Walking to school on Monday morning, Zoe heard the slow echo of the death march in her head with each step. While she hadn’t opened up to her mom about Mr. Curtis yet, she had talked to the police. More specifically Detective Moreno. She was the one assigned to Jacob’s hit and run, and it hadn’t taken long for the trail to run cold.
That was until Zoe had a confession to make. As she didn’t have hard evidence, she had two names to give the detective.
Zoe blinked, and the memory of the police station returned. Her stomach had been in her throat the entire time. Detective Moreno’s probing questions about Zoe’s information made Zoe regret her decision more than once during the questioning.
‘Do you have evidence of Leonard Curtis’ involvement in the car accident?’ she’d asked.
‘No,’ Zoe had said. ‘But I have a name of someone who was in the car.’
‘Where did you come across this information?’ Moreno asked.
Zoe still had the thick red lines outlining her nails from where she picked at her skin the entire time. ‘Mr. Curtis and I. We, uh, we have a close relationship.’
Zoe would never forget the slight narrowing of Moreno’s eyes when she’d said that.
‘Explain what you mean by “close”,’ Moreno said.
Zoe thought of Megan the entire time while she spilled the entire contents of her relationship with Mr. Curtis for the detective.
‘You realize we will have to investigate these claims before anything happens,’ Moreno said when Zoe had finished speaking. Moreno had two whole pages of notes in front of her from their conversation. ‘You don’t have to go to school on Monday if you feel the least bit unsafe.’
‘He would never hurt me,’ Zoe said. Considering Mr. Curtis had hurt two people, killing one of them and betraying the trust of another, she still held him in the highest regard. Love did crazy things to people, and she wasn’t the exception.
Moreno sat back in her chair, considering Zoe. ‘Thank you for coming forward, Zoe.’ She’d handed Zoe her business card. ‘Call me if you remember anything else. You did a good thing here.’
Zoe disagreed. The moment she’d stepped out of the police station, she doubled over, losing her breakfast in the bushes.
She’d hoped from there the police could do their job and hopefully bring justice to Jacob. Even if that meant hurting a man she’d loved so deeply.
Zoe had a strong feeling she’d never see Megan or Victor again, but there was a small glimmer of hope inside of her that made her want to. She wanted to show Megan, face to face, that she completed the consequence, just as the others had done. She wanted to prove her worth to the girl for some reason.
As she left the precinct, her body was lighter and the constant weight on her shoulders since detention had lifted.
When Zoe returned home later that day, she’d made Mom dinner that didn’t involve a microwave. For the first time since Dad’s death, they had a conversation with each other. It would take some time to get back to where they were, even though she knew they could never really go back. Moving forward, Zoe wanted to make a change in her life. Megan was the reason for that.
Zoe didn’t know what to expect when she arrived at school. But she didn’t expect a dozen news vans and multiple police cruisers. Flashing lights from the cars and cameras punctured her vision.
One officer directed her onto the sidewalk, away from the cars.
She put her chin down, gripped the straps of her bag, and darted to the front entrance. In her heart, she knew what was going on, but wondered why in such a public place. Moreno had said they needed more information. Had they contacted Gina Price the day before? Had she finally confessed to the relationship with Mr. Curtis and about the night of Jacob’s death?
A surge of people came out of the school and Zoe stumbled back, slamming into someone. An apology evaporated from her lips as Mr. Curtis stood in the middle of the crowd with his hands behind his back.
Zoe melted into the crowd, avoiding his eyes. But he didn’t look anywhere near her. His eyes squinted at the flashes from the cameras of the media and he tried to avoid the video cameras the reporters shoved in his face.
He and two police officers walked down the front steps toward the curb while cameras flashed at him and reporters shouted questions and accusations at him.
‘How long have you been sleeping with your students?’ one of the reporters asked.
Then the rest of the media started talking over one another.
‘Did you kill Jacob Hollis?’
‘Did you rape those girls?’
A sour taste filled Zoe’s mouth. Was Gina not his first?
The questions went on and on as a police officer assisted Mr. Curtis into the cruiser. He looked out the window, and for a split second, his eyes landed on hers.
Her back pressed against the wall next to the front doors. It was as if he could sense where she was.
The night after turning him in, she’d cried almost as much as she did when Dad died. Deep down, she loved him. Or she thought she did. Now, there were no more tears to cry for him. He made his choice, and now he finally paid for it.
Was this how Megan felt after doling out her revenge? It didn’t feel great, but there was a sliver of hope inside of her that the world would be right someday.
‘Zoe,’ someone said from next to her.
She jumped, coming back to the present. ‘Teddy.’
‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Did you hear the news?’
‘What news?’ Zoe asked. She wasn’t sure why she was still pretending. It had become a habit.
‘Mr. Curtis came forward,’ he said.
Zoe glanced over her shoulder as the police and news crews started to depart from the property. Several officers remained to keep the media at bay while giving Mr. Curtis and the detective a chance to get a head start.
‘He didn’t,’ Zoe said. ‘I did.’
Teddy cocked his head to the side. And Zoe told him everything about her relationship with Mr. Curtis, leaving nothing out.
Teddy accompanied Zoe to her locker. His shock wore off a lot quicker than she thought it would. She supposed with all the rumors surrounding Mr. Curtis’ involvement with his students that he wasn’t too surprised to hear it was true. Though Zoe was sure Teddy didn’t expect Zoe to be involved.
It was easier confessing to Teddy. While she didn’t enjoy seeing the disappointment on his face, they’d all bared their deepest secrets to each other that weekend. She was a part of that now.
The rumor mill was in full force as they walked down the hall. Most of the kids who saw Mr. Curtis leaving the building were speculating why. From the questions by the reporters, the rumors were more accurate than Zoe would have guessed.
‘Who was he sleeping with here?’ Kelly Day asked Erin Finch.
‘I don’t know, but do you remember him hitting on me at the beginning of the school year?’ Erin said.
‘What a creeper.’
‘A hot creeper.’ Erin almost sounded disappointed.
She covered herself with an uncomfortable laugh, and they continued to talk in hushed voices as they walked to their first period classes.
Zoe turned to her locker, not wanting to appear guilty or hear any more false information. Though this was the beginning, as it was in small towns. Everyone would cling to the news at night over dinner to absorb one more tidbit of information about the teacher who murdered a kid while sleeping with another.
She was lucky her mom wasn’t much of a news watcher. Though she’d have to tell her soon. Zoe was tired of secrets and Mom would be disappointed to hear the information from anyone else. That was the next step to building their relationship again.
Teddy stayed with her as she gathered her books.
‘Hey, Teddy,’ Jackie said from behind her.
She turned and saw Jackie across the hall. It took her a minute to recognize the cheerleader. Even though she had her uniform on as she always did, now she sported straight bangs across her forehead. They were too thick to see any damage underneath. Q stood next to her, casually propped against the locker. His hands were still in bandages.
Seeing the two of them together was strange, but it somehow made sense. Megan had bonded all of them together. Some more than others.
‘You okay?’ Zoe asked Jackie.
Jackie and Q crossed the hallway until they stood in front of Teddy and Zoe.
Jackie swiped her hand at her new haircut. ‘I’m fine. I thought it was time for a change, and this helps to remind me.’
Zoe nodded, knowing how she felt.
Cece came down the hall, and she slowed when she saw the rest of them. She wore a simple pastel-pink tank top and cardigan with jeans. Zoe couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Cece in a casual outfit.
Jackie lowered her voice. ‘What happened to you this weekend? I tried calling you.’
Cece sighed. ‘They grounded me, big time. No phone or computer unless I’m doing school work. And my parents made me return everything I stole. I’m about a quarter of the way through my closet.’
‘What about the photo?’ Jackie asked.
Cece sighed. ‘Megan changed my password after posting. And she linked another email. I’m frozen out. I didn’t bother cyberstalking myself. I don’t want to see any comments. Maybe she took it down? I have no idea.’
‘I searched for her online,’ Teddy said. ‘There’s no trace of her at all.’
‘There wouldn’t be,’ Zoe said.
The bell rang, and Teddy said, ‘We should head to class.’
Zoe started off in the direction of her homeroom and Teddy stood by her. Cece, Q, and Jackie fell into line next to them. The five of them walked down the hallway, side by side.
A few of Jackie’s cheerleading friends whipped their heads around when they saw their leader locked arm in arm with the class rebel. Jackie acknowledged them with a nod but their expressions returned only surprise and confusion.
Zoe glanced over at Teddy, and as if he read her mind, he did the same. He offered a reassuring smile and lightly squeezed her hand. The fluttering sensation that always accompanied seeing Mr. Curtis filled her stomach. Maybe she would be able to fix more than just the relationship between her and her mom.
She hated to admit that Megan had done this for them. She altered so much within one day. Zoe supposed that’s how Megan felt after losing Jacob.
‘Anyone want to head to the library for a study session?’ Q asked.
‘Too soon,’ Teddy said at the same time Jackie said, ‘Not cool.’
Zoe smiled and let out a small laugh. The release made her chest ache in the best possible way.
Their new relationships grabbed the attention of more than just Jackie’s friends. They received a lot of double takes and questioning looks as they walked to class. Zoe could almost hear the questions in their minds, wondering how the five of them were connected. She knew that feeling. It was the one she’d thought of on Saturday morning when they walked into the library.
Even though the others would never know, the five of them were bound forever by one boy. May he finally rest in peace.
The End