Which means I am wholly and irrevocably fucked.
Only I can’t seem to worry about it right now.
I receivea text from my boss on the way to work Monday morning.
Principal Ware
Good morning. Please meet me in my office when you get in.
That’s never good.
My stomach is in knots for the remainder of my short ride as I rack my brain what this could be in reference to. When I pull into the parking lot and spot the small crowd blocking the main entrance at the front of the building, my stomach twists even tighter. Several of them are holding up white posters, but I can’t make out what they say.
What the hell?
I call Dominique before getting out of the car. “Hey, are you in the building yet?”
“No, I’m running a little behind this morning. Why, what’s up?”
“I got a text from Ware asking me to meet him in his office, and when I got here, there’s a bunch of people out front in the loop. It almost looks like some kind of protest or something.”
“What the fuck could they be protesting about?” she asks.
“No clue. I’m going to see what I can find out and I’ll let you know.”
I walk in through the side entrance in the staff parking lot, and set my things down in the library before making my wait to speak with Principal Ware.
“Good morning, Presley.” The secretary picks up her phone and dials the principal’s office. “She’s here.”
Mr. Ware swings open his office door and ushers me inside. “Good morning.”
Once I step inside, I spot two people sitting at the oval desk in the middle of the office—Mrs. Cleary, the head of Human Resources, and Dennis Rodriguez, our union president.
My stomach drops to the floor. The only reason a teacher would be called into a meeting with these people is if she’s in trouble.
I wring my hands. “Uh, what’s going on?”
Mrs. Cleary smiles and gestures to the seat across from her. “Have a seat, Ms. King.”
I glance at Dennis as I lower myself into the chair beside him. I’m glad he’s here; the only interactions I’ve had with him have been at union meetings, but he seems great at what he does, which is protecting our rights.
Principal Ware sits at the head of the table. “I’m sorry to spring this on you, but I wanted to speak with you before the school day starts. I’ve called this meeting in light of the accusations against you.”
My chin jerks back. “Accusations? About what?”
“Over the weekend, you were spotted with two professional hockey players attending a concert in New York City.”
I nod. “Yes, I was there.”
Oh, fuck. Please tell me nobody saw the three of us fooling around on the balcony.
“Pictures of the three of you holding hands and kissing were posted online. It looks as though you are in a relationship with them.” He pauses. “Is this true?”
I lift my chin. “It is.”
“Well, Molly has been spreading the news all over social media, and there are a bunch of parents who have expressed their...feelings about it.”
This bitch.“Is that what’s going on out front?”
