Page 4 of Disobedient
Emma brought three shooters. “That’s all my brother would get for us,” she bemoaned, but I was thankful for them anyway. She handed me one labeled citrus vodka and I threw it back.
Nothing prepares you for your first taste of hard liquor. I’ve been drinking wine coolers at parties for a couple of years now, but those were fruity and you couldn’t even taste the alcohol. The citrus vodka is a completely different story. It’s like drinking rubbing alcohol that imbibed an orange. “I don’t like that,” I cough as I finish. “That’s not a good taste.”
My throat burns and my stomach warms as the liquor makes its way lower. I can’t say that I’m a fan, but at least it does what I hoped it would. I am instantly swimming in self-confidence. I feel like I could walk up to anyone and talk to them about anything.
But I settle for Briggs because he’s the one I want to give myself to. The alcohol spurs me on, giving me confidence that I don’t deserve. The words coming out of my mouth are bolder than anything I’ve ever dared to say.
Building B at midnight? Who am I, Cinderella? When I turn away from Briggs, it’s to hide the fear on my face that he might shoot me down here in front of everyone. If he shows up at room 239 later and tells me that this has gone too far, at least I’ll be the only one to see it.
My friends and I drift through the gym-turned-carnival and play games here and there. A shot on an empty stomach manages to turn us into giggle monsters for an hour. Everything is funny, even when it’s not. We’re so noticeable that a teacher pulls us to the side to ask if we’re alright.
Tilda sobers up immediately and says that we’re just so excited to be graduates. “In a few months, we’ll be going to college and starting our lives. I think we’re all sort of nervous and excited all at once.”
I doubt the teacher believes her, but he lets us go anyway. The encounter was enough to convince us all to grab some water and food from another vendor.
The cafeteria-turned-casino is far more interesting than the gym. There are neon lights and laughter everywhere we look. We even sit down at a table and learn how to play craps. Tilda is determined to spend all her money on slot machines. We each received fifty dollars in fake cash when we entered and Tilda is dropping dollar bill after dollar bill into the machine and pulling the lever. Every time she’s rewarded with a win, she gets more excited to keep going.
Emma and I sit off to the side and watch her, handing over what’s left of our money to Tilda when she runs out. “So is Principal Briggs the guy you were talking about?” She asks after a while.
My head is no longer swimming in booze. In fact, I have a dull ache behind my right eye that I can only blame on the citrus vodka. “You won’t tell anyone, will you?”
She shakes her head no and reaches out to grab my hand. “We’re besties, Summer. I’ll take this secret to the grave.”
I’m going to miss her next year. She’s headed off to college in New York and I’m staying here on Naughty Pine. I was offered a position at the theater. It isn’t much, but it’s doing something that I love. “Yeah, it’s Briggs,” I tell her with a shy grin. “I’ve known him all my life, ya know? I don’t know when it became less ‘uncle Briggs’ and more ‘boyfriend Briggs’.” I’ve looked at him in a way inappropriate for a girl my age, but since I turned eighteen, I figured age was just a number. We’re all adults, right?
“Are you going to make a move? Will your dad be pissed?” Emma knows my dad well; she and Tilda have spent the night at our place dozens of times. She’s never seen him get mad, but frankly, I don’t know if I have either.
My dad is pretty laid back. As long as the ranch is under control, he’s calm, cool, and collected. “I asked him to meet me in one of the Building B sleep rooms later.” I check my phone. 11:34 pm. “At midnight, actually. So I’m going to head over there in a few minutes.” Nervous butterflies beat their wings inside my stomach, fluttering from one side to the other. “I’m afraid he’s going to turn me down though, Em. Or worse, not even show up.”
Emma nods her head understandingly. She’s always been the one that I confided in. Tilda and I may get into more trouble together, but Emma is the one that bails us out. She’s the mom of the group. “He’ll show up, Summer. He has to. And don’t think like that,” she scolds gently. “You’re a beautiful young woman, he’s pretty good-looking for an old man.”
“Hey!” I chastise her with a glare. “He’s not that old.” She raises an eyebrow and looks at me questioningly. “He’s only 42. That’s hardly old. That’s mature,” I announce with a sniff. “At that age, he knows how to treat a woman right.”
I don’t know if Emma is convinced, but she shrugs her shoulders and tells me good luck. “I think it’ll go well. And even if you guys have sex and you realize you don’t like him, think of the story that’s going to be.” A smile spreads across her face, breaking it in two. “The gossip girls on the cheer team will quake in their sneakers when they found out you fucked the principal. Can you imagine?”
I can, actually, and it makes me chuckle just thinking about it. “I don’t know if I’ll tell anyone right away,” I hesitate, “but maybe at our ten-year reunion or something.”
“Oh, like when you two are married and you’re pregnant with his baby?” She teases.
I bury my face in my hands with laughter. “Oh, god. Can you imagine? Twenty-eight, pregnant, married toBriggs.” But as I say those words, Idostart to imagine it. He’d be fifty-two. With all this teaching experience and working with kids under his belt, he’d make a great father.
Emma is clearing her throat and waving her hand in front of my face when I take stock of her next. “Hello? Earth to Summer!”
The fantasy of being a family takes root in my soul. I’ve always thought about what sex would be like with Briggs, but I never thought about what would come next. “I, uh, I have to go.” Abruptly I get to my feet and try to shake off the emotions. “Don’t tell Tilda where I’m at. I want to be the one to tell her if things go well.” If they don’t, well, then this stays between Emma and me.
She nods her head and wishes me luck. “If he turns you down, Summer, we’ll egg his car.”
I walk away feeling more confident. The warm summer air calms the goosebumps on my arms as I walk from the cafeteria to Building B. Classroom lights are on and students stand around playing games. In one room, an English teacher is talking the graduates through creating a Dungeons & Dragons character. In another, a handful of kids are playing Monopoly. I walk past the room with the ping pong table and I’m reminded of the naughty thing I said to Briggs and my cheeks flush.
On the second floor, a teacher stands at the top of the stairs and lazily nods her head at me. The hallway lights are dimmed and I can see phone lights through the window in various rooms. I make my way to the end of the hall where room 239 is. There are no phone screens lit up in here. I open the door and switch on the light. Sitting behind the teacher’s desk is Briggs.
“You came.” The words feel like a sigh of relief.
I see Briggs’ Adam’s apple bob up and down. “You said some interesting things in the gym. I guess I wanted to see if you were joking or not.”
I turn halfway to the door and shut it softly behind me. Fingers on the lock, I flash a look at Briggs while I twist it. “I was serious.” I bring my hand up to the light switch, digits hovering over it. “The question is, are you?” I let my hand fall in a sweeping motion, cutting off the lights in the room.
It takes me a few seconds to adjust to the darkness, I step forward towards the desks in front of me and grab onto the hard plastic for stability. There’s a large window against the exterior wall of the building. The moonlight shines through it, highlighting the chrome and metal in the classroom. There’s a much smaller window near the interior wall of the building, large enough to view the first row of desks.
