Flee by Keely James Page B

sharply at me, her eyebrows slightly raised.
    â€œWhat?” I asked sharply when she remained silent.
    â€œNothing,” she replied in the same tone, a smile playing about the edges of her mouth. She was really beginning to irritate me.
    â€œHere.” I handed her the cardstock pictures I was holding. “Go staple these to something.
    â€œDon’t tempt me,” she responded, taking the pictures and moving away.
    Mateo had set down his bag of balls and was now in the middle of the action. My view from the foggy mirror wasn’t the best, but I shamelessly watched him anyway. After running around in the impromptu game for a little while, Mateo stopped the action and gathered the kids around him, talking and motioning with his hands. When he finished, the kids cheered and West Austin Academy students hoisted them onto their backs and then took off after the ball. The kids were laughing and cheering their carrier, the ball jumping crazily around. The game progressed with lots of fun but no real scoring in the barely controlled chaos until the players finally collapsed in a dog pile in the middle of the field, laughing and wrestling. Mateo stood, one kid clinging to his neck and others on each of his legs. He made his way slowly and awkwardly toward the snack table, tickling his new appendages, who giggled and desperately tried to hang on as he moved.
    â€œThis is so great for the kids.” Their teacher had joined me at the window, and she too smiled as she watched the action. “They’ve been cooped up all week doing assessments as we try to figure out where everyone is. I just hope their parents don’t kill us when we send them home dirty.” She laughed as two boys jumped on Malcolm Miller’s back, and he fought to stay upright.
    â€œOh, look, there’s no one to work the snack table. Come on, Blake.” Callie grabbed my arm, none too subtly, and dragged me from the safety of the classroom. I started to protest, but she ignored me, and before I could think, I was handing out cookies and apples and water bottles to muddy, happy kids. And avoiding looking at their faces. It was too much life, too much energy, too much happiness. It was everything I had lost. Despite my efforts to breathe deeply and hold it together, my hands began to tremble, and I had to fight hard to keep tears out of my eyes. I cannot break down in front of these kids . It’ll freak them out. I have to hold it together. By focusing on closing my fingers around each apple and handing them up without looking, I somehow managed to stay at my task.
    This is miserable. I shouldn’t have come. It’s too soon . A hand closed around mine as I held up what felt like the kajillionth apple, and I finally looked up, straight into Mateo’s concerned blue eyes. Calm washed over me, and I was able to take a deep breath. He squeezed my hand and then let go, grabbing a water bottle and handing it to the kid still sitting on his shoulders.
    â€œYou seem to have some sort of growth around your neck.” Wow. I felt calm. I sounded calm. I had gone from near nervous breakdown to joking and relaxed almost instantly. Who was this guy? “You should have that looked at. It could be dangerous.”
    â€œOh, I have no doubt it’s very dangerous.” The boy laughed, yanking on Mateo’s hair. “Ouch! This is Ramon, and I’m about to teach him a very important lesson about what happens when you mess with the wrong man. After all,” Mateo said, reaching up and grabbing Ramon and swinging him down. “We are at school. Ramon, I’ll give you a ten-second head start.” The boy took off running and laughing. Mateo turned back to face me.
    â€œYou okay?”
    I nodded. He squinted his eyes and examined me.
    â€œWould you do me a favor? I brought a bag of balls for the kids to use at PE.” He jerked his head to the right, indicating where ball bag sat. “Would you grab