Page 28 of Redemption
“Lily, right?” I ask, trying my hardest to remain polite as her eyes throw daggers at me.
Nodding, she says, “Yeah, we met the other day with Hayes. He’s such a great guy.”
Those daggers turn to hearts as she daydreams about Hayes, and it takes everything in me not to puke right here in front of her.
Gag. Me.
“Yeah, great. Anyway,” I say, needing to change the topic because I really might puke. “I’m here for an interview with the principal. Would she happen to be around?”
A funny look passes over Lily’s face before a smile crosses her lips. Maybe it’s my imagination, but it looks a little sinister.
In a voice that can only be described as sickly sweet, Lily says, “Oh, that’s me. You have an interview with me. I’m ready when you are. Want to step into my office?”
Heat creeps up my neck and into my cheeks.
My mother sent me in blind.
Had I known Lily was the principal, I probably wouldn’t have come, and from my reaction at the coffee shop to both Hayes and Lily, she had to have known that.
Gritting my teeth, I step around the counter and follow Lily as she leads me to her office.
“Why don’t you sit,” she says, gesturing to the seat in front of her desk as she shuts her door behind us.
Taking my seat, I cross my legs and uncross them as I wait for her to seat herself in front of me.
“So, MJ—Hayes has told me so much about you. I feel like I practically know you already.”
Anger roots itself deep in my stomach. What I want to say is “funny because he hasn’t said anything about you,” but that would be rude and unfair. I haven’t spoken with Hayes in years. We don’t know each other anymore, and even if we did, we wouldn’t have the type of relationship where we would tell each other about the new people in our lives. It might actually kill me if he were to do that, so instead, I say, “That’s nice,” and wait for her to ask the first question for the interview.
And while I wait, I secretly rage inside because the truth is, I don’t want Hayes telling this woman anything about me. I’m positive he has nothing good to say, and selfishly, I want our story to be just that—ours. I don’t want the outside world to taint it any more than it already is. But I guess that’s what happens when you move on—you let the new people in on your life—the good, the bad, and the really, really bad.
My relationship with Hayes, or lack thereof, falls into the last category. Healthy relationships mean sharing who you are and the parts of your life that turned you into that person, or so I’ve been told. I’ve never had a healthy relationship, so it’s not my forte. I can’t blame Hayes for telling Lily about me, but I want to.
Lily clears her throat, and I realize I’ve been spacing out. I missed her first question.
Wincing, I say, “I’m sorry. Can you repeat that? I missed it.”
She gives me a disapproving look but repeats the question anyway, scribbling something down in her notebook as she does. “What made you come back to Benton Falls?”
The question catches me off guard.
“Oh—um—is this part of the interview?” I ask.
“Not necessarily, but curious minds and all,” she says, that fake smile on her lips again.
“I needed a change.” The answer is vague but true all the same. I did need a change. I just won’t be disclosing why I needed that change to someone like Lily. I can imagine her running back to Hayes, telling him everything that happened in this interview, and my reason for returning home is not something I want him to know.
She makes a non-commital sound in her throat, and I try my best not to fidget in my seat. This woman doesn’t intimidate me, but she’s starting to make me angry.
“Can we start with the interview questions now?” I ask, losing patience by the second.
“Yes, yes,” she replies, ignoring the irritation in my voice. “Let’s see—let’s start with how you think you will be able to transition to a school position when you worked in a high-paced environment previously.”
With my resume in hand, she lets her eyes roam down the paper, reviewing my prior experience. There’s only one job there, and she’s right, it was fast-paced—but I’m not looking for that type of environment anymore. It nearly broke me. There were so many people I couldn’t save—but the last one almost pushed me over the edge.
Not wanting to think about it, I give a subtle shake of my head to clear the memories and then answer her question. “I would counter you by saying kids are fast-paced and almost as unpredictable as an ER. You never know what will come out of their mouths.”
Lily looks up from her notepad, tapping the pen against her lips. One of her eyebrows raises as she stares at me, and I shrug a shoulder. I’m not sure what answer she was looking for, but it was the truth.
