Read Online Ever After Drake by Keary Taylor - Free Book Online Page B

nervous, but at least it’s
working. Unlike mine. “I know it’s early and you’re
busy.”
    “ Not a problem,” he says,
even though he’s looking back down at his papers, gathering them up
and stacking them into a neat pile. “I always have time for my
teachers.”
    “ Well,” Drake says with an
uncomfortable courtesy laugh. “We appreciate it.”
    “ So, what’s this about?”
he says, setting the papers aside and folding his arms on the
desk.
    “ Uh,” Drake says, that
surprised, caught red-handed look of his crossing his face. “We,
uh, Miss Ray and I wanted to talk to you about something
personal.”
    “ He and I are dating,” I
suddenly blurt. It takes me half a second to realize I actually
vocalized the words and that I didn’t just say them in my head. I
slap my hands down around my mouth.
    Drake looks at me in horror for a
second, and I just stare back at him wide eyed. And then Drake
breaks out into a very awkward sounding chuckle.
    “ Uh, yeah,” he says even
more uncomfortably, looking back at Principle Riker. “That’s what
we wanted to meet with you about. Kaylee, Miss Ray and I, we’ve
recently started up a personal relationship and we wanted to make
you aware of that.”
    I’m quite sure I still have a look of
complete humiliation on my face. Sam has a look on his own face
that I’m not sure if it’s boredom, annoyance, anger, or complete
disinterest. He looks from me to Drake, and back again.
    “ I think so long as the
two of you know how to keep your personal interest out of the
school and off school grounds, you two know how to be adults,” he
finally says after what must be the longest thirty seconds in the
history of mankind. “Keep it to yourselves and I don’t really care
what you do outside of class, so long as you never reflect poorly
on Woodinville High School.”
    “ Really?” I say, my voice
high-pitched and breathy.
    Now both he and Drake laugh. Sam nods
his head. “Really.”
    I slouch back into my seat, which I’ve
been perched on the edge of up until this point, and heave a huge
breath. I prop my head up with the heel of my hand and rest my
elbow on the arm of the chair.
    “ You look like you’ve been
dreading this conversation, Miss Ray,” Principal Riker
teases.
    “ I have,” I admit with a
chuckle. “I really didn’t want to get fired.”
    “ We’ll have none of that,”
he says kindly. “Not when we’ve been getting such good feedback
from our students about you, and such good grades from your
classes.”
    A smile pulls on my lips and I sit
myself up again. “Thank you.”
    “ Yes,” Drake pipes in.
“Thanks for understanding. We’ll keep this on the down
low.”
    “ I expect you to,” Sam
says with a nod of his head. He is serious and stern, but I can see
the corner of his lips trying not to smile. I wonder if he has ever
felt the way I do when I’m with Drake. Maybe Sam has. Maybe that’s
why he’s giving his blessing. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some
things to take care of.”
    “ Of course,” Drake says
and he and I both stand. Without another word, we walk out of the
office.
    We don’t get more than half a dozen
steps away when Drake wraps his arms around me, picking me up clean
off the ground and twirling me in a circle. I barely manage to
contain the delighted squeal that wants to erupt from my
lips.
    Our eyes lock and he sets me down
slowly. My lips ascend to his and linger for a brief but sweet
moment.
    Drake holds me close, in danger of
breaking the deal we made just moments ago, but that look on his
face tells me he doesn’t care one bit. His eyes stare into mine and
I feel all those beautiful emotions he evokes in me wake to
life.
    “ How’d I ever have a life
without you?” he whispers. He brings his hand up to brush his
fingertips lightly over my cheek.
    “ I don’t think we were
ever supposed to exist without each other.” I close my eyes and
press my forehead to his chest.
    We get to stand like that