I know this has to do with Adam, but against my better judgment, I ask, “Is there a problem? Did I do something wrong?”
A smug, mean-girl look crosses her face, making me slightly step back. Her eyes narrow as she reaches into her purse and grabs a tabloid magazine, holding it out to me. “Do I really need to explain more?” she spits out.
I grab the magazine that shows Adam, Cailin, and me at the zoo together. I flip through the pages, thinking they dug into my past and found nothing but lies that cover over the spreads, yet I find nothing. Only innocent, wholesome pictures of us spending the day at the zoo.
I glance up as I hand it back. “I’m sorry. I don’t see what you mean.”
“Are you dating this drug-infused, crazy madman?”
I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. “Did you really just refer to him as a drug-infused, crazy madman?”
She places her hands on her hips and quirks her head as she sneers, “Well, he is.”
“Really? Says who?”
Her eyes roll back, and my blood begins to boil.
“Says everyone. The man is an out-of-control disgrace, and I don’t want my child anywhere around that.”
“You do realize he is Cailin’s father, right?”
“God, that poor girl. I doubt he’s had anything to do with her life. That’s the real reason he kept her a secret—because she was basically a secret to him too. I can only imagine how she’s being raised without a stable parent. Someone should be calling child protective services instead of being all infatuated with the two of you.”
My chest pounds, and I have to take a deep breath before I truly give this parent a reason to remove her daughter from my class. I’m a very nonconfrontational person, but this woman is about to push me over the edge.
I stand up straighter to make sure she knows I mean business. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. How would you feel if someone assumed things about you that weren’t true?”
“But theyaretrue. I can show you news story after news story to prove it. The man’s a menace, and he shouldn’t be allowed on school grounds. His songs are not appropriate, and don’t even get me started on his attire.”
She shakes as if she’s disgusted, and I want to slap the smug look off her face.
Instead, I stop and inhale a deep breath. The nerve of this woman. This is what Adam was talking about last night. I’ve experienced one side of the industry, but I never imagined how this side would be. Haters do come in all shapes and forms, and seeing this woman stand in my classroom makes me cringe for humanity even more.
Her phone rings, making my eyes open wide in shock at her choice of songs for her ringtone. The song “I Don’t Mind”by Usher sings out as her ring tone. The irony is both humbling and sickening with the song lyrics referencing that just because she dances on a pole doesn’t mean she’s a ho.
She reaches into her purse and silences the phone before turning back to me, completely unfazed at what just transpired.
“Mrs. Everson, can I ask you a question?” I nonchalantly lean back on one of the desks.
She eyes me. “What?” she asks nastily.
“Are you a stripper for a living?”
She looks appalled, and I have to bite my lip to hide the smile I want so bad to spread across my face, knowing I hit my target.
“Are you against the dancing profession? I mean, you wouldn’t want your daughter to become a stripper, would you?”
“I am disgusted you would talk about my daughter and even suggest her becoming an exotic dancer one day.” She grabs her purse and flings it over her back. “I will have your job. I’m going straight to the principal, to the school board if I have to. You’re finished.”
I nod slowly, letting her think she’s got me. Once she gets to the door, I stop her. “You know, for someone who is so quick to judge who a person is by the way they act or are portrayed, maybe you should look at yourself and the waysyouare influencing your daughter.”
She spins with her lip turned up, just dying to bury me. “What are you talking about?”
I stand and stroll toward her. “You came in here, assuming just because Adam Jacobson portrays a certain image to his fans that he’s not fit to be a dad. But I can tell you from firsthand experience that he is one of the best dads I’ve ever met, and Cailin is lucky to have him. His music has meaning. Have you ever actually listened to his songs? He talks about hardships and overcoming them to be a stronger person.”
“What are you babbling about? You’re only trying to save his ass because my next call is to child services.”
“So, you can truly stand there and say he’s not fit to be a dad? What if I said that about you solely based on your ringtone there?”
