Nets and Lies(15)

I stared pleadingly into his eyes, waiting for his response. He sighed and brushed a tear off my cheek. “No, you weren’t. You are much, much more to me, I promise. And I do care for you.”

“Care for me? I tell you I love you and I want to spend my life with you, and you can only say that you care for me.” My mind spun with what he had told me earlier about his wife knowing he was having an affair. “Is there someone else?”

He refused to meet my gaze.

Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw a speck of blue peeking out of the couch cushion. That one tiny piece of cloth sent electricity firing through me and an image formed in my mind. “So you swear that there isn’t someone else?”

“No, of course not.”

My head shook maniacally as I stalked over to the couch. I ripped out the fabric, which happened to be a pair of panties with white embroidery reading Captain. “Then what in the hell is this?”

The color drained slowly out of Coach T’s usually tanned face. He looked like a corpse standing in front of me. And then I remembered Melanie streaking across the parking lot, and it hit me. “You’re doing Melanie, aren’t you?”

He stared at me in disbelief. “Jordan—”

Fury crashed over me. I’d been replaced by Miss Goody Two-Shoes! I struck out at him as best I could. “She’s your son’s girlfriend, you pervert!”

“It’s not like that at all.”

“Oh, and why did she leave here just a few minutes ago looking like hell?”

“If you would calm down for a minute, I would explain!” He reached out his hand for me, but I jerked away.

“I sure hope you can because you’re gonna have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when I go to Micheltree’s office in the morning!”

I clamped my mouth shut, regretting what I had said. But in spite of the acid nature of my words,  Coach T’s reaction was not what I expected. Instead of a face filled with fear, he stared mockingly at me. “Go ahead and tell your little story. No one will believe you.”

“What?”

“Think about it, Jordan. I’m a well respected teacher with tenure in the county.” He jerked his head toward his Victory Wall of trophies, plaques, and awards. “Not to mention, I’ve got one of the best coaching records around. I’m practically a god around here. And then there’s you: someone who is a known liar who has been a frequent resident in detention for cheating, skipping school, and other offences.” He stared daggers at me. “Who do you think they’re going to believe?”

I trembled under his glare. I’d never seen this side of him before. He’d always teased me, joked with me…been tender with me. This was frightening.

But I refused to let him see how scared I was. “You don’t know what they’ll believe.”

His lips curled into a cruel smirk. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to see.”

I stared at him in shock before flinging the panties at him. My hair fell in front of my face, shielding the tears that flowed. Slamming his office door, I stalked out of the gym and into the icy night.

My mascara stung my eyes and blinded me, causing me to stumble towards my car. Thoughts swarmed in my head like an angry beehive. This can’t be happening. He’ll come after me. He’ll realize he’s wrong. He doesn’t want me to tell. He LOVES me.

I slammed the car door and banged my head on the steering wheel. Without bothering to cover my mouth, I screamed and thrashed and sobbed. My vision became clouded by a mixture of eyeliner, mascara, and salt.

I’d been rejected.

Again.

I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. He was going to pay. I was going to hurt him like he’d hurt me. If it was the last thing I did, he would pay.

***

My mother has never been a cookie-making, PTA Mom. She had me at twenty, and I guess you could say we grew up together, especially after my dad took off when I was five. From that moment on, it was Mom and me against the world.

So, I knew when I entered the house, crushed and sobbing, she would be on my side. It wouldn’t matter that a married man had broken my heart—a married man who was a coach and teacher at my school. The details would be insignificant compared to the fact I was in pain.

Since it was late, I knew she would be doing her second favorite thing—working out. I descended the stairs to the basement as loud 80’s music blared in my ears. Mom seemed to only be able to get her exercise groove on to the big hair bands. As my hand hovered over the doorknob, I could hear the faint humming noise of the elliptical.

Once I opened that door and spilled my guts, there would be no turning back. Secrets spoken out loud could never be silenced. They always seemed to spiral out of control, filling you with regret that you ever acknowledged them.

I was right. The instant Mom saw my tear stained face, she gasped. “JoJo, what’s wrong?” she asked, hopping off the machine. She was at my side at an instant.

“Oh, Mom, it’s so awful!” I cried, sinking down on the exercise bench.

She brushed the hair away from my face. “Tell me what happened.”

Slowly, I purged myself of mine and Coach T’s affair. It was like I had word vomit and couldn’t stop. I related every intimate detail, every stolen moment together. Mom sat like a statue by my side, never reacting, never gasping with horror or disappointment. I had to say I was pretty impressed she didn’t go on a profanity filled tirade.