Cursed By The Sun

Chapter 10

I don't know how but our apartment is somehow almost filled to capacity and it's not even 11pm.

Lucy invited her new lawyer friends and Josh, the flirty waiter from the diner, who added five friends to his invitation so the combination of them and the two teachers I invited made for an interesting group of people that were quickly going through all the snacks I put out.

"I sent Josh's friends out to get more booze. Can you believe all these people showed up?" Lucy says, entering the kitchen.

"No, I can't." I say with wide eyes, hoping she'll get that I'm freaking out a little bit.

"Here." she pours clear liquor into the empty shot glass in front of me.

"One for the nerves," she says, lifting the liquid up to my lips and I gag as it slides down my throat. "And another one for a good night." She refills the glass and hands it to me.

I hesitantly take it and she laughs next to me.

"That's it. I have to be sober since we're hosting and you're already on your third cup." I scold her.

"Yeah yeah." She rolls her eyes and kisses my cheek, the smell of vodka soda enters my nose as she does this.

"Let's change this awful song." she drags me to the living room that is suddenly smaller than I remember.

"Great party, Miss Wallace." I turn to see Mr. Smith smiling at me.

"You can just call me Sunniva, Mr. Smith."

"Sure thing and you can just call me Mato or rude for crashing your party." He jokes and his smile is so big that his eyes disappear. It's very endearing.

I'm assigned to Miss Porter's and Mr. Smith's third grade classes. They're both very good teachers with different styles.

Miss Porter is visual and very interactive where as Mr. Smith runs a tight ship and is into impromptu reading which his class loves. I enjoy the differences between the classes since Miss Porter has the more active class where as Mr. Smith's class is quiet but very inquisitive.

I've made two friends at the school, Ella another student teacher finishing off in a few months and Derek the PE teacher. They're both pretty much the only under 30s at this school besides Mr. Smith who's actually a friend of Derek who I assume invited him tonight.

I feel a little bad that I didn't invite him myself since I spend more time with him than both Ella and Derek but I thought it would be unprofessional for him to see me tipsy on a school night.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I didn't invite you in the first place I guess I thought it would've been strange." I apologize, picking at my hair nervously.

"Miss Wallac- Sunniva, it's okay. I was young once too." He laughs and I join in, relieved that he's not offended.

"You're not all achey bones yet Mr. Sm- Mato."

"No but something about being 28 really has a man feeling ready to write up a will." He jokes and I laugh louder than necessary.

Those two shots hit fast.

I put my hand over my mouth in shock and embarrassment but Mr. Smith just laughs at me and raises a cup in understanding.

I feel a tug on my arm and see Lucy using her other hand to pinch her cheeks.

"Two very large, very attractive men just entered the building." She says, wiggling her eyebrows and I roll my eyes at her theatrics.

I see Leo's two friends make their way to us and I catch the one named Edwardo fist bumping Derek while Ella just looks up at them in shock.

Everyone else also seems to be a little on edge as they enter and I feel a bit annoyed at my guests for making them feel out of place. I know they might seem a little intimidating but it's rude to stare. Plus I figured from our two encounters that Edwardo was a little bit of a playful jokester despite the scary tattoos he has crawling from his neck to under his shirt and the other friend who's name I don't know yet has a quiet calmness about him but it's almost too calm.