That's why I couldn't help choking on my own saliva when I saw her stand between Matthew and my hero, and instead of scolding him, turn to Matthew and then to Hunter, who was now wiping blood from a cut on his lip, and point an accusing finger at them.
“Is this how you welcome Senator Jones' son? You should be ashamed of yourselves!” I froze, as did everyone else there, most likely.
Senator Jones... There was no one who didn't know who she was.
She'd moved to Silver River not long ago. After a long career as a judge in Boston, she'd ventured into politics and secured an amazing position here in Mississippi. I'd seen her countless times on television and remembered the widespread disbelief when she traded Jackson for a small town like ours.
Silver River had less than 12,000 inhabitants, everyone knew each other, everyone had attended the same school, and everyone went to the same churches and restaurants. It wasn't usual for us to have such important people around. Suddenly, I found it easy to understand Mrs. Reynolds' preference.
“Alright, go to your classrooms. Hunter and Matthew, come see me after class. You, your parents, and I need to have a serious talk."
With that, the crowd dispersed, but I couldn't move. I stood glued to the lockers, my palms sweating and my face burning, still staring at my savior. It was the first time a complete stranger had ever defended me.
“Lester, I'm so sorry. Both Hunter and Matthew are some of our most exemplary students. I don't know what got into them!”
Lester. So that was his name. My heart raced.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and shrugged. “Don't worry, Mrs. Reynolds.” He replied in that voice of his, whichsounded like the purr of a wild animal, and I realized that his blue eyes were identical to his mother's, even though everything else was different. The first thing that struck you about Senator Jones, even on television, was a pair of blue eyes that could look like the kindest thing in the world one moment and a scene from a horror movie the next. Lester's, however, although almond-shaped and vibrant like hers, did not convey that duality of emotions. They were... calm. Gentle. And I couldn't tear my attention away from them. “Do you need me to go to your office after class too?”
“Oh, no, no, dearie. Feel free! I’ll leave you to get acquainted with the school.” Mrs. Reynolds spoke as if she were a schoolgirl in front of her crush. She then rested an overly friendly hand on my hero’s arm and said goodbye with a caress that made the hairs on my body stand on end.
This woman has no boundaries.
As she walked away from Lester, a broad smile was plastered across her face, but that changed as soon as she saw me. Her expression hardened and her chin lifted as if she had encountered an insult to her very existence. “Miss Parker, don't you have class...?” she snapped.
I sighed and shook my head. “The bell hasn't rung yet, Mrs. Reynolds... Classes don't start for another fifteen minutes...”
She let a disdainful grin escape her lips, and I felt myself blushing when I realized that Lester was still standing there, observing us.
“And just because the bell hasn't rung yet, are you going to stand there like a statue, listening to other people's conversations?”
I tried to answer, but ended up speechless and wide-eyed as Lester moved closer and offered a warm smile to the school principal. The woman immediately melted, reciprocating his smile.
“Mrs. Reynolds, actually, she was waiting for me.”
Once again, my heart was in my throat. Did he really say that?
“Oh, did Lester already know Daisy?” Mrs. Reynolds asked, arching an eyebrow with an expression of disbelief on her face.
He nodded. “Yes. In fact, I’m glad we’re here, because she promised me that if Mrs. Reynolds gave us permission and let us off this afternoon, she would buy me lunch. What do you say, Mrs. Reynolds?”
I was flabbergasted, my jaw hitting the floor. FREE AFTERNOON? WITH MRS. REYNOLDS? Even my back started to sweat. The principal didn't give anyone special treatment. Least of all me!
To my horror, the woman giggled like a maniac.
“Oh, my dear Lester! Of course you can! But I didn't know Miss Parker was so supportive of her classmates. She then turned to me and, for the first time ever, gave me a friendly smile. “You've impressed me, Daisy. Keep up the good work.”
She then turned around and strode down the hallway toward her office, as if she had just been given some kind of award. I peeled myself away from the lockers to watch her disappear, stillopen-mouthed. When she was out of sight, I turned on my heels and stared at my savior with an expression that must surely have been a question mark.
“She doesn’t cut anyone any slack. Not even Hunter.” I muttered, not understanding how the guy had managed it.
He smiled at me, his hands still in his pockets, and shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
“What can I say? The principal liked me!”
“Yeah... I noticed."
He didn't answer me. Just stood there, smiling, looking at me as if waiting for something.