Page 8 of The Jack*ss in Class

“Please.” She disappeared from the balcony. A moment later, the rope started moving upward. “I once hacked the dean of students’ laptop for fun. I think I can manage some basic pulley physics.”

I steadied the donkey as Parker hauled him up, praying he’d stay quiet. He seemed more interested in watching the ground get farther away, his tiny wings fluttering like he was trying to help.

“Hello?” Mrs. Henderson rounded the corner just as Parker grabbed the donkey and they tumbled onto the balcony. “Miss Navarro? What are you doing out here?”

“Just...” I gestured vaguely at my muddy clothes. “Getting some things from my car. Volunteering at the sanctuary. You know how it is.”

She sniffed. “You smell like barn.”

“Yes.” I tried to look apologetic. “I was going to shower right now, actually.”

“See that you do.” She gave me one last suspicious look before heading back inside. I swore that woman had it out for me this year.

I waited until she was gone, then sprinted for the side entrance. Taking the stairs two at a time, I burst into our room to find...

Parker sitting cross-legged on her bed, feeding the donkey what appeared to be her secret stash of fruit snacks.

“First of all,” I closed and locked the door, “those aren’t good for him. Second...” I looked around our small room. “Where is he going to sleep?”

“Already figured it out.” Parker pointed to the corner where she’d somehow constructed a makeshift pen using a random shower curtain rod, some command hooks, and what looked like every blanket we owned.

“The balcony can be his outdoor space during the day. No one ever looks up there anyway, and we’ll get some fake plants or something to block any lookie-loos. And I’ve got three of my noise machines, white, brown, and pink noise, ready to rock to cover any suspicious sounds. Ooh, this is the perfect excuse to get that sleep sounds app I’ve been wanting to try.”

Never before had I been thankful Parker was an insomniac.

I stared at her. “You did all this in the five minutes it took me to get upstairs?”

“I told you. Heist novels. Well, actually romantic suspense. What’s a heist without a little smut, you know?”She scratched behind the donkey’s ears. “Also, I maybe already had some contingency plans in place. You know, in case we ever needed to hide something... or someone in our room.”

“Why would we ever need to—” I stopped. “You know what? I don’t want to know.”

The donkey had finished the fruit snacks and was now investigating Parker’s laptop, his tiny wings leaving glitter on her keyboard.

“So,” Parker grinned at me. “Want to tell me why we’re harboring a fugitive farm animal?”

I sank onto my bed, suddenly exhausted. “The sanctuary’s flooding. Everything’s chaos. Maria was dealing with emergency foster placements, and I just... I couldn’t let him get sent away somewhere.”

“Hmm.” She studied me for a moment. “And this has nothing to do with a certain bearded football player who spent his afternoon chasing said donkey across campus?”

“What? No.” I grabbed my shower caddy, needing something to do with my hands. “I barely know Flynn Kingman.”

“And yet you knew exactly who I meant.” She wiggled her eyebrows. “You know, this could make excellent research for your next book. Hot football player, secret donkey-sitting, forbidden?—”

“We are not having this conversation.” I headed for the door. “Just... keep him quiet until I get back. And no more fruit snacks.”

“Fine.” Parker was already pulling out her phone. “But we’re definitely talking about the fact that you’re blushing. Also, we need to name him something epic.Something that captures his true spirit of chaos and glitter.”

I left her scrolling through baby name websites, the donkey peering over her shoulder at the screen.

My donkey problems would have to wait. I needed to space to think, and the best place to do that was a long, hot destinkifying shower. Then I could come up with a plan, and possibly a miracle.

Behind me, I heard Parker’s delighted laugh, followed by the distinct sound of more fruit snacks being opened.

Make that definitely a miracle. Something like one of those Hail Mary passes.

MUCH ADO ABOUT FLIRTING

FLYNN

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