36|Dark Horse

"Right! Lunch is over, guys. Let's settle down!" Marybeth said sternly as she walked into her class, hoping to send her kids scampering to their seats.

They didn't budge.

The flowers were too great an attraction, and when she finally paused in front of her desk, she could see why they were all mesmerised. The bouquet was so massive, she wondered how she'd carry it to her car.

She absently took one of the roses and smelled it, a pang of regret stabbing her heart.

She could get used to this. Receiving flowers for no reason.

She would have gotten used to it. If Austin wasn't who he was—

"Ma'am has a boyfriend!" screeched one of her kids, zapping her back to the room.

Marybeth couldn't see who it was, but from the sounds of the jolly voice, she figured it was Sisonke, a firm favourite among his classmates because of his constant stream of jokes and endless pranks.

It didn't take long for the rest of the group to join him, singing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G rhyme in a surprisingly harmonious tempo.