Read Online Breaking the Rules: The Honeybees, book 1 by Amy Archer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amy Archer
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protested. “They need it.”
“You’re welcome to incorporate art into your lessons,” Ms. Mayfield said. “I know many of you already do. But there’s nothing else I can do.”
I left the meeting shocked and upset. Angelina would be devastated.
But as I sat on the bus on the way home from work, I became determined. I wanted to give these students the best possible education I could, and that included an art education. If they couldn’t go to art class anymore, I’d bring art to them.
Matt had offered to pay rent on his part of the house for two months after he moved out—until the end of our lease—and the end was coming up. I’d been loving living alone, and had been putting off finding a new place because I didn’t want this period to end. I loved having the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I loved this house despite its memories. Moving was a pain, and roommates added a wild card to the mix: maybe they’d be great and we’d enjoy each other’s company, but maybe they’d bring chaos into my life. Maybe they’d come home late and drunk and be loud while I was trying to sleep. Maybe they’d eat the food I’d been planning to bring to work with me for lunch. Maybe they’d even steal from me.
And then there was the other matter, the one that, truth be told, was a bigger issue: having a roommate at my age made me feel like a failure. I knew it was common for almost-twenty-eight-year-olds to have roommates, but I felt like I’d progressed past that point. I’d been living with my serious boyfriend of six years. I should’ve been moving forward with my life, to marriage and maybe a family, not backward, to living with a roommate.
But I couldn’t put it off any longer. With a sigh, I opened up Craigslist on my computer one Saturday afternoon, my muscles aching from the training session that morning. As I started scrolling through listings, the feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach only grew. Living with a stranger was opening up such a can of worms. Anything could happen.
Instead, I decided, I’d text a few friends and coworkers, asking if any of them knew of anyone who needed a roommate. But my fingers froze on my phone. I couldn’t do it. It was irrational and it was not pragmatic, but I just didn’t want to move and I didn’t want to live with anyone new.
I opened the computer again and pulled up my bank’s website. I had always been good at saving, and had quite a bit of money saved away despite my teacher’s salary. This wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to use it for, but what the hell. Maybe, for once in my life, I would do something that wasn’t the smart, pragmatic choice—even if I was doing it to avoid potential future problems. I would renew my lease. At least for another six months, I was going to live alone.
The decision made, I felt an immediate weight off my shoulders. Smiling, I shut my computer and went to the armchair, where Taco was sleeping soundly even though he knew he wasn’t allowed there. Rather than chastising him and throwing him off, I curled up next to him and snuggled him close to me.
CHAPTER 4
On Saturday at the end of training, Devin approached me. “Where’s our dog today?” he asked with a grin, and I wasn’t sure how to read his expression. Was he mocking me? Being genuinely nice? Joking around?
I looked at him warily. “I wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the longer workout,” I said. “Besides, no one else brings a dog. I don’t want to overdo it.”
“But I want to see him,” Devin said. “Let’s go on a doggy play date this afternoon.”
A doggy play date? What exactly did that mean? The word “date” in there made me wary, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to say no to Taco’s former owner. I was starting to feel softer toward Devin after our run together a few days earlier.
We agreed on a time and place, and we met at a dog park later that afternoon. Devin played with
“You’re welcome to incorporate art into your lessons,” Ms. Mayfield said. “I know many of you already do. But there’s nothing else I can do.”
I left the meeting shocked and upset. Angelina would be devastated.
But as I sat on the bus on the way home from work, I became determined. I wanted to give these students the best possible education I could, and that included an art education. If they couldn’t go to art class anymore, I’d bring art to them.
Matt had offered to pay rent on his part of the house for two months after he moved out—until the end of our lease—and the end was coming up. I’d been loving living alone, and had been putting off finding a new place because I didn’t want this period to end. I loved having the freedom to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I loved this house despite its memories. Moving was a pain, and roommates added a wild card to the mix: maybe they’d be great and we’d enjoy each other’s company, but maybe they’d bring chaos into my life. Maybe they’d come home late and drunk and be loud while I was trying to sleep. Maybe they’d eat the food I’d been planning to bring to work with me for lunch. Maybe they’d even steal from me.
And then there was the other matter, the one that, truth be told, was a bigger issue: having a roommate at my age made me feel like a failure. I knew it was common for almost-twenty-eight-year-olds to have roommates, but I felt like I’d progressed past that point. I’d been living with my serious boyfriend of six years. I should’ve been moving forward with my life, to marriage and maybe a family, not backward, to living with a roommate.
But I couldn’t put it off any longer. With a sigh, I opened up Craigslist on my computer one Saturday afternoon, my muscles aching from the training session that morning. As I started scrolling through listings, the feeling of unease in the pit of my stomach only grew. Living with a stranger was opening up such a can of worms. Anything could happen.
Instead, I decided, I’d text a few friends and coworkers, asking if any of them knew of anyone who needed a roommate. But my fingers froze on my phone. I couldn’t do it. It was irrational and it was not pragmatic, but I just didn’t want to move and I didn’t want to live with anyone new.
I opened the computer again and pulled up my bank’s website. I had always been good at saving, and had quite a bit of money saved away despite my teacher’s salary. This wasn’t exactly what I’d planned to use it for, but what the hell. Maybe, for once in my life, I would do something that wasn’t the smart, pragmatic choice—even if I was doing it to avoid potential future problems. I would renew my lease. At least for another six months, I was going to live alone.
The decision made, I felt an immediate weight off my shoulders. Smiling, I shut my computer and went to the armchair, where Taco was sleeping soundly even though he knew he wasn’t allowed there. Rather than chastising him and throwing him off, I curled up next to him and snuggled him close to me.
CHAPTER 4
On Saturday at the end of training, Devin approached me. “Where’s our dog today?” he asked with a grin, and I wasn’t sure how to read his expression. Was he mocking me? Being genuinely nice? Joking around?
I looked at him warily. “I wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle the longer workout,” I said. “Besides, no one else brings a dog. I don’t want to overdo it.”
“But I want to see him,” Devin said. “Let’s go on a doggy play date this afternoon.”
A doggy play date? What exactly did that mean? The word “date” in there made me wary, but I wasn’t exactly in a position to say no to Taco’s former owner. I was starting to feel softer toward Devin after our run together a few days earlier.
We agreed on a time and place, and we met at a dog park later that afternoon. Devin played with
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