M Club Ch. 18

Dr. Weimer took a hesitant step further onto the stage. He seemed to have gathered his incredulity enough to speak a coherent sentence. "I don't even have words. I couldn't even imagine this out of my worst troublemakers. But you five?"

Sean stepped forward in a token effort to obscure the principal's view of Lisa. She, meanwhile, had sat up and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"Sorry, sir," Sean said. It sounded pathetic, but he felt like he had to say something. Should he try to explain? Yeah, like that would help anything.

Since he'd spoken, the principal's gaze leveled on Sean. "Get dressed, clean up this mess, and wait in the office until I get there. Attendance is not optional if any of you think there's a snowball's chance in hell you'll be graduating with the rest of your class."

Oh fuck. Sean knew this was far worse than just having to face his parents. His parents, especially his mom, would be manageable. It was the others and their families and futures he was worried about.

"Yes, sir," he said, echoing the mumbles of acknowledgement among the others.

They dressed in silence while the principal let himself back out of the stage. How he'd found out about them was beyond him. Sean doubted the principal had just stumbled upon them, which meant a teacher or student had probably seen them sneak into the auditorium and reported them. Hopefully, they hadn't also witnessed what was going on. If it was a student, the rumor mill would go berserk.

Sean and Andy both hopped off the stage to find Lisa's clothes while Denby fetched tissues from her bag to clean things up. Nothing had to be said, but Andy finally broke the silence.

"What do you think he'll do?"

Denby looked ready to throw up. "Gee, maybe kick us out of school? Charge us with indecency? Tell our parents? Just shoot me now if he's gonna do that, since I'd die of embarrassment anyway."

"I don't think it'll be quite that bad," Lisa said, though clearly shaken. "I mean, it's not like we hurt anyone or anything."

Denby gave Lisa a withering glare. "Yeah, he really sounded like he was in a reasonable mood. Think you'll still be giving the commencement speech?"

Lisa paled at that and shut up.

"We're not telling him about the club, right?" Vida sounded less freaked out than the others.

"No," Sean said. "If anything, I think we just say we dared each other into a senior stunt. Some way to go out with a bang that didn't involve vandalizing the school."

Vida nodded, and Andy concurred. "That might work."

The guilt and anxiety hung thick on everyone. Sean wanted to be reassuring but couldn't find a way to do so convincingly. Once everyone was ready, he led the way down the hall to the school office, grateful only that it was mostly empty nearly an hour after school had let out.

#

"Some bad news on the chair set up," Kathleen said. "We'd had the entire Yancey family, all six of them, scheduled. Unfortunately, Janet's sister decided to get married on very short notice, so they're all heading to Vegas next weekend."

Joan sighed. She'd been nervous about taking over the committee chair position for the Highland High commencement ceremony for this very reason. She could run a yoga class, but with a hundred more moving parts this project was daunting. Between her predecessor leaving behind a detailed checklist and having a good committee to whom she could delegate, things had gone smoothly up to this point. She'd been right to worry that the other shoe had to drop sometime.

"Well, that's not good," she said. "Got any leads on replacements?"

The sound of the library door opening interrupted the meeting. Dr. Weimer poked his head in and surveyed the half-dozen ladies sitting around their table. He made eye contact with Joan and waved his head for her to join him.

"Excuse me," Joan said. "Talk it over and see if you can come up with any ideas."

The principal didn't wait, having already stepped back into the hall. She assumed he was just interested in an update on the preparations, but he could have come in and asked in front of the rest of the committee. Maybe there was a problem he didn't want discussed openly. That first hiccup could be just the beginning.

He was waiting in the hall and the expression on his face was grim.

"Something wrong?"

He studied her for a moment and then nodded. "That's one way of putting it. Mind coming down to my office? I'd rather not discuss it here."

Joan felt a pang in the pit of her stomach. Just what the heck was going on? Had some disgruntled student phoned in a threat or something, jeopardizing the entire commencement?

"Okay," she said, falling in beside him as he walked back to his office. She sensed as much unease in his walk as she felt.

She missed a step when entering the school office. Only one secretary was still at work, but the line of chairs outside the principal's office door were filled with mostly familiar faces, not the least of whom was her son. Sean met her eyes and blanched. Denby, sitting beside him, appeared physically ill and immediately looked at the floor. Lisa and Andy, similarly, were squirming in discomfort. The last girl, with her obvious Indian heritage, had to be Vida. It took half a second to figure out what must have happened.

Yeah, something was wrong. All that was left were the details.

She kept her expression neutral and said nothing as she followed the principal into his office. He closed the door behind them and offered her a seat in front of his desk. She settled in, still worried, but in a strange way relieved now that she had an idea of what to expect. What she didn't know was how the principal was going to handle things.

"Sorry to interrupt your meeting," Dr. Weimer said. He appeared to be trying to find a way to broach the awkward subject.

"It's okay," she said. "I take it Sean must have done...something? I'm not used to seeing him in the office, or trouble at all."

He nodded. "Nor am I. Which makes this all the more surprising and disappointing. I'm not sure what to do and, well, since I knew you were here, I thought I'd bring you in on it."

Joan waited for him to continue.

Weimer squirmed. "I caught your son and the others openly...masturbating...on the auditorium stage."

Even though Joan knew it was coming, the audacity of the setting still raised her eyebrows. It was probably just as well, since he no doubt was expecting a shocked reaction from her. She was disappointed in her son's lack of good judgement for doing anything with his secret club on school grounds.

"Wow." She let the word hang, as if trying to grasp the impossibility of the situation. "Uh, wow. Didn't see that coming. All of them?"

Weimer's tension seemed to ease a notch at her response, perhaps fearing she might blow up at him or the kids. "Yes. I'll spare you some of the less pleasant details, but there was some significant nudity involved."

She sighed. Foolish, indeed.

"Did anyone else see this?"

He shook his head no. "A student told me they saw some other students acting suspiciously by the stage door. I wasn't expecting to find anything, but..."

Joan nodded. "So, at least we can assume they were thought they were being careful, not intending to get caught?"

Weimer's eyes narrowed. "I suppose. You seem to be taking this surprisingly well."

Joan was walking a fine line, trying to keep him from overreacting while giving it the serious response it deserved.

"Oh, I'm not happy about it. Surprised and disappointed, really. But I'd be a lot more upset if they'd been doing something out in public."

Weimer's frown deepened. "What, doing it in a public school isn't public enough? There are kids and staff around at this hour. And even if there weren't—"

Joan held up her hands to concede the point. "I get it. Even after school, students and staff are still around. It shows poor judgment."

"That's putting it mildly. I'd think you'd be more upset about the perversion of it all. I mean, there were...fluids...exchanged."

Joan cringed, not so much at the revelation but at the principal's revulsion of the act. He spent his entire life around teenagers. He couldn't possibly be that oblivious to the sort of behavior they engaged in.

"But masturbating, correct?"

Weimer gave her a suspicious look but nodded. "I didn't see anyone touching anyone else, no."

Joan leaned forward, resting her hands on his desk. "Look, I'm a mom, and I get the whole discomfort with the idea of my kids becoming sexually active. Or even just exploring their own bodies. I do. It's hard to see them as teens let alone adults. But it is what it is, and hormones are pretty powerful things at this age."

Weimer appeared ready to interrupt but Joan pressed on. "I have it on pretty good authority that my son and his girlfriend, Denby, are not sexually active. And before you say that can't be true, let me explain. See, all those programs the school runs -- safe sex, sex awareness, abstinence is a virtue, and so on -- well, they seemed to have actually sunk in. They've agreed to wait, hands off each other, at least until after graduation. So, there are two kids who actually took something of your message to heart."

Clearly, openly masturbating together wasn't what he'd had in mind with those programs, but his demeanor softened slightly. He still appeared skeptical as to where this was going.

Joan said, "Being teens, of course, means they're still fighting hormones and peer pressure and pop cultural expectations. I'm sure it's hard. Probably far worse than it was for us. So maybe they found a compromise? A loophole? I'll admit that sharing with friends is perhaps a bit...much...but it's not like it's that unusual."

Weimer frowned. "I'd still call in unusual. And highly inappropriate. Certainly warranting punishment."

Joan knew she might make things worse by trying to deflect any punishment. Softening might be the best approach.

"My gut instinct was to forbid them from participating in commencement, especially since they're all seniors."

Joan's stomach sank. That would be a disaster, explaining it to all their families. Before she could protest, Weimer held up his hand.

"Because of your involvement in the ceremony, though, I'm reluctant to go that route. And since I knew you were here, I thought I'd get your input."

That was a mixed blessing. He was giving her a way to soften things, yet she had absolutely no idea what she could offer up that he would find suitable.

"What, are you thinking like detention or something like that?"

Weimer shook his head. "No, that's for minor stuff like being tardy or cursing in the hallway. At the very least, I'll have to inform all their parents. Suspension for a day, too, perhaps?"

"Uh, I'm not sure that's such a good idea," Joan said.

"Because it's your son?"

Joan met his challenging stare. "No, because of their reputations. Something like this could ruin relationships with parents. Could be devastating among classmates. I know full well you've had at least one student take their own life for lesser embarrassments. Not that I'm worried about something like that, but I think the extent of that punishment might go beyond what you realize."

To his credit, Weimer appeared to take her words under consideration. Maybe the mention of suicide cut through the clutter.

"I still feel obligated to inform their parents. I think it'd be negligent not to. They may all be legal adults, but they're also still dependents."

Joan didn't know the parents of Sean's friends all that well, but she had met most. Denby's parents, in particular, concerned her for how they might react. It wasn't something she could put her finger on, just a gut feel.

She had one more lever to use with the principal, which only just occurred to her.

"Will that really teach the kids more of a lesson than getting caught already did, though?" She said. "I'm reminded of a story about a certain member of the Highland faculty who might have gotten a bit drunk at a colleague's Christmas party a few years back and indecently exposed himself."

Weimar's skin went flush, clearly caught between mortified and angry at the mention of his moment of indiscretion. Joan had only heard the story third or fourth hand and it had apparently happened when he was relatively new to the staff, a good fifteen years ago. No complaints had been registered and to the best of her and everyone else's knowledge, he'd been a model administrator since.

"Are you blackmailing me?" His voice was low -- not exactly threatening, but certainly urging caution.

"No," Joan said. "I wouldn't. You can mete out whatever punishment you think serves the best interests of these students. I'm just suggesting that, had someone adhered to the code of conduct all those years ago and reported that indiscretion to the school board, Highland High might not have had such a nice, long run of exceptional leadership."

Weimar collapsed back in his chair. Neither of them broke eye contact as they took the measure of the other's position. Finally, he gave her a short nod.

"I think you've convinced me, Mrs. Gregg," he said. "But, I still feel they need some sort of punishment. Maybe we leave the parents, aside from you, out of it."

Joan smiled. "I think I have just the thing."

#

The wait was killing Sean. Everything had fallen apart and his mom, of all people, just had to be on the school premises when it all went down. After seeing her, Denby had completely closed up on herself, probably embarrassed beyond words. She refused any consolation from him and even pushed his hand away when he reached for her. With the secretary still in the office, no one dared discuss what had happened or might come of things behind that closed door.

Straining in the silence, Sean could just make out the occasionally muted word exchanged between his mom and Dr. Weimar. The door to the principal's office must have been thick and heavy, though, as nothing clear could be made out. How would she react when she heard the details of this little episode? He knew she'd tacitly approved of their club, but she'd also urged him to be careful.

The door opened, and everyone's eyes shot up. His mom stepped out and paused, taking in each of the five of them in turn. Sean felt Denby look away rather than meet her gaze.

"I'd like to thank you all for volunteering to help set up and tear down chairs for the commencement ceremony," she said, her voice impossibly calm. "Eight a.m. sharp at the gymnasium the morning of. Don't be late."

Her eyes met Sean's last before she took her leave. He couldn't quite read her mood, but there was still a lot conveyed in that look. Disappointment, certainly, but not anger. Curiously, maybe a hint of amusement? She had a certain confidence in the moment that he respected.

As she left the main office, Dr. Weimar came out of his own. His demeanor was serious but no longer had the shocked anger of earlier. Just what had his mom said in there? He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

"I trust I'll never have to deal with this or any of you again?" Everyone agreed quickly. "Then get out of here. I will personally make sure each of you show up for your volunteering, so..."

He left that thought hang in the air before turning on his heel and retreating to his office. Sean was on his feet, along with the rest, and out the office door before the man could change his mind. The lack of any more severe punishment was a huge weight lifted off his shoulders, but he still felt the tense vibe among the group.

No one said a word until they were outside the building and halfway to the student parking lot.

"I can't believe he didn't read us the riot act," Andy said, finally breaking the silence. "I mean, after what he walked in on, I thought he might call the freaking cops."

"He could have," Vida said, clearly deflated. "I know my parents are pretty understanding and all, but..."

"And your mom, Sean," Lisa said. "How on Earth did she go in there and talk him down? And then walk out like we'd only been caught running in the halls?"

Sean shrugged. "Maybe she's just a little more open-minded."

Denby came to an abrupt stop and Sean nearly lost his balance avoiding a crash. She turned on him with a look of stunned revelation.

"No. She already knew." It was equal parts question and accusation.

The bottom fell out of Sean's stomach while the others processed Denby's words. They looked between the two of them in confusion. Denby's eyes only hardened as she must have read the truth on his face.

"Knew what?" Lisa said.

Denby said, no longer uncertain, "She already knew about us. About the club."

"What?" Andy and Vida said in unison, catching up.

"I couldn't put my finger on it before, but she's been treating me differently," Denby said, her words ice cold. "Looking at me different. Not mean, not judgmental. Almost too nice, actually.

"And then, when she walked in the office, it's like she immediately knew what it was about. Because she did. Isn't that right?"

Sean felt the uncomfortable stare of all four others fall on him. He had trouble believing Denby had really picked up enough to jump to that correct conclusion, but there was no other explanation. He couldn't say he'd noticed his mom act any different around Den, but would he have noticed? She was probably more sensitive to his parents than he.

He bowed his head. "Yeah, she figured it out."

Denby looked beyond pissed. Lisa let out a long whistle of the "wow" variety. Andy cursed softly under his breath and Vida looked uncertain how good or bad that could be.

When Den didn't say anything, Andy asked, "How? Did we get careless?"

Sean shook his head. "No, this one's on me. And her, in a way. See, after things started with the club, I decided to keep a journal, something to help remember this incredible time in our lives when I'm old and gray and forgetful."

Denby's jaw dropped. Lisa, taking it far more in stride, quipped, "So, is that a violation of the club rules? Seems like a gray area to me."

"I'd say it does," Andy said, clearly disappointed. "I mean, we're careful not to even mention things by text."

"I know," Sean said. "It was stupid. I thought I'd gone out of my way to hide by using an old fantasy football notebook and burying it under a pile of crap. Mom somehow noticed and got nosey. And, well, she eventually came clean and apologized like I've never heard before for invading my privacy."

Everyone except Denby seemed to relax slightly at that tidbit. Den was clenching her teeth so hard it gave Sean a headache. He knew she was probably bent into a pretzel over the idea of his mom knowing all about their private activities. Rightly so. He also wanted to convince her that he knew his mom was cool with it and wouldn't go sharing or judging.

Denby finally spoke. "It never occurred to you to tell me when she found out? Or any of us?"

Her tone conveyed a sense of utter betrayal. It hurt, because he hadn't considered it that big of a deal after its resolution.

"Maybe I should have," he said. "I just didn't see how that would make things better, and I saw lots of ways it could make things worse."

"Hiding anything else you'd care to come clean on before we find out another way?"

Sean hesitated before answering. He didn't think so, but was he sure? He was pretty certain she already knew and approved of what he and Lisa had done while fooling around together that one afternoon. There hadn't been any other slips when it came to the club.

"No."

She stared at him. No one else dared even breathe.

"Did she know before or after inviting me to that yoga class of hers?"

Sean had to think for a moment to reconstruct the timeline. "Before. Just."

"I'm done," she said. "Done with you, done with the club."