Thirty
Winslet
My eyes opened at six a.m. on the dot, and I hadn’t even set the alarm. I stared at the phone, then shifted to look at the window while I lay in bed. It was weird, not jumping up to get ready for the day. Memories of last night began to filter in through the sadness, and it eased. Oz had shown up and made a night that would have been difficult…incredible. A smile slowly spread across my face, and I stopped it.
I couldn’t do that. Getting all giddy about him would lead to me feeling things, and that would hurt when this was over. Whatever this was. Rolling onto my back, I sighed. Just thinking about him made my stomach all fluttery and changed my mood. Who was I kidding? It was already going to hurt when he had his fill and moved on. How soon would that be? After we had sex? My mood started to plummet again.
The ringing of my phone snapped me out of my downward spiral, and I reached over to grab it from my nightstand. The number on the phone wasn’t one I recognized, but it was local.
“Hello?” I said, thinking someone must have the wrong number. There was no one I could think of that would be calling me this early.
“Miss Gerard.” The man’s voice on the other line was familiar and not one I’d expected to ever call me.
I sat up in bed, clearing the sleepy rasp in my throat before replying, “Yes?”
I steeled myself for the news that I no longer had a job. That they weren’t going to wait on me to decide if I would show them my medical records as proof or not. I’d walked out of the office yesterday upset and not agreed to that ultimatum. The fact that the president of the board was calling me didn’t bode well.
“There has been a grave error, and for that, I, along with the rest of the board, am very sorry. If you would please forgive us for accusing you without evidence but on word alone and return to your classroom today, we would be grateful. I am holding a faculty and staff mandatory assembly at seven fifteen this morning to address the ugly rumor that has spread, as well as another issue. I hope you can be in attendance.”
I sat frozen with my mouth agape. This was a turn of events I hadn’t seen coming. What could have happened since I’d walked out of Principal Clairton’s office? And why hadn’t he called me instead?
“I, uh, yes, I would love to return to my classroom,” I stammered out. Tears of relief stung my eyes that I wouldn’t just be disappearing out of the children’s lives without a word. “I can be at the assembly.”
“Wonderful,” he replied, sounding relieved. “I will see you soon, Miss Gerard.”
“Yes, okay,” I said and continued to sit there with the phone in my hand after he hung up.
I had my job back? I wasn’t getting fired. Relief, joy, and vindication that he had called and had to admit to me that they were wrong washed over me, and I let out a laugh, then threw back my covers to scramble out of bed.
I wanted to tell Oz, but when my eyes dropped to my phone, I realized I didn’t have his number. He’d never given it to me or asked for mine. My buoyant mood eased off some at that splash of cold water in my face. I was all excited, and the first person I’d thought about was Oz, yet we were just a casual sex thing. The simple fact that I didn’t even have his number was a bright neon sign that I had missed. Probably due to the multiple orgasms he’d given me.
Straightening my shoulders, I took in a deep breath. I had just gotten my job back, and by some miracle, my name had been cleared without my having to do a thing. Today was going to be a good day.
Oz Savelle was a gorgeous, wealthy, possibly dangerous playboy, and I had known that when I opened my door and let him in yesterday. Getting all butt hurt over a phone number was silly. I just wished my chest would stop the tight thing it was doing because of it.
“Good morning.” Dr. Voy adjusted his bright blue tie and cleared his throat as he stood in the middle of the gymnasium floor and addressed the bleachers filled with the entire faculty and staff.
Eyes had been on me since I’d walked in the door. Many were shocked, and they didn’t even try to mask it. Most though had done their best to smile at me and act as if my being here had been expected. I kept my attention forward, thankful this was going to be a short meeting since the early drop-off would begin in fifteen minutes.
“This week, a rumor was spread throughout the school, as you all know, and it needs to be cleared up. Yesterday morning, Miss Cagle gave Mr. Clairton false information. After looking into the matter, it has been found that she not only lied to Mr. Clairton, but also started the rumor herself. Miss Gerard,” he said, looking at me, “was the victim of this nasty attack.” He cleared his throat again, and a severe look came over his face.
“We do not tolerate gossip, slander, or defacing of character in this school. We are to act and behave as Jesus would. It is to be in our actions and our language daily. Miss Cagle’s employment here has been terminated, as has Mr. Clairton’s. Both of them were brought in earlier this morning to collect their things. They won’t be returning, nor or they allowed on school property.”
There were swift intakes of breath, followed by silence as everyone listened. I was as floored as the rest of the room. While I had known Anya didn’t much care for me and did the mean-girl thing, I hadn’t thought she’d go as far as trying to get me fired. And they had fired her and Principal Clairton. Holy smokes.
I knew the entire room wasn’t looking at me, but there were enough eyes on me that it felt as if someone had taken a spotlight and aimed it at me.
“I will be standing in as principal until we find a new one. There will also be board meetings held to replace Mrs. Warlow, who has also been let go for her involvement in the matter.
“Now, as employees of this school and the church, it is your job to not spread any further gossip. Do not entertain conversation about the change in leadership. The only thing that you are to do is clear Miss Gerard’s name the moment you hear the horrible rumor spoken of. That is to end. Today. With all of you.”
My hands clasped tightly in my lap as he continued on explaining that they would be splitting Anya’s fifth-grade classroom between the two other fifth-grade rooms until they hired a new teacher. While he had everyone bow their head as he closed the meeting in prayer, my eyes drifted over the others until they met Toby’s. There was an apologetic and desperate look on his face, and then he smiled at me.
Oh no, you don’t. Yesterday, you wanted to be nowhere near me. I am not going back to having you hunt me down and asking me out all the time.
I ducked my head, closing my eyes like I was supposed to be doing, without returning his smile. I felt as if I was justified in not having to be polite to him. At least something good had come from this clusterfuck.
After Dr. Voy ended with, “Amen,” everyone stood, and I braced myself for the lies about to hit me. Starting with Meg, who was sitting in front of me a few seats down.
She turned and smiled at me. “I knew you weren’t pregnant. I told Holly this was a lie. Anya is a bitch.” She whispered the last word.
A pat on my shoulder from Henry, one of the custodians, as he passed behind me might be the most genuine response to all this I got today.
I gave Meg a small smile. “I’m just glad it’s cleared up.”
“Ohmigod,” Mary Beth gushed, wide-eyed, as she hurried to stand beside Meg. She glanced back to see where Dr. Voy was, then swung her gaze back to me. “They fired Anya and Principal Clairton?” she said. “Holy crap! I thought they’d fired you yesterday. How did they figure out Anya had made the pregnancy thing up, and why would she have done that?”
“Because it’s Anya,” Holly said, joining the growing circle around me. “She has been jealous of Winslet since day one.” She looked at me. “For the record, I knew it was bullshit,” she said, leaning in, mouthing the last word instead of saying it aloud.
Sure you did, Holly, and that’s why you avoided me like the plague yesterday—like in the hallway, when you turned and left after seeing me.
I managed another smile instead of calling her out on the lie.
“Y’all think this was shocking?” Francy, one of the other fifth-grade teachers, said as she moved in close to us, as if we were having some gossip powwow. “Anya called Ashley this morning, sobbing and hysterical.”
All of them literally leaned in toward her, as if the next words she was going to say was their lifeline.
Did the no gossip thing just fly over all their heads? Dr. Voy had just said it wasn’t tolerated. I opened my mouth to excuse myself and get to my classroom.
“Chad has a girlfriend, AND he has a kid with her. His ex-girlfriend from college. Seems they got back together shortly after he and Anya got married. He found out she had a baby and it was his, and he kept them his dirty little secret.”
Hands flew over mouths, eyes bugged out, and, “Holy shit,” and, “Oh my God,” and even a smothered laugh came from the group.
This felt gross. Anya might have attacked me in a nasty way, but if this was true, her life had just come crashing down around her, and I didn’t wish that on anyone. I stepped back, telling the others I needed to get my things set back up on my desk, and hurried away before one of them could stop me.
Sure, Anya had for some reason tried to get me fired and almost succeeded, and I did get a little satisfaction over her being fired. Although I felt kinda bad about Principal Clairton; he had been a victim too. But the whole husband having another family thing? That was awful. She had been trying to get pregnant for years. I only knew that because the group I’d just left had been talking about it in the break room one day. She had started her period and was upset. To find out that your husband had not only cheated on you, but had a kid with someone else too? Ugh.
I saw Toby coming out of my peripheral vision and sped up.
Not today, buddy. Not. Today .