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I loved Bailey. Not just because she liked me and thought I was cool, but because she had a really big mouth and usually told me things Emily would never even think of disclosing.

“So you don't like him?” I asked Emily, grateful that Bailey had a big mouth asked, turning to face my daughter .

“No,” she said emphatically , her eyes wide, her brow furrowed . “I do not like him. He's gross.”

“He's not super gross,” Bailey said pointed out . She tucked a long strand of hair behind her ear. “ I mean, T t here are a lot of boys that are way more gross. A nd a t least he's nice.”

Emily ignored her. “Yeah and he's always looking at me ,” Emily whined. “ .” She made a face. “ It's creepy.”

“Better than Stevie Anthony Matheson,” Bailey said, rolling her eyes. “Now that kid is full - on creepy.” She looked at me. “Did you hear he almost died at the beach last summer?”

Uh, no.” “No?”

She nodded. “Yeah, he was at the beach with his family and apparently his brothers buried him in the sand and he like passed out or something. They had to fly in a helicopter and everything.”

“Yeah, well, that kid is uber-gross,” Emily said.

“Right. So not as bad as Alex,” Bailey said.

“You're not helping.”

“So mean.”

“Well, I'm sorry girls,” I said, laughing chuckling at their banter exchange . “But I'm not leaving for at least another hour. So you can stay and wait or take the smelly Alex bus or walk.”

“ Alex doesn't smell,” Bailed said. “Well, he sort of does. He wears this cologne that—”

Emily looked at Bailey cut  her off . “You wanna walk? We can stop at the Sonic and get slushies.”

“I'd rather take the bus and watch Alex watch you,” Bailey said . , a sly smile on her face.

“I'll buy,” Em said offered .

Bailed jumped off the desk. “Sold! ” Bailey said, jumping off the desk. Except I want a shake.”

I laughed smiled and shook my head. “Be careful walking.”

“You'll probably have this place to yourself,” Emily said. She shoved her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. “I swear, our teachers are always gone before the buses even leave.”

“Totally,” Bailey agreed, then giggled. “Except for Mr. Riggler.”

Emily tried not to laugh, but a little giggle fought it ' s way out. “Stop.”

“What's so funny about Mr. Riggler?” I asked.

“Nothing,” Emily said.

“ Tell me.”

“ It's nothing, Mom.”

I thought for half a second, then reached down for my purse and pulled out a five dollar bill. “I'll buy if you tell me why that's funny.”

Bailey snatched the money from my hand. “Sold! ” she sai d again. She stuffed the money into her jeans pocket and turned to face me. “ Okay, so you know how he teaches computers?”

Yeah?” I nodded.

“He knows nothing about them . ,” she announced. She raised her eyebrows. “ Like, seriously nothing.”

I thought about what I'd witnessed in class. That Her statement didn't seem too far off the mark.

I looked at Em for confirmation and . S s he nodded.

Bailey put her hands on the edge of the desk and leaned down. She smelled like watermelon I could smell her peach-scented bo dy lotion and her watermelon-flavored gum . She was like a walking fruit salad. “ And  h H e stays late so he can take classes. Online computer classes. So he can teach us.” She laughed again. “Good thing his personal computer wasn't stolen.”

I frowned at them. “Come on. Seriously?”

Bailey looked glanced at Em , who reluctantly nodded . again.

“It's true,” Em ily said. “A bunch of people have gone to his room after school to get help or use the printers and stuff. He gets them set up – or tries to, anyway – and then goes back to his laptop. A couple kids hav e seen what's on his screen while he's sitting there. whatever and they can see his screen. He's taking like basic computer classes. Which might explain why he knows absolutely nothing about computers.”

“He's super nice,” Bailey added , almost as an afterthought . “But seriously . M , m y cat knows more about computers than Mr. Riggler.”

I leaned back in my chair , trying to process what the girls had just told me . How was that even possible? How could he have gotten a job teaching computers if he barely knew anything about them? He ha ' d definitely seemed out of his element when I'd been in his room, but I 'd thought it might be because of the stress of the missing computers. Maybe he'd been too rattled by the theft to focus properly. And his ignorance of social media could have been chalked up to...well, being old. He could have been a genius at programming and operating systems but woefully ignorant of the web sites and apps kids were using.

I took a deep breath. I just found it hard to fathom that he was taking online classes and doing it at the school.

“He's probably in there now,” Bailey said. “If you don't believe us.”

I don't know what I believe,” I told them. “But thanks for sharing.”

“Don't tell him it came from us,” Emily said quickly. , panic spreading in her eyes.

“No?” I asked. “I was gonna go say , 'Hey Emily and Bailey just told me something really interesting' and see what he says.”

“Mom!”

Bailey grabbed her by the arm. “She's kidding, Em. Jeez. It's like you don't even know your mom.” She waved at me. “Thanks for the money! See ya, Mrs. S.!”

I wondered how my uptight daughter could be such good friends with a kid who had a very near polar opposite personality, but I thought it was good for her to hang around with someone who seemed so care - free most of the time. Plus, Bailey was just a good kid.

I thought about what the girls had told me. But I had to wonder if the were both right about Mr. Riggler. I had seen a lot of goofy things at Prism, but that a guy who knew nothing about computers running the lab and teaching computer classes seemed too much of a stretch to buy. just seemed too much of a stretch to buy. I didn't see how a guy who didn't know a thing about computers would fi If Miles Riggler really was as computer illiterate as the girls claimed, how had he found himself in a position teaching them? And who on earth would have hired him to fill that role? nd himself in a position to teach about them. Why would he even want to do that?