Chapter Sixteen

Jeff gathered his things and stepped out into the hallway in a daze. Most of the students had already cleared out for the day, but there were still many people lingering around the school that stopped and stared at him as he passed. Jeff kept his eyes straight ahead as he moved out of the sea of lockers and turned left down a corridor that led toward the administrative sector.

The most notable feature of this part of the school was the large open space that served as the front office. This was where the secretaries and administrative assistants filed paperwork and kept track of events and schedules and upcoming visits from important individuals. Right across from that were the doors to the principal and vice principal’s offices. Both doors had matching wooden benches right beside them, most definitely for disciplinary purposes.

Jeff stood outside of Mallory’s office and stared at the golden etching on the door. At some point the first and last letters had rubbed off, leaving behind the word “rincipa” instead of principal. Mallory thought this was hilarious for some reason, using it as an excuse to never get it fixed. Jeff ran his fingers over the missing letters now and took a moment to try and prepare himself for the worst. Mallory was a good guy, sure. He and Jeff almost always saw eye to eye and Jeff knew for a fact that Mallory didn’t care that he was gay. He’d even invited him and Manny over to his house for summer barbeques a few times. Nevertheless, if the school board wanted Jeff gone, there probably wasn’t anything the principal could do about it.

Jeff took one more deep breath and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. Mallory was sitting at his desk with his glasses on and a laptop open in front of him. There was a thick crease all the way across his forehead and he was wearing a frown that made him look much older than he actually was. His shirt was wrinkled and untucked and his black hair was frizzy and tousled as if he’d just spent the past three hours exasperatedly running his fingers through it.

The man was a stark contrast to the natural sunlight and motivational posters peppered throughout the room. Mallory looked up from his screen when he heard Jeff clear his throat. He immediately took off his glasses and tucked them into the collar of his shirt.

“Hello Jefferson, please sit down.”

Jeff went and sat down in the chair that was usually reserved for naughty students and folded his hands on his lap. He looked down at the metal nameplate on Mallory’s desk and waited for the principal to say whatever it was he was going to say.

“I have had no less than twenty-seven phone calls today from ‘concerned parents,’” Mallory began. “Do you have any idea why that might be, Jeff?”

Jeff looked down at his lap and sighed.

“I have a pretty good idea.”

Mallory slid his laptop across the desk so that Jeff could see the screen which was sporting a blown-up version of the wedding booth photo. Jeff’s eyes barely grazed over it before returning to his knees.

“I don’t know what you want me to say,” Jeff said slowly.

“Start by explaining to me what happened.”

Jeff closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He hated the fact that he lived in a world that required him to air out his personal business in front of his boss just because some people, not even a huge amount of them, thought that the feelings inside of his heart were wrong.

“I was invited to a wedding,” Jeff said through tight lips. “The couple got together during drama club and because of that, they wanted me to be there. I brought my new boyfriend as my plus one. We shared one private kiss inside of a photo booth because we were having a very nice evening. Is there anything else you wanted to know?”

Mallory rested his elbows on his desk and slumped forward a bit.

“I’m sorry Jefferson. This is very hard for me too. I’ve known you for a long time and you’re a spectacular teacher who has never been anything but kind to your students and to me, but angry parents means board intervention and board intervention means my thoughts on the matter only go so far. So please, could you tell me the name of your new boyfriend and how you met?”

“His name is Luke Davis. He’s Cameron Davis’s father. I met him while I was tutoring his son.”

“And when and where was this?”

“At their house, right before winter break.”

Mallory pinched the bridge of his nose.

“And were you aware that intentionally interacting with students outside of school grounds is against school policy?”

Jeff gripped the arms of his chair tightly so that he wouldn’t start shouting.

“Yes. But it was for the student’s benefit and everyone else does it.”

Mallory gave a nod of acknowledgment.

“Anything else?”

Jeff shook his head.

“I haven’t done anything wrong,” he said softly, even though thoughts of Cam were still squeezing like a dishrag of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

“I know,” Mallory said. “And I promise that I will fight for you, but for now I’ve been tasked with letting you know that you’re going to be on paid leave until further notice.”

“On what grounds?”

“There have been several complaints from parents saying that they don’t want someone like you teaching their children and also a few rumors about you coming on to Mr. Davis inappropriately. They’ve decided that they need some time to investigate the situation further.”

“That’s bullshit,” Jeff said before he could think better of it.

“I don’t disagree,” Mallory said. “But since home tutoring is technically against the rules, the board already has a completely legal excuse to fire you, even if it is flimsy. It’s probably best for you to comply and lay low for a bit. I’ve got paperwork that details all the terms and conditions of your administrative leave. Try and think of it as an unexpected vacation.”

It took Jeff a moment to regain his voice.

“What about the play?” he asked. “The kids have been working their asses off since December and it’s only a few weeks away.”

The school board could deal with Jeff however they wanted, but the kids had worked so hard for this play. They’d sacrificed so much of their time and energy for it. The idea of some governing board taking that away from them made him want to vomit.

“I’m sorry Jeff, but I’m afraid that is also going to have to be put on hold until after this situation is resolved.”

Jeff shook his head.

“No. There’s got to be something you can do.”

“Jefferson. You’re the department head and the club sponsor. Without you there’s nobody here that can work the equipment.”

“The students know how to work the equipment. All you have to do is stick a chaperone in there with them.”

“We’re already short-staffed as it is, and the board isn’t going to pay for a substitute for an extracurricular activity. You know that.”

“This isn’t fair,” Jeff said, more to himself than to Mallory. “I’m being forced out against my will and now my students get to suffer for it? Is that what those parents want? How does that solve anything?”

“Jefferson, please!” Mallory shouted, effectively shutting him up.

“As I mentioned before, I am going to do my best to fight for you and there are plenty of other people on staff who I’m sure will put in a good word as well. You have an outstanding reputation. Most likely this will all be resolved in a couple of days, a week at the most. Then you can get back to rehearsals. In the meantime, you need to go back to your classroom, pack up your things and go. The kids will be okay. There’s nothing more you can do for them, or yourself, right now.”