Page 2 of Monster

“Please pick that up.”

We were in the middle of a crowded hallway. The kids had more energy now because it was almost time for school to be let out.

He nodded and picked up the paper before turning around, shooting me a sheepish smile that was quite charming on his face, and walking off, catching up with his friends at the end of the hallway.

He was popular in school.

Not only with the boys, but with the girls as well. And the last thing any of the teachers needed on any day was to hear from another adolescent girl just how “cute” Braxton was and how they wanted him to give them their first kiss.

That was a regular occurrence for me each morning before my class started, and I could get the kids under control.

I smiled a little.

Middle-schoolers were cute, in a very awkward kind of way.

Middle school was a unique time, and I had almost forgotten how it was for me until I came here and interacted with these little kids.

I could hear Braxton’s playful laugh even after he turned the corner. He was loud and drew attention wherever he went.

For now, it was because of his personality and likability. I had no doubt that things would be different years down the road when he would be known as more than Dominic Madden’s second son.

Braxton was a wild little thing—or not so little. He already towered over the eighth graders, and I had no doubt he would be as tall as his father once he got older.

But if the gossip in this school was anything to go by, Braxton was considered tame compared to his older brother, Kai, who had just graduated from college last year.

Rumor had it that Kai had pledged to be a member of the King’s Men and was set to inherit his father’s criminal enterprise.

I tried not to pay too much attention to it, but the King’s Men Mc was an exciting topic around here. They were sometimes talked about on the local news as well, when they decided to set up some charity event, or if something terrible but unexplainable happened around the city.

I was sure that was nothing more than a front.

I couldn’t really wrap my head around the fact that the parent of one of the students here would be involved in some sketchy shit.

Besides, the teachers in this school loved nothing more than gossip. It was like fodder for circus animals.

Frenzied and desperate.

I couldn’t bring myself to join in the gossip, though that didn’t stop it from getting to my ears. Not when the teachers all talked about it in the teacher’s lounge.

I have been a sort of outcast for not joining in thefun. And perhaps that was why, even after a full year of teaching music, I still hadn’t made a single connection with anyone in this school.

Or perhaps the other teachers looked down on me because I taught music.

I wouldn’t be teaching at all if my life had panned out the way I’d planned.

My hands shook, and I tightened my grip around the bottom of my shirt. I hadn’t even realized I had been playing with it.

I automatically let it go.

The final bell rang, and as if by magic, all but a few students disappeared from the hallway, already outside and planning for their summer.

I sighed and headed back into the music room, looking at all the equipment I needed to put into storage, all the belongings I needed to gather, and everything I needed to clean before I could really enjoy my summer.

Being an adult sucked.

And there was no time for self-pity.

I quickly got to work.

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