. You know it’s important.”

“I hate taking it.”

“We talked about this before. Remember? About how smart you are and how the Ritalin helps you learn. If you miss out on stuff now, Ryan, it’ll be so hard to get caught up. That’s what it’s there for.”

Jase stared at them, his heart thudding, his breath choppy.

She’d told the kid he was smart.

His heart expanded till he thought it might burst out of his chest. Jesus. He wasn’tfallingin love with that woman. He wasinlove with her. Head over hockey skates in love with her.

Chapter Ten

Remi turned. “C’mon,” she said with a smile. “Let’s not waste the time that Jase is here…” And then she looked up and saw him standing in the door of her classroom and the look on his face made her knees fold. She almost couldn’t walk.

“Hey, Jase.” Ryan went up to him. “I…I’ll try to pay attention. Let’s talk about Tom Sawyer.”

Jase’s dark eyes met hers, catching her gaze and holding it. An invisible thread tugged between them, drawing her to him. Why was he looking at her like that? Like she’d sprouted pigs’ ears out of her head or something.

He kept staring at her even as Ryan went back into the class.

“What?” she whispered, eyebrows raised.

He said nothing, but followed her back into the class. He sauntered over to Ryan and they started talking and she went back to the other kids, but had a hard time dragging her gaze away from him.

Why had he followed her out into the hall? Why did he look so pole-axed?

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