Chapter 21 The Plan #2
“Oh, honey—” I start, but she just starts shaking her head without making eye contact.
Vicky turns around and looks horrified when the realization hits her.
She reaches for Sonya, but the younger woman takes a step back, face blanched and eyes suspiciously shiny.
Movement at the door reveals Paige and the boys entering the bar.
Paige has a placid expression, but when she takes one look at the situation, she efficiently pulls Sonya away while murmuring quiet and, I assume, comforting words.
I exchange knowing glances with Vicky, silently agreeing to let Paige take over.
As the nurturer among us, she is the best option to help.
Carter is the first to sit in the seat directly to my right, followed by Vicky in the seat to my left.
Carter and I realize at the same time that there isn’t enough room for everyone to sit, so he hops up and grabs the table next to us.
He moves the chairs between them out of the way, and starts pushing the two tables together.
The table’s legs screech against the floor in a way that has my hair standing on end.
Carter’s shoulders hitch in a little at the attention, but he doesn’t stop what he’s doing, moving to adjust the chairs again.
The bar is quiet, so the shrill noise is overly loud and many of the people that are here all turn to watch him with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
Carter steps back to assess his handiwork, his expression falling when he realizes the chairs are off-center.
.so he has to pull it back and push it forward a few more times—another screech for each movement.
During his one man interior redecoration, Vicky is next to me, barely holding in her laughter, but the others aren’t even paying attention.
Billy is staring off into space, Trevor is staring at where Paige took Sonya, and I’m just sitting here watching this helpful, ridiculous man.
The absurdity of it makes me want to laugh or cry. It’s just so, Carter.
Carter finishes rearranging the tables, and scoots the chairs back up, and that signals the others to join us.
Vicky, Sonya, Paige, Trevor, Billy, Carter, and I all sit at the table.
I pause and take it in. All of these people are gathered here to support me.
It’s a humbling thought, and it grounds me in the moment.
Vicky is the one who breaks the silence. “So, let’s burn this witch.”
A couple of chuckles fill the awkward silence before petering back out again.
In the silence that follows, I pull out my pile of paperwork, Sonya pulls out a sketchpad, Trevor pulls out a legal pad, and Carter pulls out an old envelope that looks like it's been folded over and over again.
I take a deep breath and tell them what I just heard.
“Apparently, Taylor got busy with a teacher at the school last week. I’m wondering if she tried to blame the situation on me somehow.
” Sonya flinches, so I push through, trying not to dwell on the details.
“I think that what happened there could lead to an actual arrest. I’m fairly certain some things are just not allowed at a school—”
“Someone found a pair of women’s underwear in his classroom.
” Sonya says quietly, brokenly. “Zach—Mr. Dawson, he told me that someone must have snuck into his room when the whispers started.” She’s quiet for a second.
“The office told him to keep it quiet until Ronnie got back from her conferences. They’d, um, started looking into it a bit, but—” She stops and drops her head for a second while her shoulders slump.
“We have a video with Taylor blowing Paul in my office,” Billy interrupts. Carter looks at him with a sad smile, communicating something I’m too shocked to follow.
“Whoa, what?” I have to shake myself out of Sonya’s words to take in Billy’s. “Why the hell would you video that?” I ask, disturbed when it computes. Honestly, I am probably far less shocked than I should be. They’re both vile.
“It’s a surveillance video.” Billy grumbles.
Carter leans toward me in his seat. “Becky,” he says, staring straight at me.
“She told him to call the Central Office and make a complaint. It’s all on video.
Everything she told him to do and him immediately doing it.
” His face is a strange combination of excited and disgusted while he relays this incredible information—tide-turning information.
He scoots his seat closer to me, reading my excitement and matching it with his own.
“We can send all of this to the authorities. With everything we know and collected, plus this new information, Taylor won’t only be fired, but she might even be arrested. She’ll be out of our lives for good.”
Fired. Arrested. Out of our lives.
My eyes prick with tears. Emotion I can’t name filling me. Maybe an overwhelming relief at the idea of her being gone? I don’t think I’ve fully realized how much her presence has affected me. “Gone.” I breathe out the word, tasting it on my lips. I inhale, exhale, and hold up my packet of papers.
“We can’t do anything about the school accusation until Tina Orderly returns to back us up. But, with the video you have, and the documentation and message that I have, I feel that we have enough information to submit to the board to defend me, and to possibly dismiss Taylor instead.”
Carter smiles sadly at me, his guilt still shadowing his features.
“You need to make copies of everything, submit it to Central Office and the school board, and bring a copy to the school board meeting on Thursday.” Vicky chimes in.
Heads nod around the table, and I feel so validated. In my pain, in my frustration, I feel like I’m being seen, heard, and recognized.
“So, first, Becky, you need to decide if you want to pursue criminal charges.” Trevor states matter-of-factly.
“Then, Billy submits the evidence to the police to start a case of defamation and slander, and it will get Taylor the start of a sexual indecency. Becky, you submit your evidence to the places Vicky recommended.” Trevor continues to tick items from a list he made on his legal pad.
“You should also get some kind of legal representation. I have a number for a guy I trust. We need to figure out if we can submit the video to the same places, or if it would be considered revenge porn.” Trevor pauses here and looks up at me.
“We will walk through all of this with you.” He says this all completely cool, calm, and collected.
My hand is squeezed gently—Carter having snatched it with his own. “We’re here for you.” He says to me softly.
“Don’t worry about Friday, we have it covered” pipes up Vicky sliding an arm around Sonya’s shoulder.
Shit, the Friday Night Music Extravaganza.
I look to them, then to Billy. “Are you sure?” They all nod their heads again.
I start shaking my head, tears again threatening to spill in wonder, in relief.
“Thank you.” I say, simply, quietly, wholeheartedly.
I take another deep breath and smile, a real smile.
“Let’s take her down.” Paige speaks up for the first time since she sat down. In her quiet voice, it’s not a threat. It’s a promise.