Page 1 of Hold On Me

1

PENNY

TWO WEEKS BEFORE THANKSGIVING

“Excuse me?” My voice is higher than I’ve ever heard it as I blink furiously at David, my boss. His usual snippy demeanour is gone and instead I’m faced with a frown and outright disdain.

“I said I know about your little ‘encounter’ with Mr. Brooks, and quite frankly Penny, I’m very disappointed. I took a chance on you. We both know you come from a less than desirable background to be a teacher.”

Flinching at his words I shrink into my chair a little. Director Allen has never been a fan of mine, and as the director of the private school I work in he has full authority over his staff. In fact, I’m pretty sure the only reason he hired me was because Janey left so abruptly and he was desperate. I’ve never been someone he approved of. A few choice encounters with the walking womb known as my mom before I was born left him with a sour taste in his mouth for me and anyone who bore any resemblance to her.

Usually I don’t give a rat's ass, but the normal fight I have for myself is gone. Replaced with the feelings of not being worthy filtering through my brain. I’m back to being that ten-year-old girl picked on at the playground because my mama liked to makethe rounds about town and chose alcohol and men over being with my dad and me.

No, today I can’t brush off the feelings. Not when I’m faced with this. The smugness of thinking he’s right, of assuming the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Taking a deep breath in, I try to calm the rising panic inside and focus on that breath. I school my features into a blank stare and I wet my lips quickly as I watch my folded hands in my lap. Keeping my voice as level as possible, I attempt to address his concerns, trying hard to sound reasonable rather than accusatory.

“I don’t understand. Mr. Brooks came on to me. He flirted, asked me out, and even touched me inappropriately. I had bruises all over my arms from where he grabbed me. I told you this the day it happened.”

A loud scoff brings my eyes up and away from my lap. “Come on, Penny. We both know that’s not what happened. You approached him. You propositioned him, and when he said no, you made up this little story to get back at him.” I try to interrupt, but my words die on my tongue as he continues. “Like I said, I’m disappointed. You went out of your way to try and prove you were more like your dad, but I suppose you just couldn’t keep up the act any longer.”

I grimace as a loud sigh from him followed by a shake of his head makes my stomach lurch. My poor dad. This will never go away for him.

“Mr. Brooks and his family don’t feel safe with a predator such as yourself working here, and quite frankly, neither do I.”

The word predator sends prickles over my skin and makes my heart beat rapidly. I’m not a fucking predator. If anything, that sleaze is. He grabbed my arms, bruised me, slammed me against a wall so hard my head ricocheted off it and I had to go to urgent care.

My head whips up, and for a split second I wonder what it would feel like to rip this douche’s head clean off his shoulders. But I maintain my cool and cross my arms over my chest.

“Believe me, Director Allen, there is only one predator in this scenario and it isn’t me. What I told you was the truth. I’m a good teacher. These kids mean the world to me and I love working here. But I won’t be called out for the actions of others. I won’t be held accountable for Mr. Brooks or my mom. It’s not fair.”

“Listen, Penny. The only way to rectify this is for you to no longer work here. Mr. Brooks’s contributions are needed much more than yours. We can say you decided to try your hands at something different. Mr. Brooks is keen to keep this between us. No one would have to know.”

I blanche at his words and a shot of anger so hot it could pass as fire surges through me. “I just donated ten thousand dollars to this school.”

“And I wonder how you got Mr. Elias to give you that. Pie in the face, get real.”

My blood is boiling. I won that money fair and square, and he knows it. He saw me do it. But there’s no reasoning with stupidity. Smashing that pie into Mr. Thinks-He’s-So-Important’s face was a highlight of my whole life, and now this jackass is diminishing it to nothing. I’m truly surrounded by idiots.

“If you fire me for this, I’ll file for wrongful dismissal.”

“Do that and I’ll let everyone in town know just how alike you and your mom are.” His words are like ice in my veins and I take a deep breath in through my nose. “I mean it’s not like it’d be hard is it? And Mr. Brooks has promised me a lot more than your ten K for getting rid of you. Wouldn’t it be a shame, after all these years of working your ass off, to have it all blow up in your face. To have your friends and your dad know you tried toscrew a married man. Encouraged him to commit adultery all while teaching his son his ABC’s. Tut-tut Penny. Doesn’t sound very good does it?”

“You’re bluffing.” I flip my long brown hair over my shoulder and meet his gaze. It doesn’t waver.

He finally breaks away and lets his eyes travel down my face, lingering on my breasts covered by my T-shirt. A smirk tips one side of his lips up. “Of course, we could always come to another conclusion. Maybe you could think of something to change my mind? I remember your mom was very good at…”

“Shut your fucking mouth.” I slam my hand on the desk, my temper getting the best of me, and force myself to stand in front of him. He grins as his eyes continue to rove over my body, and I force the bile from my throat and send him a withering look. “I wouldn’t touch you if you were the last man on earth. You’re not only old enough to be my dad, but you look like a toad. You disgust me and you can shove your job up your ass.”

I storm out of his office, grab my things from my classroom, and flee from the building. Slamming the door of my car, I quickly peel away from the school I’ve loved since I was a little girl. I dreamed of working there, and now it’s all gone to shit.

I’ve barely gone ten feet down the road when my hands start to shake and the tears threaten to blur my vision. I pull into a parking lot, let my forehead hit the steering wheel, and fall apart.

All those years working my ass off for nothing. I’ve been Penny ‘the good girl’ for so long. I don’t date that much or drink alcohol at all because I don’t want to be like her. And I’ve worked my entire life so I can be dependent on me and me only.

But it’s never enough. There will always be another Director Allen around to put me back in my place.

And I know my family and friends would do everything in their power to burn the world for me if I let them but I can’t.They have their own chaos to deal with. They don’t need mine on top of it.

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