Page 58 of The Teacher
But the worst part of all is what happened to Mr. Tuttle. He was just trying to help me. He felt bad for me because of my dad and because I had no friends and was in danger of failing math. I tried to tell everyone he was only being nice, nothing more, but then the parents started calling on him to resign. He had no choice.
And now I’ve done it again. Even worse, it’s not the first time. I’ve been to Nathaniel’s house twice before without him knowing.
I don’t know exactly what I was thinking except thatI missed seeing Nathaniel after school like I usually did. And I started to get curious about what a dinner at his house would look like. It was only a five-minute bike ride from my house, so when my mom went up to her bedroom for the evening, I slipped out the back door and rode over there.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
It was depressing to watch Nathaniel having a happy couples dinner with his wife and Mrs. Maddox and her husband. The only positive thing I could say was that Mrs. Maddox’s husband was very affectionate with her, but Nathaniel barely touched Mrs. Bennett. And believe me, I was watching.
Anyway, I’m super lucky I didn’t get caught. There was a moment when Mrs. Bennett was taking out the trash, and I was terrified that she saw me, but then nothing happened. She thought she saw something, but it was too dark out. She didn’t know who it was.
Or so I thought. Until I get a message from Nathaniel through Snapflash during second period:
You were at my house last night. That was a big mistake.
I stare at the words on the screen until they disappear. It wasn’t even a question. He knows I was there. Either he saw me out the window or else Mrs. Bennett told him I was there. I write back:
I’m sorry.
Then I get worried my history teacher is going tocatch me on my phone and confiscate it, so I shove it back into my pocket, even though it’s killing me not to see what Nathaniel is writing back to me. I’m sure he’s angry with me. How angry? He couldn’t possibly be so upset with me that he would end things.
Would he?
No, I can’t believe that. But the idea of it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Our relationship is risky for so many reasons. He warned me that if anyone catches wind of it, we would have to stop seeing each other immediately. The idea of never being close to him again is physically painful.
I would rather be buried in a tomb in the sea.
As soon as the bell rings, I practically rip my phone out of my pocket. Sure enough, there’s a message waiting for me, which I click to open:
The principal is going to talk to you about it. I did what I could to stop this. Deny everything.
And then a second message:
My entire life is in your hands.
Sure enough, I’ve barely made it to third period when an announcement over the loudspeaker instructs me to go to the principal’s office. My legs are super wobbly as I walk down to the ground floor, past the main desk where Annie the receptionist sits with her bucket of oranges. Annie’s smile is strained when she greets me, and it’s no surprise when I get to PrincipalHiggins’s office to find Mrs. Bennett waiting. I expected Nathaniel would be there too, and I’m not sure what it means that he isn’t.
“Adeline.” The principal looks at me through her half-moon spectacles and gestures at one of the plastic chairs in front of her desk. “Have a seat, please. And close the door behind you.”
Close the door behind you.This is not looking good so far. Especially because I can see Mrs. Bennett has that pissed-off look on her face. Her already thin lips have completely disappeared.
As I sit in the squeaky plastic chair, I try to make my face blank. I remember what Nathaniel told me.Deny everything.It must mean Mrs. Bennett isn’t entirely sure she saw me.
“Addie.” Principal Higgins doesn’t look any more pleased with me than Mrs. Bennett does. I remember when she first called me into her office about Mr. Tuttle, she was so sweet and gentle with me—but that changed when she found out I was stalking him (a bit). Now she just looks like she’s had it with me. “Mrs. Bennett says that she saw you in the bushes outside her house last night. Is this true?”
Deny everything.“No, of course not. I was home all night last night with my mom.”
Mrs. Bennett lets out an angry huff. “Isawyou, Addie. You were in the bushes, and then you ran across my lawn.”
Deny everything. “I… I don’t know what to tell you. I was home all night. Like I said, my mom was home with me. You can ask her.”
If they do ask my mom, she will confirm that I was home all night. It’s so easy to sneak out without her knowing.
A twinge of doubt passes over Mrs. Bennett’s face. I’m glad Nathaniel texted me to warn me, because if he hadn’t, I probably would’ve confessed everything. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that denying it is the right thing to do. It was dark last night. She doesn’t know what she saw.
Principal Higgins continues to look skeptical. “Mrs. Bennett tells me that you have been having some conflicts with her. That you have been struggling in the class, not putting in an effort, and she even caught you trying to look at another student’s paper during an exam.”
“I… I did take a peek,” I admit, hanging my head in shame. “But Mrs. Bennett was nice about it. She even helped me find a tutor.”
