Somewhere along the way, Georgia learns that the girl who handed us the headphones is a birthday girl.
“Come with us,” the birthday girl tells us.
Georgia looks up at me with pleading eyes, and I can’t help but smile again. And that’s how we end up dancing in a warehouse filled with pink glitter, house music, and scantily clad acrobats until four o’clock in the morning. This is worth the panic attack I have when we have to sneak back into my apartment at an hour when the families with children are starting to wake up.
It’s probably worth it when we order food and eat in her bed, or naked on the Porn Couch, watching old episodes of the Jersey Shore.
“So let me get this straight,” I ask her after pausing the show. “The girls wrote Sam an ‘anonymous’ letter, one that wasvery clearlywritten by her housemates, about Ron dicking around?
She nods seriously. “Multiple people in the house know,Oliver,” she says, with a mouth full of pad Thai. “Therefore, she should know the truth.”
Definitely worth it, when I find myself looking down at her on her knees, both my hands wrapped in her hair as I thrust into her mouth. And another time, when I wrap her ponytail around my hand and forcibly yank it back, Georgia screaming as I fuck her from behind, the thumb of my other hand wedged firmly in her ass. And yet another, when she lets me tie her wrists to her headboard, and I edge her for hours.
Back and forth. Back and forth.
I’m not quite sure it’s worth it, though, when Superintendent Daniels strides into my office with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step. “Hello, Oliver,” he tells me, sitting down in the chair across from my desk.
My stomach becomes a lead weight in my body.Well, this is it. They know about us. We’re both fired. Well, now maybe we can start that OnlyFans channel Georgia was talking about; principal punishes hot teacher?—
“Oliver, I’m here to commend you on what a fantastic job you’re doing,” he tells me.
“Excuse me?” I am legitimately confused.
“Everyone at the district loves what you’re doing. Your middle of year screener scores project that your state test scores will exceed last year’s success rate.” He smiles, face shining. “I haven’t heard a peep from any family from that one classroom. You’ve kept them all and their teacher under control. Although I don’t know how you do it,” he says, winking at me. “If it were me in your shoes, I wouldn’t be able to resist taking her over my knee?—”
“That’s enough, Superintendent Daniels,” I tell him firmly, thinking of how I did just that earlier this week.We really have gotten away with it.“Remember what I said about talking about my staff inappropriately.”
He chuckles. “Yes, yes, so proper, Oliver. You’re so… tense. Lighten up a little.”
I tap my foot, impatient and wanting him to leave now that I know I still have a job. “Is there a particular reason for this visit, Mr. Daniels? I have several classroom observations scheduled today.”
“No, no, no particular reason,” he says, ignoring my urgency and leaning back in his chair. “Just wanted to let you know you’ve impressed me lately. Have you taken any further consideration to my offer? Want to come be my deputy?”
“Well, I wanted to talk to you first.” I had this conversation with Georgia the other day, wanting to know her thoughts on the matter. She told me I should probably find out more about what my day to day would look like. “I wanted to know more about what the position would entail. Is it all about rubbing shoulders with the mayor? Shaking hands with the Chancellor at Tweed?” I ask, referring to the courthouse in the Financial District that serves as DOE headquarters.
He laughs out loud, spraying my desk with spittle. “No, no Oliver, don’t be ridiculous.” He eyes me. “That’smyjob.” He smiles silkily. “No, Oliver, what you would be doing would be… well, it would be more of whatever you’re doing right now.”He really has no idea. “But with principals, instead of teachers. You’d oversee all the schools in the district. Supervise all the principals. Make curricular decisions for the district. Be my right-hand man. Get your hands dirty. I’d leave you to it, of course. I trust you to get things done properly.”
I like the sound of it.I’d be meeting my goals. I’d still be doing real, tangible work. I’d be far away from Georgia, and we wouldn’t have to spend every day at work together pretending as if we’re complete strangers. And it sounds like he would leave me alone to do what I need to do. He’d be out of my hair.“I just might like that, Mr. Daniels.”
He grins and claps his hands together. “Great, Oliver. Well, the position is yours. Just get through the winter. The spring is when I’ll get my new budget line, and I’ll be able to open the position for you and get you paid.”
“Got it, Mr. Daniels. I’m honored to have this opportunity. Thank you.” I stand and shake his hand.
He salutes on his way out of my office. “Great job, Oliver.”
We just have to get through the winter then. Then it will probably be worth it.
THIRTY
Georgia
We go over to his parents’on a random weekend at the beginning of December.
I’m delighted. Thrilled, really, to see them again. I also wonder when I started referring to me and Oliver as the royal ‘we.’ A ‘we’ who casually goes to his parents’ house for Sunday brunch. He didn’t even ask, we just kind of ended up here because I was staying at his the night before. I find that I don’t hate it. Especially after weeks at work of pretending not to know each other, always separated by a distance of at least twenty feet.
I can’t help but think of Reggie and Vic once in a while. Do I like being hidden away, like some sort of illicit affair partner? It’s not great, but Oliver is pretty great, and what we’re doing is pretty fun. Do I like that it’s my job on the line, if we get caught? I mean, that’s not great. But he did say we just have to get through the winter. Which is only a few months.
I do wonder, for a short moment, when my self-destructive tendencies will rear its ugly head. But they’re all good for right now. I wonder for an even shorter moment if it’s becausewe’re still in the limbo-infatuation-I-want-to-bang-your-brains-out-every-time-I-look-at-you stage.
