Page 111 of The Academy
“It’s better that you don’t,” Audre says. “You may write to them once you’re gone.”
“What about my final grades?”
“We’ll handle that. Please don’t make this any harder than it already is, Simone.”
Simone grabs Audre’s forearm, and Audre chastises herself for hiring someone so young. What was she thinking? Well, she was thinking she was just shy of desperate—and, to be fair, Simone had shown so much promise.
“There’s something else you need to know,” Simone says. “One of the other staff members made an unwanted sexual advance toward me.”
Audre’s heart plummets. Mr. Rivera, of course.Arrrgh—Audre should never have let those two go on that date this past fall. Her judgment was lacking this year. Next year she’s going to crack down; she’ll reviseThe Bridleover the summer.
“Which staff member?” Audre asks. Maybe it wasn’t Rhode but rather Mr. James, which would be even worse.
“Honey Vandermeid,” Simone says.
29. Tiffin Talks: The Hard Part of High School
Who needs Zip Zap?we think. At the start of finals week, there’s so much drama it’s like the school musical all over again.
Miss Bergeron gets fired because she “acted inappropriately” with East. Some rumors have them joining the Harkness Society in Miss Bergeron’s classroom—third-former Reed Wheeler swears he saw them through the window but didn’t want to snitch. The boys on the sixth floor of North confirm that Miss Bergeron went into East’s room while East was fresh out of the shower and wearing only a towel.
She was drunk,Royce Stringfellow says.I heard her in the stairwell afterward with Mr. Rivera. She was shithouse drunk.
Royce thinks but does not say,And she knows about Priorities.He has been waiting to be called in front of the Honor Board, but that hasn’t happened yet.
“Haveyouheard anything?” he asks Willow Levy. Willow is a lot more chill about possible repercussions because her father sits on the board of directors.
“All I’ve heard is that Charley broke up with East,” Willow says. Charley isn’t the kind of person to scream or throw things, but Willow can confirm that Charley hasn’t left her room except to go to class, and that the only person she’ll let in is Davi, but Davi won’t spill the tea.
Tilly Benbow told Willow that she saw Olivia H-T coming out of Bergeron’s room on Sunday afternoon. “She was convinced you all were sneaking out somewhere,” Tilly said. “I think that’s why she was talking to Miss Bergeron.”
“Of course she told,” Willow whispers to Madison J. “East should have included her just so she would keep her fucking mouth shut.”
“She’s dangerous,” Madison J. agrees, but as floor prefect, Madison has to be nice to everybody. As such, she’s the only person on the first floor still speaking to Olivia.
Cordelia Spooner is extremely glad that “Philip Jennings” left campus before the school became a green-and-gold dumpster fire. Simone Bergeron was getting with Andrew Eastman! This isn’t surprising to Cordelia; she called out the provocative way Simone dressed at First Dance. But did anyone listen?
As if this isn’t enough… Andrew Eastman has turned an old bomb shelter below the dorms into a speakeasy called Priorities.
Audre takes Cordelia to the bowels of the dorms to see it, and although Cordelia finds the place utterly jaw-dropping, she’s surprised when Audre can’t answer basic questions. How long has the room looked like this, and which kids were down here enjoying it?
“I don’t know and I don’t care,” Audre says. “It’s ours now.” She collapses on the leather sofa, pats the space next to her. “Come sit, I have something else to tell you and I very dearly wish the shelveswerestocked with whiskey.”
Something else?Cordelia thinks.
Oh yes: Honey tried to kiss Simone in the back of an Uber on the night of March 28, Ivy Day. Honey and Simone went to the Alibi and had several drinks apiece, including shots of tequila.
Cordelia tries to keep her face from crumbling. Honey canceledtheir Ivy Day dinner at the Wooden Duck. What excuse had she given? Cordelia can’t remember, but Honey certainly didn’t mention going to the Alibi with Simone.
Honey tried to kiss Simone on the way home, but Simone rebuffed her.
“Honey admitted to it,” Audre says. “She offered to resign; she told me her mother needs her down in Florida. And since her job for this year is essentially over, she’s leaving immediately.”
When Cordelia returns to her cottage, Honey is waiting on the doorstep. Her spring tan has all but faded; she’s the color of chalk. She rushes to Cordelia, wraps her arms around her. She wassodrunk, she says. She didn’t realize what she was doing.
“It was a poor showing,” Honey says. “But the whole thing was over before it began.”
“Only because Simone pushed you away,” Cordelia says coldly. “If she hadn’t…”
