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Rose grabbed her drink and threw it toward him. The drink he poured her splashed onto his clothes and all over the table. She swiped the contract off the table and pushed herself up, hearing her chair hit the ground. "Go to hell, Slick."
Slick threw his cigarette and pressed his palms down onto the table. He leaned closer, narrowing his dark eyes on Rose. "You're going to regret that. You'll end up just like Jazzy if you keep thinking like you have any part of the playing field."
Rose wanted to scratch his eyes out even more now that he brought up Jazzy. She felt rage but pulled herself together.
Rose grabbed her purse, and she turned to the door. She heard Slick behind her moving around the table, "You'll regret this when I tell Prescott Academy all your dirty little secrets, and they find out what a slutty teacher they have in their building."
Rose moved fast, anger boiling over in her body. She gripped her hands into fists, her nails biting into her palms. She marched forward.
"You'll regret this, Rose. You just fucked your life."
The door slammed behind her, and she continued forward. She swallowed, needing to shake it off, but she couldn't. She didn't know what her future held anymore, but she knew one thing. Slick was out for blood.
The next morning, after the lunch period, the principal called her down to his office. Rose's nerves were still on high alert, and her stomach twisted as she walked down the hallway.
She got to the principal's office and pushed the door open. He was seated at his desk, and once his eyes landed on Rose, he frowned. "Close the door, please."
Rose's heart sank as she shut the door, watching him sit up a little taller. She knew something was wrong.
"Take a seat." He nodded toward the chair across from his desk, and Rose slowly took a seat. Her eyes saw the pictures on the principal’s desk, and her heart stopped beating.
Slick didn't waste any time sticking with his threat. He'd sent the principal the photos of her performing as Tish Black. There was no denying that was her, and there was nothing she could say to change that.
She couldn't breathe as the principal rubbed his eyes, looking both tired and frustrated. Rose licked her lips. "I can explain."
He put a hand up, stopping her. He shook his head and looked down at the pictures. Rose chewed on her lip, watching him flip through them.
She had thought maybe Slick would try to talk to her once more.
She thought she had more time. Everything was moving so quickly that she could hardly keep up, let alone figure out what to do. She had barely slept, let alone gotten to wrap her mind around what was going to happen.
She ran her hands through her hair and suddenly felt the need to scream and cry. He hadn't said anything, but she knew things were falling apart. His face said it all.
"Rose …" His voice came out hurt.
"Sir." She spoke up once more, trying to harden her voice. "Just … Can I explain?"
He looked up at her, and the look in his eyes stopped her. He held that look of defeat. There was nothing she could say because it wasn't up to him. She knew that. It was up to the board.
"Rose, I can't have you working here knowing this." He pushed the pictures toward her making her look at them. She frowned, knowing what she would see. Someone else entirely. The person in the photos was not the same as who was sitting in that chair.
"I have to bring this up to the board, and they will decide what to do. But until then, I can't have you teaching here. Parents and the faculty will have a heyday."
Rose swallowed, feeling tears build up. She gripped onto the chair, trying to stop them. "Sir, please …" She tried to harden her voice once more. "I love my job. This place is ... it's important."
He gave her a pitiful expression, "There is nothing I can do. It's not up to me. I'll hand this over to the board, and they will do a vote," he paused before he sighed, "to see if they will keep you employed here."
Everything was falling apart. Everything was crumbling, and there was nothing Rose could do to stop it. She bit hard on her cheek, refusing to cry. It wouldn't change anything.
She tried to focus on herself as she walked back to her room. She tried everything in her body to stop herself from falling apart as she packed up her personal items.
She was given a small box and only grabbed what she could. She didn't get to say goodbye to the kids, and she didn't get to explain. They didn't want her to make a scene.
The principal walked with her all the way to the back doors, where Rose could no longer keep it together. Tears broke free as he pushed the door open, allowing her to step through. She wiped at her eyes, her entire body shaking.
"I'll contact you. The board meeting should be soon, so you shouldn't have to wait long." He gave her another sad smile before the doors slammed shut behind her. The box slipped from her fingers, and she broke down in a sob.
Her phone vibrated, and she looked at it, hoping it was a message from Dylan. She could use a pick-me-up so badly. But her heart sank seeing a message from Slick.
