Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 52643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52643 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 263(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 175(@300wpm)
“Oh hey there, Miss Edwards,” Miss Shaw says. “When did you get here?”
“Just now. I couldn’t take anymore of this rain during my run.” “She needs a ride home.” Me and Mr. Donovan speak in unison.
“Okay, sure.” She tilts her head to the side. “How did you manage to get over here without getting wet?”
“She didn’t.” Liam points to my clothes on the hearth. He puts them into a bag and hands it to me.
“Thank you, Mr. Donovan.”
He smiles at me. “Goodbye, Miss Edwards.”
2
GENEVIEVE
Subject: Group Mentee Meeting Cancelled
Subject: This Week’s Office Hours Cancelled
Subject: Tomorrow’s Writing Class Cancelled
Idon’t have to check my email on Friday to know that he’s cancelling on us—well, me—again.
3
LIAM
Istroll into Walgreens Pharmacy with the taste of Genevieve’s lips still on my tongue. Since the memory of her mouth being wrapped around my cock has invaded every single thought this week, I’ve come to purchase the remedy, once and for all.
Walking down the electronics aisle, I pick up a prepaid phone. Then I grab a bag of Sour Patch kids to throw off any federal agents who might be watching.
I’m officially losing my mind…
Like a paranoid criminal, I drive to a lake—far away from the closest phone towers—before doing what must be done.
Activating the phone, I open the browser and search, “high school teacher arrested for relationship with student.”
The results are instant.
The incidents are recent.
NY Teacher Faces Charges for Sex with Student, 16
Former Teacher Had Illicit Sexual Affair with Student
Teacher Slapped with Statutory Rape Charges
The list goes on and on.
My real phone vibrates on the passenger seat as I’m reading about a man my age who received four years in prison for admitting to letting his student give him blow job.
He didn’t even try to deny it.
Genevieve
Hey…Can we please talk tonight?
I take another dose of medicine with a new search: “How to avoid certain students if you work at a boarding school.”
4
GENEVIEVE
The next class day
(When he finally doesn’t cancel)
Iarrive to the theater an hour early, desperate to make Mr. Donovan talk to me.
He opens the door and his eyes meet mine. Staring at me for a long time, he steps forward. Then he turns around and leaves.
What the…
I cross my arms and remain at the front of the room, knowing he has to come back eventually.
But the moment a few of my classmates arrive, my plan falls apart. “Eventually” becomes five minutes before class begins.
“Mr. Donovan?” I approach the lectern.
“Yes, Miss Edwards?”
“Would it be possible to talk to you after class today?”
“About what?” He doesn’t make eye contact.
“Something very important.”
“I don’t host private conversations outside my office hours, Miss Edwards,” he says. “You’re more than aware of that.”
“Well, you keep cancelling your office hours.”
“Probably because everyone in this class is doing stellar work.”
“Please.” I lower my voice. “I need to know that we’re okay.”
“You’re fine, Miss Edwards.” He focuses on his folder, flipping through the pages.
I resort to desperation.
I pull a small gift box from my pocket and slide it under his binder. “I bought this for you when I was in Boston…Please open it whenever you get a chance.”
“We’re going to get started in about five minutes, everyone.” He looks past me to address the class, and I head to my seat.
He opens his briefcase and pulls out some files.
“Where were we last time?” he asks.
“Our personal essays with the Confessions of a Broken Soul theme,” Georgia Hill says. “I read mine aloud ,and you said you’d give me a grade today.”
“I have that for you,” he says, holding out an envelope. “Who would like to go next?”
No one raises a hand.
“No one?” He looks around. “You only have four more days to work on this before it’s due, and I’m not granting extensions. Is there a problem with this assignment?”
I raise my hand, and he scans the room before looking in my direction.
“Yes, Miss Edwards?”
“I’d like to read my confession piece aloud to get some feedback from the class.”
“Feedback days are on Mondays, Miss Edwards.”
“I’d love to hear Genevieve’s essay on this topic,” someone in the back says. “What trouble could Miss Lives of the Super Sweet, Pretty, & Privileged possibly have?”
“She probably stole a piece of gum from the store.”
“Yeah, but then she probably gave it back and offered to work off her shame for a week or two.”
Everyone laughs.
“I snuck off campus earlier this semester and almost had a one night stand with an older man,” I say.
The room instantly falls silent.
Mr. Donovan crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at me.
Before he can reject the idea, I pull up the essay on my phone to read.
“The dream of making friends has always lured me away from campus, away from my peers, in search of someone who can talk to me about the things they ‘think’ a young college-bound woman wants to hear. And one night, I found exactly the type of man I was looking for.”