Darren arrived early for work the next morning. He needed time to concentrate on selecting the perfect song and arrangement before his meeting with Chris tomorrow afternoon. He always found it easiest to get work done before the children and most of the staff arrived, when the school was empty and he could lose himself completely in the music echoing through the empty choir room.
Song selection was something that usually came easily to Darren, but after a night of thinking of options and tossing and turning, he was no closer to making a decision. He wanted something that would work lyrically and that would showcase his student's talents as well as his choir's ethos. It was a lot of pressure for one song, and Darren knew he couldn't afford to get it wrong.
He sipped a cup of coffee and pulled out a legal pad, jotting down notes on other things he needed to accomplish before the day was over. His thoughts quickly turned to the dreams that had haunted him the night before. All his students stood in a circle around him, their eyes impossibly wide and sad as they called out for help. Darren fought to reach them, but it was always too late. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get free from Chris' vise-like grip, couldn't shake him off. Which...hey. Suddenly an idea presented itself.
Darren grabbed his phone and quickly googled the lyrics to Shake It Out by Florence and The Machine. They were a perfect compliment to what Darren was feeling, encompassing the war between creativity and bureaucracy. It would be a risky song choice with lyrics like "And every demon wants his pound of flesh" and "it's hard to dance with a devil on your back so shake him off." It was clever, Darren decided, as long as Chris didn't think he was calling him a demon and a devil.
Darren sat down at the piano, picking out the basic notes. The song's simple rhythms and melody were a blank canvas for him to do almost anything with. But in the end, Darren decided to go with a more traditional choral arrangement. When juxtaposed with the pop song, he hoped it would sum everything he'd been trying to do with the choir for the past few years: to make choral music exciting and relatable to kids who were much more interested in Katy Perry and Lady Gaga than Bach.
He grabbed some blank sheet music and began scribbling out the various parts for each section of choir. What he was plotting would be a good deal more complex than most of the pieces they'd done thus far this year, especially given that they only had a day and half to rehearse. It was a risk and a challenge, but one they had to take, especially with what they stood to lose if they weren't successful.
"Hey Chris," Ashley said, poking her head into his office around midday. "Two quick questions – I was about to run out for lunch and wondered if you wanted me to bring you back something and the district superintendent called about setting up a short conference call. Is tomorrow at 3:15 good?"
"Uhh yes on the food, but I can't do 3:15 tomorrow. I've got another meeting at 3:30."
"Since when?" Ashley frowned. "I don't have it on your calendar. Who with?"
"Oh it's fine, just something that got scheduled after the PTA address last night. And it's with someone in the music department. It shouldn't take that long, hopefully..." Chris sighed.
"With someone in the music department - oh by that do you happen to mean the cute guy who sassed you at the meeting last night?" Ashley practically squealed.
"Was he cute?" Chris rolled his eyes. "I don't know, Ash. He's not really my type."
"Christopher, please, you know he's gorgeous. And it might be good to go after someone who isn't your type for a change. You could use a little fun in your life."
"Are you saying I'm boring?" Chris asked.
"No, you're lovely and accomplished and interesting. But you've got to admit, your life is boring right now. All you do is work and sleep and work some more. I can barely coax you out of the house on weekends for a bite to eat or a drink. You're young, and you should be living it up, at least a little."
"You may have a point there," Chris admitted reluctantly. "Still that has nothing to do with Darren. Even if I was interested, which I'm most definitely not, you know I'm not allowed to have a relationship with anyone here while I'm still overseeing the school's budget."
"Sure, while you're here, but that's for how long? Just a few months. All I'm saying is keep an open mind, alright?"
If I promise I will, can that be the end of this conversation, please?" Chris requested wearily. Ashley nodded her assent, a spreading grin on her face. "Okay fine, I'll keep an open mind," he sighed. "Happy now?"
"I'm very happy, and I'll see if the superintendent will be okay with doing the conference call tomorrow morning instead." Ashley strode out of his office, humming under her breath. "Door open or closed?" she asked, when she reached the threshold."
"Closed, please." Chris managed a tight smile, dropping his head to his hands as soon as the door closed behind Ashley, massaging his temples. Ashley was notoriously persistent when she got an idea in her head, and Chris was already fearing for his sanity. He was especially concerned at how nonchalant she seemed to be about blurring his professional life with his personal one. If there was one thing Chris prided himself on, it was his professionalism. The rules about not becoming involved with a subordinate existed for a reason, and Chris had no desire to cross over that boundary.
Still, if there was ever a person who existed to push the boundaries, it was probably Darren. Chris had already witnessed how easily he got under his skin and he was determined to let his logical side prevail this time.
"Okay guys," Darren called to his students, "let's quiet down. We've got a lot to get through this afternoon. We're going to be learning a new song and -"
"Mr. C?" Dianna called, raising her hand.
"Yes Dianna," Darren replied impatiently.
"Is our choir going away?" she asked, eyes wide.
"What? Why are you asking that?" Darren stalled, speechless.
"Because Jaime's mom went to that meeting yesterday and she said there was a new man who is really mean and scary and he said that singing is illegal at our school now. We were talking at lunch and we're scared because we don't want to go to jail..."
"Is that what everyone heard?" Darren asked, looking at the solemn faces staring back at him, nodding.
"Oh guys, no, of course not," he soothed. "No one's going to jail, I promise. There was a new man there that is in charge of making sure the school has enough money to stay open, but he's not mean, I promise. He has to cut out some after-school activities to save money, but I told him all about you and how talented you all are. So guess what? He's coming to hear you sing tomorrow afternoon, and if he likes what we do, he'll let us keep the choir. But no matter what, we'll still have music class during the day and singing will never be illegal, I swear." Darren smiled at the visibly relieved students, feeling a swell of love for them. "I just need you guys to do one thing for me. It's really important."
"What?" called several students.
"I need you to give me your listening ears today and really focus, okay? We're going to learn a new song today and we're performing tomorrow, which doesn't give us very long to get it just right. But we need to sing the best we've ever sang tomorrow, right?" A few students called "yeah' but most just nodded.
"Let's try that again - I can't HEARRRR you," Darren shouted. "Right?" he asked, putting a hand to his ear.
"YEAH!" the whole choir cheered.
"That's more like it," Darren smiled. He grabbed a stack of photocopied sheet music from the piano, quickly passing it out. "Okay guys, let's get to work."
Chris knocked on the door to the music room the next day, promptly at 3:30.
"Come in," Darren called.
Chris opened the door, and was immediately met with a wall of sound.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Colfer," thirty children shouted in unison.
"I..." Chris said, totally thrown off balance. He turned to Darren, perplexed. "I thought you and I would be meeting alone?" he asked. "Do you want me to come back later?"
"No, of course not," Darren laughed. "You're the guest of honor, after all. He grabbed his arm, leading him to the front of the room. "Here, sit," he directed, pointing at a chair next to the piano, facing the kids. "We wanted to sing a little something for you first, to show our gratitude."
"Oh, that wasn't necessary," Chris managed breathlessly.
"Sure it was!" Darren replied. "Besides, how can you make an informed decision about us when you haven't even seen what we can do?"
Chris opened his mouth, looking from Darren to the children before closing it again. He wasn't sure what Darren's strategy was here. He thought he'd made himself abundantly clear that his decision would be about the money and nothing else. Still, it was clear that the kids had gone to a lot of trouble to prepare something for him, and he didn't want to let them down. It couldn't hurt to hear one song, could it?
"I guess I have time for one song," Chris said at last, smiling at the children.
"Wonderful!" Darren clapped his hands together. "Okay guys, you ready?" He waited patiently until all students were quiet and still, their eyes on him. He played a single note on the piano, and then counted out the opening notes. The students came in together, humming a note in unison, before a young boy begin to sing a solo a cappella, the rest of the choir carrying quiet harmonies behind him.
Regrets collect like old friends
Here to relive your darkest moments
I can see no way, I can see no way
And all of the ghouls come out to play
And every demon wants his pound of flesh
But I like to keep some things to myself.
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
Darren came in on the piano as the choir began to sing together, sounding like a chorus of angels. Even with Chris' more limited musical experience, he could still tell that the harmonies and precision of this choir were well beyond what most fifth graders were capable of.
And I've been a fool and I've been blind
I can never leave the past behind
I can see no way, I can see no way
I'm always dragging that horse around
Our love is pastured, such a mournful sound
Tonight I'm gonna bury that horse in the ground
I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
The voices crescendoed at the chorus and suddenly Chris recognized the song. They were covering Florence and the Machine, but in a completely different way. He had to give Darren for that, because the sparse arrangement highlighted the choir's voices superbly. Instead of an anthem, it was haunting, almost operatic.
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa
Chris was watching Darren carefully, wanting to see the passion in his eyes for what he did. He smiled as he watched him mouth the words along with the kids, nodding in time with the beat as a way to direct them while he continued to play the piano. Unfortunately, that meant he didn't miss Darren's tiny smirk as the children sang "it's hard to dance with the devil on your back." Chris flushed hot as the pieces came together in his head. Darren was talking about him. Chris was the devil the kids were singing about shaking off. Is that what they honestly thought of him?
Heart sinking, he forced a smile and looked back at the kids, determined to give them the attention they deserved. It wasn't their fault that they had a cocky choir director that seemed to take pleasure in humiliating him at every turn. It was his fault, he decided. Chris had made the first mistake, which was letting someone in. He thought he'd been doing the right thing by giving Darren a chance to fundraise enough money to sustain his own program. But it was clear to him now that Darren hadn't been listening to a word he said to him after the meeting.
A new soloist stepped forward confidently and began to sing, drawing Chris back into the music.
I am done with my graceless heart
Tonight I'm gonna cut it out and then restart
'Cause I like to keep my issues drawn
It's always darkest before the dawn
Each time the chorus was repeated, Chris felt a new stab of pain. Don't take it personally, he kept reminding himself. Still it was hard not to take it personally because it was personal. As much as he knew he was just doing his job, it still hurt all the same when people hated him for it. It was worse with Darren because he'd felt something that first time they'd spoken one-on-one. It wasn't attraction per se, but it was hard to deny that there had been sparks. He felt alive around Darren in those few short moments in a way that he hadn't felt in a long time.
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa.
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back.
Given half the chance would I take any of it back?
It's a fine romance but it's left me so undone
It's always darkest before the dawn.
A tiny girl stepped forward, looking much younger than the other fifth graders surrounding her. She opened her mouth and begin to sing with a crystal clear voice that sounded much beyond her years. Even as he was still fuming, Chris had to admit that Darren had assembled an amazing stable of talent. It would be a shame to see it go undeveloped without the choir, but that was his job.
And I'm damned if I do and I'm damned if I don't
So here's to drinks in the dark at the end of my road
And I'm ready to suffer and I'm ready to hope
It's a shot in the dark aimed right at my throat
'Cause looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Looking for heaven, found the devil in me
Well what the hell I'm gonna let it happen to me, yeah
Chris sensed the song coming to an end as the children's voices built to a crescendo, singing the final chorus. He breathed a sigh of relief and tried to decide how to handle Darren once it was over. He didn't want to be cruel, especially with the children involved that had clearly been working their hardest and singing their hearts out.
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa.
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa
Shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, shake it out, ooh whoa.
And it's hard to dance with a devil on your back
So shake him off, oh whoa.
Chris forced a wide smile and counted slowly to three once the song was over, before standing and breaking into applause. "Wow guys, that was wonderful!" he exclaimed to the kids, keeping his back to Darren and trying to push the anger from his mind.
"So..." Darren said, coming up behind Chris and clapping a hand on his shoulder, "are we good to go now?"
That cocky little shit, Chris inwardly seethed.Did he really think I'd be that easy? I'd hear one song and be so charmed by the kids that I'd throw the budget out the window and leap into his arms? Seriously?
Ignoring Darren, Chris shrugged off his hand and walked toward the children. "You are all really good singers," he praised. "How long have you been working on that song?"
"Only two days," a kid in the front row answered. "But Mr. C made us practice it a lot."
"I bet he did," Chris chuckled. "Well the practice has really paid off, everyone. You sounded amazing."
"Yay!" the kids cheered, exchanging high fives.
"I'm glad you liked it," Darren grinned.
Before Darren could say more, Chris whirled to face him. "Can I talk to you in private?" he requested.
"Sure," Darren replied easily. Turning to the kids, he said "Okay guys, you are dismissed for the day. Great job everyone, especially my soloists. I'll see you during music class tomorrow. Make sure you turn in your sheet music to the stack on the piano before you leave."
The kids gathered their backpacks and filed out quickly, several stopping to give Darren hugs or high fives on their way out. As the door swung shut behind the last student, Chris took a deep, steadying breath, trying to figure out where to start without letting his anger and frustration get the better of him.
Before he could say a word, Darren spoke, still oblivious to the situation. "So you never answered my question earlier..."
"Darren, stop," Chris interrupted, "What the hell was that?"
Darren's face fell. "What do you mean?" he asked. "It was a song... I wanted you to see what we could do."
"Were you even listening to what I said to you after the PTA meeting?" Chris pressed.
"Of course I was..."
"Okay, then what was the deal we made?" Chris looked pointedly at Darren.
"You said you'd give us a chance to prove that our choir was worth saving. That if we could -"
"What was the one thing I said I was basing my decision on?" Chris interjected.
"Money..." Darren mumbled, looking at the ground.
"That's right – and what did today have to do with money?"
"I just thought if you could see what we do, you might realize that these kids are worth saving!" Darren said angrily. "I wanted you to know that your decisions weren't just about money, but about flesh and blood kids that love music, that love what they do!"
"...And you don't think the same would be true of the kids playing football or in the art club?" Chris pointed out.
"I..." Darren managed, hanging his head. "I guess they probably feel the same way."
"Exactly. That's why I can't play favorites here. I have to remain objective which means that I base my decision on the money, and nothing else. So I came here today with the figures for the school-wide expenses of what it takes to run your choir and I was expecting that you and I would look at your personal expenses for things like sheet music, supplies, and transportation to and from events. Do you have that information ready for me?"
"No, I... I guess I put all my eggs in one basket. I was thinking if I impressed you with all our choir could do, you might cut me some slack in the financial department."
"Well, then it looks like we have nothing further to discuss. I wanted to give you a chance to prove you could do this on your own, but I guess that was a bad idea," Chris said, a little sadly, standing to leave.
"No wait!" Darren cried, grabbing Chris' arm. "Look, I really fucked this up. I get that now. I was being cocky and expecting special treatment, when you were perfectly clear from the beginning. Please don't punish the kids for that..."
Chris sighed heavily. "Darren, the deal from the beginning was you had fourteen days to raise the money. You're two days into it and you still don't know how much you need to raise so I'm afraid it's just not possible at this point."
"You've seen how talented these kids are though, right? You've got to give me that."
"Yes, they're very talented, Darren. That's never been in dispute."
"So if anyone could convince strangers to donate money, it's these kids, don't you agree?" Darren asked, eyes pleading.
"I suppose so," Chris agreed wearily.
"Then let me try? I don't know if I could face my kids and tell them that choir was over if I hadn't done everything possible first..."
"I just don't know if that's fair..." Chris frowned, still uncertain.
"The same deal as before, nothing changes. I wasted two days being stupid, so I've only got twelve left. I'll stay here as late as I need to tonight and put together all the figures that you need. If you would be willing to come back tomorrow, I'll have everything prepared and we can have the meeting you were expecting to have today, okay?" Darren held eye contact with Chris, letting him see the sincerity in his gaze.
Chris silently deliberated, weighing the pros and cons. On the one hand, everything about the meeting today had been one giant slap in the face. Still, Chris had been blown away by the children and their talent. He thought back to his early days in theater and music, and how it had provided solace when everything else was filled with constant pain and humiliation. It was a tough call to make.
"I'll do it, on two conditions," Chris said at last, resolute.
"Of course, anything," Darren babbled, the relief evident on his face.
"First, no more taking potshots at me, especially using your kids to do it," Chris demanded.
"What do you mean?" Darren asked, voice trembling. But Chris could tell by the way his cheeks and ears went beet red that he knew he'd been found out.
"C'mon Darren, the whole 'it's hard to dance with the devil on your back' thing? You were totally talking about me. I'm sure you thought you were being clever, but it was obvious."
"I..." Darren looked stricken. "You're totally right – it was completely unprofessional of me and I apologize. It won't happen again."
"Good," Chris said. "Then on to condition two: from now on, you take this seriously. You either earn all the money by yourself in twelve days or no deal. Got it?"
"Absolutely," Darren nodded solemnly.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow at 3:30. Make sure you have everything prepared this time," Chris stood for a second time and strode from the room, as confidently as he could manage. Once he was out of the choir room and down the hallway out of view, he stopped, leaning against a wall. His legs were wobbly and his heart was pounding from the stress and adrenaline. He'd never been good at confrontation, but he'd found it was much easier when he was confronting a group of people, rather than an individual, like at the PTA meeting when he was addressing the whole room.
Addressing Darren one-on-one when there was that much tension in the room had been nothing short of a nightmare. Something about Darren made it hard for him to remain objective, because it felt personal. Chris remained there for several minutes, breathing slowly in and out, and trying to regain his bearings.
Darren spent most of the evening in a frantic haze. He'd really fucked it up this time, letting his ego get the better of him. Though it was hard to admit, things had often come easily to him. Sure, he'd still worked hard and earned everything he'd accomplished, but when it came to interpersonal interactions, he could skate by on his good looks, friendly demeanor, and little else. It was rare that he met someone who wasn't charmed by him. Until Chris.
This time, Darren knew he had only himself to blame. He wasn't a details kind of guy, but Chris clearly was and he hadn't listened. Worse still, he'd hurt him by trying to be clever with the song selection. He'd failed as a teacher and human being and he just wanted to curl up in a ball and hide.
But hiding from the world wasn't an option, because he had thirty kids who were depending on him to do the right thing. So instead, Darren threw himself into the task at hand. He spent two hours sifting through receipts, researching his choir's expenses for the last twelve months. Once he was confident he had every number accounted for, he started working on a Powerpoint presentation. Nothing flashy this time, just charts and graphs that soberly laid out all of the expenses, broken down in four different ways so that no matter which way Chris asked for it, he'd be prepared.
It was almost midnight before he made it home, splurging on a cab instead of walking the 10 blocks to his apartment like usual because he was so exhausted. Once he made it inside, he forced himself to stagger over to the closet instead of face-planting on the bed, taking a few minutes to check that he had a suit clean and to iron a white shirt to go with. At last, satisfied, he laid everything out, stripped off his clothes and climbed underneath the duvet. He was asleep the second his head hit the pillow.
Darren paced the music room nervously the next afternoon, waiting for Chris to arrive. He thought back to all the questions the kids had put to him during music class earlier, feeling the knot in his stomach grow. They'd all bounded into the room that morning, dying to know if they'd done a good enough job to save the choir. Darren had done everything in his power to reassure them that they had, but he couldn't lie to them, not when he knew how unhappy Chris had been. So he'd done the best that he could and promised them that they did their jobs and now it was his turn to do the same. He'd already practiced his presentation four times and was confident that whatever questions Chris had, he'd be ready. He just hoped that it would be enough. After the confrontation yesterday, Darren had lost his easy confidence. He was aware now that this was a tenuous arrangement and if he did anything that made Chris think he wasn't taking it seriously enough, it could all be over in the blink of an eye.
Chris arrived right on schedule at 3:30. "Hello – are you ready?" he greeted him, all business.
Darren nodded, directing Chris to take a seat near the projector, pulling up his presentation. He waited while Chris removed a small file folder and a legal pad from his briefcase. "Okay," Chris said at last, when he had everything arranged. "You can begin."
"I just wanted to start this meeting by apologizing again for yesterday and letting you know how much I appreciate you giving me a second chance," Darren began, his voice a little wobbly. That was new for him. He rarely got nervous, but he was honestly terrified that Chris wouldn't like what he had to say.
"I heard what you wanted yesterday, and I hope this presentation will answer all of the questions you have about the choir's expenses. I've broken down the numbers in several different ways, so if the expenses aren't presented as you need them to be, just let know and I can show them to you a different way." Darren was relieved when Chris finally glanced up at him when he said that, looking surprised.
"Great Darren, I appreciate that. I'll let you know," Chris said, finally giving him a small smile. Darren let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, relaxing slightly.
Darren advanced to the first slide and began his presentation, almost able to recite the numbers from memory, given how much he'd rehearsed. With each slide, it got a little easier and Darren's confidence grew. Chris took notes throughout, occasionally pausing to ask him a clarifying question or have him give the numbers broken down in a different way. Thankfully his preparation seemed to be paying off and he was ready every time Chris asked him something new. By the final slide, Darren was feeling cautiously optimistic.
"That's all I have in terms of my expenses. Hopefully I didn't leave anything out?" Darren ventured tentatively.
"I don't think so..." Chris said, scribbling furiously on his pad. "Hang on one sec, I'm just totaling my expenses with yours to come up with a sum."
"Okay..." Darren replied, heart hammering in his throat as he waited.
"So that puts total expenses for running the choir at just under ten grand for the entire year. We said we'd do this on a trial basis for one quarterly grading period, so I divided that number by four. That means the total you'd need to raise in the next twelve days is $2,450." Chris looked at Darren, awaiting his response.
"Okay, that's what I'll do then," Darren nodded. "If that's what it takes, I'll find a way."
"It's a lot of money to raise in that short a time span," Chris warned. "But you did a good job today and if you can apply that same energy to fundraising, who knows..."
"Thank you," Darren said, practically crying with relief.
"Seriously, I'm impressed," Chris said more encouragingly.
"And I'm motivated," Darren said firmly, holding eye contact with Chris.
"So I see, not that I've ever doubted that for a second," Chris chuckled. "But honestly, I can tell that you put a lot of time and thought into this presentation which I really appreciate." Chris gave him a sheepish smile that didn't reach his eyes, a quick flash of something guarded that Darren couldn't quite detect. "I never wanted to take hope away, you know? That's not my intention here."
"I know," Darren nodded, wanting Chris to feel the sincerity behind his words. "And for what it's worth, that's not how I think of you. Not anymore, anyways."
"Good," Chris said, his face beaming. Darren was thrilled to see the ice between them start to thaw after all the earlier tension. "I'm glad we're making progress. We should meet again in a few days to talk about your fundraising plans. I'll have my assistant send you an email to set something up."
"Okay, I'll be working on ideas. I know we've got to move quickly if I'm going to raise $2,500 by the deadline."
"Hey, if anyone can do it, you can. And for what it's worth, good luck - I'll be rooting for your kids to succeed." Chris gathered his things together, placing them back into the briefcase. "I'll be in touch," he said, waving as he left.
Darren peeled off his suit coat and loosened his tie once he was alone, sinking into a chair. He looked down, noticing that his hands were still shaking from the surge of adrenaline that had propelled him through the presentation. Thankfully, he'd done enough, at least for now. Still it was going to take a winning idea to raise such a large sum of money in twelve day. He pulled up a blank word document, determined to put the adrenaline to good use by brainstorming fundraising strategies. He knew he would crash sooner or later, thanks to the sleep deprivation, but for now, he was awake and very, very motivated.
Chris was wrapping things up just after 6 pm when he was startled by a knock on the door. "Come in," he called tentatively, used to being alone in the building at this time of night.
"Hey, it's me again," Darren said, popping in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was just heading out for the night and saw the light on in your office. But I was thinking if you don't have any plans this evening, would you want to go grab some dinner or coffee?" Darren blurted out, before he could lose his nerve.
"You mean like a..." Chris began, his words halting.
"Not a date or anything like that," Darren rushed to reassure, his cheeks flushed. "Strictly professional. I'm starving and have nothing to eat at my apartment and didn't want to eat alone, and just thought...you might feel the same? But if you've got other plans, I totally understand..."
Chris paused for a long moment before answering, considering Darren's offer. To be honest, he would love the company and break from his normal routine. The only issue was that his dinner companion would be Darren, the same Darren who'd already let him down once before. A tiny part of Chris worried that this was all some elaborate ruse to gain his favor to help Darren's choir. But Chris reminded himself that Darren had done well today and seemed to be getting the message that there would be no special favors.
"Well, I guess that would be okay," Chris said at last. "As I said at the PTA meeting, I am trying to get to know the teachers a little better and I'd like to hear your story – how you ended up teaching at PS 21 and all that. So as long as you don't mind sharing a little a bit, sure, why not."
"Of course I don't mind," Darren replied with a wide grin. "Tonight I'm an open book..."
"Excellent." Chris began to gather his things, feeling a bit awkward as Darren watched him shut down his computer and shove files in his briefcase. "Since this is your borough, I'm going to let you pick the spot, okay?" Chris asked as he put on his scarf and coat.
"There's a great little cafe just down the street," Darren replied. "It's got coffee but also sandwiches and soup if that sounds good to you? Assuming you don't mind a short walk, that is."
"Not at all," Chris nodded. "Just lead the way."
Darren smiled, picking up the guitar case from where it rested at his feet and slinging it over one shoulder. He walked over to Chris, extending his arm. "Right this way, sir," he directed with mock formality.
After a second's hesitation, Chris took Darren's offered arm. Chris allowed himself to be led from the building by Darren, cheeks hot and body tingling at every point of contact. As Darren continued to hum obliviously, one persistent thought kept nagging at Chris' consciousness. I am so screwed.