Page 23 of Big Rucking Disaster

Have we not already had this conversation? Maybe he forgot. Maybe it didn’t mean as much to him as it meant to me.

“Absolutely. I needed to make sure you weren't going to hit on my pimply sixteen-year-old students.”

“Yeah. Don't believe everything you see on social media.” Another laugh, this one a touch more genuine.

“You mean you'renotdating her?”What’s he trying to say? That his feed isn’t a reflection of him?

“I am. Sort of. Maybe. I'll let you know in a week.” He tipped his chin up, almost as if daring me to question him further.

Which I wasn’t going to do. “A week? You're planning on talking to me in a week? I don't understand.”

“Me neither.” He gave me a jaunty wave. “So, see you around.” He slid into his car, started the engine, then rolled down the window.

All as I continued to stand there, still a little confused.

“Hey!”

“Yeah?”

“You were on my Insta? So you liked that picture of me beside the pool?”

Oh yeah. I remember that one.I laughed. “Of course. Spent a long time staring at it. Would've been better if you’d dropped the towel.”

He winked, then drove away.

What the fuck was that all about?If he was gay, I might’ve thought we were flirting. But he was straight, dating Carly, and had no interest in me inthatway.

I slid into my SUV and made my way along 41stAvenue until I was back in my neighborhood. As I pulled into my driveway, I sighed.I own this house. I’m better off without fucking Nicholas and his cheating ass.Yes, I wasn’t living in luxury anymore—comparing Jamilla’s house to mine put that into sharp focus. But we were both doing better than our father ever had. We had homes, jobs, and…

Yeah.

Jamilla had the family I always wanted.

I sighed, grabbed my laptop case from where I’d hidden it under my front seat, and headed inside.

Instead of sitting down to work—report cards were due soon—I showered, crawled into bed, and grabbed my phone.

Of course, I headed right to Instagram.

Johnnie’s profile, no less.

Because compulsions were a thing.

I’m just making certain there isn’t anything untoward. He’s mentoring Kolson and Kenji…I need to be careful. Oh, he’s posted a new photo.

I squinted.

A picture of a white towel carelessly dropped on the tiles.

Going swimming...

Well, shit.

Chapter Eight

Johnnie

“Holy fuck, I can’t believe we got that over the line!” Roger pulled me into a massive hug.

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