Bad Girlfriend

by Kirsten DeMuzio

  “I’ll get that,” he said. “You know, I saw you that night.”

  “What night?” I asked.

  “That night you had a fight with the trash cans. The night you took the trash out in your underwear.”

  “Oh. That night.”

  “This sounds like a good story,” Graham said, his ears undoubtedly perking up at the word underwear.

  “Nah,” Adam said. “It’s not much of a story. Just the first time I saw Brooke. I was fascinated by the girl in her underwear kicking the trash can.”

  I smiled as I remembered that night. It really wasn’t that long ago, but it felt like ages had passed since then. Adam carried the bag outside toward the garage.

  Graham was watching me with a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “What?” I asked, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

  He shook his head before answering. “Nothing. It’s just that I’ve never seen him like this before.”

  “Like what?”

  “In love.”

  “He’s been in love before,” I said, thinking of Angela.

  “No, not like this. When he put the kibosh on Angela’s marriage plans, I assumed Adam would be an eternal bachelor, like me. I mean, he dated her for years. The next logical step was marriage. But he couldn’t do it. I just assumed it was because he didn’t want to be tied down.”

  I wanted to ask what he thought now, but he seemed so lost in his head that I didn’t want to interrupt.

  “It’s nice, what he’s found with you,” Graham murmured, and I could have sworn I detected a note of envy in his voice.

  Whatever I thought I saw was gone when Adam walked back in, the slam of the door snapping Graham out of his daze.

  “I think we’re as prepared as we’re going to get. What do you say we break out the booze and play some poker,” Graham suggested, slapping his palms on the table.

  “Sounds good to me,” I said. Adam pulled three beers out of the fridge, and I went in search of a deck of cards.

  We spent the rest of the evening trying to forget what loomed ahead of us the next day. Adam’s hearing could change everything for him. Though we all maintained an outward sense of optimism, I feared that underneath we all knew how it would end up playing out.

  This very well might be the last game of poker I played in this house. Because if Adam left town, there was no way in hell I wasn’t going with him.

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Adam

  “Fuck!” I swore, violently tugging the tie from around my neck. It was my third attempt, and I just couldn’t get it right. Like I hadn’t been wearing ties every day for the last eight years of my life.

  “Easy,” Graham said, taking the tie from my hand and looping it back around my neck. “You’ve got to relax, dude. I can’t have you going off at this hearing. You need to appear calm, confident and professional.”

  “Easier said than done,” I grumbled as he tied my tie perfectly on the first try.

  I took a look at my reflection in the bathroom mirror. With the dark suit and blue tie and my hair styled, thanks to Brooke, I looked good. If you didn’t notice the angry gleam in my eyes or the tension around my mouth.

  Graham and I had spent all weekend preparing for this hearing, and I was no more confident than I had been a week ago. No matter what legal magic Graham had up his sleeve, the fate of my career sat in the hands of the School Board. And given that they had even entertained the ridiculous complaint in the first place, I didn’t have a lot of hope that this would work out well. Graham was sure that what he had found out about my replacement being Mrs. Larkin’s brother would save my ass. But I’m sure the Board already knew about that connection.

  This morning I had put in a call to my boss at my old school, who was overjoyed at the chance to get me back there. Apparently, they had been unable to fill my position yet, which was not surprising.

  “It’s time to go,” Graham said when I walked out of the bathroom.

  Brooke stood up from where she had been sitting at the table, and I helped her into her coat. She had borrowed a simple black dress from Lindsay, and though it wasn’t her usual style, she looked lovely. Graham had coached her on dressing conservatively, and she also wore her hair pulled back into a smooth bun.

  “I really wish you guys would have considered my suggestion,” Graham said as we filed out the door.

  Yesterday, when it had become clear that the decision the School Board would cast would be largely subjective, Graham had suggested that Brooke and I get married. His reasoning was that no one could argue that it was immoral for a married couple to be together in the situation Mrs. Larkin had found us in.

  Surprisingly, the idea of marrying Brooke right now was appealing. And she said she would do it if it would help me. But I put the kibosh on that idea. I didn’t want her to marry me for any reason other than that she loved me enough to put up with me for the rest of our lives.

  I rolled my eyes at the back of Graham’s head as he went down the stairs. “That was a stupid idea, Graham.”

  Grabbing Brooke’s hand, I pulled her back to whisper in her ear. “Just so you know. Marrying you is not a stupid idea. In fact, I look forward to doing just that someday. But not like this.”

  She smiled up at me, and her green eyes glowed with emotion. Squeezing my hand, she whispered back, “I know. I feel the same way.”

  Graham impatiently looked at his flashy watch. “Are you two done canoodling? We have to go.”

  I opened the passenger door for Brooke, while Graham slid in the backseat. Taking a deep breath, I started the engine. “Let’s do this.”

  The hearing was at the Superintendant’s office in the large conference room reserved for School Board meetings that were open to the public. I was shocked at the number of people already filling the rows of chairs in the back of the room. The majority of them were older women, Eleanor’s friends, holding signs that read “Save Principal Branigan”. When Brooke and I entered the room, they all stood and clapped. There were some whistles and a few catcalls, which I wasn’t sure was going to help my case. But the support was nice, and it put a smile on my face. It was hard to scowl, when I had my very own cheering section.

  The opposing side didn’t have nearly as many supporters, and they all avoided eye contact. Some I recognized as members of the PTO, likely ordered to be here by Mrs. Larkin. The School Board took up one side of the long table. Graham set his briefcase down opposite them in the middle of the table.

  I walked hand in hand with Brooke over to the first row of spectator seats. Pulling her close, I gently kissed her on the lips and left her to sit next to her grandmother. All of our friends were seated right behind them. It felt like a cross between a murder trial and a tennis match.

  Unbuttoning my suit jacket, I took the chair next to Graham. Thomas sat directly across from me, and the fact that he avoided meeting my eyes told me all I needed to know about how this was going to play out.

  Thomas called the meeting to order and got the ball rolling by reading off the formal complaint filed by Mrs. Larkin. He then turned it over to Graham to present my case.

  With ease, Graham stood and began to pace in front of the table as he talked. Reciting similar cases, Graham outlined the reasons why the complaint should be dismissed. His argument was strong, but in the end it would come down to what the School Board wanted to do. The area of morality and ethics was such a gray area.

  Coming to rest directly in front of the table, Graham made his last argument, that Mrs. Larkin had filed the complaint solely as a way to get her brother appointed as my replacement. That got their attention, and a glimmer of hope flared inside of me. Maybe they all didn’t know the connection between Mrs. Larkin and the interim principal.

  Confident that he had made his point, Graham took a seat. There was a murmur rippling through the crowd, and Thomas cleared his throat loudly.

  “Thank you, Mr. Wellington and Mr. Branigan. We will now hear from three representati
ves of both sides. Mr. Wellington, you may go first.”

  Graham had chosen Eleanor, Ford and Thomas himself.

  “Mrs. Mills,” Graham said, gesturing toward where Brooke and her grandmother sat.

  Eleanor stood up and smoothed her cap of silver hair.

  “Thank you, dear. I have known Adam since he began renting the apartment over my garage in August. He is such a sweet young man, helping me with things around the house and always paying his rent on time. He is also dating my granddaughter, Brooke, and I’ve never seen a man be more attentive, loving and caring.” Her expression turned fierce as she pointed a gnarled finger in Mrs. Larkin’s direction. “You would be lucky if your sons grew up to be like him.”

  Graham interjected before Eleanor really told Mrs. Larkin what she thought, and it seemed very likely she would have in about two seconds.

  “Okay! Thank you, Mrs. Mills. Next we have Ford Walsh, the assistant coach of the undefeated high school football team.”

  Graham thought having Ford speak for me would be beneficial, because the town loved him. The local boy, turned college football star, who had returned home to coach the high school team.

  Brooke had her arm around Eleanor, who was shooting icicles out of her eyes at Mrs. Larkin. Ford stood up behind them and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He didn’t seem like the type to love public speaking, but he was surprisingly eloquent. Probably courtesy of doing countless interviews with ESPN when he was still playing football.

  “I haven’t known Adam long, but what I do know about him is impressive. I had the opportunity to watch Adam interact with his students at the elementary school’s carnival last month. He was patient and related to the kids on a level they could understand. He was never condescending, and he made each kid who talked to him feel special. My father left my mom and me when I was just a little kid, and it was hard on me. I could have used a role model like Adam in my life when I was young, and I think you’ll be doing a huge disservice to the students if you let him get away.”

  Ford nodded at me before sitting back down. The room was completely silent until Graham called on Thomas to speak.

  “Superintendant Cole?” Graham prompted.

  Thomas cleared his throat and adjusted his tie around his thick neck. I knew he wasn’t comfortable being put on the spot like this, and it meant a lot that he was willing to stand up for me.

  “I’ve known Adam for many years, and in all that time I have never doubted his professionalism or capacity to lead. To have accomplished what he has at his young age is impressive. I feel strongly that it would be a mistake to lose him. Thank you.”

  Thomas kept it short and sweet and away from anything personal, for which I was grateful. Graham thanked them all and closed his notebook.

  “Now we will hear from three people who are proponents of asking for Mr. Branigan’s resignation. Mrs. Larkin, you may go first.”

  I noticed as she stood that she was seated next to Mrs. Morris, who would no doubt give some distorted version of the truth as well. Graham patted my back, probably having sensed that I was teetering on the edge.

  As Mrs. Larkin recounted her horrific experience of encountering me “nearly naked” on my doorstep, I could feel my self control slipping.

  “My ten year old son was with me,” she said. “We have strict controls in our house over what our children can view on the internet and TV. I never thought the threat of indecency would come from our very own principal, someone who is supposed to protect our children. I was shocked and appalled to say the least.”

  I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

  “Keep it together,” Graham hissed at me.

  My hands clenched into fists under the table, so tightly my knuckles were white.

  Mrs. Larkin continued, “I understand that we live in a world where not everyone adheres to the ideals of waiting until marriage to engage in intimate activities. In a committed loving relationship, some people feel it is alright. While I don’t personally condone it, I can turn a blind eye in those situations.” She met my eyes and then glanced over at Brooke before saying the words that made my blood boil. “However, given Mr. Branigan’s choice of…partner…I seriously doubt his statement that he is in a monogamous committed relationship.”

  She did not just go there.

  Graham lowered his head and shook it, wisely guessing that I couldn’t just sit back passively after that comment.

  I didn’t need to look back at Brooke to know that the low blow would upset her.

  Slamming my hands on the table, I shoved my chair back as I stood up. Casting a quick hard glance at Mrs. Larkin, I turned to look each member of the School Board in the eyes as I spoke.

  In a low clear voice, I said with deadly calm, “You no longer need to ask for my resignation. Because I’m giving it freely.” Backing up two steps, I buttoned my jacket. “I quit.”

  There was a collective gasp in the room.

  “I have absolutely no desire to work for people who tolerate such blatant disrespect. This beautiful woman,” I said, gesturing toward Brooke, “is a better person a million times over than any of you. She would never speak badly about anyone, and she is the sweetest, most caring person I have ever had the privilege of knowing. That she would even give me the time of day makes me feel like the luckiest man on the planet. And I love her. Which is why I can no longer tolerate this ridiculous circus you have disguised as a hearing on morality and decency.”

  Knowing I had better stop talking before I resorted to expletives, I stalked over to Brooke, who looked absolutely humiliated and devastated. There were tears dripping down her cheeks as she stared intently down at her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. Her teeth dug into her bottom lip in a failed attempt to keep it from trembling.

  Taking her hands and pulling her up, I murmured, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” I all but dragged her behind me toward the door.

  In the back row sat Louise, watching me with her eagle eyes, her mouth pressed into a thin line. I would have thought she would have been happier to watch my public demise. I shoved open the door, and before it shut behind us I heard the room erupt as everyone started talking at once.

  Aware that we only had a few minutes before people started leaving the room, I led us down the hall and around the corner. When we were out of view of the doors, I turned around and took Brooke’s face in my hands. The sadness radiating from her eyes made me confident I had done the right thing.

  “I’m so sorry,” she stuttered, on the verge of breaking down completely.

  I crushed her against me, hugging her so tightly I wasn’t sure she could still breathe. Then I pushed her back so I could look into her green eyes.

  “You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. I’m the one who is sorry. I’m sorry I put you in this position. I’m sorry that people like that exist. I’m sorry you’re crying because of me.”

  I embraced her again and smoothed my hands up and down her back, over and over until her tears slowed. Brooke made that little hiccup sound that happens when you cry too hard and wiped under her eyes.

  I heard people talking and assumed the meeting was over, but I wasn’t ready to take Brooke out of our quiet hiding place just yet. Leaning back against the wall, I rested my chin on the top of her head, loving the way she fit perfectly against me. If no one ever hired me as a principal again, I would never regret giving it all up for her. This was what you should live for. Finding that one person who fits you perfectly, no matter the cost.

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Brooke

  What I wanted to do more than anything was stay here tucked away in the dark corner, in Adam’s arms, until everyone else had left the building. Then I wanted to pack up and leave this town with him in the middle of the night. But that’s not what he deserved from me. After standing up in front of half the town and declaring his love for me and basically telling everyone to fuck off if they didn’t like it, he deserved for me to be strong t
oo.

  So with great effort, I pushed away from the warm comfort of Adam’s chest. I reached up and removed the pins that held my hair in place, letting it tumble over my shoulders as I shook my head. The black cardigan I wore over the sleeveless dress came off, followed by the pearl necklace I had borrowed from Gram. From my purse I pulled out my hot pink lip gloss and smeared it on.

  Adam crossed his arms over his chest and watched me with a look of amusement and admiration. That was a look I would never get tired of.

  “There. That’s better,” I said giving my hair an extra fluff.

  “Definitely,” Adam said, offering me his arm. “Are you ready to prove them all wrong?”

  “Yes.”

  Graham saw us first from where he stood talking with Ford and Poppy when we rounded the corner. Just behind them were Grady and Lindsay and Josh and Leah. The rest of the hallway was filled with everyone else that had been inside the conference room.

  “Why isn’t everyone leaving?” Adam asked when we approached Graham.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “Some old lady from the back row stood up after you left and asked to speak privately with the Board.”

  I looked questioningly up at Adam. He shrugged, looking just as bewildered.

  “I’m sorry it turned out this way,” Graham said, and despite his slick coat of lawyer slime he did actually look upset.

  “I’m not,” Adam said. “I may have lost my job tonight, but I have something so much better.”

  He wrapped his arm around my waist and squeezed his hand on my hip. I would never be able to thank God enough for bringing this man into my life.

  Our friends joined the group and we tried to decide whether to stay to see what was going on or leave.

  “I say we get the fuck out of here,” Adam said. “Let’s hit the pub. Drinks are on me.”

  Graham laughed. “No, drinks are on me. As of five minutes ago, you are unemployed, remember?”