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“Who?”
“Jake Kingsbury was reported as the offender.”
My heart hiccupped, but I kept my face schooled into calm disbelief. "Well, that's impossible, and if it was Valerie Reed, she’s already falsely accused him once."
The officer looked at Walker who gave a half nod, half shrug. "Let's step into Mr. Walker's office."
As we all settled in the office, Officer Rodriguez wasted no time getting to the point. "Miss Sinclair, these are serious allegations. Now, according to the complaint filed, Mr. Kingsbury cornered a female member of faculty also present at the dance in the hallway and made lewd and threatening comments."
"I already told you. It's impossible."
"Why do you say it's impossible?" His tone was firm but not unkind. I couldn’t begrudge the guy for doing his job.
"Because,” I crossed my arms, letting my sassy armor shield me, "he was with me all evening, chaperoning the dance. There’s like a hundred witnesses."
Officer Rodriguez's pen hovered over his notepad like a hawk eying a field mouse. “There was no moment you can remember him slipping off, maybe to use the restroom?”
I thought back and couldn’t remember. I threw my arms up in the air. "Check the security footage. The school is loaded with them thanks to that grant we got last year," I suggested, tilting my head with a confidence I didn't entirely feel. "It'll show everything."
Officer Rodriguez nodded, jotting down a note on his pad. Principal Walker interjected, “I’ll have our security team pull up the footage right away.”
Twenty minutes later, Jake was led into the office. He shifted beside me, his jaw clenched but his eyes reflecting a mix of gratitude and something else I couldn’t quite pinpoint.
Despite our constant banter and bickering in the past, he had always seemed to be a man of integrity. Now, after knowing him more intimately, seeing him falsely accused like this stirred something inside me —a protective instinct that surprised even myself.
After what felt like an eternity, the officer confirmed my story. The tension in the room lifted slightly as Officer Rodriguez closed his notebook. “Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Sinclair. We’ll be in touch if we have any further questions.” Then he turned to Jake. "Would you like to pursue a complaint against Ms. Reed?"
Jake shook his head, his expression unreadable. "No, let's just put this behind us."
I had to bite my tongue. Valerie deserved to go down for the awful things she put him through.
Officer Rodriguez and his partner left shortly after, leaving Jake, Walker, and me to stew in the aftermath of this latest drama.
"Well," Walker sighed, the weight of the situation apparent on her face. "I'm glad this all sorted out, but I still can't believe someone would file such a ridiculous report. A word from you and she's gone. We have the grounds for it."
Jake grumbled, and I didn’t catch was he said. His face was still stormy. "No, just talk to her, let her know she's on thin ice and next time, I'll have Ricky slap cuffs on her."
"Ricky?" I said, confused.
"Officer Rodriguez. We grew up together. Played ball together."
"Ah. Well, I agree and I'm just glad you're not in any trouble and that you’re not a predator, of course. Not that I thought you were," I said, giving him a reassuring smile.
He gave a weak smile. "Thanks."
"I'll see you two back in the classroom," Walker said, his usual cheerfulness slowly returning. "And thanks again for being so understanding, Jake. I'll make sure this doesn't happen again."
Once he was gone, Jake turned to me, his expression softening slightly.
"So, you're sticking by my side no matter what, huh?" he asked, his lips quirking into a smile.
I shrugged, a smile tugging at my own lips. "Well, somebody has to."
"Seriously though," Jake said, his tone growing serious. "I appreciate your support, Molly. This has been an insane time for me and I'm glad you're here."
"Me too."
As he turned towards me, his expression held a raw vulnerability as his hand reached out to clasp mine. A tingling sensation shot up my arm at his touch, igniting a spark between us that felt almost tangible. Our fingers intertwined naturally, like they were meant to be together, fitting together seamlessly like pieces of a puzzle.
