Page 78 of The Teacher of Nothing
The song changes to one I love and I do let myself relax.
This is fun.
A lot of fun.
I can’t wait to tell Callum all about it.
Callum
How long will we have to hide our relationship?
The question has been plaguing me since I took the plunge with Willa. I wish I could tell everyone to fuck off and proudly parade her around town on my arm. She’s legal. It’s not a crime.
But this isn’t a question of legalities.
It’s a moral one.
The people of Park Mountain, Washington, are judgmental as fuck. Nosey, too. As soon as they get wind that one of the high school teachers is sleeping with his student, they’ll be relentless. The spotlight will be on me and my family as they dissect every aspect of my personal life.
First off, they’ll want to know how long this has been going on for. I’ll be accused of being a pedo piece of shit. They’ll say I groomed her. It’ll be frustrating and humiliating, but nothing I can’t handle. And it’s not true.
The problem isn’t that I can’t take the heat.
Because I can.
And I’d gladly welcome hopping into the frying pan if it meant I’d be able to keep Willa at my side. It’s a no-brainer.
It’s Hugo.
Not that my brother will give a fuck who I sleep with. He won’t care. But what he will care about is his campaign. If it comes out that I’ve deflowered an innocent girl from my class,the press and people of this town won’t come after me. No, they’ll go after him.
Politics are so fucked up. Why Hugo wants to dive into it is beyond me.
There’s no easy way around this situation that’s littered with moral and ethical landmines. No matter which way I step, my relationship with Willa threatens to explode, injuring everyone around me, the worst of it hitting Hugo.
Then there’s Willa.
The press will pick apart her life, uncovering any and all parts of her that she’s chosen to keep hidden. They’ll find out about her mom’s neglect, her stepfather’s shady dealings, and her pervy stepbrother. Even though she’s the sweetest girl on the planet, they’ll brand her as equal parts victim and whore.
My blood boils at the thought of anyone touching her, even with their condescending words.
She deserves so much better than that.
Which is why there will be no walking around town with her hand in mine, proudly showing everyone we’re a couple. We’ll keep this thing between us quiet and hidden. Our precious little secret. One day, when the campaign is over or at least when she’s out of school, we can be more open about us.
My chest aches with the need to see her or talk to her. As much as it drives me insane that Gemma is staying with Willa tonight, which means, I can’t see Willa, I’m not all that bothered by it. Dad does keep Gemma pressed under his thumb more so than Dempsey. It’s not really fair that Dempsey is allowed to run the town and get into heaps of trouble, but it takes an act of Congress for Gemma to be able to spend the night out.
I pull my phone from my pocket and text Jude. Anything to get my mind off Willa since it’s doing nothing but make my mind race.
Me: Any news?
Jude: A few leads. Nothing solid.
I’m half tempted to take the long jaunt from my front doorstep to Jude’s, if only to keep my thoughts on something else, but take to stalking Gemma’s Instagram instead.
Sometimes it hurts to look at Gemma. She closely resembles Jamie when she was that age. Her Instagram is nothing but perfect selfies, highlighting her best angles all the time without fail. I’m disappointed, though not surprised, to not find any pictures of Willa. Gemma hasn’t posted any pictures tonight.
I’m about to close the app and head for bed when someone tags me in a picture. Since I barely use the app for posting anything and just for stalking people, I frown at the tag. It’s from a kid in one of my classes. Tommy Baker.
