ENVY

Chapter 3 New Year, Same Old Probelms?

Tuesday morning Alicea made it a point to sit and write plans with Angelica before all the drama ensued.  She signed in and checked her mailbox.
"Good morning Ms. Del Romero", came a familiar hiss.  Alan McMurtree.
Startled by his cat like stealth, Alicea jumped nearly out of her skin but recovered quickly.

"I think you meant Mrs. Scaglione", Alicea corrected him without turning around.
"Good morning to you as well Mr. McMurtree.  Have a good day", Alicea stated gathering items from her mailbox as she attempted to walk away.

Alan quickly grasped her by the wrist, pulling her into him, causing her to drop everything she'd been holding.
Now standing with noses nearly touching, she could feel his warm breath on her face.
Her hand gripped and flattened over his heart, which she noticed was racing at a mile a minute.
What is he thinking? Alicea thought to herself as she pushed away from him struggling to free herself from his grasp and nearly falling backward; just as Ms. Jennifer Kaphie, the school principal and Alicea's best friend, entered the workroom.

"What's going on in here?", she asked facing Mr. McMurtree with her sternest expression.  Jennifer was no fool and well versed on Alicea's history with this philanderer.

"Oh, umm . . . nothing.  I was just assisting Mrs. Scaglione, she slipped and nearly fell.  Isn't that right Alicea?", his expression was that of a child with their hand caught in the cookie jar.  Alan's eyes sending a silent plea, hoping Alicea would save him.

"Is this true Mrs. Scaglione?", Mrs. Kaphie quirked her left eyebrow.  Alicea thought about letting him suffer although at the moment she was in a compromising position herself, still dangling from Alan's arms. She decided to save him then he'd owe her a favor, which she would most definitely collect on when the time was right.

"Yes, Ms. Kaphie, I nearly fell. Luckily Mr. McMurtree was here just in time to prevent me from getting hurt", Alicea provided him an alibi the tone however was not lost on Jennifer.

"I see. It's a good thing he was here then", she agreed.
Alan let out a sigh as he righted Ali, caressing her forearm. His gaze lingered on her far too long for Ali's taste. Alicea watched as Alan opened his mouth, where words seemed to be caught in his throat as she retrieved the scattered items off the floor.

"And Mr. McMurtree?", Jennifer said effectively breaking his concentration.

"Yes Ma'am?", he answered.

"I'd like a moment of your time in my office", her glare spoke the unspoken.

Alicea knew that although she'd saved him for the moment, Jennifer was not about to let him off the hook.  Alicea wondered what she had in store for him. Alan straightened and smoothed his tie, nodded at Alicea, and walked into Jennifer's office in silence.  Jennifer gave Alicea a quick winked and followed Alan into her office.

Alicea quickly turned to hide the smirk that had crept over her face and made her way toward her classroom.  "Well it serves him right. It's about time he got caught acting like an ass", Alicea thought to herself.  "But what was he trying to say?", she wondered. "And why was he acting like a love sick puppy?" Alicea shook her head in disbelief. Something was definitely off with him she thought.  She quickly shrugged it off and walked out of the main office and into the quad of classrooms looking for Angelica who was no where to be seen.
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"Yeah, I ran into him again after nearly ten years. I didn't see anything so special in his choice. I mean, she's cute and all but how could he chose her when he could have been with me?"
The voice continued; "How did she ever land him?"
"By the way did you notice she's not wearing her ring?"
"What's that about anyway?"

Then a second familiar voice chimed in to answer.
"Well the rumor is that it was a chance meeting at a conference and. . . ."

Alicea's ears turned off as her mind wandered trying to place the mystery voices.  One she decided was definitely the blond bombshell.  The other however she thought belonged to another of her colleagues, Rhonda Blake.  Ms. Blake was a veteran fifth grade teacher. An excellent teacher in her own right but a terrible gossip. She knew everyone's business, including that of the administrators.  Rhonda spent more time in the office picking up gossip than in her own classroom and it had only gotten worse as the years passed. Everyone knew better than to discuss anything in front of her or to her partner.
Alicea snapped herself out of her own thoughts and looked down at her left hand.  Were they gossiping about her? Knowing she'd be working so vigorously in her classroom, Alicea never wore her ring until she was completely finished for fear she would lose it.  And were they talking about her husband? How did she know Marcello? She walked toward the common room where the two woman were gossiping.