Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 97337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97337 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 324(@300wpm)
I guess I should’ve expected that like everything else in life, this too would come to a horrible impasse, but maybe I thought I could hold onto it a little while longer.
DRAKE
“Dude, have you seen the school’s online forum yet?” Carter met me at my truck the next morning. My mind was a million miles away, wondering where she was going to choose for us to go on our weekend getaway.
I’d told mom this morning at breakfast that I was thinking of going away once the SATs were over, and just as I’d expected she hadn’t batted a lash at the idea. In fact she was all for it, seeing as how I’d been studying so hard these last few months.
“No, you know I don’t really have any interest in that shit.”
“Well this might change your mind.” He held up his phone for me to see what he was talking about and the blood ran cold in my veins.
“What the hell is that?”
“You tell me.” I stared at the words on the screen and all I could think of was her and if it had reached her already. I felt sick when I turned away and headed back to my truck.
“Hey, where are you going?” I didn’t answer, just opened the door and got my phone out. I knew she had to be in her first class in a few minutes but was hoping I caught her first.
She didn’t answer the phone, which only sent my anxiety up a couple of notches, and then my phone rang. “Mom? What’s up?”
“I just got a call from one of the PTA moms, is this true?” I closed my eyes and tried to control the nausea that was churning in my gut.
“Is what true?”
“This…this Op-ed I guess you can call it. It says here on the school forum that you’re having an affair with a teacher. Is this true? This can’t be true, I know all your teachers and…”
“Mom, can we talk about this later? I have something to do.”
I didn’t wait for a response as I hung up and drove out of the parking lot. I was headed to the Grade school when I saw her car pulling into the high school parking lot outside the principal’s office. “Shit!”
What the hell was I supposed to do? I had no idea, but I knew I couldn’t let her face this alone. I opened up the school forum on my phone and read the post again. I got my first clue when I saw the picture of me outside her house.
At least the reader could draw their own conclusions since there was nothing remotely salacious about the picture, but it was the words beneath it that could pose a problem if not handled well.
In short it basically implied that I was fucking her, which is true, but could not be ascertained from this picture alone. I didn’t have time to think on it though, because she needed me.
An idea formed in my head as I pulled in beside her car minutes after she’d gone inside. I knew without having to be told that she wouldn’t know how to handle this situation. That she might only make things worst for herself.
I bypassed the secretary and knocked on the principal’s door where I could hear the soft tones of Lizzie’s voice coming through. I opened the door without being told to and walked in. The principal just raised a brow at my intrusion but said nothing.
I kept my eyes from straying to Lizzie even though all I wanted to do was snatch her up and get her the hell out of there, but that would be the wrong move. “Principal Thorne, Ms. Parks, my mom just called me and told me what’s going on so I figured I should come here and clear things up. I didn’t know you were way ahead of me.”
She opened her mouth to speak but I talked over her. “As you know principal Thorne, I have a lawn mowing company with some of the guys from the team. I offered to cut Ms. Parks’ lawn as a thank you for her taking on the class. I hope I didn’t cross any lines or anything.”
The relief on the principal’s face helped ease some of the knots in my gut and I still hadn’t looked at Lizzie. Though I was hoping she had enough sense to keep quiet and let me handle this.
“So that’s what’s going on. I’m glad to hear it.” She turned a smile Lizzie’s way and I finally looked at her as well.
She was white as a sheet, her hands clasping the chair arm so tight they’d gone pale. I had to force myself to stay put and not go to her but I was pissed. I could see that she was hurting and scared and it was brought home to me in that moment that something had to give.