Page 48 of Kiss Me Now
“Hi. Used your garbage can. Hope that’s okay.”
“Depends,” he said, coming closer. He was only about 5’10 but he had the broad, square build of a wrestler, and it made him seem taller. “You’re the new science teacher, right? Is this some kind ofBreaking Badscenario where you’re cooking meth on your lunch break in your class lab and disposing of the evidence?”
I held up my hands in the universal sign for “you caught me.” “Meth cleverly disguised as spider-infested peonies.”
“Smart,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips. “I’m Noah Redmond, by the way. The other new kid. PE and wrestling coach.”
I accepted his outstretched hand for a shake. “Are we the only two new teachers this year?”
“I think so. Want to form an alliance?”
“What are we doing in this alliance?”
“I’m thinking it’s mainly an alliance where we have lunch together sometimes so neither of us has to sit alone as the new kid.”
I pretended to think. “How do I know that if I say yes, I’m not accidentally choosing the loser table?”
He laughed. “Let me see if I got this right. Between the science nerd and the jock, you’re worried thatI’mthe one at the loser table?”
“Those are fighting words, Mr. Redmond.”
“That’s scary coming from the local meth dealer. Would it help you feel better to know that my undergrad degree is in human anatomy and I love comic books?”
It was my turn to laugh. “So what you’re saying is that you’re actually the huge nerd?”
He grinned. “That’s what I’m saying.”
“I’ve always liked the nerd table. Lunch sounds great.”
“I’d say join me in my office because it’s big, but it has the disadvantage of smelling like boys’ gym socks.”
“Drop by my room anytime,” I offered. “It doesn’t smell like gym socks. But, uh, how do you feel about spiders?”
He shrugged. “I have no strong feelings about them.”
“Then you should definitely come by my classroom any time for lunch. Bring your own Lunchables.”
He grinned and gave me a mock salute before disappearing into the gym.
I smiled all the way back to my classroom. My hopefully spider-free classroom. I’d made a new friend. A funny one. I dug out my salad and cell phone from my tote and took a seat far from my desk just in case. Then I settled down to figure out how to politely thank Ian for the peonies that now decorated the bottom of the most distant trash bin on campus.
