Page 58 of The Academy
“Hey,” he says. “What are you doing here? I thought you had dorm duty.”
“I thoughtyouhad dorm duty,” she says.
“Roy covered for me. I met with a student who wanted me to read her college essay.” He pauses. “But it turned into a therapy session. It was Annabelle Tuckerman, poor kid. Zip Zap ripped her apart. She confided that the post was true. She did make up her whole senior speech.”
“Wow.” Simone doesn’t like how close Rhode is walking to her. She worries she’s giving off a scent of wine, sex, and immorality.
“So what are you doing out?” he asks again.
She can’t tell him the truth. As far as she’s concerned, she hasn’t seen Andrew Eastman tonight. “I forgot some materials in my classroom.”
Rhode says nothing and Simone wonders if he knows she’s lying.
“Listen.” His tone changes and she stiffens. He knows. Rhodesaw East go into the Schoolhouse while on his way to meet Annabelle at the Teddy. Why hadn’t Simone considered this possibility? “I’d really love to take you out this weekend. We could go somewhere nicer than the Alibi. The kids said the Hobgoblin was good. Or the Wooden Duck? Would you like to do that on Saturday night?”
Oh my god,Simone thinks. Rhode is asking her on a date.
“I’m not sure it’s allowed?” Simone says. “Two teachers on a date?”
“It’s notnotallowed,” Rhode says. “I looked into it. The Wullys met when they were both single teachers here and now they’re married.”
Simone nearly laughs. Does Rhode imagine the two of them will have a love story like the Wullys? Although they’re colleagues, Simone is way closer in age to East.
Simone has learned that, when it comes to Rhode, she has to be firm. She can’t leave any room for interpretation. “No, I don’t think so, Rhode, I’m sorry.”
An excruciating silence follows, but Simone won’t fill it. She won’t try to make Rhode feel better; that’s not her job. She has done everything wrong tonight, but this she’ll do right.
Finally, he clears his throat. “If you change your mind, let me know.”
Simone isn’t going to change her mind. “I sure will,” she says.
In the morning, there’s a new post on Zip Zap.Last night, the hot new history teacher gave “extra help” to the notorious bad boy fifth-form repeat in a dark classroom in the Schoolhouse. Or was it the student who gave the teacher extra help?
Simone wakes up with a start, her mouth chalky, her head throbbing, but oh god, the rush of relief she feels when she realizes it wasjust a dream. Right? Simone picks up her phone and clicks on the Zip Zap app. There are no new posts. She scrolls up and down to make absolutely certain. This app is a ticking time bomb for her. She’s new, she’s young, and the kids, at least, think she’s hot. She’s an easy target.
The best defense is an offense,Simone thinks. Should she give the kids something to talk about? Something that isn’tnotallowed?
She texts Rhode.I thought about it overnight and decided that dinner on Saturday night sounds fun. If you’re still up for it?
Rhode answers immediately.Still up! Way up!
This response makes Simone think of an erection.Ew, ew, ew!What has she done?
I think we should cover our bases,Simone says.Will you please check with Audre to make sure it’s okay? I won’t feel right otherwise.
Happy to!Rhode answers and he includes the big smile emoji, which makes her cringe.
Ew.
Cordelia Spooner is at her computer reading the application of a Charlie Norton from Milton, Massachusetts: He’s obsessed with aviation, tracks every flight in and out of Logan, has a flight simulator on his Xbox, and is asking for flying lessons for his fifteenth birthday. His essay is about facing an “excruciating” decision: Should he become a commercial pilot or an air traffic controller?
Cordelia loves nothing more than a student with a passion. She admits Charlie Norton from Milton. She considers checking Instagram for a picture of Charlie—she just wants to see if he’s as darling as he sounds, it has no bearing on his admission, he’s already in… but she stops herself. She might take a peek at his mother’s Facebook, however. Is it not perfectly natural to want to see a picture of the student she’s admitting? She goes to the search bar and typesKath—
“Cordelia?”
Cordelia jumps. Audre has poked her head into Cordelia’s office without knocking—almost as if she’s trying tocatchCordelia doing something.
Nothing to see here!Cordelia thinks, minimizing the page.
