Mr. Teacher

“You’re not my mom!” She took a step back and glared angrily at me.

“You’re right. If you don’t go to your room, I’ll fucking drag you up those stairs by your hair and lock you in it.” I took a step towards her and she cowered, immediately running towards the stairs.

“Do you know how hard it is being Charlotte Baker’s little sister?” Veronica paused and turned back towards me when she got halfway up the stairs. “I grew up watching you get in trouble every day. Mom rarely had time to even talk to me because she was dealing with whatever shit you started. It was worse at school. You had this mighty reputation, even though I knew it was bullshit because I heard you telling people about all the things you did over the weekend. They believed every word, but I knew you never left your bedroom. It left me living the shadow of your lies.”

“I’m sorry, Veronica. I know I was a terrible person back then, which is why I’ve tried so hard to be a better person since I started college.” I sighed and shook my head. “It still doesn’t excuse what you’ve done.”

“You might have tried to become a better person, but the memories you left behind didn’t change. You’re a fucking legend. I used to be on the honor roll. Remember that? Of course you don’t. You were too busy making up stories about all the guys you fucked.” Veronica bolted up the stairs and slammed her door when she got to her room.

My sister’s words still echoed in my ears after she was gone. They hurt worse than the slap that felt like it was pulsating on my face. I walked to the bathroom and saw a red mark that had already started to swell. I got some ice from the kitchen and put it in a bag. I knew where my mother hid the key to her liquor cabinet and I really needed a drink. I let the ice rest on my face and practically chugged vodka until it numbed the agony. I never made it upstairs. I was so exhausted from my time with Gavin and emotionally spent from the confrontation with Veronica that I simply passed out on the couch.

“WHAT TIME IS IT?” I sat up on the couch and felt my eyes aching as they adjusted to the light.

I leaned forward and stared at the bottle of vodka sitting on the table. I didn’t have that much, but it had been so long since I drank hard liquor that my head was hurting. It took me a couple of seconds to realize it wasn’t the vodka that had left my head hurting and my eyes aching. It was the side of my face that was to blame. The spot where Veronica slapped me was still tender to the touch. My eyes finally adjusted and I realized it was after eight o’clock.

“Oh, shit. Veronica, you’re late for school!” I ran up the stairs and pushed open her door to find an empty bed. “Veronica?”

I hurried back down the stairs and walked into the kitchen. There was an empty cereal bowl on the table with milk in it. The milk was actually still sitting on the counter with a layer of condensation on the jug. I put it away and sighed as I realized that Veronica had gotten up and went to school without even waking me. I walked back to the living room, put away my mom’s vodka, and then headed towards the stairs because I was in desperate need of a shower.

Didn’t I leave my bag by the door last night?

The bag that had carried my clothes to Gavin’s house and carried my cheerleader outfit back was gone. I was fairly certain I dropped it when I stepped inside the house. I didn’t see it anywhere downstairs, so I headed up to my room. I found it right inside my door and it was unzipped. Veronica had to be the one that moved it, since I was certain I didn’t. I shrugged my shoulders and tossed it into my closet. I would have to deal with it later, because my face hurt too much to think at the moment.

I SHOWERED, GOT DRESSED for the day, and worked on a reading assignment I needed to finish before classes started, but my head hurt too much for me to really focus. I stretched out on the couch and watched television until lunch and after I ate, I must have fallen asleep. The next thing I heard was the front door slamming and I sat up to see Veronica walking into the living room.

“Were you sleeping?” She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “At a time like this?”

“What do you mean?” I tilted my head to the side.

“I figured you would be sobbing in your room or something.” She looked a bit perplexed. “Or maybe you just haven’t heard the news since you don’t go to Glendale anymore.”

“News?” I stood to my feet. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh my gosh, Charlotte! It’s a huge scandal! Mr. King has been fucking a student at the school!” Her eyes lit up as she rambled.

“What the fuck?” My mouth fell open. “Are you serious?”

“Yes!” She nodded enthusiastically. “Apparently he’s been fucking one of the cheerleaders! An email went out to all of the teachers this morning. I was able to get a copy of it if you want to see it!”

“Yeah…” I answered but I was still in shock, trying to process what she was saying.

“It’s disgusting, sis.” Veronica handed me the email and my heart sank into my stomach.

The words I read were not new to me. They were mine. It was a dirty story I wrote when I was in high school, but it had never seen the light of day. It was my fantasy about Mr. King, but I never intended for anyone to read it. When I got to the bottom of the email, I realized there was something there that wasn’t part of my story. It was a picture of a cheerleader uniform—mine. My mouth fell open as I realized why my bag had been missing when I woke up that morning.

“Veronica, you fucking bitch. You sent this to all the teachers?” My heart started skipping beats and it felt like my chest was crushing it.

“I don’t know who sent it.” She shrugged. “I just know that the police came and took Mr. King away this morning. Apparently it’s frowned upon for a teacher to put their dick inside a student.”

“I’m going to kill you, just as soon as I straighten this out.” I folded the paper up and shoved it into my pocket. “You might want to call Mom and tell her to come home, because if she isn’t here to stop me when I get back, they’ll be picking up pieces of you with the garbage next week.”

I walked towards the door and hit her with my shoulder because she was in my path. It wasn’t enough to cause harm, but it did make her stumble. I grabbed my purse and when I got outside, I dug around in it and couldn’t find my keys. I immediately walked back towards the house, but the front door was locked. I slammed my hand into it several times and saw Veronica peering from the side window with a huge grin on her face.

“Sorry.” She shrugged and pulled the curtains closed.

My sister had definitely become a little bitch. She was worse than I could have ever been. I might have did a few terrible things, but I would never have destroyed someone’s career or had them hauled off to jail as some petty revenge ploy. I used my phone to call for an Uber since my sister had taken my keys, and instructed the driver to take me to Glendale High School. It was going to be humiliating to have to tell them that I wrote the story and it was nothing more than fantasy, but I didn’t have any other choice.

“PRINCIPAL WILSON, YOUR secretary said you were still here. Can I speak with you?” I stepped into the Principal’s office and for the first time in my life, I wasn’t there because I deserved to be.