I groan and stretch out my sore limbs, peeling my mobile from my face and checking the time, it’s only seven in the morning so I grab a banana on the way to the shower to start getting ready for work.
After a shower, I check the three text messages I saw that I had before I stepped in; all from Mac.
Mac: Does anybody really know what they’re doing?
Mac: Earth to Billie?
Mac: So, you’re either choosing to ignore me, or you’ve fallen asleep. I must make riveting conversation ;) But in answer to your earlier question, we’re each trying to win a bet, it’s as simple as that.
I roll my eyes at his last message. He’s back to being a player, he was probably messaging a hundred other girls while he was texting me last night when I told him he couldn’t come around here. Pig. I thought we’d hit a turning point with me meeting his family, but I guess he doesn’t see it that way.
I don’t bother to reply as I throw my phone onto my bed and start drying myself off, dressing in running shorts and a workout top ready for my first class of the day.
I walk into the entrance of the school and smile at a few of the students who are milling around in the hallway before class starts. I wish I could be a teenager again. Everything seemed so easy back then, then bam; you finish school and real life hits you square in the face. Although I’ve always had my head screwed on and been wiser for my years, so I think it was a little easier for me to make the adjustment into adulthood, but it was still hard.
I’ve always known I wanted to be a teacher; I thrive off helping to keep kids physically fit and teaching them how to live a healthy lifestyle, so I never had the panic of deciding what I wanted to do, unlike my peers. I really thought I had it all figured out.
At twenty-six, I had a loving fiancé, great family and friends, and a job I loved, but life really does have a way of shitting on you when you least expect it.
I startle as someone calls my name and my hand flies to my chest as I turn around and come face to face with none other than Mac’s mum.
“Oh, Mrs. Jennings, how… unexpected to see you here at the school,” I say, noticing the iciness of her stare.
“It’s not that unexpected, Billie. My husband and I are major benefactors of the academy, after all,” she replies in a curt tone.
I clear my throat. “Yes, that would make sense as to why you’re here.” Rather than to try to tear me a new one.
“That’s not the only reason I’m here, I actually came to catch you before class started. I need to talk to you.”
I straighten my shoulders in mock confidence and point down the hall. “Sure, shall we take this to my office? It’s just down the hallway here.”
She nods curtly and we walk beside each other in uncomfortable silence. Why is she here to talk to me? Fuck! It must be about last night. I’m still not ready to talk about it, but I guess she has other ideas.
I unlock the door and wave her in, gawping at the fact she decides to lean against my desk and motions for me to sit down in the chair in front of her like a child, but I do as I’m told and sit down cautiously.
“Mrs. Jennings, I want to apolo—” She raises a hand and stops my apology abruptly, leaving it hanging in the air like a bad smell.
“My husband seems to think I was a too harsh on you last night, my ruined dress seems to disagree, but in a gesture of goodwill I thought it was best to come and… apologize to you. I don’t apologize often, so don’t take this lightly.”
I’m gobsmacked at her admission, I thought she was here to give me hell and leave me with her dry cleaning bill.
“There’s absolutely no need to apologise, I was the clumsy one. Again, I am sorry for what happened, I hope I didn’t ruin your night.”
She picks up the photo frame of me and my parents off my desk the same way that Mac did last week and purses her lips, putting it back down again.
“Yes, well it was… unfortunate that I had to spend the remainder of the night smelling like spicy tomatoes, but not the end of the world. That’s not all I wanted to come and talk to you about though.” I nod slowly wondering what it is that she wants. “You and my son seem to have a… thing.” She spits out thing as if the thought is repulsive. “And I don’t like that much.”
“Now hang on a—”
“If you’d be so kind as to listen, I think you at least owe me that,” she practically growls out and my hands ball into fists, but I nod anyway, motioning for her to carry on. “My son is misunderstood and confused. He seems to think he has his life all figured out, but he’s still rebelling against the… structured upbringing he had. He’s stooped so low as to get a job being a glorified construction worker and that is not the type of life that his father or I have paved the way for.”
“But he loves what he does,” I say gently, trying not to rile her up.
“Does he? How well do you know my son?” she asks.
“Well enough to know that when he was showing me around his apartment, he was proud of what he’d accomplished. You said you’ve never been, but if you took the time to go and look, you’d realise how incredible he is at his job. He has a talent that I’m afraid you’re trying to stifle.”
“Building is not a talent; his talent lies with numbers. We wouldn’t have pushed him into getting a business degree specializing in accounting if that wasn’t the case. But what does he do? He throws it back in our faces and puts bricks on top of each other and calls it a job. I don’t know where you fit into all of this, Billie, but I have a proposition for you.”
I can’t believe my ears. If her son is happy, where does she think she gets off telling him how to live his life?
“With all due respect, I don’t want to hear it. If you can’t see that your son is happy in the job he has chosen for himself, then you don’t deserve a say in any aspect of his life. Now, if you’ll see yourself out, I have a class I need to get to,” I say curtly, turning and opening my office door, walking out and leaving her to stew over what I said.
“If you cared at all about my son, you’d hear me out,” she calls.
I grit my teeth not wanting to admit to either her or myself how I feel about him, but now she has me curious, and my curious nature always wins. I walk back into my office and fold my arms over my chest. “You have two minutes.”
She stands and smooths the non-existent wrinkles out of her navy pencil skirt. “He’s twenty-seven years old and in a dead-end job.” She holds up a hand to stop me arguing with her. “This is my opinion and nothing you say will change that.” I bite my lip to contain myself. “He entertains random women for fun and has a lot more money than what I’m assuming he’s told you, but yet he does nothing of worth with it, living frugally because he resents me and my husband.”
“Does nothing of worth? He started a charity up from the ground helping underprivileged kids receive a college education. Those kids wouldn’t have a chance without him, so how can you say he does nothing of worth?”
She scrunches up her nose. “Yes, while his little play with philanthropy is heartwarming, it just depletes his resources instead of replenishing them.”
“Why have money at all if you won’t help people with it?”
“That’s where you get me wrong, it’s not that I disagree or think it’s a waste, I have my hands in all sorts of charity myself. It’s that he isn’t making something of himself and earning the money back, not enough of it anyway.”
I look down at my watch, she’s wasting my time and I can’t listen to her warped opinion anymore.
I start to tell her but she speaks up again. “Regardless of all of that, never in his life has he introduced us to a girl before, be it a friend or more, so I’m assuming my son sees something in you he has never seen in his other conquests. I’m also assuming and counting on the fact that he respects your opinion. I’m willing to invite you into the family if you’d only do me a small favor. I need you to get my son to quit that God-awful job of his and take up the position his father has be
en offering him for years within the family business.”
My mouth gapes open at the audacity of her. “Let me get this straight. You want me to manipulate Mac into quitting a job he loves and he’s incredible at doing, just so you can save face and have your son take over the company that he obviously has no interest in. Have I got that right?” She nods once. “And in return, you’ll treat me as one of the family and invite me into the conniving games you seem to play with your so-called family? No, thank you, I’d rather not have your approval than be a pawn in your manipulative game.”
Her face screws up and she steps toward me in a rushed pace. “I could destroy your career with a click of my fingers! Don’t test me.”
I laugh in her face while looking her directly in the eyes. “Try it. I’d rather stick to my morals and be jobless than be in cahoots with someone so conniving who doesn’t care about her own son and daughter’s well being. You call yourself Catholic? You’re not a patch on any of the lovely people I’ve met since I’ve worked here. Don’t you ever come to my place of work and threaten me again, I don’t care who you are, I don’t tolerate threats. Now get out of my office.”
Her face turns a nasty shade of red as she decides what to do. “You’re going to regret speaking to me like that…” She looks at the name on my door. “Miss James.”
I blow out a long breath as she storms out of my office and I lean back against my door.
I need to go apologize to Billie again about last night. She didn’t text me back and I think it’s to do with my mom. Speaking of my mom, what is she doing here? Her face is like thunder as she storms out of Billie’s office, straight toward me like she’s on a mission.
She sees me standing in the hallway and walks up to me, pointing in my face. “Don’t think for a second I approve of your new plaything, she’s rude and doesn’t fit into this fine school.”
Whoa! Before I have the chance to say anything, she flies off down the hallway and I turn just as Billie seems to spot me standing here too.
She rushes to lock up her office and walks off in the opposite direction. “Billie!” She doesn’t answer me so I jog to catch up to her. “Billie?”
She tenses but turns around and gives me a small smile. “Hey, Mac, what’s—”
“Wanna tell me why I just saw my mom come out of your office looking like she was on the warpath?” I ask curiously.
“You should probably ask her that question, she’s the one that came to talk to me. If you speak to her, can you tell her I don’t appreciate being blindsided at work?”
“She came to talk to you? About last night?”
She scoffs. “Kinda. I know she’s your mum, but she’s an awful person.”
That’s nothing I didn’t already know so I shrug. “Why do you think I try to stay as far away from her as I can? She’s always seemed to think she knows what’s best for me. I’ll make sure she knows you’re off limits,” I say with an apologetic smile.
She nods. “I’d appreciate that. She seems to think you care about me though.”
She laughs at her statement and I instantly get on the defensive. “What’s so bad about that?”
“Nothing, just an observation. I mean, we’re friends, right? Friends care about each other.”
I nod slowly not understanding what she’s getting at, but I leave it for now. “Right, friends. So what did she really want?”
She turns and starts walking in the direction of a classroom, so I follow her. “Nothing, Mac, it’s fine.”
“When my mom’s involved, nothing is ever fine. Especially when she practically runs out of your office looking furious and you act like you don’t even want to talk to me. What did she say to you?” Something went on in there.
“Nothing, honestly, Mac, just drop it. I have to get to class now,” she replies, pointing at the classroom door.
I hesitate, then nod at her, I can’t keep her out of class. “Fine, but I’m not letting this go. I’m also curious as to why you ignored me last night.”
“I fell asleep waiting for your long-arse reply,” she says playfully.
I don’t buy it. “Right, I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, later,” she throws over her shoulder, walking into the classroom.
During fourth period, I’m cheering on my eighth-grade students as they run at a normal pace around the track when I spy Dean Harmon out the corner of my eye walking over to me. I sigh, I know for a fact what this is about, I’ve been preparing and waiting all day.
“Miss James, can I have a word?”
I give him a small smile. “Sure.” I turn toward the kids. “Everyone get into pairs or threes depending on numbers and start the dribbling exercises we’ve been going over.”
I join him over on the bleachers away from any prying ears and he clears his throat. “I’m sorry this is so informal, but I didn’t want to pull you away from your lesson.”
“That’s okay, sir, I already know what this is about.”
He eyes me. “Oh? Well then this won’t be as awkward as I first thought. Relationships between staff members, whether they’re teachers or not, is prohibited, Miss James. Before you took the job here this was explained to you.”
My brow pulls down into a frown. “Sir, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m not in a relationship with anyone, never mind—” Then it hits me, that conniving bitch! I bite back a bitter laugh. “It’s just clicked, I know who the source of your so-called information is and I’d just like to point out that although she and her husband are major benefactors of the school, she’s not being one-hundred-percent honest with you.”
“There is no one in particular that this came from…” Yeah, right. “It’s just been brought to my attention that you’re spending a lot of time with Macswell Jennings and since he is under our payroll, I cannot allow this. I hope you understand, Miss James, but if you cannot end your relationship or keep it completely platonic at work, then it is with great remorse that we’ll have to terminate your position here at Holy Cross Academy.”
My blood boils and I stand up to face him, ready to give him a piece of my mind, but my job is on the line so I swallow my pride, my shoulders sagging in defeat. “I understand completely, you have my word that I will stay away from him in the workplace.”
He nods snootily and clears his throat. “Thank you for your understanding. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
I want to scream! She wasn’t joking when she said she could end my career with a click of her fingers, she holds all the power here and she’s done this as a little warning. As much as I want to fight her on this, I don’t want to rock the boat. I need to make her think that Mac and I aren’t a… whatever we are anymore.
Billie’s avoiding me. I haven’t seen her since yesterday and she’s hardly answering any of my texts; but when she does, she’s been replying with curt, one-word answers. I don’t like it, I don’t like it one bit. I’ve decided I’m going to confront her and just get it all out in the open so we can get back to the joking and the easiness that always falls between us. What my mom said to her must’ve spooked her and I’m going to assure her that it won’t happen again.
I bang on her door. “FBI! Open up!” I hear running footsteps and I laugh and bang on the door again. “Open up the door!”
The footsteps stop and I hear a laugh. “No, it’s much cooler when you break in.”
I roll my eyes and open the door with the master key to find her standing there with her arms crossed over her chest, wobbling from side to side. Is she drunk?
“Did you really think I’d fall for that?” she slurs out.
I grin at her and shut the door behind me. “Was worth a try, it made you laugh anyway which was the point.”
She stumbles to the side and crashes to the floor, laughing as she lies there with her legs in the air. I’m by her side right away, lifting her off the floor and into my arms. She pats my cheeks. “My knight in shining armour.”
I chuckle as I walk us toward he
r bedroom. “You’re really drunk right now.”
She shakes her head and strokes down the middle of my face as I place her on her bed. “No I’m not, you’re just blurry.” I tuck her under the covers and she smiles. “You’re not doing as bad as your mum thinks you are y’know. You’re a good person.”
I clear my throat wondering what she means, but right now while she’s so drunk isn’t the time to talk about it. “Thanks, I guess.”
She looks up at me and pats my face lazily. “No, really. You keep doing what makes you happy, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
“I will, B. Now get some sleep, you’re going to have one hell of a hangover tomorrow.”
“Okay, night, Mac.” She yawns, before snuggling into her pillow.
Well that was weird. I take one last look at her and sigh, letting myself out of her apartment, wondering what she was talking about. I don’t want to wait until tomorrow to find out though. I pull out my car keys and jog down the stairs ready to get the answers I want.
I drive like a maniac all the way up to my parents’ apartment building and punch in the code on the underground parking lot. I buzz up and try to keep my voice as polite as possible to their staff on the other end; it’s not their fault they work for the wicked witch.
I wait for the elevator to get to their floor and cringe at the fake sweetness in her voice ringing out from down the hall. She obviously has guests and I follow the noise into my dad’s den. Everyone turns toward me as I walk into the room and my mom jumps up and tries to guide me to a chair.
“Mac, honey. To what do I owe this pleasure?”
I throw her hand off my arm. “Save it. I know you went to see Billie yesterday, I just don’t know why. You’re the reason she’s acting strange with me so I need you to tell me what you said to her.”
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