Page 27 of Scorched

His big hand clamped down over the keypad,blocking her from making the call to the office. “What are you going to do now?” he challenged.

She made a move to step around him and head for the door.

He blocked her exit, the wall of his body effectively trapping her inside the classroom.

“Very well.” She glanced toward the students who watched with varying expressions on their faces. Some had wide-eyed looks, shock and fear rooting them to their seats. Her glance returned to Caesar. “Someone go get the principal...and security.” She refused to show fear. Bullies like Caesar thrived on fear.

“Do it and you won’t live to graduate,” Caesar warned.

The classroom remained silent. No one moved toward the door.

Elise rolled her eyes. “Good grief, Caesar, what do you really think this little power game you’re playing is going to buy you?”

“A little satisfaction.” He flicked his finger at the vee in her blouse. “If you want a real man to keep you warm at night, you need to get rid of that boyfriend of yours. Besides, a pretty teacher like you shouldn’t be sleeping around. Word gets out to the school board, and you might not have a job anymore.”

Her frown deepened. “What do you know about...” She clamped her teeth down on her bottom lip. Had he been spying on her? Hanging around her house? She’d assumed Caesar was relatively harmless for the mostpart. As the class bully, he pushed people around, but she hadn’t heard of him breaking any laws or seriously harming anyone. Would he, now that she’d made him mad?

Movement caught Elise’s attention. Alex and Kendall had eased toward the door and stood poised for flight. With his back to them, Caesar couldn’t see them slide out and race down the hall toward the administrative offices.

“Hey-” Ashley began.

“Caesar, what’s this really about?” Elise asked, desperate to keep Caesar’s attention.

“I don’t like being pushed around.”

Elise snorted. “But you don’t mind pushing others around. That makes a lot of sense.”

“What do you know? You’re a white girl in a white man’s world. You don’t know nothin’.”

“You don’t know anything,” Elise corrected automatically.

“What are you, my English teacher now?”

Elise sighed. “No, but if you don’t tell me what’s really wrong, you’ll only end up in trouble every time.”

“I don’t care. Why should I?” He stepped closer to her. “School’s just stupid.”

The hairs on her arms raised and she fought to keep from moving backward. She had to take a stand, even if she got hurt in the process. Bullies like Caesar pushed and pushed until they hit a brick wall. She meant to be his brick wall.

“Well, you’re not scaring me, Caesar. You need to leave the class and let me get on with teaching the people who want to make something of their lives.”

He jerked his head toward the others. “You think history is going to get them out of this town?”

“Maybe not directly, but it might help them to make better decisions, like when to pick a fight and when not to.”

Footsteps echoed from the hallway. Officer West, the Breuer police officer assigned to the high school, Principal Ford and a couple of the bigger coaches hurried toward Elise’s classroom.

Caesar glanced over his shoulder and snorted. “You got lucky, teach.” He faced her, his eyes narrowing. “This time. You won’t always.” Then he vaulted across a desk, opened a window to the outside and jumped through.

The police officer burst through the door.

Elise pointed at the open window. Caesar had dropped to the ground and taken off running.

The officer followed Caesar out the window, his belt catching on the metal window frame, slowing him down.

Students erupted into chatter. Principal Ford dismissed all but one of the coaches while Elise collapsed into her chair.

The rush of adrenaline that had kept her toe-to-toe with Caesar receded, leaving her drained.

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