Page 23 of Throttle Therapy

“But you never go out.I can’t remember you going on a single date since Mama died.”

Jenna reached over and took her sister’s hand.

“I’ve been struggling for a while.We both have been.”She waited until Lacey looked up at her before she continued.“It took everything I had to keep us going.But I think we’ve finally gotten our break.This new job is going to change everything for us.”

“Everything?Are you finally going to find someone to date?”

Jenna’s face heated.“Maybe.How would you feel if I started bringing someone around?”

Lacey was quiet for several seconds, then when she spoke, her voice was soft.“I guess that would depend on who you’re bringing around.Personally, I’m hoping for Roadkill.I like him.And he really likes you.”

Jenna frowned.“You just like Roadkill because he buys you pie.”

“Well, yeah, but not just.We talked a little while you were getting a job.He’s not creepy.He seems nice and like he just wants to help.”

“He’s not creepy?”Jenna frowned.“Who is creepy?”

“Mr.Coleman.All the girls keep their distance from him and if we have to go see him, we go in pairs or groups of three.”

Jenna searched her memory.The name Mr.Coleman sounded familiar, and she was sure she’d met all of Jenna’s teachers, but she couldn’t put a fact to the name.

“What does Mr.Coleman teach?”

“Social Studies, why?”

“I’m trying to recall if I’ve met him.What makes Mr.Coleman creepy?”

“It’s mostly little things.He wanders through the room and stops behind girls, looking over their shoulders.It feels like he’s looking down our shirts.Several girls have started wearing hoodies to class, all the time.Then there’s the things he says.Nothing obvious, but nearly all the girls are creeped by him.”

“What kind of thing does he say?”Jenna frowned.This didn’t sound right.Did she need to schedule a meeting with the principal?

“Like I said, it’s nothing obviously inappropriate, but the things he says feel … dirty.”

“Like what, give me an example.”

“Well,” Lacey was quiet for several seconds, then continued, “a couple of weeks ago we were studying the settling of the west.We talked about the different cultures, the cowboys and the Indians, that kind of thing.It was fine, until he started talking about marriage practices.He stopped in front of Riley, gave her this look up and down and said that if we lived in the old west, we’d likely be married by now, maybe even have a baby or two.It was gross.”A shudder passed through Lacey’s body.“Riley swears she heard him say he wouldn’t mind taking one of us as a bride as he walked away.”

Jenna gasped.“Why didn’t you tell me?That is so inappropriate, not to mention gross.”She still couldn’t remember this Mr.Coleman, but to be a teacher he had to at least eight to ten years older than these girls, that wouldn’t be bad, if they were all grown, but they were children.Children!She’d call the principal first thing Monday morning.

“Because it’s our word against his.And they never listen to the kids.Never.So we have a system.All the girls at school.You never go to his class, stay late to talk to him, even go to a meeting with him, alone.Ever.”

Jenna’s heart ached, yet at the same time, she couldn’t help the warmth of pride in her sister that washed through her.Yes, it sucked that they had to deal with this, but she was also proud that Lacey and her friends had come up with a method to protect each other.That they were working together to make sure nothing happened to any of them.She pulled her sister into her arms and hugged her tight.

“Has he made any of these comments to you?Has he ever touched you?”

Lacey shook her head where it was buried against Jenna’s neck.

“I hate that you have to deal with this.”She sighed.“I’ll call the school Monday and schedule an appointment with the principal.”

“Why?They’re not going to do anything.”Lacey pulled away enough to look up at her as she asked.

“We don’t know that.We have to give the school a chance.And we have to assume they don’t know yet.They can’t fix what they don’t know about.So I’ll schedule the meeting with the principal.We’ve only got a few more months before the end of the year, then you’ll be in a different school.”

“Yeah, but if he’s still here, then other kids will have to deal with him.What if they don’t catch on to him the way we did?”

“Hopefully, that won’t be an issue.But just in case, why don’t you and your friends start branching out to the younger girls.Get the seventh-grade girls involved, and the sixth if you can manage it.Tell them you’re trying to protect them and that when they’re your age, it will be their job to do the same for the younger girls.”

She kept hugging her sister, wishing the world were different and these girls didn’t have to worry about someone who was supposed to be there to protect them, but was instead, at least in appearance, one of the predators they had to be on guard from.It disgusted her that they couldn’t be kids, but had to worry about these things, especially so young.