“Thanks, Deb. No one expected this story out of this quiet high school where the football team won the state title this past fall, but sources say that accused English teacher Veronica Thomas and long time counselor Jesse Drake have been partaking in an affair on school property during school hours.”
Nancy cut away to a taped interview of one of our senior students on the prom committee. “Yeah, Mrs. Thomas and Mr. Drake have been working on prom together. I had no idea that this was going on, but I did notice that they were together a lot.”
Nancy’s voice came back as a picture of Jesse and me came on the screen, and she spoke as I stared at the picture. It was from a walk we had taken several weeks before at the park in Jesse’s neighborhood. He was sitting on a swing, and I was straddling him. We were kissing, clearly wrapped in a hot embrace. It was dark and grainy, but it was definitely us.
I suddenly felt completely violated and totally nauseated as I listened to Nancy’s words. “Together a lot or not, I think we can all agree that having relations on a campus filled with high school students is definitely not okay. Reporting live from Central Valley High School, I’m Nancy Irvine.”
Jesse tossed the phone on my dresser as if it was hot to the touch and burned his skin. “Fuck,” he muttered.
“Jesse, we are not having an affair on school property!” I cried.
He gave me a strange look. “Believe me, if we were fucking, I’d know.”
I wasn’t sure why that was the thing that came out of my mouth. It seemed pretty dumb as soon as I said it, but I had to say something.
Jesse took a deep breath as I grew more and more hysterical.
And then the thought crossed my mind that if I was going to be accused of sleeping with Jesse, I might as well have been doing it. Lord knows I sure as hell wanted to.
“What are we going to do?” I asked, tears prickling behind my eyes. Jesse came to me and took me in his arms.
He rubbed my back in soothing strokes, somehow calming me and assuring me that we were going to face this crisis together without saying any words. Even though I was having a complete meltdown, just the feel of his arms around me soothed me immensely. “Bill texted me the number of the union lawyer. I’m going to call him to see what he recommends.”
I nodded, and Jesse picked his phone back up, still holding onto me.
“Hi Mr. Buchanan, it’s Jesse Drake. Bill Robinson gave me your information.”
I wanted to hear the entire conversation, but I could only hear Jesse’s side. As if he read my mind, he said, “Yes, she’s here. Do you mind if I put you on speaker?”
Mr. Buchanan must’ve agreed, because Jesse pulled the phone from his ear and clicked the speaker button while still managing to keep one arm around my waist, clutching me to him.
It was almost as if we both knew that this was almost the end, and we were clinging to one another as if our lives depended on it.
I heard the lawyer’s voice come through the phone. “First question: Are you both there?”
“Yes,” we responded in unison.
“Are the two of you having an affair?”
Jesse’s eyes locked on mine. “Not a sexual one.”
“It’s a yes or no question.”
“Then no,” he said.
“Veronica?”
“No, Mr. Buchanan.”
“Please call me John. So you’re going to deny the allegations that you’ve had sexual relations on school property?”
“Yes,” we both said in unison.
“Well, at least you’ve got a united front.”
“John, we haven’t done anything wrong,” Jesse said. “And we especially haven’t done anything wrong at school.”
All I could do was listen as the two of them spoke. I didn’t even know what to say. I could not believe that we were being accused of something so outrageously scandalous, and I still wanted to know where the hell the news had managed to get that photograph of the two of us on the swing in the park.
“Are you engaged in any type of relationship?”
“Yes.”
“Be more specific.”
“We are currently living together.”
“And not having sex? No one’s going to buy that.”
“Veronica is married.”
“Jesus. Gets better and better.”
And that’s when I put it together. Of course. Richard.
Somehow Richard had gotten his hands on that picture of the two of us. He said he’d find a way to ruin us both, and this was his way of doing it.
“For now, I need you two to completely separate,” John said. “I can’t have you living together. I can’t have you being together. I can’t have you even looking at each other.”