Six Little Secrets(44)

One officer directed her onto the sidewalk, away from the cars.

She put her chin down, gripped the straps of her bag, and darted to the front entrance. In her heart, she knew what was going on, but wondered why in such a public place. Moreno had said they needed more information. Had they contacted Gina Price the day before? Had she finally confessed to the relationship with Mr. Curtis and about the night of Jacob’s death?

A surge of people came out of the school and Zoe stumbled back, slamming into someone. An apology evaporated from her lips as Mr. Curtis stood in the middle of the crowd with his hands behind his back.

Zoe melted into the crowd, avoiding his eyes. But he didn’t look anywhere near her. His eyes squinted at the flashes from the cameras of the media and he tried to avoid the video cameras the reporters shoved in his face.

He and two police officers walked down the front steps toward the curb while cameras flashed at him and reporters shouted questions and accusations at him.

‘How long have you been sleeping with your students?’ one of the reporters asked.

Then the rest of the media started talking over one another.

‘Did you kill Jacob Hollis?’

‘Did you rape those girls?’

A sour taste filled Zoe’s mouth. Was Gina not his first?

The questions went on and on as a police officer assisted Mr. Curtis into the cruiser. He looked out the window, and for a split second, his eyes landed on hers.

Her back pressed against the wall next to the front doors. It was as if he could sense where she was.

The night after turning him in, she’d cried almost as much as she did when Dad died. Deep down, she loved him. Or she thought she did. Now, there were no more tears to cry for him. He made his choice, and now he finally paid for it.

Was this how Megan felt after doling out her revenge? It didn’t feel great, but there was a sliver of hope inside of her that the world would be right someday.

‘Zoe,’ someone said from next to her.

She jumped, coming back to the present. ‘Teddy.’

‘Hey,’ he said. ‘Did you hear the news?’

‘What news?’ Zoe asked. She wasn’t sure why she was still pretending. It had become a habit.

‘Mr. Curtis came forward,’ he said.

Zoe glanced over her shoulder as the police and news crews started to depart from the property. Several officers remained to keep the media at bay while giving Mr. Curtis and the detective a chance to get a head start.

‘He didn’t,’ Zoe said. ‘I did.’

Teddy cocked his head to the side. And Zoe told him everything about her relationship with Mr. Curtis, leaving nothing out.

Teddy accompanied Zoe to her locker. His shock wore off a lot quicker than she thought it would. She supposed with all the rumors surrounding Mr. Curtis’ involvement with his students that he wasn’t too surprised to hear it was true. Though Zoe was sure Teddy didn’t expect Zoe to be involved.

It was easier confessing to Teddy. While she didn’t enjoy seeing the disappointment on his face, they’d all bared their deepest secrets to each other that weekend. She was a part of that now.

The rumor mill was in full force as they walked down the hall. Most of the kids who saw Mr. Curtis leaving the building were speculating why. From the questions by the reporters, the rumors were more accurate than Zoe would have guessed.

‘Who was he sleeping with here?’ Kelly Day asked Erin Finch.

‘I don’t know, but do you remember him hitting on me at the beginning of the school year?’ Erin said.

‘What a creeper.’

‘A hot creeper.’ Erin almost sounded disappointed.

She covered herself with an uncomfortable laugh, and they continued to talk in hushed voices as they walked to their first period classes.

Zoe turned to her locker, not wanting to appear guilty or hear any more false information. Though this was the beginning, as it was in small towns. Everyone would cling to the news at night over dinner to absorb one more tidbit of information about the teacher who murdered a kid while sleeping with another.

She was lucky her mom wasn’t much of a news watcher. Though she’d have to tell her soon. Zoe was tired of secrets and Mom would be disappointed to hear the information from anyone else. That was the next step to building their relationship again.

Teddy stayed with her as she gathered her books.

‘Hey, Teddy,’ Jackie said from behind her.

She turned and saw Jackie across the hall. It took her a minute to recognize the cheerleader. Even though she had her uniform on as she always did, now she sported straight bangs across her forehead. They were too thick to see any damage underneath. Q stood next to her, casually propped against the locker. His hands were still in bandages.

Seeing the two of them together was strange, but it somehow made sense. Megan had bonded all of them together. Some more than others.

‘You okay?’ Zoe asked Jackie.

Jackie and Q crossed the hallway until they stood in front of Teddy and Zoe.

Jackie swiped her hand at her new haircut. ‘I’m fine. I thought it was time for a change, and this helps to remind me.’

Zoe nodded, knowing how she felt.

Cece came down the hall, and she slowed when she saw the rest of them. She wore a simple pastel-pink tank top and cardigan with jeans. Zoe couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Cece in a casual outfit.