Nets and Lies(18)

We eased down in the leather bound chairs in front of the desk. “Have you ever been in here?” Mom asked, in a whisper once Mrs. Tillery left the room.

“Nope. Just Mr. Sands office.”

“I see.”

Dr. Micheltree didn’t keep us long. She breezed into the office, her usual dark bob bouncing. “Good morning,” she said, with a smile. I couldn’t help but wonder how fake she seemed. I guess she was used to putting on a front for irate parents. “And what is it you’ve come to see me about?”

Mom cleared her throat. “I’m Ms. Bradford, and my daughter, Jordan, has something she needs to tell you.”

I stared at Mom in disbelief. I never imagined her throwing me under the bus in the first two seconds, but she had. Maybe even a small part of me hoped she would say the words—that she would utter the lie that had to be spoken. But she didn’t.

Dr. Micheltree looked expectantly at me. “Yes, Jordan?”

This was it—the big moment. The invisible line drawn in the sand that I had to cross. I swallowed nervously before I finally found my voice. “I was raped.”

Dr. Micheltree’s eyebrows shot up and disappeared into her forehead. “Here on campus?”

I nodded.

She stared at me in shock. “I’m so sorry, Jordan. When did it happen?”

“Last night.”

“And where was it?”

“The gym.”

I held my breath, waiting for her to ask the one question she seemed to have forgotten. She knew when and where, but she seemed unconcerned with who it was. I mean, wouldn’t you think it would be the most important question? It sure as hell would be to me. But the truth was, she was more concerned with her precious school’s appearance—like who could get their ass in a sling because they weren’t properly supervising students.

Her brows furrowed together, and she finally asked, “Do you know who it was?”

“Yes.”

“Who?” she prompted.

I glanced over at Mom. She bobbed her head in encouragement. I looked back at Dr. Micheltree. “It was Coach Thompson.”

I expected a range of reactions from her—shock, disbelief, horror, outrage…anything but what she said was certainly not one of them. “You must be mistaken.”

The wind left my body in one long whoosh. “Excuse me?” I croaked.

She avoided my gaze by staring down at her lap. “I said, you must be mistaken. Mark Thompson is one of the finest teachers we have here at Newton. His reputation is impeccable.”

Before I could argue with her, Mom leaned forward in her chair. “Just what are you trying to say?”

Dr. Micheltree clasped her hands together. “I feel that perhaps your daughter is mistaken.”

Mom’s face reddened. “You think she’s mistaken about being raped? And just how does one go about being mistaken about something like that?”

“I just feel she needs to be careful who she is accusing.”

Anger washed over me. I heard Coach T’s voice in my ear. “Go ahead and go to the office. They won’t believe you….”

“You think I’m lying, don’t you?” I demanded.

Dr. Micheltree refused to answer. “One second please. I want to call Mr. Sands in here. He’s an Assistant Principal as well as our athletic director.”

“I’m not lying!” I shouted.

She held her hand up to silence me. “Just a moment, Jordan.”

Within a few seconds, I heard Mr. Sands name being paged over the intercom. He must’ve been close by because he appeared in the doorway just a few minutes later.

He didn’t seem too surprised to see me. After all, wasn’t I the badass with a reputation and record? “Hello Jordan,” he said, pleasantly.

“Hi,” I grumbled. I’d gotten to know Mr. Sands fairly well in the four years I’d been at Newton. He was my administrator so whenever I got written up for doing something, I had to go to him for my punishment. In all those years and through all the shit I’d done, we’d had plenty of opportunities to strengthen our relationship.

He walked over to have a seat next to Dr. Micheltree’s desk. “Just what seems to be the problem?”

“Jordan wants to make a rape claim against Mark Thompson.”

The color drained from Mr. Sands’ face. “Excuse me?”

I nodded. “He raped me Monday night in his office.”

Mr. Sands gave me a sad look. “Jordan, do you know what you’re saying?”

“Yes, I do!” I snapped. Their doubt in my credibility was seriously pissing me off. Regardless of what Coach T had threatened, I never imagined I would be questioned. I thought it would all be him. “Why would I lie about something like this?”

Mr. Sands glanced over at Dr. Micheltree, and she gave a short nod of her head. “Jordan,” he began, “you do understand the seriousness of the accusation you are making. Whether guilty or not, educators never recover their reputations after something like this happens.” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “I know that teachers can sometimes be unfair and make students angry. Sometimes they can get so angry over an F on a paper or a snide remark they decide they want to make a teacher pay. This isn’t what this is about, is it?”