Reaper's Hollow: The Complete Series

Chapter 5-1

Chapter 5

Ru’s classroom was almost ready to greet students Monday morning. She just needed Candice to come help her with a few things, and she’d be all ready, which was a good thing because that Friday would be full of meetings. She always wondered why administrators thought it was a good idea to plan a day of trainings on the last possible day before students came in, as if teachers wouldn’t be completely distracted, wanting to be in their classrooms.

She’d met her students the night before at Meet the Teacher, and she just knew this was going to be a great year. There were some familiar faces since she’d been teaching here long enough to start having siblings of former students. A few of the parents told her how happy they were that they had another child in her class. That was one of the rewarding parts of being a teacher, getting to interact with families who really appreciated what she was doing. Sometimes, parents didn’t always understand everything that went on at school, and feelings could get hurt, but good communication seemed to go a long way toward mending all that.

Glancing at the clock, Ru saw that she had about twenty minutes before her first meeting. She wanted to get name tags on all of the desks before she left. It was one thing she could do herself. She also had the ladder set up in the corner, but she wasn’t about to climb it, not after last time. Principal Long had already f*******n it.

She sat down behind her desk with a stack of laminated desk name tags, a marker, and her class roster, ready to check one more task off her list when her cell phone rang. Seeing that it was her mother, she let out a sigh and picked it up. If she ignored her, she’d call all day long, and even with her phone on vibrate, that would get annoying. “Hello?”

“Ruin? Where are you?”

“I’m at work, Mom. What’s up?” She tried to ignore the accusatory tone; where else would she be?

“Well, I just wanted to make sure you were going to be here on time today. You know how important it is, don’t you? The other night, you talked like you didn’t get it.”

“I know, Mom. I’ll be there.”

“You’d better be. If you’re not, and this party gets ruined, like pretty much anything else you have your hand in, I’m holding you responsible.”

Ru didn’t appreciate the way she said “ruined,” emphasizing the part that was her name. “It won’t be ruined.” She said the words, but she had no way to know for sure. Earlier in the week, her hair dryer had caught fire, but then she should’ve known not to be using one anyway. Avoidance was key, and she’d gotten lackadaisical. She wouldn’t let that happen with Melissa’s party.

“All right. Don’t forget, four o’clock sharp.”

“I haven’t forgotten.”

Her mother hung up without so much as a goodbye, and Ru groaned as she dropped her phone onto her desk and her head into her hands.

“Everything okay?”

She looked up to see Cutter standing in her doorway and immediately folded her arms, trying to force a smile and change her countenance. She’d gotten to know him a little better over the last few days, and he really was a very nice guy. He was dressed in light brown slacks and a shirt just a shade lighter with a brown tie, and as always, he looked delicious. Of course, Ru was well aware he was far out of her league, and she wasn’t even contemplating the possibility of being anything more than friends, which alleviated any pressure of trying to be more than she was.

“Oh, hi. Good morning. Yeah, it was just my mom. My sister’s birthday party is tonight, and she wants me to be there by 4:00 to decorate. I’m not exactly sure how I’ll pull that off since I have to be here until 3:45 and Tarrytown is more than a fifteen minute drive, but I guess I’ll figure it out.” She knew she was oversharing, but the frustration had mounted, and apparently, she needed to vent to someone.

“Yeah, that might be a challenge. Your room looks good. You all done?”

“Thanks,” Ru replied, looking around. It did look nice, if she did say so herself. She had been going for fun and inviting, and she thought the pastels she’d chosen would be calming. Most of her décor consisted of borders for student work that would start to appear in a few weeks. “I still have some posters to hang up there, but I’ve got to wait for Candice for that.” She eyed the ladder; they were not friends.

“Why is that?” Cutter asked, crossing his arms as he walked into her room and stopped by her desk. “She’s not taller than you.”

Ru giggled. Candice was about six inches shorter than she was. “No, it’s just….” She hesitated, not sure if she should tell him. If they were going to be friends, she may as well. Besides, he’d probably already seen a bit of her chaos earlier in the week. While she’d only broken the copier and no other appliances, she’d managed to knock a stack of papers over and had a pen explode in her hands, spraying ink all over the empty chair next to her. Thank goodness no one was sitting there. “I’m not supposed to climb the ladder. Anymore.” She looked up at him through the ends of her bangs before brushing them out of her face.

“Anymore?” Cutter repeated, looking at her suspiciously.

“Yeah. There may have been an incident last year.”

He chuckled. “But it looks like you survived.”

“Yes, but let’s just say there used to be a houseplant over there on top of that filing cabinet, and there isn’t one now.”

His chuckle turned into a full blown laugh. Taking a step toward the ladder, he said, “Well, I’m taller than you, I think. What do you need done?”

“Oh, Cutter, you don’t have to do that,” she protested, standing up and banging her knee on the side of her desk. She winced but tried to hide the pain.

“I might not have to, but I want to.” He placed his hand on the ladder and turned to smile at her. “I don’t mind, Ru.”

Despite her decision that they would make lovely friends, looking directly into his eyes still made her a little breathless. Something about the electricity within them stirred a reaction she couldn’t explain. “Well, I just need these four posters hung up there, above the cursive alphabet. I already put ticky-tack on the backs.” She had them laid out on a table underneath the row of windows.

“No problem. Let’s get it done.”

It would be better if it was finished before the meeting so she didn’t have to worry about it all day, and she could finish the name tags after lunch. That way, if the last meeting got out early, she could sprint to her car and go without worrying about her classroom not being completed. Not that she expected the meeting to get out early, but she could dream. Glancing up at Cutter standing on the ladder next to the wall also inspired fantasies of a totally different kind. She rushed off to grab the first poster.

“So, maybe right here?” he asked as she handed it up to him.

“Yes, that looks good,” she agreed. They were inspirational posters, meant to keep her kids positive. All pleasant thoughts left her mind as the sound of a new voice echoed through her room.

“Well, looky here. Ru’s already got you doing her bidding.” The tone was an attempt to be light and playful, but it still grated on her nerves.

“She is quite the taskmaster,” Cutter teased, pressing the final corner against the wall before descending so he could move the ladder. “Good morning, Jane. How are you?”

“Just peachy.” Ms. Owen was wearing a black pencil skirt with a mostly black top, though the piping was white. It seemed everyone was dressed up today. Ru had worn a floral print dress in pinks and whites because that’s what she’d planned to wear to the party tonight, assuming she didn’t get anything on it. She had a backup dress in her car. She assumed Jane’s look had more to do with the gentleman climbing back up the ladder. The week had been a bit of a tug-of-war as Candice and Jane fought for control of Cutter’s alliance. Ru had left all that up to them and attempted just to get to know the man, though she was fairly certain he’d side with her and Candice should a decision need to be made. She handed up the second poster.

“Did you need something?” Ru asked, forcing a smile as she faced her nemesis.

“Actually, I did. I spoke to the custodian after school yesterday. Rosie—you know her?”

Ru nodded. Of course she did.

“She mentioned that you’ve been leaving your light on and your door open. You know that’s against policy. You’ll need to stop doing that.”

Her eyebrows went up. She’d spoken to Rosie about it not long after she’d started working there, and she assured her both matters were fine. The motion sensors were there for a reason. “She’s never said anything to me.”

Cutter was ready for the third poster, and Ru picked it up off of the table and walked it over to him as Jane replied, “I think she was afraid to.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, catching Cutter’s eyes. He looked as confused as she felt, but he seemed to be trying to stay out of it.

“She is a little afraid of you. You can be intimidating, you know?”

Ru giggled—she couldn’t help it, but then she saw that Jane was serious. “Me? Intimidating?”

With a shrug, the team leader replied, “That’s what she said. Anyway, it doesn’t matter what agreement you thought you had with her. You’ll have to start turning off the lights and shutting your door.”

The thought of having to flip the light switch and unlock her door every morning was almost enough to give Ru a panic attack. She knew she’d be blowing through bulbs at an unbelievable rate. But what could she say? “Fine,” she muttered.

A triumphant smile beamed from Jane’s face. “Perfect! Now, don’t forget, the meeting starts in ten minutes. We’ll need to all sit together.” The last comment was directed at Cutter, who sometimes sat with Coach Clark.

“Yes, ma’am,” he replied. He smiled when he said it, but there was an edge to it, like he was also a bit put out by her bossiness.

Jane laughed like he’d said the funniest thing on earth, batted her eyelashes at him for a moment, and then turned and sauntered out the door, her hips attempting to send him a message as she went. While Ru found it slightly humorous that he wasn’t even looking in her direction, worry about her message was still eating at her, and it wasn’t until Cutter rested his hand on her shoulder that she snapped out of her daze. He’d hung the last poster without her help.

“Everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah,” she stammered as he pulled his hand away. “I just…. It’s fine.”

“Ru, I’ve noticed you avoid electronics. Why is that?”

The sincerity in his face compelled her to tell him the truth, even though she thought it was crazy to divulge her secrets to someone she’d only met a few days ago. Even Candice didn’t know the extent of her problem. Nevertheless, he’d asked, and she didn’t want to lie to him. “I, uh, don’t do well with them. I’m always… shorting them out. I’m not sure what it is.”

“Well, that’s got to be frustrating,” he said, and while his face did show concern, he didn’t seem surprised or amused.

“It is,” she admitted. “I can’t tell you how many small appliances I’ve broken. At home, it’s a little easier because I can take certain precautions, but here….” Thoughts of walking around at school with thick oven mitts on both hands had her practically rolling her eyes.

“Well, look, I get here about the same time as you every day. I don’t mind stopping by and unlocking your door, flipping on your lights. It’s no problem.” His eyes showed he was nothing but sincere in his suggestion.

Ru didn’t know what to say. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she said, though her first impulse was to say thank you. She fought it and went back to her tradition of assuming she was a burden; that was what she was most comfortable with.

“Yes, this is quite the hardship.” He flipped his finger up and down several times, as if he were turning the lights on and off.

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you sure you don’t mind?”

“I mean, I could sprain a finger, but until that happens, I think I can manage.”

He sounded a bit like an exasperated teen, and Ru laughed even harder. “Thank you, Cutter. I really appreciate it. And… Jane probably doesn’t need to know about… any of this.”

“No problem,” he replied, and she was sure he meant on both accounts. “I’m guessing there’s more to that mom situation, too,” he continued, his voice softening, “but we can save that for the next episode of Dr. Phil.”

Nodding, Ru caught his eyes. There was something about the way that he looked at her that made her think it was okay to tell him anything. It was almost like a trance of sorts. Breaking away from his gaze, she physically shook her head and attempted to clear her thoughts as well. “Yeah, right. We need to get to the meeting now, anyway.”

“Yep,” he replied. “I’m going to go grab a pen.” He headed for the door. “Think Candice is here yet?”

“Probably just coming in the door,” Ru laughed. She had no idea why Candice was always late. She only lived a few minutes away and only had herself to get ready and just one pet.

“I’m here!” she hollered, flying in the door closest to their classrooms. “Save me a seat!”

“Will do,” Ru replied. She had her water bottle, phone, a notepad, and a pen. She didn’t think she’d need anything else, but then, she wasn’t really sure what they were doing. She headed for the library, and Cutter caught up to her. Smiling up at him, she felt like she had made another good friend, which was nice. Candice was great, but she wasn’t always available. It was nice to know there was someone else she could lean on if she needed to.

The library was already fairly full when they walked in, but no one other than Jane was sitting at the designated fourth grade table. It was no secret that Jane could be a little rude, and the other teachers didn’t like to give her an excuse to put them in their place.

Ru did know a few teachers on other teams well from some of her committee work, and one of them, Hannah West, who taught third grade, waved at her as she came in. Ru waved back and approached her usual seat. She wasn’t paying attention when she set her belongings down, and it wasn’t until Jane shrieked that she realized what she’d done. Looking down, she watched as Jane’s full cup of coffee spilled all over the table.

“Ru! What did you do?” Jane screamed, jumping up like the hot liquid was coming right at her, even though it was flowing the other direction.

“I’m so sorry!” she said, feeling the red creeping into her face. None of Jane’s belongings were wet, but Ru’s notepad was beginning to turn brown. And then there was her phone, which had been directly in the line of fire.

“I’ll get some paper towels,” Cutter said, disappearing out of the door. A few other teachers rushed over, one with a box of tissues, which at least kept the substance from dripping off the sides of the table, and Ru picked up her soggy phone, sure it wouldn’t even turn on, which would be a huge problem when she had to call her mom later.

“Here you go,” Cutter said, back at her side already, handing her some paper towels for her phone as he began to soak up the coffee.

“Thank you,” Ru said, doing her best to dry it out. Jane was still yelling beside her, but Ru was tuning her out. Someone else showed up with a tub of Lysol wipes.

“Well, it looks like we’re having an eventful morning,” Mrs. Long said, as she approached the front of the room.

“Yeah, but I’ll be falling asleep in a few minutes since I only got a sip of my coffee,” Jane whined.

“Oh, no! What happened?” It was Candice.

“Everything’s fine,” Cutter replied, taking the trash can one of the fifth grade teachers had gotten and placing the drippy paper towels inside.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Jane continued. “Seriously, Ru. Do you ever pay attention to what you’re doing?”

“I’m sorry,” Ru replied, acknowledging her for the first time since she’d initially apologized.

“You say that an awful lot.” Ru ignored her, which must’ve made her even more angry. “You’re like a tornado.”

“Good God, Jane! I’ll go back to the damn coffee maker and get you another cup!” Candice stormed out of the library, headed toward the break room as some of the other teachers, particularly from the primary camp, gasped in shock at her use of a swear word.

“Is your phone working?” Cutter asked, peering over her shoulder.

“No,” Ru admitted. She knew she would need to take the case off to see how much of the coffee got inside, but she was afraid to. So far, she couldn’t get it to turn on. It was crazy what a little liquid could do, even in a protective case.

“Let me see,” he replied, and before she could protest, he had it in his hands.

The table was clean now and smelled like lemon, thanks to the wipes. Ru’s notebook was wet around the edges, but it would still do. She took a seat, and Candice came back in with the cup and sat it down on the table. Jane said nothing, and they both sat down.

After Cutter had the case off, he grabbed another paper towel and began drying off her phone, taking his seat as he did so. It was clear Mrs. Long was ready to start.

“Still nothing, right?” Ru asked in a whisper as their principal began to speak.

He shook his head. “Give me a minute.” He looked at the principal apologetically and then got up and headed out the door. Mrs. Long gave him a suspicious look but didn’t say anything, continuing to address the group.

Watching him leave, Ru felt even worse. Now, she’d made Jane’s day start off poorly, caused a ruckus in the faculty meeting, and made Cutter appear uncommitted. It was shaping up to be a marvelous day.

Cutter walked back in just a few seconds later. Assuming he must’ve realized the phone was toast and given up, Ru let out a sigh. Maybe she could borrow someone else’s phone to call her mother and let her know she was on her way. But that would take more time. And she honestly didn’t even think she knew her mom’s phone number by heart. It was in her phone for a reason….

“Here you go,” Cutter said, smiling. She looked down to see her phone, back in its case, and on.

Ru’s eyebrows shot up. “It’s working?”

“Yeah,” he replied. “It’s fine.”

“But… how?”

He flashed her a crooked smile and shrugged.

“Oh, my gosh!” Her whisper was a little loud, and she caught some sharp looks from a few people, especially Jane. Placing her hand on his far shoulder, she leaned in and gave him a sort-of hug. “Thank you so much!”

“I didn’t do anything,” he shrugged. “But you’re welcome.”

Releasing him, Ru turned her attention to Mrs. Long for the first time and learned they were about to watch the s****l harassment video they had to watch every year, as well as the ones about reporting a***e, and bodily fluids and hepatitis. Then, they’d each be required to complete a short quiz. Since they’d watched them every year, and some teachers had seen them over twenty times, it wouldn’t be entertaining, but at least it wasn’t some new initiative. Ru settled back to listen, wondering if hugging her male coworker would constitute harassment. At least she got to stare at his profile as he also watched the films. She noticed he was taking notes and thought this must be different than whatever training they did in NYC. Or perhaps he thought he might be the victim of s****l harassment considering his situation.

The film didn’t hold her attention long. Ru was still trying to figure out how in the world Cutter had gotten her phone to turn on. Considering it was on when she initially set it down, if there wasn’t something wrong with it due to the coffee, it still should’ve been on when she picked it up. It definitely wasn’t. And she’d tried to turn it on so many times, there was no way she’d accidentally turned it off the first time. It would’ve come back on eventually if it wasn’t saturated with sticky coffee on the insides.

She remembered that first day in the copy room when she was certain she’d fried the copy machine, but Cutter had gotten that to come back on, too. Was there something he was hiding? Was he her antithesis? She blew things up, and he put them back together? The thought seemed ridiculous. After all, he’d have to wield some sort of superpowers in order to bring electronic devices back from the dead. But then… she’d always thought her own predicament beyond the ordinary. It was as if she had a current flowing through her that had to be managed and sometimes spilled over, through her hands, into whatever she was touching, and it was drawn by the stream already pulsating through the appliance or other electrical device she had her hands on. It sounded so silly even in her head that she’d never mentioned it aloud to anyone before. But that didn’t make it any less of a possibility. Was Cutter more like her than she thought?

As the first video came to an end, Ru tried to shift her attention back to the room. Candice was looking at her, and Ru gave her a small smile. She was sure her friend was worried about her. No one knew better than Candice how it made Ru feel to have an “incident.” With the help of her friends, this one was well-managed, but Jane wouldn’t let it go. For the next several months, she’d make a big show of making sure she kept her beverages far away from Ru. She’d ignore her and let it slide. As much as Jane wanted to bully her, Ru had built up an immunity to tyrants. Try as she might, Jane could never be the oppressor Liddy Brown was. That took real talent only the loathing of having to raise a child you do not love could inspire, and her mother had many more years of experience than Jane. Though Ru had to admit Ms. Owen should get some credit for trying. Even now, she could feel her icy stare. Ru didn’t even bother to turn her head. There was a much more interesting view in front of her, and it wasn’t the actress pretending to be poked by a dirty needle while giving a child a shot.