Rumors

by Phil M. Williams

  Gwen looked up from her laptop, watching Rick peck on his keyboard. He looked better, more rested. His color looked healthy; his eyes weren’t dark-circled. She wondered what they were doing together. She wondered if he was for real. He had all the alpha-male markers. Tall and built. Check. Strong jawline. Check. Athletic. Check. Quiet confidence. Check. But he didn’t always act like it. There was a gentleness in the way he spoke to her, the way he took the couch without looking for gratitude, the way he looked at her. Not like a predator after prey but someone who cared for her. He’d kept his distance, not making any attempt to touch her or kiss her or even flirt. Maybe he’s still hurt that I thought he had an affair with Ashlee Miles? Maybe he did? If he did, he should be on Broadway, because he’s a great actor. There’s just no way.

  “You okay over there?” Rick asked.

  Gwen blinked, awakening from her daydream. “I’m pretty much done,” she said, her gaze flicking to her laptop screen. “Do you want to hear it?”

  “Yeah, let’s hear it.” Rick set his laptop on the coffee table.

  “Here goes.” She took a deep breath and told her story. The essay. Meeting with Janet and the subsequent lies. Her repeated unrequited attempts to contact Heather Miles. The day Caleb held her class hostage. Her speculation that Janet had a copy of the essay and shoved it under her door. Her thoughts on Caleb’s motives and her admission that she should’ve followed up with Mrs. Baumgartner. The regret she’ll carry for the rest of her life. Gwen looked up from her laptop.

  Rick clapped. “That’s really good.”

  Gwen frowned. “I don’t know. I’m worried that everyone will hate me even more.”

  “Why? It’s the truth.”

  “I’m not sure how popular it’ll be to talk about Heather not calling teachers back about Caleb.”

  “We’re not the only people who know what a horrendous mother she is.”

  Gwen sighed. “I guess I feel bad too. She just lost her son.”

  “That doesn’t change what she did or didn’t do. That woman’s suing everyone for Caleb’s death, but, the truth of the matter is, it’s her fault more than anyone else’s.”

  “What about Pastor Goode? He didn’t have anything to do with Caleb, left him without a father.”

  Rick paused, the wheels turning in his mind. “That’s a good point. Maybe he’s more to blame than Heather. I don’t know, but I do know it’s not your fault. I think you blame yourself too much as it is.”

  “I do feel guilty, like I didn’t do enough. I think his essay was a cry for help, and I didn’t answer it.”

  “That’s not true.”

  She lifted one shoulder. “Maybe.” Gwen paused for a moment. “I’m surprised Heather isn’t suing us.”

  “If we had any money, I’m sure she would.”

  Gwen smiled. “The silver lining of being broke, right?”

  Rick smiled back. “Right.”

  Gwen’s eyes flicked to her laptop, then back to Rick. “Should I go ahead and post it?”

  “I would.”

  “I made some screenshots from my phone of the calls I made to Heather. Do you think I should post them too? I hate to give out her phone number like that. I’m probably violating confidentiality somehow since I pulled her number from school.”

  “I think we’re beyond that, but you could blur part of the number.”

  “I guess I could do that.” Gwen copied the letter and pasted it on their new Facebook page. “It’s done. I just have to add the screenshots.”

  “How do you feel?”

  “A little nervous but happy that I told the truth. How do we get people to go to our page and read it?”

  Rick had a crooked grin. “I thought we could troll the West Lake Watchdog page. We could comment and put links to our page.”

  “They’ll delete our comments.”

  “Probably, but I’ve noticed that Heather doesn’t post in the morning. She sleeps in a lot. She’s usually out late partying Saturday night, so tomorrow morning might be perfect. I think our posts would at least stay up for a few hours. Then, once a few people see it, it’ll spread like wildfire.”

  “We can use the rumor mill to our advantage for once,” Gwen said.

  “Exactly.”

  “What about you? Are you ready for your post?”

  “Just about. I could use your editing expertise.”

  Gwen set her laptop on the coffee table and sat next to Rick. She had to sit close not to disturb Buster. She felt a jolt of electricity as their thighs touched. “Let’s see.”

  Rick handed her his laptop, seemingly unaffected by her proximity.

  Gwen read through the document, making a few grammatical edits along the way but not too many. He wasn’t a dumb jock. Rick told the whole story about Shane and Ashlee and Janet and the extortion attempt. He didn’t mention Ashlee’s or Shane’s name, but everyone would know he was talking about Shane, given the circumstances. Ashlee would remain anonymous. Gwen handed the laptop back to Rick.

  “It’s very good,” Gwen said. “Well written too. Janet’ll be superpissed.”

  “I don’t like throwing Shane under the bus, but I don’t feel like I have a choice here.”

  “I’m sure the kids already know he’s only starting because of Janet.”

  “I’m sure they do. Shane’s played terrible over the past few games.”

  The doorbell rang. They looked at each other, like deer in headlights.

  “Are you expecting anyone?” Rick asked, whispering.

  “No.”

  They crept to the door together, not wanting to alert whoever it was to their presence.

  Gwen looked through the peephole and whispered, “It looks like a young man with a package.”

  The man knocked again.

  “Should I open it?” Gwen asked.

  “Might as well,” Rick replied.

  She opened the door.

  The young man smiled. “Are you Gwen Townsend-Walker?”

  “Yes.”

  He handed her a legal-size envelope. “You’ve been served.” The young man looked up at Rick. “Rick Barnett?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You’ve been served too.” The young man handed Rick the other legal-size envelope. He smiled again. “Have a nice day.”

  Rick and Gwen frowned at each other.

  Inside, they both opened their envelopes. They were being sued by Heather Miles and the Law Firm of Boyd and Yarborough.

  “So much for silver linings,” Gwen said.

  CHAPTER 97

  Rick and Pariahs

  After being served, Rick and Gwen had talked about pooling their limited resources to hire a lawyer, but they needed more evidence to give themselves a fighting chance. They needed an investigative team to unravel Janet’s conspiracies, but they weren’t even sure they could afford a lawyer, much less a team of investigators. West Lake was a DIY town. People mostly mowed their own grass and painted their own houses and even did a little plumbing and electrical work. Like most of West Lake’s rural poor, Rick and Gwen would have to DIY their own investigation.

  They’d spent the rest of the afternoon putting the final touches on the Truth about West Lake Facebook page. Rick had done some more editing and posted his story. Gwen had added those screenshots, detailing her many unreturned phone calls to Heather Miles.

  “Now we just need traffic,” Gwen said, shutting her laptop.

  “Hopefully Heather sleeps late tomorrow.” Rick shut his laptop and set it on the coffee table. “Are you hungry?”

  Gwen lifted one shoulder. “A little.”

  “I’m starving.” He stood from the couch and stretched his arms over his head. “Do you wanna make dinner?”

  “We can, but my cupboards are pretty bare. We ate the last of the eggs and bread at breakfast.”

  Rick walked into the kitchen. “I’ll take a look.” He checked the fridge and the cupboards and walked back to the living room. “There’s not much. We should make a gr
ocery run.”

  * * *

  He felt newly married, pushing the cart, Gwen walking alongside, adding items as they went. Thankfully, the store was mostly empty, only a handful of customers shopping and minding their own business. An old guy wearing dirty jeans stared at them in the dairy aisle, but Rick figured he was looking at Gwen. She had that effect on men. Rick didn’t blame the guy. Gwen grabbed eggs and cheese, adding the items to the cart.

  “I think that’s about it,” she said.

  Rick pushed the full cart toward the checkout, Gwen still walking alongside. He stopped, looking at the line of registers. Only one was open, and he recognized the cashier.

  “What’s wrong?” Gwen asked.

  “The cashier. That’s Breanna Franks,” Rick said. “Heather’s older sister.”

  “I’ve seen her name on Facebook.”

  “Yeah, she’s been posting with the other crazies.” He sighed. “Let’s get this over with.”

  They approached the register, Rick parking the cart next to the conveyor belt. Breanna was thin, mid-forties, but she looked at least ten years older with deep wrinkles, yellow teeth, and the puckered mouth of a smoker. She stood, glaring at the couple, her arms crossed over her chest. Rick ignored her, simply piling the groceries on the conveyor belt counter. He intentionally blocked Gwen with the cart and his backside, not wanting her to be the object of Breanna’s ire. He expected Breanna to start scanning and bagging, but she just stood there, glowering.

  As Rick stacked the last item from the cart, their groceries now completely covering the counter, he looked at Breanna and asked, “Are you gonna scan the groceries?”

  Breanna shook her head. “You two make me sick. You should be in prison. I can’t believe you have the balls to come in here. You can put all this shit back in your cart and put it back where you got it, because I ain’t checkin’ you out. Maybe you should go to the WalMart in Lebanon with the rest of the scumbags.”

  Rick looked around, hoping for a manager, but saw nobody but the old man walking toward the line with a few items in a handheld plastic basket.

  “You don’t own this store,” Rick said.

  “You see anybody else in charge?” Breanna replied, one side of her mouth twisted in disdain.

  “You’re that piece of shit teacher from Philly,” the old man said to Gwen, his eyes narrowed. “Why don’t you go back where you came from?”

  “Sir, I didn’t do anything wrong,” Gwen replied.

  “Ain’t what I heard, and that one’s even worse.” The old man pointed a craggy finger at Rick. “Havin’ sex with young girls. If you touched my daughter, I’d shoot you dead. You better watch your back. Whole lot a folks want a piece of your hide.”

  Rick grabbed Gwen’s hand. “Let’s go.” He pushed the empty cart through the line one-handed, his other still holding on to Gwen. Once through the narrow aisle, he pushed the cart aside.

  “You gotta put this shit back,” Breanna said.

  “I don’t work here.” Rick looked around. “And I don’t see anyone else working, so it must be your job.” They left the store, still holding hands. Rick glanced at Gwen as they walked to his truck. Her face was flushed, her eyes glassy.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “It’s one thing to read stuff on Facebook. It’s a different thing to live it in real life.”

  CHAPTER 98

  Janet and the Eye of the Hurricane

  Janet had been livid about the Facebook page. The Truth about West Lake. Rick’s and Gwen’s lame attempt to gain public support. Last Sunday, Rachel had sent her a text about the page. Between Janet, Rachel, Heather, and their many supporters, they were able to shut down the page with a barrage of complaints to Facebook. A few days later, it was back up again. They would’ve complained again, but the whole thing backfired on Rick and Gwen. The comments to their posts were overwhelmingly negative, ranging from accusations of dishonesty to wishes for their untimely demise.

  Rick and Gwen were learning a truism that Janet knew well. Whoever’s first to control the narrative has a huge advantage because, once adults make up their minds on a particular subject, they are very unlikely to change it, especially if their peers support that perspective.

  Janet enjoyed visiting the Truth about West Lake and reading the hateful comments, which is exactly what she was doing now. Janet’s phone buzzed with a text. She set her laptop on the bed and grabbed her cell phone from the bedside table.

  Rachel: There’s an article about Drew Fuller. LINK

  Janet clicked the link. The article was from the Lancaster Daily News.

  West Lake Bully Pleads Guilty

  By: Phillip Graves

  October 27, 2016

  West Lake High School senior, Drew Fuller, 18, pled guilty to drug possession with the intent to sell and to sexual harassment, a charge that was reduced from sexual assault. Drew Fuller was sentenced to twenty-four months in prison. The sexual harassment charge and conviction involved a hazing incident against deceased former classmate, Caleb Miles.

  District Attorney Blake Drummond said, “Along with the help of the Swatara Township Police Department, my office successfully negotiated a guilty plea for Drew Fuller’s drug-dealing operation and the sexual assault of Caleb Miles. My office will continue to protect our young people against drugs and sexual assault.”

  Caleb’s mother, Heather Miles, was less sanguine about the result. “He didn’t hardly get nothing for what he did to my son. It was rape, if you ask me. It was way more than sexual harassment.”

  The front door slammed shut. Janet set down her phone and stood from her bed. She approached her bedroom door, her hand on the knob, standing and listening. Heavy feet climbed the stairs, followed by the slamming of another door. Shane’s bedroom. Then there was a crash, followed by another, followed by another. Janet hurried from her room, headed for Shane’s. Another crash. Janet opened his door and gasped. His room looked like it had been in a hurricane. Two fist holes were in the drywall. His desk was overturned. His laptop was on the ground, near the wall, smashed. Shane stood in the eye of the hurricane, breathing heavy, his face beet red, tears streaming down his face.

  “What is going on in here?” Janet said.

  Shane’s breathing slowed. He sat on his bed and put his head in his hands, crying.

  “What is your problem?” Janet moved closer to Shane.

  “Go away.” His voice was whiny.

  “Not until you tell me why you’re destroying my house.”

  He sniffled, sucking back mucus. “It’s my room.”

  “This isn’t a debate.” Janet had her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong?”

  He looked up at his mother, his face red and blotchy and tear-streaked. He glowered as he pointed to his fingertips, counting the ways in which his life had gone off the rails. “I suck at football. Everybody’s pissed that you made Coach Schneider start me. Kids have been saying that it’s my fault that Caleb killed himself. Even Ashlee believes it. She broke up with me. It’s fuckin’ bullshit. It’s not fair. Caleb was the one who looked at my dick.”

  Janet raised one side of her mouth in disgust. She was disgusted. Where was his fucking pride? “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”

  Shane’s eyes went wide.

  “If you suck at football, fix it! Who gives a shit about a bunch of white-trash losers? They were never your friends. A year from now, you’ll never see those kids again. You’ll be in college. They’ll be working at a fucking gas station or some shitty restaurant. And Ashlee? You should be thanking your lucky stars that you’re rid of that toxic whore.”

  Shane still sat on his bed, his mouth wide open.

  “Stop being a baby. Be a man for once.” Janet looked around the room. “And clean this shit up.” She slammed the door and left his room.

  CHAPTER 99

  Gwen and the Facebook Peanut Gallery

  Gwen and Rick sat at her kitchen table, reading the comments on their Facebook po
sts.

  Trina Grisham This is so sad. Its all lies. The VP and the counselor never saw the essay. Just admit you didn’t do anything about Caleb. 22 Likes

  Heather Miles Your a real piece of shit Rick. I hope you rot in hell. RICK BARNETT IS A LIAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 15 Likes

  Breanna Franks OMG these two retards were in my store. I told them to get the F out! 7 Likes

  Will Gilroy They’re desperate! What do you expect from a child killer and a child molester? 10 Likes

  Sadie Ollinger These people disgust me. Townsend-Walker killed that boy as far as I’m concerned. Barnett has sex with young girls. 11 Likes

  Ellen Schneider Rick came to my house threatening my husband. He is a total creep and a child molester. 15 Likes

  Glen Gentry I’m sorry to hear that, Ellen Schneider. We are behind your husband. He’s still undefeated! Barnett and Townsend-Walker both need to go to prison. 12 Likes

  Aaron Fuller Coach Barnett and Ms. Townsend are telling the truth. That bitch Janet Wilcox is a liar. She lied about my brother. 2 Likes

  Roger Elkins STFU Everybody knows you and your brother deal drugs. The cops found drugs in his locker. 17 Likes

  “Should we delete these comments?” Gwen asked.

  Rick shook his head. “I think, if we leave those comments, there’ll be more traffic, and more traffic means a greater likelihood someone will come forward with evidence.”

  Gwen sighed. “I guess. It’s just these people are so hateful.”

  “They’re misinformed.”

  “And stupid.”

  “That too.”

  “Aaron Fuller stuck his neck out for us,” Gwen said.

  “Unfortunately, the Fuller family doesn’t have a lot of credibility at the moment.”

  “I don’t think Drew assaulted Caleb. Based on the essay, it had to be Shane.”

  “The police had to have some evidence to charge him with the assault,” Rick replied.