Just Like Each Other Part 3

During AP Literature the next day, his nightmare came to life,

“Hey Jason.” One of the guys asked. It was Michael, a blond-haired kid who sat 2 seats behind him.

“What?” he asked walking over, the class hadn’t started yet.

“So…”

“So, what?”

“How’s Mrs. Reynolds…in bed?” he sneered.

“Dude what the hell?” Jason scoffed. “You think I’m fucking her?” smacking his shoulder.

“Not just me dude. Whole class, whole grade maybe.” Michael shrugged.

“You’ve got to be kidding me man. Where’d you hear this?”

“Fuck, I’m not telling you. Just thought I’d give you a heads up. Why’d you do it? Did you need a few As? GPA dropping maybe?”

“Shut up Michael.”

“Getting in bed with the teacher. How frickin’ low do you need to be to get in bed with the teacher…I gotta be honest with you. I think she’s a hunk of ass. That woman, if she wasn’t my teacher, I’d be the first man in bed with her. But unlike you-“

“Shut up.”

“Unlike you, I know the fuckin’ limits. I know where to draw the lines, and I sure as hell know how to keep my dick in my pants.”

“Shut up!”

“Or what?” Michael asked, standing up, crowding his face into Jason’s. He grabbed his lapels, and pushed him against the wall.

“Fight, fight, fight, fight.” The chant slowly rose from the rest of the class as it stood up. People pulled out their iPhones and their cameras.

“Give it to him hard Michael!” a voice yelled…As Michael threw Jason to the ground; Jason turned slightly, and saw that it was his ex-girlfriend, Andrea,  standing triumphantly to a side. Michael pressed his knee into his stomach, squeezing the air out of him. He winded back, his fist high in the air when,

“That’s enough!” the teacher yelled. She’d just walked in. “Both of you…to the assistant principal’s office. This is unacceptable.” She hissed, as Jason stood up, dusting himself off.

 

As the teacher walked the two of them down to the office, Mrs. Reynolds was returning, the other way to the teacher’s lounge at the end of the hallway. Jason locked eyes with her, as she walked by him. His eyes were wide, in fear, and his face red with anxiety.

“In here. I’m not asking twice.” The teacher lightly pushed the two into the office. “Wait here, and explain yourselves…and I expect 100% honesty, is that clear?! You are both very lucky that I am still awarding you this independence.” She hissed, before turning to leave.

 

 

Mrs. Reynolds staggered into the teacher’s lounge, still shocked from the ordeal. Inside sat Mrs. Wesley, at the table.

“Sally,” she asked, wide eyed, “is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“Jonathan McDermott, left his cellphone in my room on Friday. I picked it up this morning to return it, and I see this text…” she slid the phone over, across the table. “Jesus, tell me that’s not true.” She sighed, running her hand through her thick black hair.

Jason fucks Mrs. Reynolds.

Just three words and it was enough to drive her heart beat up a wall. Her face turned red, as she slowly set down the phone, and slid it back to her.

“Of course it’s not true.” She said, perhaps a bit too softly. “How many people got the text?”

“Sally? Is it true?”

“How many people got the text?”

“I don’t know Sally. I’ve only seen one phone. But with texting these days.” She shook her head.

“And for the record, it’s not true. Can’t believe you’d ask me that…” Mrs. Reynolds snapped, her nostrils flaring.

“Sally, I’m sorry.”

Mrs. Reynolds sighed, putting her head down on the table, and began to sob.

“Oh honey,” Mrs. Wesley said and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll take this up to the assistant principal and even the principal if we need to. You’ve been a good teacher Sally. I think this is just some student trying to screw with your rep.”

“It’s my one job, and…this had to happen.”

“Look, Sally, just take the day off. Forget about this. You said your parents were here, right. Go home, spend some time with them.” She soothed.

“Sally, did you-“ Mr. Frohm started as he entered the lounge.

“Tom…not now.” Mrs. Wesley looked at him.

“sorry.” He muttered and left.

 

 

Jason took the bus home that day, and spent the rest of the day in his room…until,

There was a sharp knock on the door.

“Jason, it’s me, Sally.”

Jason walked down slowly, and opened the door. Her eyes were bloodshot with tears.

“It’s out Jason. They know.”

“I know.” He sighed.

“H…hhhow?”

“I’m pretty sure it was my ex…”

“How can you say that?” Sally asked, shuddering. She shut the door behind her gently.

“When Michael threw me on the ground…her face…it was just so…it was like she finally got her revenge.”

“Michael you can’t just go off a hunch like that. This is serious.” She said, leaning forward, putting her hands on his chest.

“Michael got a text…that’s how it all started. My fight, I mean.” He sighed.

“What’s the fallout?”

“Assistant principal’s letting me go…but with a warning.” He scoffed. “I don’t anticipate it getting any better. Everyone probably knows by now.”

“No, no, no….that…that’s not possible. That’s silly.” She scoffed, caressing his face.

“Sally. That’s the way it is. It’s the internet age. Everyone knows about everything.”

“Fuck.” She swore, letting go of him, and collapsing to the ground sobbing. She curled up on the ground, her body shaking with each sob. “Goddamn it. My one job…and I blew it.”

Jason knelt down beside her, and ran a comforting hand through her hair.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay. Nobody has any evidence…nothing leading back to us…”

“No, don’t tell me it’s okay.” She whispered.

“Don’t worry.”

“What the hell is wrong with you Jason? How can you not see that my career is in jeopardy?” she yelled, tears gushing from her eyes.

“Hey, hey. Take it easy.” he said, as she continued to cry.

“Don’t tell me that Michael…just…don’t. If you’d just-“

“Whoa, are you blaming me for this whole thing?”

“No. All I’m saying is that if you’d just your dick in your pants for that day…maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” She snapped at him, her bloodshot eyes glaring into his.

“Well maybe, if you hadn’t spread your legs out like some whore…and just asked me to back off…this wouldn’t have happened either.”

She whirled around, and slapped Jason hard across the face.

“Bitch!” he yelled, standing up  and heading into the kitchen.

“Jjjason?” she whimpered, scrambling to her feet. “Jason, I’m sorry baby. Jason?”

“Oh, start calling me baby now. Is that how you lured your ex in?” he fumed.

“Jason! Stop it!” she yelled, pushing him against the wall. “We’re not getting anywhere by blaming each other. I’m going to try and find an earlier flight to Florida. Even if it costs more. I…just…I just need to leave the city for a little bit. Just get my head out of this mess. Once I come back…this thing, it has to end. We can’t see each other anymore.” She said sternly.

“So that’s it. You’re just going to walk out on the whole thing? Like it’s all something you can just throw out the window? You are in a relationship with me Sally!” he yelled, slamming his hand on the wall.

“This is not a relationship!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.

“What is it then?”

“It’s deception…self-deception. Jason, baby, I love you…but don’t you realize…we’ve just been hiding for the past 2 years? Hiding from the truth…which is that I’m single, and so are you. And that you’re parents have passed away.”

“Don’t-“

“No Jason, we’ve lied to ourselves for long enough. It’s time to come to terms with our problems.” she said lowering her voice. “Fucking, like this, and asking me for favors…is not doing anything. Sure, your grades may have gone up. You’re probably doing better in your classes, but because of what? This?”

“So,”

“So, we can’t do this anymore Jas. It doesn’t change anything. It just shields us from the truth…how long can we shield ourselves like this huh? The only way things will get better is if we tackle the problems we have…not run away from them like this. Okay?”

“Can you at least stay the night?” he asked.

“No Jason. I can’t. I’m going to have to quit my job too, after coming back from Florida…they’ll trace it back to us somehow, that’s the reality of it.”

Tears welled up in Jason’s eyes as he slumped against the wall and slid to the ground.

“Oh, baby, baby,” Mrs. Reynolds said softly, kneeling down beside him, and putting an arm around his shoulder.

“You were the one thing that made me feel normal.” He cried, wiping the tears away with his hands. “The one thing I could turn to whenever I felt lonely…and now that’s it…we have to call it quits, and I’m back on square one, like my parents just died yesterday.”

Mrs. Reynolds kissed his head putting it against her chest and holding him tight. His body rocked with each sob. Tears streamed down her eyes, spilling onto his hair.

“I have to go…please…” she said, standing up. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah.” His voice cracked, as he wiped away his tears. “Can you at least stay one last night…one last time…before just calling it off?” he asked.

She put her hand on his cheek, smiling. “Okay…one more night.”

 

 

 

“Dad, we’re going to Florida in two days.” Mrs. Reynolds said as she walked into her house.

“What?” her mom exclaimed. “Honey, we’ve hardly been here for a day. Your dad was only joking…”

“Yeah, I was just joking. There’s no hurry.”

“Yes there is.” She muttered.

“What?”

“Yes, there is a  goddamn hurry!” she yelled. “Sorry…mom, I’m just really stressed right now. I’ll pack. I’ll do everything.”

“Honey, you’ve been crying. What happened?” her mother asked, placing a hand on her arm.

“Someone at work? ‘cause if it is, you’d better report ‘em.”

“Can i…just get some time guys…Just need to, sit down for a sec.”

“Sure honey. Look if you want to take us to Florida that badly, who am I to complain. How’d you find tickets so quickly.”

“I looked them up on the way here…on my phone. It’s…it’s hard to explain. Please, mom , dad…just go with the flow. Just this time, I’m sorry.” She bent down in frustration.

“Got nothing to apologize for hon, we’re with you the whole way.” her mother gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Thanks guys.”

 

 

Mrs. Reynolds left for Florida the day after. As for Jason, he lumbered around school, carrying with him the burden of the ordeal. Andrea taunted him every day, and every minute she had a chance, but he had no choice but to bear with it.

But this would not last for long….

 

 

3 years later

 

They hadn’t seen each other in three years. Mrs. Reynolds had quit her job as she’d said, and hadn’t spoken with him since.

“Aah, here you go.” Jason said, handing his ice cream to Jessica, his new girlfriend. They’d been dating for 4 years, and that hole in his life was finally filled again. Now a student at Harvard, he felt that he’d made his parents proud…wherever they were, and them not being there failed to bother him as much as it’d used to. When he looked back on it, Mrs. Reynolds, Andrea, and the whole trouble with the school, had all been worth it. After all, it only made him stronger.

“Butter pecan…mmm.” She said, closing her eyes, and savoring the bite. For an instant, he remembered Mrs. Reynolds, and smiled. “What?” Jessica asked, giggling. “You just kinda, smiled there…”

“I’m just happy for you…about all this.” He gestured at the dorm room.

“Aww, you’re so sweet…just like this ice cream.” She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek, staining it with ice cream.

“Jessica…” he whined.

Just then, his cellphone vibrated…

“Just give me a sec.” he put his finger up, leaving the dorm room to talk. “Hello?”

“Jason…”

“Sssally?” he said, lowering his voice.

“Yes Jason…it’s me. How are you? How’ve you been?” her voice sounded through the earpiece flooding into his mind bittersweet memories of their time together.

“Mrs. Reynolds…it’s been so long.”

“Call me Sally. It’s been too long. So how is everything?”

“It’s going well. I’m over in Harvard-“

“Harvard, ooh, didn’t I tell you you’d do great things one day?”

“Yeah, but it came with a price. Tuition sucks…anyway, what about you?”

“I moved back to California with my parents. They handled the whole thing pretty well. Found a job, and it’s paying pretty well. I guess it’s all about having a little faith that things will work out.”

“Well you guessed right. I’ve got a new girlfriend…”

“Oh, that’s wonderful, what’s her name?”

“Jessica”

“Jess and Jas…the prodigal couple.”

Jason laughed, leaning against the wall.

“What about you?”

“I’m married now…Been married for 3 years…he is a great man. Name’s Jason…so in a way we did get married.”

“Haha. Well I’m glad everything worked out for you Sally, I really am.”

“Likewise Jason.” He could feel her smiling across the phone, and the peach scent that was all too familiar, for a second, wafted to his nose and he almost thought…just for that instant, that she was there with him.

“Uh…Sally?”

“Yes Jas?”

“I’ve got a question…it-“

“Just ask it…”

“Do you still love me?” he asked.

“No.” she breathed, after a long pause.

They both smiled, across the phone before bidding farewell to each other. The truth was they never loved each other to begin with. After all,

Just like him, she had lost her love.

Just like her, he had lost the will.

Just like each other, they had been desperate.