Page 23 of The Other Side
She shrugged. “I mean, everyone seemed a little surprised when he returned so quickly…”
I gave an exasperated sigh. “I’d like to keep my job. I’m not a rule-breaker or a risk-taker. That means nothing will happen. Ever.”
“Everyone knows the headmaster doesn’t enforce that rule, or he’d have to resign himself.” She quietly snorted. “You could date him if you wanted to.”
“I don’t want to do anything with Chance Harper,” I hissed. “In fact, I think I might despise him.”
“What he’d do? Try to kiss you?” Jolene laughed through a bite of her food.
When I went rigid next to her, feeling the telltale burn of a blush staining my cheeks, she went silent. Again the kiss flashed through my mind. I shook my head. “It’s not like that. Itcan’tbe like that,” I replied adamantly.
“Okay, okay.” She held up her hands in defeat. “He’s cute though,” she hedged. “I wouldn’t blame you if you changed your mind.”
I huffed indignantly, shoving my half-eaten lunch aside, having already lost my appetite at the thought of everyone talking about me. I worked so hard to not be a topic of conversation, and yet there I was, in the spotlight once again.
“I don’t want people talking about me. Don’t they have anything better to do than gossip?” I asked more rhetorically than anything.
“Allwedo is gossip.” Jolene giggled, taking a sip from her water bottle. Just like her car, there were funny cat stickers covering almost all of the hot pink aluminum.
Hang in there, baby, indeed, I thought, as I read the block lettering below a cat clinging desperately to a tree branch.
“Did I miss anything after I left?” I asked, trying to change the subject.
“Well, I saw Serena leave with Doctor Bryant, but you didn’t hear it from me.” She gave me a conspiratorial nudge. “The headmaster seemed pleased; I think he set it up.”
My stomach soured at the thought of him pimping out the staff to eager donors. “Gross,” I muttered.
A knowing smile crept across Jolene’s lips. “Don’t worry about Serena. She knows how to take care of herself and wouldn’t agree to anything she didn’t want to do.”
“And has the headmaster managed to keep Daniel’s disappearance secret from the donors?” I threw at her out of left field.
Jolene choked on her food a little, disarmed by my sudden inquiry. “Violet,” she hissed. “He’s in his office.” She nodded toward the hallway, where I could see light from his open office door spilling into the more dimly lit hallway.
“Sorry.” I shrugged.
“Actually, one of the donors caught wind of it at the mixer and made a big fuss, which took him a while to diffuse. The headmaster told me to give everyone on staff strict instructions not to mention it. Not to the students. Not to the parents. Not to the donors. Not to anyone.” She glared at me. “He wouldn’t even let me send out an email or print a memo. ‘In-person only.’” She used air quotes around the last part to denote what he’d said to her.
“What is he trying to hide?” I scowled.
Jolene waved me off. “Let the police handle it. If they say he ran away, that’s probably what happened. You won’t hook up with Chance Harper to avoid breaking an antiquated rule that nobody follows, but when the headmaster himself orders everyone to keep quiet about a runaway, you’re ready to throw caution to the wind?” she correctly pointed out my contradictory actions.
“You don’t find it suspicious at all?”
“I don’t want you to get in trouble,” Jolene argued.
We both looked up upon hearing a door open down the hallway. The disembodied voices of a student arguing with one of the guidance counselors drifted closer.
“All it will take is one call from my father to get you fired,” a young woman’s voice snarled.
“That’s fine, Miss DeLongpre.” The counselor sighed, no doubt having been threatened by plenty of students.
“I won’t let this go.” Claire DeLongpre emerged from the hallway, pointing a perfectly manicured finger at the counselor.
“Have a nice day, Miss DeLongpre.”
Claire turned on her heel to glare at Jolene and me, before snapping, “What are you staring at?” and then promptly stormed up the stairs, not bothering to wait for a response.
“What was that about?” I wondered aloud.
“She’s always down here making the staff miserable.” Jolene rolled her eyes.
