Wings of Frost
Page 32
“Good morning, everyone,” Chloe said. A heavy sigh caught her ear amidst the chorus of good mornings. Alyssa Zalkis gave her an impressive eye roll, arms folded across her chest. The intimidation tactic was a little understated considering her My Little Pony shirt, but Chloe got the message. The girl had been sweet as pie at the beginning of the year, but something had changed in the last month. She ignored it for now, but made a mental note to keep an eye on her. “So check this out. Did you know that Mrs. Townsend and I ran a race this weekend? Have any of you run a 5k?” Several hands went up. “Cool! Were any of you at Marigold Park?” Charlie’s hand popped up. “Whoa, awesome, Charlie! Well, I got a really cool prize for you guys. It’s not here yet, but by the end of this week, we’ll have new robotics kits for the club!”
“Yes!” Charlie crowed. Several of her students looked delighted. She and some of the fifth grade teachers had put together a grant last year to start the robotics club, but they didn’t have the budget to keep up with the growing interest. After buying some new sets of markers, she’d spent the rest of the cash prize from the race on two new kits.
“Robots are stupid,” Alyssa announced.
“Robots are just as smart as their programmers,” Chloe replied mildly. “It’s okay if you don’t like robots, Alyssa. Some people do.”
“Then they’re stupid, too,” the girl replied.
“Hm,” Chloe said. Alyssa narrowed her eyes, but Chloe simply smiled at her, ignoring the bait. “Fortunately, we’re not learning about robots today. We’re going to talk about the water cycle today. So take the next ninety seconds to say hello to your neighbor, get out your interactive notebook and supplies, and get your learning brains in gear. Got it?”
“Got it!” her class shouted.
She tapped the board to trigger a timer that flashed ominously red. “Go!” The room erupted in chaos as her students scrambled around the room to get the boxes of supplies out. It was a bit of well-planned mayhem. Most of them were back in their seats with twenty seconds to spare, though she noted Alyssa slid back into her seat about two seconds after the noisy beeping cut through the din. She ignored it.
“That was impressive! So, who can tell me where rain comes from?”
The lesson went smoothly, but she could have predicted where the hiccup would be. As the class was color-coding their summarized notes in their notebooks, Monica raised her hand. When Chloe leaned down to listen, Monica tilted her head toward Alyssa. “She’s messing up the new markers. I’m not tattling, but I don’t like using the smushed ones.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Chloe said. Anger trickled down her spine like hot water as she glanced over her shoulder. Alyssa was ensconced in one of the beanbags in the back corner of the room. While the alternative seating worked for Aidan to focus, it provided Alyssa a private space to destroy brand new markers. Markers that were paid for by a hard run and dealing with a douche of a race volunteer. Clutching one tightly in her fist, Alyssa jammed the marker hard into her notebook, leaving wet blots of ink.
“Alyssa, what are you doing?” she asked, trying to keep her tone even.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” Alyssa snapped.
“I think it looks like you’re not following instructions, but I could be wrong,” Chloe said. “Can I help—”
“Yeah, you’re wrong,” Alyssa snapped. “I thought teachers were supposed to be smart.”
Her cheeks heated, and she realized as the class quieted that Alyssa’s voice had carried. “Alyssa, please don’t use our classroom markers that way. You have instructions to write your notes and color code them by underlining or highlighting.”
The girl heaved a sigh and slammed the marker onto the tile with a resounding clatter. “Fine.”
“Is there something on your mind?” Chloe said. “If you’d like to talk about something, I’d be happy to listen.”
“I don’t want to talk to you,” she retorted. “Let me do my work.”
Heat bloomed in her chest. It had taken her several years of teaching and a few infuriating encounters, but she’d eventually learned there was a line where you could still back down with a kid. After that, you were in it until the bitter end. Sometimes you could only win by taking a temporary loss. Chloe took a deep breath, forcing a smile. “Okay,” she said. “Let me know if I can help.”
Alyssa was silent as she got up and continued circling around the room. Her heart thumped, and she caught Alyssa stealing glances at her a few times. At least she had quit destroying the markers. Chloe hurried back to her desk and wrote a Post-It with Alyssa—Counselor?
She checked the clock, then smiled as she returned to the front of the room. “All right guys, I know you’re going to be so sad, but—”
“PE!” Aidan bellowed. His eyes went wide. “Sorry to interrupt, Ms. Madsen.” Charlie snickered.
“Yes, it’s PE time,” she said. “Please leave your supplies right where they are. As soon as you come back, we’ll share some of your work and then play a game to see what you remember.”
As she walked the kids to the gym, she eyeballed Alyssa. The two girls she usually talked to were at the front of the line, while Alyssa lingered at the back. She narrowed her eyes. Maybe Cheyenne and Monica were being mean and excluding her. They were usually sweet girls, but fourth grade relationships were fickle and ever-shifting. She made a mental note to watch them and ask Maura if she’d noticed anything. It was probably time to call her mother for a conference.
After leaving the kids in the gym, she ran copies of an activity for math class, then hurried back to the classroom. She sent an email to the school counselor, asking her to call Alyssa up and check on her. With twenty minutes to spare, Chloe sat down to rest her feet and checked her personal email on her phone.
Her stomach plunged into the floor when an unfamiliar address popped up below a newsletter from a running magazine.
To: chloe.madsen@gmail.com
From: taegan.asharin@orioninterfacesolutions.com
Hi Chloe, we met at the Marigold Park 5k this weekend. You might remember me. I took a picture of you and your friend after the race and spoke to you briefly. I’ve realized I was quite rude to you and would like to apologize and explain myself. Would you be willing to meet me, perhaps for coffee? My treat.
Taegan
She reread the message and frowned. Who the hell did this guy think he was? First he insulted her, then he looked up her information to ask her on a date? She darted across the hall to Maura’s room. Quiet piano music played as she graded essays. Chloe stuck the phone in her face. “Maura. Read this.”
Her friend looked up and took the phone. “Is this the hot guy from the race?”
“Yeah.”
“And he looked up your email?”
“Isn’t that creepy?”
Maura sighed. “I mean, a little. But he’s really hot,” she said. “Is it wrong to say that he gets away with it for being so hot?”
“Yes, it’s wrong,” she spluttered. “He doesn’t get away with being an asshole just because he’s hot.”
“What does he mean, he was rude? You said he just wanted to make sure they had your info right for their records,” Maura said. Her eyes narrowed.
“Yeah,” Chloe said. Her stomach churned. She hated to lie, but the whole exchange had been so weird. And part of her felt guilty, like she really had done something to warrant being accused. “He…kind of cut me off a few times. Maybe that was it.”
“So. You’re single. Hot race volunteer wants to meet you for coffee and apologize for being rude. Why are you asking me?”
“Should I?”
“Obviously,” Maura said. “Just meet him somewhere public and don’t get in a car with him.”
Chloe groaned. “I was hoping you would say no.”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t been on a first date in ten years,” Maura said. “Let me live through you.”
“Yes, it’s called being happily married,” Chloe said.
Maura laughed, a twinkle in her eyes. “First dates are still fun. You know, a couple weeks ago when the kids were at my mom’s, Rick and I pretended we had just met and—”
“Nope,” Chloe said, clapping her hands over her ears. “I have gotten much more than what I came for. Thank you for the advice and the unnecessary information.”
“You’re no fun,” Maura called after her as she walked out of the room. “I want details!”
Despite their playful banter, Chloe was nervous as she typed her response. She wanted to tell him off and ask who the hell he thought he was. But maybe he really did want to apologize.
And he was really hot. Hoping that she wasn’t single-handedly setting back feminism by a century, she took a breath and hit Send on her email.
Taegan—
I guess we can meet. How about Buona Bean? I’m off work by 5 most days. Tell me what day works for you.
Chloe
At least she wasn’t overly effusive. The absence of smiley faces made her email very serious. She wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.
Her watch chirped with an alarm to remind her that PE would be over in five minutes. Just as she reached the gym doors, her phone dinged with a new email alert. With the thumping rhythm of basketballs to match the pounding of her heart, she opened it.
Chloe –
I’m glad to hear that. How about tomorrow at 5:30?
Taegan
What the hell was she thinking?
Taegan –
See you then.
Chloe
First date in two years, and it was with a jerk who accused her of cheating. Her life was officially sad.
For lip-sync battles, a strange first date, and an even weirder second date, pre-order your copy of Dragon’s Secret, releasing in May!
Order your copy today!
Book 5 of the Dragons of Ascavar, Wings of Flame, is coming this summer, so make sure to get signed up for my newsletter and social media to stay in the loop!
I hope you loved digging further into the mysteries of the Chosen and the legendary Arik’tazhan in Wings of Frost. If you’re looking for more, here’s some next steps!
Write a quick review and tell folks you loved this book. Reviews help readers find new books to love.
Visit my website at www.jdmonroe.com and pick up your absolutely free copy of MIDNIGHT FLIGHT, a free prequel to the series!
Subscribe to my mailing list to receive updates about new releases, giveaways, and other awesome news.
Sign up for J.D’s mailing list!
You can also find me all over the Internet – make sure to stay connected so you never miss a new release or special announcement!
Facebook: www.facebook.com/writerjdmonroe
Twitter: @writerjdmonroe
Instagram: @writermonroe
Pinterest: @writermonroe
Website: www.jdmonroe.com
Dragons of Ascavar
Midnight Flight (prequel - free on website)
Wings of Stone (Book 1)
Wings of Exile (Book 2)
Wings of Thunder (Book 3)
Dragon’s Vow (novella)
Wings of Frost (Book 4)
Dragon’s Secret (novella)
Dragon’s Desire (standalone)
Stolen Hoard (Scales and Flames Anthology)
Hell’s Belles
Dirty Laundry (prequel - free on website)
Sweet Cherry Pie (Book 1)
J.D. Monroe is a Georgia-based author with a love for all things paranormal, magical, and downright fantastical. She has not given up on the dream of riding a dragon someday. She has written a number of paranormal and fantasy novels for both young adults and adults, including the Dragons of Ascavar series.