Mr. D: Black Mountain Academy

by Alta Hensley

  Most likely not part of anything.

  Another difference between this school and the one in Oakland was the fact that a Google search offered a plethora of information. These parents were famous for one thing or the other. All were notorious whether it was by celebrity status, crime status, or empire building domination. So, deciding that maybe I could hunt down Corrine’s mother by finding out where she was currently located, I turned to the internet to research her.

  It didn’t take long to see that Corrine wasn’t lying. There were tons of articles about her mother traveling around the world with the leading actor from her last movie. They were supposedly in love and living it up on yachts and private jets. Pictures flooded my search of her mother drinking champagne, stumbling in and out of limos and topless in a thong bikini while sunbathing. She was the spitting image of Corrine with her long dark chestnut hair, mysterious brown eyes, and in almost all the pictures, her lips were parted in the same exact sexy smirk I’d seen Corrine wearing when sitting across the desk from me. Cora Parker was fucking stunning, but women like that knew it. Hence all the half-naked photos of her floating around the internet.

  There were no mentions of Corrine in any of the articles, but frankly I didn’t dig for long. It made me sick seeing this so-called mother’s face so happy without her daughter by her side.

  Having had enough for one day, I packed up my stuff and decided to leave before the sun set for a change. I was due for some booze and couch time. As glamorous as my life was not, it wasn’t like there was a lot to do around Black Mountain anyway. Unless you counted all the dinner invitations and parties I was invited to by every member of the board of directors, the parents trying to get in good with me, or the bored trophy wives who wanted some male companionship, my social life sucked. I abhorred those parties. I despised the dinners. And I detested fake women flirting with me. This world was everything I wasn’t, but unfortunately, I had to play the game and attend many events I hated. Tomorrow there was a board of directors’ gathering at the Johnson estate, and I was dreading it. So, at least tonight I was going to take the evening for myself.

  As I walked out to the parking lot, I noticed Corrine bending over her car with the hood up. School had been let out hours ago, but she’d also had detention. The only cars left in the parking lot were mine, Corrine’s, and the janitor’s. Even though the last thing I wanted to do was deal with car issues, I figured that part of the reason she was out here alone was due to me, so the least I could do was offer some help.

  Trying not to look at how her bent over position had her ass nearly on full display beneath her short, pleated uniform skirt, I made my way over to her.

  “Any idea what’s wrong with your car?” I asked as I walked up behind her. The car didn’t seem to fit her. Most of the students drove cars that were worth more than the teachers here made in a year, but Corrine’s was a classic Mercedes. Old, but definitely classy.

  She jumped and screamed, turning to face me with wide dark eyes.

  I put out my hands in a gesture to show her I wasn’t a threat. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”

  She took a deep breath and relaxed a bit when she saw it was just me, although I could see she still trembled slightly. “It’s my mom’s car. Or one of them. I think it sat too long in the garage up here. We haven’t been to the house in years, and I think they were neglected. I actually had to brush off dust when I finally found the keys.”

  “Did you check the oil?” I asked, considering the obvious culprits. “Gas?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I did that on day one, but I think all the plugs and stuff need to be changed. Or maybe it’s the battery.” She looked at me. “Can I get a jump?”

  “Let me get my car,” I said as I turned and walked over to my own vehicle.

  The air was getting cool as the sun lowered over the horizon, and I really didn’t want to be dealing with this, but it wasn’t like I could just leave the girl stranded in the parking lot either. Especially knowing she didn’t have any parents to call for help. I had to hand it to her. At least she tried to be somewhat self-reliant. She could have been sitting in her car helpless, crying, and calling Daddy for help.

  “All right,” I said, as I got out of my car, yanked out my jumper cables, and clipped them on the posts of her battery. “Go ahead and try to start it.”

  She tried multiple times, and nothing. I was far from being a mechanic, but I didn’t think it was the battery. From the clicking sound, it seemed to be more the starter than anything, and if that was the case, we wouldn’t be able to fix it in the parking lot.

  “I think we need to call and get it towed,” I said, knowing I was in for a much longer evening now that I would have to take her home after waiting for a tow truck to come.

  “I have AAA,” she said as she pulled out her phone and dug around in her glove box for the card. “Unless my mom let it lapse or something,” she added under her breath.

  I walked over to my car, turned it off, and leaned against my hood while she was on the phone. When she hung up, she looked up at me and smiled.

  “Thank you. They should be on their way soon. You don’t have to wait here.”

  “Someone needs to give you a ride,” I said, crossing my arms across my chest and settling in for the wait.

  “I can call someone,” she said, but I could tell she was lying. She was still the new girl in this school, and I was pretty sure I had only seen her interact with a couple of people. She wasn’t exactly the loner type, but the school was brutal when it came to trying to fit in to any of the social circles. I’d seen no evidence that she had a best friend close enough who would be willing to drop everything and come help her.

  “I’ll wait and then take you home,” I said.

  As I had done, she closed her door of the car and braced against the hood. “Well, thank you. I appreciate it.”

  “So, do you have any other family who live in Black Mountain?” I asked, deciding now would be a good time to try to pump more information out of her in a non-threatening manner.

  “No. The house we have up here is just one of many vacation homes. It was one of my favorites, though. I really like the area. It’s pretty.”

  “So, did you come here by yourself?” I asked.

  She looked at me skeptical at first, but then nodded. “I needed a change. My mom was on set when I decided to make the move. She was cool with it though.”

  “Where did you go to school before that?”

  “L.A., but I’ve been to a lot of schools.”

  “What about friends and family in L.A.?” I asked.

  “It’s just me and my mom. No family, and friends come and go.” She looked around as if she was praying the tow truck would arrive and save her from the interrogation. I supposed that since no huge truck appeared, she felt compelled to fill the silence. “I have one friend who lives here. We went to school together in L.A. too. Kevin Stevenson. He’s like me. His mom and dad are in the movie business as well. So, he understands… well, we have a lot in common. He was the one who gave me the idea about finishing out the year in Black Mountain. He said he was, since his family has a house up here too, and I thought it was a good idea.”

  I was familiar with the name Kevin Stevenson but couldn’t recall much about him. But considering there were hundreds of kids who attended Black Mountain Academy, it didn’t say all that much that he didn’t stand out in my mind. It most likely meant the kid kept to himself, kept his nose clean, and would do just fine until he graduated. I did find it crazy that these kids could just pick up and leave one house to live in another when they got bored and decided a change would be good.

  “You really don’t have to wait around,” she said. “I can figure it out.”

  Leaving her wasn’t an option, so I just kept up with the questions. “I looked at your transcripts, and you get great grades. Why did you get held back a year?”

  “Life,” she mumbled as she opened her passenger door and pulled out her b
ackpack and a stack of books to take with her when the tow truck arrived.

  I could tell she wasn’t going to give me any more than that as an answer.

  “What about you?” she asked, clearly changing the subject. “Do you like Black Mountain?”

  I gave a slight nod. “I do. It’s different than Oakland which is where I’m from. But I do like it here for the most part.” I didn’t know why I was lying, but I couldn’t exactly tell her that I thought the area sucked. The last thing I needed was for that bit of gossip to be spread throughout the school.

  Mr. D thinks Black Mountain sucks ass.

  She chuckled as she reached behind her head and pulled her dark brown hair up into a ponytail. “For the most part.” She was clearly clever enough to pick up on my hidden dig.

  I had studied how to read students for years, and knew she was trying to hide her nervous energy by talking and fiddling with her hair. I was getting too close by asking the questions, and it was obvious that, though Corrine was adept in hiding her feelings, she was slowly revealing just how uncomfortable I made her.

  The rumble of a truck in the distance made her perk up as she looked toward the approaching sound. “That was fast,” she said. “We would have been here all night if this was L.A.”

  The same could be said for Oakland, and I was glad that I would be home soon instead of wasting away my entire evening.

  Once the truck was loaded with her car and leaving the parking lot, I opened the passenger door for Corrine. “Ready?”

  She nodded and climbed into my car with her books and bag in hand. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

  She didn’t live too far from the school, but as she rattled off directions, I knew it was too far for her to walk. “Do you have another car available to drive to school tomorrow?”

  “I should. There are several in the garage. I’m sure one of them will run and the battery won’t be dead. If not, I can call Kevin in the morning. I’m sure he’ll give me a lift.”

  It bothered me that I was talking to a student who was completely on her own. I also didn’t like that she had no one to turn to other than a casual friend. It made me sad for her. As someone who kept to himself and didn’t have a large family or friend pool either, I understood how lonely it could be when you needed someone in your corner.

  “Okay, well, I’m going to give you my number in case you need any help,” I said, attempting to not think about the ramifications of giving a student my number. “Try not to plaster it throughout the school, okay?” Inwardly, I cringed at the thought of seeing my number written all over the bathroom stalls to “call for a good time”.

  “I’ll keep it private,” she reassured me. “But I also won’t bother you. I’ll be fine. I’ve dealt with much worse than a broken-down car in my life. This is a piece of cake.”

  Those words also bothered me. No young lady should feel that way. She should feel stressed, worried, hell… I wouldn’t blame her if she cried. Car stress could be one of the worst stresses. Granted, she didn’t have to worry about money or how she would come up with the funds to fix it, so at least she had that going for her.

  As we pulled up to her house… actually, mansion would be a better word to describe the massive structure in front of me, I tried not to picture Corrine all alone living inside of it. This was just a vacation home, and my entire condo could fit in one room of it. I wasn’t shocked, however. It was classic Black Mountain lodging for our student body. The house was also gated, so I pulled up to the key box and looked at her for the code.

  “5555,” she said.

  I punched it in, and then said, “You may want to come up with something a little less easy.”

  “Yeah, well, my mom has an awful memory, so welcome to the access I just gave you to break into all aspects of our life.” She chuckled as the gates opened and I drove up the circular driveway.

  “Have a good night,” I said as she hopped out of the car and turned to face me.

  “I will. Thank you, Mr. D. You didn’t have to stay, but I’m glad you did.”

  I gave a slight nod and watched her walk up to the door. I waited to make sure she got inside safely and really hated the fact that she was entering a very large and empty house. At least I was going home to a cozy place where my voice wouldn’t echo in the hallways. I felt sorry for Corrine, although I wasn’t sure how I could help in this situation. Unlike some of the students I had dealt with in Oakland, at least Corrine had a roof over her head and money to buy food. She didn’t need to be my charity case even though something in my gut told me to keep an eye on her.

  3

  Corrine

  It was fair to say that today was a pretty shitty day. Nearly getting kicked out of school, detention, broken down car, and now I looked into an empty refrigerator hating the fact that I was going to have to order a pizza again. There were only so many topping combinations one could do to try to mix up the repetitive meal. Pizza was pizza, and I was sick of it.

  Picking up my phone, I decided it was best to call my mom’s manager first. Bill was a twerp who was way too handsy with me when I was around him, but he was also the only way of reaching my mother when she was out and about and off the radar. I had free rein with her credit card, so paying for the car to get fixed wasn’t an issue, but I thought it best to at least let her know. Or to let Bill know.

  Most likely I was wasting my time.

  Which is why I was happy when I got Bill’s voicemail, because the rare times I had to actually speak with him, I always got a sick feeling in my stomach. I truly felt that he imagined me naked when I spoke. He was a creep but one of the best managers in the biz, or so my mother always told me. I still always pictured him in some dark basement somewhere jacking off to kiddie porn.

  When I got done leaving him a message about the car and hung up, my phone rang right away. I considered not answering it if it was Bill calling me right back, but I saw it was Kevin.

  “Hey,” I said, sitting at the expansive kitchen counter and running my fingertips over the smooth white marble.

  “Where were you after school?” he asked. “I was looking for you. A few of us were getting together, and I wanted to see if you wanted to come.”

  “I got detention.”

  “Detention? Why?”

  “For being late and missing so much school. And then my car broke down… and let’s just say it’s been a crappy day.”

  “That sucks. Why didn’t you call me? I would have come and picked you up.”

  It was odd hearing Kevin act as if the logical thought process would be to call him up and lean on him for help. For some reason, I didn’t think we were that close, but it was most likely all in my head and feeling like no one was really in my life whom I could count on. We were friends, actually pretty close friends in many ways, but then like strangers as well. I’d nearly had a total breakdown when rumors began circulating about me and my name got decimated at our previous school, and when Kevin suggested we move to Black Mountain, I had jumped all over his plan. He needed a change, and so did I. But at the same time, we both just did the move on our own. We kept our distance during it all.

  Our relationship was definitely complicated.

  We were friends… but not daily friends. We could go a number of days never speaking, but then if I had to be honest, he was the only real friend I had. He was trying very hard to make friends in Black Mountain, and I wasn’t. He had invited me several times to hang out with people, but I always felt like I would be a tagalong. I tried… I just wasn’t very good at the social game. Kevin wasn’t very good either, to be honest, but at least he was giving it his all this time at Black Mountain.

  “I considered it, but I got a ride home. Thanks though.”

  There was a long pause, and then Kevin said, “Okay then… well… do you need a ride or something tomorrow? I can swing by and get you before school.”

  “I think I’ll be fine. I have other cars to choose from. But I’ll let you know if none of them s
tart or something.”

  “Do you want to hang out tomorrow after school?” he asked. “I’ve met a couple of cool people I could introduce you to.”

  I sighed. “I have detention.”

  “For how long?”

  “I don’t know. Mr. D says he has to reach my mother to talk about my attendance before detention stops.”

  “Shit,” Kevin breathed out. “That could be the rest of the year. Did you explain how your mom just checks out?”

  “Sort of. But I don’t think he gets it.”

  “Yeah, most don’t. Couldn’t tell you where my parents are at the moment.” He paused for an awkward moment of silence. “Sorry. Is there anything I can do?”

  “I’m good. Thanks for checking in on me. I appreciate it.”

  “No prob. I’ll talk to you later. I hope he gets hold of your mom soon.”

  Hanging up with Kevin left me alone.

  In an empty and silent house.

  Story of my life.

  Really not wanting pizza, I walked over to the pantry in hopes of finding something hidden in the far corners of the shelves.

  The pantry door was open.

  I froze, my heart stopped, and a scream strangled with my lack of breath.

  I never left any door open. Not one. All doors in all the house remained closed at all times. It was my obsessive rule.

  All doors must be closed!

  I ran to the hallway and noticed that every single door to every single bedroom was open.

  Open!

  Oh God, why were they not closed?

  I sprinted up the stairs to discover that every door was open as well.

  The alarm system? Jesus, I got sloppy when Mr. D dropped me off. I didn’t set it. I walked into the house and didn’t immediately lock the door and set it.