“Those were her choices, not yours, Luke,” I reminded him. “She didn’t even tell you she was pregnant, right?”
“No, of course not. If she had, I would have done the right thing. Or at least, I think I would have. This whole thing is a mess. I can’t even get my brain around it. It’s impossible to know what my nineteen-year-old self would have done, but it’s too late to second-guess all that. Heck, I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do now. Anyway, she flipped. It was pretty bad. She had this idea in her head that I would move in with them, that she would have the family she always wanted. I told her no, it’s not gonna happen. I said I would be a part of Jett’s life, of course, but that she and I were definitely not going to be a couple, again. Then the screaming really began. Jett came upstairs to watch her going off on me and he just stood there, leaning against the wall and laughing. It was too much. I can’t give her what she wants. I walked out. I had to. It wasn’t going anywhere good.”
I reached down and held his hand. He looked exhausted, but I knew he had done his best. Given a choice between saving his job by being with Amber, or losing his job by being with me, he had chosen me. I felt terrible and great, all at once.
“Come on,” I said. “Let’s make some popcorn and crawl into bed and watch a movie.”
“As long as it’s not The Parent Trap, count me in,” he said, smiling half-heartedly. He was keeping up a good face, but I knew this was tearing him up, inside.
Bammy called us Thursday afternoon to tell us that Mayor Bellman wanted to speak to us before the public hearing on Friday. So many people had expressed interest in attending that the school board decided to hold the meeting in the Parkville High gym, rather than in their offices, as they normally do. They had to make room for all of the reporters from the local and national stations.
We drove onto the school campus in Luke’s car, and the crowds were enormous. The CCCP was out in full force, as well as our supporters from Love All. There were picket signs and huge banners and organized chants. The local police force was tasked with keeping both sides apart, as well as clearing an aisle in the center for us to make our way through.
Luke and I clasped hands and walked proudly towards the entrance with our heads held high. It’s a strange thing, to feel like a criminal and a celebrity all at once. Both sides were so vociferous in their exclamations of condemnation and support that I could hardly wait for all of this to just be over. I like my share of attention, but this was out of control. The clamor was unbelievable. Hurry up and fire us, will you?
Bammy met us at the door and we took a moment to collect ourselves before quietly making our way into the school office. We had stopped for coffee on the way, of course, and I picked up an extra for Miss Mabel. It was just getting to be a habit, and I had felt bad that I hadn’t seen her in a week. The office support staff had continued to work during the walkout, even though the students weren’t attending. I placed the cup on her desk and she actually looked up at me today, for a change, and gave me a firm nod, without saying a word. I took this as a show of support, and it emboldened me. This was all worth it, right? No matter the end result? I had to believe that the answer was yes.
Bammy led us down the hall to her office, and Mayor Bellman was seated at his old desk. Grey hair, grey suit and grey skin, he didn’t look very happy to see us. This was more of a nuisance than anything else, and he had an air about him that said I’ve got better things to do than deal with this mess.
“Derek, Luke, we appreciate y’all coming down here to talk with us before the meeting gets started,” he began. “Y’all know Michael Taylor from the school board, and Principal Talbot, of course.” Heads nodded around the room, but no one seemed to want to say anything. We all looked at each other with unsure faces, wondering what would happen next.
“Gentlemen,” started Bellman, “I invited you here as a courtesy. Y’all know this just can’t go on any longer. To be truthful, I couldn’t give a rat’s ass what y’all do at home. I’ve worked with both y’all and I think you’ve both done fine jobs here. But this isn’t about that, and we all know it. The moment those kids walked out it all changed. We can handle a little disruption, of course, but I’ve discussed it with Michael here, and there’s just no ifs, ands or buts about it. A school needs students to survive. And as long as y’all are here, no matter the reason, this walkout has continued and doesn’t show any signs of letting up. We aren’t left with many choices, unfortunately, so I wanted to give y’all a heads up before we head into that public meeting. But before I do, is there anything you’d like to say?”
Yes, there is something I’d like to say. I’d like to say that you’re a hypocrite. You’re a straight, married cross dresser who moonlights as a cabaret singer named Belle. You’ve been a member of the Bears’ Club for years, and God only knows what kind of debauchery and “alternative lifestyles” and crazy moments you have witnessed in your lifetime, but you’re a coward to let a kiss between two men ruin two promising careers and bring down an entire school because you won’t stand up and let your voice be heard over the din of a few crazed zealots. I’m too good of a man to out you, Belle. I won’t do that. But you’re making it damn hard for me to stick with my decision. That’s what I’d like to say.
“Yes,” I started, then looked at Luke. We had made the decision the night before that we would resign, before they could fire us. “Luke and I are prepared to…”
“Y’all hold up one dang minute!” a voice exclaimed behind us.
We all turned our heads to see who had entered the room. It was Miss Mabel, and she was holding a student by the ear. It was Jett Winthrop?!
18
(DON’T) FIGHT THE POWER
“Let go of me, woman!” Jett screeched, in obvious pain. She may be small, but Miss Mabel appeared to have a death grip on that boy’s ear.
“Don’t you sass me, boy!” she replied, not letting go, the chain from her eyeglasses swinging as she shook her head. “I didn’t drag you outta that gymnasium to give me no lip.”
“What in tarnation is going on here, Miss Mabel?” Bellman bellowed as he stood up from the desk.
“This’ll all be right as rain, shortly, Mr. Mayor,” she said, “but right now, you’re gonna sit down and listen to this boy. You hear me, Belle?”
Belle! Holy shit! That shut up Bellman but good. He threw her a look of pure shade, but sure enough, he sat his backside right down on that swivel chair in record time, his cheeks turning a bright crimson. Bless you, Miss Mabel!
She gave Jett’s ear one final twist and pushed his body forward towards the mayor.
“Ow!” he yelped. “Miss Mabel, you’ve done lost your mind. Wait till my mom gets ahold of you!”
“I ain’t afraid of your mama, Jett Winthrop,” she said, “and you know that. Now you get up to that desk and you fix this mess. Now! Ya hear me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about,” he said, and then looked to us for help. “She’s gone crazy!” Poor, helpless Jett, my ass.
“Don’t you play no games with me, boy,” she said. “My sister done told me everything. You think she don’t listen when she’s scrubbin’ your bathroom? Cleanin’ up after you? Cookin’ for you and your mama? Addie May done worked for Miss Amber long enough to collect her fair share of secrets. ‘Bout time she shared some of them, dontcha think?” She stared at him, coldly, challenging him with her firm eyes. She meant business, and we all knew it. Whatever she had on him, it was good, and he knew he had lost.
He was so furious; he looked like he wanted to punch someone. Standing there with his fists clenched at his sides, cartoon steam coming out of his flaring nostrils, he surveyed his audience and realized he needed a change of course, and fast. Just as quickly as he had been angered, his mood switched instantly, and a snarled grin took over his face.
“I ain’t doing this because of you, old lady,” he sneered, spitting the words. “I already got what I want. This is my choice. You understand that?”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, boy,” she said. “Now are you gonna tell ‘em? Or should I?” She glared at him fiercely, eyes narrowing.
Jett turned to face Luke. “Hey there, Pops,” he taunted. “Hope you haven’t renovated that extra room for me, yet. Looks like you’re off the hook.”
“What do you mean, Jett?” Luke said, slowly comprehending along with the rest of us.
“Wake up, man,” he sneered. “Mom said you sucked at math, but seriously? I’m not yours, okay? You’re not my dad. Never were.”
Luke was clutching my hand, and he almost broke my fingers he squeezed so hard. My eyes grew wider, and I had to remind myself to breathe.
“I’m not your father?” he repeated, softly. “I’m not your father. I don’t… but, why? Why did you do this?”
“Like I said, I got what I wanted already. How many teenagers do you know who drive brand new Corvettes? Mom wrote me a big fat check and all I had to do was figure a way to get you back into my house. She’s been telling your sister that same old lie for years, keeping her in line. She figured it was time to spring it on you, too. And it would have worked if Miss Mabel hadn’t butted in.”
Nobody said a word. We were all speechless. Amber had bribed Jett to screw up Luke’s life, in order to try and win him back?!
“Come on!” he laughed, hands up, playing to the crowd. “Y’all can’t be angry at me, right? I’m just tryin’ to make my mom happy. What’s a good son like me supposed to do? Getting out of school for a week was just a bonus. Acting like we were all freaked out about these two,” and he pointed at Luke and me. “Wake up, you old fossils! No one cares about that, anymore. We just didn’t want to go to class, and y’all played right into it!”
Bellman couldn’t take it, anymore. He rose from his desk in slow motion, eyeing Miss Mabel for approval.
She returned his nod, then she spoke up. “I trust y’all can handle this from here without me? I’ll see y’all at the meeting. Good day,” and with that, she closed the door behind her as she left the room.
“Jett Winthrop,” said Mayor Bellman. “You are in for a world of trouble, son.”
I had to cover my mouth with my hand. I was this close to laughing out loud.
Bellman and Jett came to an understanding quite quickly, though the sight of the mayor of Parkville negotiating terms with a sixteen year old student was quite ridiculous. There was no telling how far Bellman would go to keep his alter ego Belle covered up, but I guess this was proof of his intentions to keep that side of himself buried from the public. It seemed that no one in the room besides me had noticed Miss Mabel’s intentional slip, and I made sure to keep my mouth shut.
Basically, Jett proudly admitted that he was messing with everyone’s lives in order to make his mom happy. The way he saw it, his next moves only played out in his favor, as well. He viewed his change of tactic as a win, and that was fine by the mayor and the rest of us. Chip was Jett’s best friend and a senior. He needed to graduate on time in order to start the summer football program at UT, and the school closure threatened to delay that, so Jett wanted to help him out. Also, by taking charge of the student body and basically telling them that it was cool to go back to class, he was setting himself up to be the self-appointed ruler of the school his senior year. Sure, his mom would be pissed off, but he didn’t care about that, anymore. He got Luke to the house. It wasn’t his fault that his mom couldn’t seal the deal. Besides, he had his car, already. What was she going to do? Take it away? He was the only friend of hers that she hadn’t lied to. She needed him. It was definitely an odd relationship.
Bammy and Michael quickly crafted three statements: one for the mayor, one for Jett and one for Luke and me. Together we walked over to the gymnasium, and Mayor Bellman spoke first. Cutting quickly to the chase, and hoping to avoid a nasty, public discussion, he started out by stating that all differences had been resolved. He explained his motives just as you imagine a politician would. He declared that although his personal views on same gender relationships had not changed, his larger, worldview had evolved, due to the ongoing public discussions that had been raised in the last week. There were boos, of course, but the mayor silenced them quickly, then ushered Jett onto the stage. Jett thanked the mayor and then went on to say he was speaking on behalf of the student body. He urged all students to return to classes on Monday, and thanked the CCCP for their efforts, but assured them that the students valued their education, and no further protests would be necessary. Again, more boos. Amber’s face was bright red with anger. Jett would have a lot of explaining to do, later. Luke and I were up next, and the hecklers chimed in before we could even start. Mayor Bellman had to step up, again, to remind them to be civil, but we knew deep in our hearts that this fight wasn’t really over. We may have won this battle, but this was just the beginning. We thanked our supporters and stated that we looked forward to a smooth return to our jobs and an end to the animosity of the previous weeks. We agreed, as the others did, that we now had a better understanding of the separation between our professional and private lives, and that the welfare of the students took precedence above all. In the end, respect was the key word oft repeated, but I liked to imagine that we now all agreed to love all.
Plenty of citizens made sure to have their moment at the public microphone, but the mayor kept the peace, and overall, the meeting was probably a bit of a let-down to our more vociferous opponents.
“Is it really over?” I asked Luke, as we stepped away from the podium after the mayor drew the events to a close.
“Yes and no. They may be kind to our faces, but they’ll be talking about us behind our backs for a very long time,” he said. “Southerners like a good public battle. And we never forget.”
“In other words, we probably shouldn’t order any wedding cakes any time soon, right?” I asked.
“I don’t think so, babe,” he said, putting his arm around me. “But seriously, I feel a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Not only do we still have our jobs, but I was definitely not ready to be a father, yet.”
“Well, I know what I am ready for,” said Bammy, as she stood by us, smiling for the cameras. “Cocktails?”
The three of us made our way through the throng of reporters and gathered our friends and supporters along the way: Mom, Uncle Barry, Johnny, Kit, Shawn, Tommy, Meredith and Michael. Peaches and Tammy from Chesty Cheese were there, as well as Saul and Rachel. It felt like everyone we loved had come out to support us.
“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you!” Mom said, giving me a kiss on the cheek.
“Congratulations, you two,” said my dad. “You beat the system!” It was nice to hear some praise from my counter culture Zen dad.
“We are so happy for y’all!” said Meredith. “We have a whole case of champagne left over from the party. Drinks on us!”
“It only feels right to go back to where we started,” I agreed. “Let’s head to the gallery for a Love All celebration?”
“Day drinking!” yelled Kit, as if it were the best idea she had heard all day. We all headed to our cars. “See you there!”
We spotted Jett on the way out of the gymnasium. He was having a pretty intense discussion with Amber. She glared at us both as we passed, and Luke just nodded, solemnly. Their next conversation would have to wait. Now wasn’t the time or the place. It seemed like these two would always have bad timing.
We walked as quickly as we could towards the parking lot. Luke unlocked the car door for me and I stepped inside, closing out the roar of the crowd surrounding us. I felt a bit like a celebrity who thought they would enjoy the attention, yet decided to flee the flashing bulbs, after all. Right now I just wanted to kiss my boyfriend. I still felt slightly “illegal,” and I hoped that that feeling would pass soon. I had hated all of our sneaking around. It just wasn’t my style, anymore, but being brazen certainly hadn’t helped our standing in the community. We could definitely move forward as a couple, that was certain, but we ne
eded to tread a little more lightly from here on out. Respect goes both ways, and we had learned that the hard way.
Luke and I didn’t say much as we drove away from the school and onto the highway. We were both still in shock, I think. I looked over at him and smiled, and he did the same, but there was no doubt that all of the intensity of the last few weeks had exhausted us. My heart was still beating rapidly thinking about the last hour. We really just needed a good vacation after all of this.
“Ready to go inside and face our fans?” I said, as he parked the car on the street outside the gallery.
“With you, I can do anything,” he said.
We entered that gallery to cheers and back slaps and lots of hugs and smiles. Champagne flutes were shoved into our hands and the room was filled with a raucous energy that increased as the night progressed. Later that evening, as the festivities were winding down, Luke excused himself to answer his phone. He wandered off to a corner, and held his fingers to his ear, blocking out the din of the celebratory music.
“Everything all right?” I asked, as he came back.
He reached for my hand again and held it firmly. “It was my father and Rosa,” he said, smiling, “sending their congratulations.” He looked relieved. “He’s just as happy as we are that this is all over. We’re expected for a family brunch on Sunday. I hope that’s okay?”
“Sounds great,” I said. “Do we need to…” My words trailed off, as I spotted Lana entering the gallery. That was a surprise.
Luke turned his head to see what caught my attention, and his back stiffened. She wasn’t smiling, but she didn’t look like a she was prepared for battle, either.
“Hi there, big brother,” she said, as she approached. “Looks like we were both fooled.”
They embraced, and I could readily see that their bond was still intact. I decided to sneak off for a bit and give them some space to talk about Amber and Jett. I wandered over to my Scooby Gang and listened to Kit regale everyone with one of her patented Parkville adventures. She seemed to know every nook and cranny of this town, and there was always a new tale to tell. Soon, Luke led Lana over by the hand to join us, I thought, but she gave him a quick goodbye peck on the cheek, instead.
The Fire Went Wild (Home is a Fire Book 2) Page 16
