David was engaged in a lively discussion about NBA players at his table, but he caught Rae looking at him and gave her a playful smile. She smiled back. Maybe it wasn’t so bad having him here.
She looked around for a new job, since Taylor had dismissed her. Mark was in the hallway doing a routine shenanigans check, as he called it. No matter how many times he told the students that only one person was allowed to go to the bathroom at a time, a group of kids always managed to sneak off and cause trouble.
She stuck her head out of the room to see if he was on his way back. He was standing between two shouting boys with his arms out, keeping them from swinging at each other. She pulled her head back into the room. That looked serious. Might take a while. She was on her own.
In his usual corner, the boy with black hair sat alone with his back to the rest of the kids. He was bent over a red notebook, earbuds in his ears. Everything about him screamed Stay away. She should leave him alone, yet something unexplainable pulled at her. Like he was calling her name. Or someone was.
Before she could think it through, she found herself walking up behind him. Pulling out a chair. Sitting down. And waiting.
He didn’t look up. Didn’t speak. She should move along, but it was too late. She had committed. He worked away in his notebook, his pencil scritch-scratching the paper.
After a long minute, she scooted her chair a little closer. “Hi.”
Even with the earbuds in, he had to know she was there. Why was he ignoring her? Probably because he didn’t want to be bothered, of course. She should leave him alone.
“What’s your name?”
She spoke loud enough to be heard over whatever music was blasting his eardrums. His pencil paused for a second, then resumed its scribbling. She looked around the room. There were plenty of other kids she could be helping. Kids who were desperate for attention. She was about to concede defeat and stand up when the boy’s pencil stopped again.
“Morgan.”
She leaned back in her chair slowly, as if any sudden movements might frighten him away. “Hi, Morgan. I’m Rae.”
He didn’t look up. “I know who you are.”
“You go to Greenville High?”
Mark had told her the students in the program came from three different middle schools and two high schools, Greenville High and Stillaguamish. She’d assumed this boy went to Stillaguamish, but he nodded in answer to her question.
She looked at him closely. Behind the hair, his face was vaguely familiar. They certainly didn’t have any classes together this year, but maybe they’d been in the same class when they were younger.
“Are you a sophomore, too?”
He pulled one earbud out. “Senior.”
Oh. She didn’t interact with many seniors. How would he know her?
“But we were in third grade together,” he continued. “Mrs. Baker.”
A faint memory of a quiet blond kid who was afraid of his own shadow took shape. “Morgan West?”
He nodded.
“You dyed your hair.”
He looked up. His sharp blue eyes took her in, daring her to back down. She held his gaze.
“Wait a minute.” She folded her arms on the table. “We were in third grade together, and now you’re two years ahead of me? And everyone says I’m smart.”
The hint of a smile flashed across his face and was gone. “They moved me up a grade in sixth, then when I got to high school I started doing independent study classes so I could graduate early.” He pulled out his other earbud. “And I took a few community college classes last summer to get more credits.”
Why had she never thought of that? Dad would probably salivate at the idea of Rae graduating early. One less year to wait before he had the summa cum laude Columbia graduate daughter he dreamed of.
Morgan set his notebook on the table, and she shifted, trying to get a look at what he was working on. He snatched it away.
Okay, okay. She could take a hint. She leaned back and looked around the room. “If you’re graduating early, what are you doing here?”
He fiddled with his pencil and bounced his knee, staring at his earbuds as if itching to put them back in.
Mark called from the doorway. “Time’s up, guys. It’s five o’clock. You don’t have to go home—”
“But you can’t stay here.” The students finished the now-familiar line, rolling their eyes.
A shadow darkened Morgan’s face. He quickly closed his notebook, shoved it in his bag, and stood.
She jumped up, too. “I guess I’ll see you next week.”
He glanced back over his shoulder, his piercing eyes scrutinizing her from head to toe. She fought the urge to inspect her clothes. Was she a mess? No, she was fastidious about her appearance. Dad had drilled it into her head that lawyers needed to make a good first impression at all times. But then what was Morgan looking at? Or for? He gave an almost imperceptible nod and strode from the room.
David appeared at her elbow. “Hey. That was fun.” He followed her gaze to the figure disappearing into the hall. “Make a new friend?”
She looked into David’s soft brown eyes. So welcoming and gentle. So unlike Morgan’s. Part of her wanted to tell David who Morgan was. He’d been in Mrs. Baker’s third grade class, too. But something held her back. While Morgan hadn’t said anything about keeping it a secret, it felt almost as though it would be a betrayal of his trust to say anything.
“I’ve been trying to meet all the students.” She gave him a smile. “How’d your first time go?”
“Great. But there’s not enough of me to go around. Some of these kids need a lot
