Havenhurst Academy

"I understand Mrs. Thorndyke; you can count on me to maintain the utmost professionalism."

"I sincerely hope so; these girls need some one that is going to be a steadying presence in their lives." She reclined in her chair regarding him silently prompting a question that had been on his mind since he arrived on campus.

"Excuse me, but what exactly happened to the teacher who proceeded me?"

"We never talk about someone once they're gone." Her words were final hanging in the air raising even more questions.

"Well let's get you started shall we; follow the same path as Penny to arrive at your home room. The other girls will be very excited to meet you."

"Yes ma'am."

"If you have any problems, whatsoever; don't hesitate to inform me as quickly as possible. Steel yourself Mr. McBride."

The corridor was sparsely lit even though it was daytime and he noticed the classrooms were closed with a thick oak door that had a small window in each that were made to be opened from the outside. He remembered reading about the buildings being part of a sanatorium during its initial days before being converted into a school during the late forties. There was some sort of fire reported across the campus that ravaged most of the land before the property was purchased person, persons unknown. Researching Havenhurst had raised more questions than answers.

"Quit." He remembered the words of the strange student that had stumbled across his path earlier that morning and how she'd disappeared from his vehicle after he'd given her a ride up to the main building. Gerald wanted to know what it was that her tick; wanted to find out more about this student who'd been raised in some closed community. There were a ton of questions he'd meant to ask Mrs. Thorndyke but forgot to ask. Now he was standing in front of the door to his classroom with seven students waiting and he couldn't reconcile this strange queasy feeling in his gut. Something told Gerald McBride that once he crossed the threshold into that classroom all bets were off.

"GOOD MORNING Mr. MC BRIDE!!" The first voice he heard stepping into the truncated alcove leading to the classroom was Penny's and he quickly realized it was her voice alone.

Six girls sat facing the blackboard, Penny was turned around in her seat waving excitedly with a wide smile on her face. He noticed another student sitting apart from the others wearing a burka wondering what was her story. It was the first day and he was concerned with making a good first impression on the road to gaining their trust. As he walked along the furthest aisle, he noticed another girl looking directly at him with a smirk on her face. She had a huge shock of red hair over a rounded freckled face. Her figure was decidedly chubby discernable even through her school uniform. She leaned over whispering into the ear of another girl who appeared Asian but had a deep tan with an umber hair color. Both girls chuckled to themselves as he met their gaze.

"Good morning Penny; morning everyone else." His eyes settled on a girl sitting in the center of the small group. She was extremely pale with very fine features under straight, black hair that reached appeared to the center of her back. It dawned on him that she was dressed differently than the others with a fashion sense he'd recognized from the net as "Gothic Lolita". He come across it one desperate afternoon while searching for porn on his laptop during another sexual drought courtesy of his wife.

"GOOD MORNING FOR EVERYBODY SIR!!" Penny piped up after watching everyone else's lack of a response.

"Penny, thanks but you're going to have to give some else a chance to speak, no offense." She cast her gaze downward at even the slightest admonishment. Gerald mad a mental note to talk with her later and smooth things over. His gaze wondered around the classroom which was overly furnished with enough desks for at least twenty students. He noticed Mary Jane also sitting apart from the class.

"Mary Jane, would you and the other student like to join us over here?"

The other students immediately craned their heads in the direction of Mary Jane except for the strange girl seated in the center of class. The girls turned back leaning in towards each other whispering excitedly.

"MR. Mc BRIDE SHE'S-!!"

"Shut up Penny." The chubby redhead cut her off earning immediate silence as the bespectacled nerd peered down into her desktop wrapping her arms around her narrow frame.

"That was uncalled for and won't be tolerated in my class again uhm?" He spoke in a measured tone doing his best to walk the line between sternness and tact. He didn't know the social dynamic between the girls yet and wanted to get a feel for them before stepping in.

"Chloe Joy Tobias."

"Pleasure to meet you, Chloe Joy Tobias; I'm Gerald McBride and I've been assigned to teach this class. Please give me an opportunity to do my job." He stepped forward taking her hand daintily giving it a slight shake.

"Pleasure's yours; I don't need your kind of teaching anyway but here we are hon." Her accent was thick and southern sounding. She winked at him drawing a hand up to her chest inadvertently cupping her left breast revealing how large it was. Her green eyes seemed to look right through him while a fuzziness tickled the interior of his cranium.

"That doesn't sound very positive Chloe."

"It's all in the way you look at things Gerald; like when I just told Penny over there to shut the fuck up. I know things, I read people and such; even though you find her annoying, you were never going to take-the-initiative. That's where I come in Gerald." Her voice had a playful hardness to it that spoke of someone rich with negative world experience.

"I did mention that I'm the teacher, right Chloe?" He was met with a chorus of giggles from the girls. The strange girl didn't register anything going on in class piquing his curiosity further.

"And who might you be young lady." The class immediately went silent as what appeared to be their de facto leader looked up directly at Gerald.

"She won't talk to you-until she has something to say; seriously uhm, "Mr. McBride." The Asian student spoke punctuating his name in a condescending manner.

"And you are?"

"My formal name is Mai Tora, but you should just call me Shoko; I like that better than my slave name." Chloe and Shoko giggled at her self-referential pun making him feel like an outsider.

"I am Champa Nagarani; I am very pleased to meet you sir." The girl hidden under the burka spoke gaining his attention. He noticed a dark mesh over the eye area which was usually exposed in pictures he'd seen. Gerald stood and bowed to the student who had a British sounding accent.

"You all sorts of Prince Charming aren't you, Gerald?" Chloe leaned back in her seat knowing on the end of a pencil.

"You read people Chloe; why don't you tell me?"

"You don't want me to do something like that; that'd be just about too much for you to handle." She licked her lips at the prospect.

"Is that a challenge?"

"It's whatever you want it to be pretty boy?" He definitely felt the challenge in the air wondering what he should do lest his class room authority be lost in a single day. He'd taken a large number of psychology courses on his path to becoming an accredited teacher and knew the challenge presented must be answered.

"All right, give it your best shot Chloe." The chubby redhead leaned over whispering into the ear of Shoko before beginning.

"You a real good two shoes, size thirteen to be exact and you stay in good shape but not so much lately. Done all the right things all your life; studied hard as fuck and sacrificed to get where you are. You one of those annoying self-hating liberals that hug fucking trees and wanna make the world a better place. Even worked the peace corps and habitat for humanity before bringing it all together at one of them choice "Ivy League" schools before you got your ass cut from the team." He was startled as she rattled off his entire resume before the class.

"How'd you know all that?"

"I'm not finished Gerald Alexander McBride; you got that job and it helped you get a woman who was unobtainable under any other circumstance. But now, years later you're having what they call "Buyer's Remorse" because she's a real cunt who won't even put out unless you buy her something nice and fucking pretty." The thirty-six-year-old educator was stunned at the angry words being directed at him by someone he'd never met before. Everything the redhead said was true and he wanted to strangle the life out of her for saying it as tears started to form at the corner of his eyes. Before he knew it, he was moving towards the door.

"How did it feel to have to JACK OFF this morning to some ENTITLED COW who doesn't even have the COMMON DECENCY to perform her WIFELY DUTIES honey?!!" He noticed Shoko handing Chloe a wad of bills before the door slammed behind him.

"MRS. THORNDYKE; THOSE STUDENTS HACKED INTO YOUR COMPUTER OR SOMETHING!!" He was drenched in perspiration bursting into the office finding her thumbing through a thick tome.

"Pardon me Mr. McBride?" Thorndyke seemed oddly casual by his sudden appearance in her office.

"They-They know everything about me somehow; how's that possible if they didn't somehow have access to my resume or files?" It was all he could do to compose himself resisting the urge to run back down the hall and confront the troubled eighteen-year-olds.

"Ah sounds like Chloe pushing her luck again; remember yourself Mr. McBride. These girls are testing you and I believe you have a responsibility to meet the challenge head on. Show them that you're in charge; believe in yourself and they will too." Thorndyke's words seemed to have a calming effect on him as he settled into one of the plush antique chairs in front of her desk.

"She knew-She knew I was married and said-things that no one should know."

"It's a trick that runs in her family I'm afraid; they weren't the most reputable of people sending their daughter to us. Didn't want her around you see; too much for anybody to handle but us Mr. McBride."

"It would help if I could look at her student file."

"Afraid not good sir, remember the conditions of your employment and rise to the occasion Mr. McBride. I have faith that you will be able to reach these young ladies and put them on the right path." She reassured him leaning forward placing a hand on top of his for support.

"Mrs. Thorndyke?"

"Think of it as a little bit of a setback and take the rest of the day off for your troubles. I understand intimately how jarring something like that can be and rest assured, I will be speaking with Chloe about her aberrant behavior." Somehow the large woman managed to get him invested in continuing at Havenhurst. The sting of Chloe's words stuck with him as he began driving the wooded path leading out to the main gate. Her demeanor and southern twang caused raw emotion to well up inside causing him to tighten his grip on the steering wheel. He switched on his radio hoping to calm his nerves finding the same song on the radio he'd been listening to with Mary Jane.

"What?" He noticed Mary Jane standing at the side of the road as he rounded the bend where he'd initially had his accident and pulled over.

"Shouldn't you be in class Mary Jane?" She knelt by his open window peering inside with a sad expression.

"Did you quit Mr. McBride?"

"Taking the rest of the day off; I'll be back bright and early tomorrow." Gerald managed a smile in a vain attempt to reassure the worried teen.

"You should quit; they are mean."

"Don't you worry, I'll be back and nobody's going to run me off. Besides we're friends and I still haven't forgotten about that download of Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow. I keep my promises young lady." Her expression lightened at the mention of her favorite song.

"Sir, I don't want to make you mad but is it true what they said about your wife?" He did a doubletake at her question not knowing how to answer.

"Well, let's not talk about my personal life Mary Jane; see you tomorrow?"

"I'm very sorry Mr. McBride, I won't bring it up again sir." He wanted to kick himself for acting like a jackass in the face of this earnest student's naive question.

"No hard feelings; I'll see you tomorrow Mary Jane."

"Bye." He turned up the song waving before driving along the rest of the path to the main gate. Gerald looked in the rear-view mirror noticing the roadside empty where she'd been standing.

*****

"You're so gullible Gerald; little bitch got it from that other girl you talked about." Jessica had been engaged in some internet shopping when he suddenly popped up unexpectantly rattling her from her daily routine. She was afraid that he'd lost his job scolding him before he could even get his coat off. Her fears were abated when he explained in part his encounter with Chloe Joy Tobias.

"It just caught me off guard; I don't believe Penny would do that."

"You don't know her and aren't these kids supposed to be problem students anyway?"

"Well yes but-?"

"Sometimes I don't know what you would do without me Gerald; you're an open book and that's not a good thing. Take stock of yourself and do better or you could end up losing everything even me."

Jessica never looked up from the meal he's prepared shortly after returning home. The short, curvy homemaker added a few choice words about his culinary skills before Gerald retired to his home office searching through his belongings until he found an old I-Pod Nano received from a secret Santa at a long-ago office party. He hooked the small device up to his laptop perusing several songs by Mary Jane's favorite band loading them onto the gift. He added a few more he thought she would enjoy.

"What are you listening to Gerald?" Jessica had been wearing one of his long sleeve shirts as it was her custom to do around the house along with a form fitting pair of tan Capri pants. The sound of the music attracted her curious to find out the origin of the song she was hearing.

"Some music a student turned me onto; it's actually pretty good too."

"Sounds like some old hippie shit, put your ear buds in." Jessica rolled her eyes before turning giving him a view of her luscious derriere as Chloe's words echoed in his mind. Jessica really did have a perfect bubble butt that she absolutely despised. She often talked about being afraid of going under the knife as the only reason she was still afflicted with the two perfect circles residing at the end of her back. Gerald kicked off his shoes and tossed his shirt aside before taking out a pair of large Bose Headphones and zoning out. He reclined back in his office chair closing his eyes letting the mellow music take him elsewhere.

Jessica was feeling uncharacteristically cold this evening checking the thermostat a few times disappointed to find it reading a comfortable seventy-seven degrees. There seemed to be a slight breeze tickling her ear every now and then. She sat in the living room watching a reality show when the screen flickered a number of times causing her to push the buttons on her remote frantically. She was forced to turn off her program just as the lights in the living room blinked several times worrying her a bit. She'd found Gerald uploading music and figured she'd just take a hot shower before turning in early. There was something in the air that was making her anxious and she couldn't put her finger on it despite herself. Jessica found herself locking the bathroom door unsure why stripping down to the buff as she waited for the shower water to heat up. She was sitting on the toilet relieving herself when she noticed the doorknob being tried from the opposite side of the door.

"Hey cut it out; GERALD!!" The doorknob suddenly stopped jiggling stoking her anger. The short, curvy blonde knew that she had her husband on a short leash continually using his unwavering attraction to control things in the house. She figured that he thought he would catch her in the shower hoping for a quickie and this made her bristle.

"You know Gerald it really doesn't look good; this whole pervert thing you've got going on lately. I'm really fucking disturbed living with a degenerate who can barely keep a job and I think your actions as of late require a little down time-don't you think? YOU CAN SLEEP ON THE COUCH TONIGHT BUDDY!!" The doorknob suddenly started shaking violently on its own with enough force to rattle the fragile bathroom door.

"HEY WHAT THE HELL?!!" It stopped before she'd even finished her sentence. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest, she was breathing hard.

"Gerald?" There was no answer.

"Are you there Gerald?" She was starting to get a little queasy before she heard it. There was a slight scratching sound on the other side of the door. From where she was sitting it was easy to pinpoint being level with her head. The hair on the back of her neck was standing on end and that strange queasy feeling ratcheted up.

"Gerald?" The scratching stopped.

Jessica was legitimately afraid now oblivious to the steam building up in the bathroom as she wrapped a towel around her generous curves. She placed both palms flat on the door finding it cold to the touch. Against her better judgement, she cracked the door peering down the hallway at her bedroom door. The house was dark and she didn't remember leaving it that way. The hallway felt ice cold and she could swear that her breathe was visible for an instant. The music from her husband's laptop echoed through the house. There was a sudden flickering of light as Jessica noticed a shadow in the hallway and slammed the door. She quickly realized the bathroom was filled with steam turning to find someone there standing inches away from her face.

"GER-RALD!!" His wife's bloodcurdling scream shook Gerald from a tired slumber making him nearly knock the laptop from his desk. He bolted down the hallway without thinking finding the bathroom door locked and shaking it profusely until it swung open. Jessica was found in a fetal position on the floor with her hands over her face sobbing.

"Whu-What happened honey?!!" She continued sobbing, trembling uncontrollably as he wrapped took her in his arms.

"I'm scared." She uttered barely above a whisper.

"It's okay; come to bed, you need some rest." There was something in her demeanor that called out to Gerald. He had never seen his wife rattled the way she was tonight.

"I'm sorry." She half whispered.

"For what?"

Jessica responded with a timid kiss to the lips that surprised him. It lasted less than a few seconds but was undeniably sensual and full of promise. Her arms locked around his abdomen as she sought and received another kiss slowly working her tongue into his mouth. Jessica pulled him tighter against her body still trembling as her tongue swirled in his mouth prompting him to invade hers as well. She began sucking on his tongue while her nails dug into his buttocks. The much shorter woman had to stand on her toes to keep the kiss going.

"What brought this on?"

"You-don't like it?" He paused for a few seconds as she appeared to be waiting for an answer.

"Of course, I love it Jessica." She pouted looking down at the carpet petulantly before he raised her face giving her another deep kiss.

Her hands were already undoing the buttons on his shirt pulling up on his undershirt until her fingers danced across his abs. He assisted her losing both shirts as she took a nipple in her mouth teasing and tickling it until it was erect. Gerald was confused and pleasantly surprised at his wife's sexually aggressive behavior but didn't want to spoil it by talking. Jessica began undoing the belt on his slacks with a kind of hungry fervor snapping the buckle lose so that she could dig her hands inside. He nervously gasped when his naked buttocks were cupped.