727 Cumming Ave. (Cherry Falls)

Jenny stares at me with a blank stare, not answering.

“Jenny? Are you there? Aren’t you excited?”

Her hands come up to cover her mouth and her eyes glaze. “Sure, Mom. That’s great.” Her muffled answer brings a little giggle from the phone.

“Okay! I have to go. Ronald is going to pick me up any second. Get to packing for us, okay?”

Fuck no, she’s not going to get to packing, she’s not going anywhere. But before I can interject, her mother clicks off, leaving me clenching my jaw and trying not to punch the wall.

How fucking selfish.

Jenny is in her last months of high school, she’s already told me she’s been to eleven schools in her life and this bitch wants to rip her away again just so she can live as some kept woman for a married man?

Not on my watch.

“Baby, you’re not going there,” I hiss, trying to stay calm for Jenny’s sake as her hands start to shake, fluttering to her cheeks.

“I have to. She’s my mom.”

I sniff, kissing her forehead and putting my palms on her ripe cheeks.

“Your mom can run her life however she wants. But, she’s not going to run yours…ours.”

Her phone dings again and we both look down to see a text of a photo pop up. She grabs the phone, tapping on the image, and my already-bubbling rage starts to spill over.

“Who is that?” I seethe as I hear her draw a sharp breath.

“Angela.”

The clench in my chest tightens as I look to see three pictures come up in succession.

It’s us, walking hand in hand up the steps to the boat. Then one of us kissing, another of me taking a handful of her ass…

“What the fuck?” I take the phone, reading the message under the photos.

Don’t think this sort of after school help is exactly…legal. I’m sure the principal will be very interested in your extracurriculars.

What’s with these two bitches coming to piss on our perfect night?

“How…how does she even have my number? I never gave it to her.”

I’m rumbling with fury as I wrap my arms around Jenny. “Probably grabbed it off your phone when she came to your party, or might have gotten into the school directory.” I suggest. “Doesn’t matter. Let her do her worst.”

“Doesn’t matter? You’re going to get fired. I’m going to lose my scholarship…why is this happening?” Jenny’s tears spill over, but she goes from sad to angry in the blink of an eye. “What the fuck is wrong with people? Can’t my mother see past the end of her own nose for once? And Angela? She’s just mean for sport.”

“I’m not getting fired,” I start, feeling the rage start to build but keeping my voice even for both our sakes. I know everything is under control. I just need to bring Jenny up to speed.

“Yes, you will!” She snaps, her anger pointed at me, but I know I’m not the cause. “You’ll lose your job, then your position at the university, and I’ll have no scholarship and this dream or whatever this has been for the last few days is over! I knew it… I just knew it couldn’t last.”

“Baby.” I grab her shoulders and turn her toward me. Her eyes narrow, and I see the same fierceness in them I saw that night at her house when I showed up. “You have to trust me, neither of them can touch us.”

“How? I mean, just because I’m eighteen doesn’t mean you’re not going to be in trouble. I know there have been prosecutions. And as for moving to Vegas, well, that’s going to throw a wrench into the works for everything.”

“Stop.” I cover her mouth, pulling her in close to me. “Listen…I can’t get fired. I already quit.” Her hazel eyes widen. “I sent in my resignation just before I stormed into your house Friday. I knew what was going to happen when I went in there, but I had to. You were mine, and as long as I wasn’t officially your teacher when we got together, there’s nothing for me to lose. But, more than that, I wanted to be sure nothing would taint you and me, together.”

She gulps, her eyes searching, hopeful, looking to me for strength. “But, the pictures… And my mom…”

“The pictures, who cares? Trust me, there’s nothing we’ve done that will even blink on the radar at the university. As for your mom…” I reach down and pick up her phone, tapping the screen, putting it back on speaker as she gasps and shakes her head.

I hold my finger up, telling her this is happening, and run my other hand around the back of her neck with a gentle squeeze.

“Jenny?” Her mother’s voice comes through. “What do you need… Ronald will be here any minute, I can’t talk…”

“Mrs. Redman, this is Mason Thomas.”