Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
LUCAS
I’d always believed that intent mattered.
That if you didn’t mean harm, acted within reason, and followed the rules, outcomes would eventually align with the truth. Misunderstandings could be corrected. Being professional insulated you against certain things.
That belief was shattered at 2:17 p.m. on a Friday.
“Please have a seat,” Principal Morales said in a tone I’d never had directed my way.
I sat.
Her office was immaculate—glass walls, neutral tones, framed statements about student welfare and safe learning environments. I’d been here several times before—meetings about curriculum and testing benchmarks.
She’d always been the slightest bit flirty with me, as most of the female faculty were. I was a handsome viral man. It wasn’t vanity, just a fact.
Today, there was none of that.
“This is a procedural meeting,” Morales said, her tone one of disappointment.
“There has been a complaint filed,” she narrowed her eyes, “alleging inappropriate conduct with a student.”
The words struck me suddenly, as if doused by a glass of cold water.
“Inappropriate how?” I asked carefully, slightly in shock by her accusation.
Morales frowned in disapproval, “The student reported feeling targeted. Cornered. And said that boundaries were crossed during private interactions.”
I leaned forward. “None of this is true. I would never be inappropriate with a student!”
“That remains to be seen, Mr. Rowen.” Her tone was clipped. “Maybe that’s why you’ve remained single. You’re only attracted to young girls.”
This fucking bitch, “I demand—”
She raised her hand. “Pending investigation, you’ll be placed on administrative leave.”
I abruptly stood. “This is ridiculous! Can I at least ask who’s accusing me?”
I had an idea, but I wanted to confirm it.
“Not at this moment. You will be notified of the school council meeting date, and all relevant information will be provided. In the meantime, you may gather your personal belongings and leave the campus.”
“This is a mistake,” I murmured tonelessly.
Morales didn’t disagree.
She didn’t agree either.
Her silence followed me out.
I didn’t go straight to my classroom after leaving Morales’s office.
I stood in the hallway instead, fists clenched, watching students pass as if nothing had changed. Lockers slammed. Someone laughed. A girl ran by late to whatever class she had next.
Taryn was standing near her locker, arms crossed over her chest, with a satisfied look on her face.
Staring directly at me.
For a brief moment, a young girl with braids and a gap-toothed smile replaced eighteen-year-old Taryn.
At eight years old, Taryn Calder was all knees and elbows, with hair in uneven braids that constantly came undone.
She trailed after Adrian and me constantly. Always asking questions, talking a mile a minute.
“Wait up,” she’d called, breathless, barely able to keep up with us.
Adrian rolled his eyes, but stopped all the same. “What, T?”
My friend was cold to everyone except her.
And maybe me… sometimes.
His analytical mind set him apart from others; he was different, but I understood him. We balanced each other well. He was cool and logical, and I was impulsive and hot-headed. Since the first day of kindergarten, we’ve been best friends, and I was grateful for it.
“I want to go with you.” She stomped her foot and put her hands on her hips.
I had to acknowledge, even to myself, that she was cute— with big gray eyes and her missing front teeth.
“You can’t.” He gently pulled one of her braids.
Taryn pouted. “But you promised to help me finish my clubhouse.”
Adrian turned to me and sighed, “I did promise.”
Now it was my turn to roll my eyes. “Really, man?” I mumbled out of the side of my mouth. “You know that these girls put out. You’re going to pass that up to work on an eight-year-olds club house?”
At fourteen, the prospect of getting laid superseded anything else.
“Please, Annie!” The little brat gave Adrian puppy dog eyes.
He sighed again, “I hate it when you call me that.”
His tone made it clear I’d lost my wingman. He could never deny her anything. Dammit! I wasn’t counting on his charisma to attract these girls; I’m not even sure he was capable of charming anyone. That was my job. It was his looks, combined with mine, that I hoped would help us get laid.
Taryn looked at me.
“You know that won’t work on me, brat.” I hoped, anyway, the kid could be persuasive.
“I’m going with her,” Adrian murmured, taking her little hand in his.
“Please, Lulu. I want you to come too.”
I could see the moisture gathering in her eyes.
I hated myself, “Okay. But only for a couple of hours.”
I hadn’t gotten home until nearly 10 p.m.
The truth I hadn’t admitted then, even to myself, was that I’d had fun. For such a young kid, she was funny and sweet.
The girls had forgiven us, with only a little begging, on my part, not Adrian, and we both lost our virginity that summer. Of course, all of that was before Adrian’s mother was killed.
I remembered standing in his bedroom a few weeks after the incident. Adrian had been throwing clothes into his suitcase while his dad talked to Ben in the living room.
“I can’t believe you’re leaving.” I hated that my best friend was moving.
“It’s only a couple of hours away. I’ve got to get out of this house. I can’t stand being here when she’s not.” A single tear ran down his face.
I looked away. Adrian showing any kind of emotion was so rare that it made me uncomfortable.
His mom had been the glue that held this place together. Ben’s first wife had died soon after giving birth to Taryn. He’d been a mess until meeting and marrying Diane, when Taryn was just five years old, and Adrian was twelve.
Mr. Calder was harsh with everyone but his girls. An ex-Marine who had seen too much and lost even more.
Suddenly, Adrian’s door was wrenched open.
“You’re leaving?” Taryn had tears and snot running down her face.
Adrian only nodded and kept packing.
“Please, Annie, don’t leave me with Daddy. He hates me.” She ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He stopped packing, pried her arms away from him, and dropped down on one knee. “I have to go. I don’t have a choice, T.”
I didn’t think that was the whole truth. I’d been there when Adrian had talked to his dad at the funeral.
“You do!” Taryn yelled. “I know you do.” She hiccupped, “You could stay if you wanted.”
“I’ll call every day, I promise.” Adrian held up his pinky. “I pinky swear. And you know I can’t go back on that.”
She looked at him hesitantly, “You promise?”
“I do.” He shook his pinky at her. “Now come over here and make it official.”
“What about you, Lulu?” Taryn looked at me. “Will you still stop by to see me?”
I thought people might find it strange for a teenage boy to visit with a little girl, but with those big gray eyes trained on me, I’d promise her anything.
“Yes, brat. I’ll pinkie promise, too.”
Her eyes brightened, and I winced when she wiped her nose on her sleeve.
After we both solemnly hooked our pinkies with hers, she went back to her room, still sad but with a relieved smile on her face.
“She’ll be fine,” Adrian said more to himself than me. “Ben’s— intense, but he’s not a monster.”
I nodded.
He’d believed it. So, I did too.
And standing in the hallway now, the accusation from Principal Morales, still ringing in my ears. I realized neither of us had kept that promise.
It was hard to reconcile that bright, stubborn little girl with the student staring my way with flat gray eyes. Not affected in the least by the thought of ruining a man’s career with unfounded lies.
I collected my things and headed toward the exit when voices drifted out of the counselor’s office.
“…I’ll take responsibility,” A male voice said casually.
I slowed.
“You understand what you’re saying?” Bob, the counselor, asked.
A laugh—low, unconcerned.
“Yeah,” the voice replied. “I do.”
I stopped at the door of the office.
“That’s a serious academic violation,” Bob murmured. “We were looking at someone else. Your name hadn’t even been mentioned.”
“I’m mentioning it now.”
I recognized his voice now. Beck Maddox. I peered inside.
“Why the sudden confession?” Bob took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes.
Beck laughed, “I’ve felt so guilty I’ve barely been able to sleep. So here I am.”
Bob snorted in disbelief. “Sure, you did. I’ll draft an admission of guilt that you’ll have to sign.”
Bob began typing, then his printer spat out the form.
“Is that all?” Beck asked, signing the paper with a flourish.
“You’ll probably be expelled for this.” Bob shook his head in disgust.
Beck merely grunted and exited the office, paying no mind to me leaning near the door.
Taryn didn’t make the accusations against me to get out of trouble for the bio test. She’d somehow convinced Beck to take the fall. That meant she’d done this to me purely out of spite.
That fucking little brat.
She wasn’t the girl she’d been, but neither was I the boy she’d known.
The parking lot was nearly empty when I caught up to Beck standing by his motorcycle.
“Hey, you,” I snapped. “A word.”
Beck turned slowly, his eyes flickering curiously in my direction. The shithead was intimidating, for sure, to most people… but not to me.
I had many sides I kept hidden.
“You confessed to taking the bio exam?” I growled out.
“Yep. I did it.” He smirked in amusement.
“We both know that’s bullshit.” I snapped, stepping closer.
He grinned, “I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“I know Taryn put you up to it. What I don’t know is why you would agree to it.”
“If I were lying… which I’m not. What’s it to you?” He raised a brow.
What a fucking punk. He was lucky I was a teacher, and my career was already on the line because of the brat.
“I’ve seen the evidence. I know you didn’t do it.” Running my hand through my hair in agitation, I snarled low.
Beck smiled. “Seems the counselor didn’t care as long as I was willing to sign his little piece of paper.”
He straddled his bike.