Chapter 7

When Kelsey got home on Halloween night, her parents questioned where she had gone. They noticed her hair was messy, and she looked like she was in a dream-like state. They demanded to know where she had gone and who she had gone with! She reaffirmed that she had gone to a Halloween party that night, and a friend dropped her off close by, but they seemed to doubt her.

It was a strange and somewhat annoying turn of events for Kelsey. She’d spent the last several years doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, because her parents were too preoccupied fighting to notice anything she did. Now, when she had somewhere she wanted to go, they were suddenly paying attention to her? At this point, they had no right to question her choices. She had been abandoned for the majority of high school. Who were they to parent her now?

Her parents made not so subtle hints that they thought she had snuck out to meet a boy. They were right, in a manner of speaking, but that was her business, not theirs. They demanded to know his name and wanted to meet him, but she continued to deny it and stormed upstairs to her room, slamming the door.

‘Of all the possible times, why did they have to start noticing her now?’ Kelsey thought to herself. She stripped out of her witch costume and stood in the mirror, looking at herself in her underwear. Slowly, she removed her bra and then finally her black panties, noticing a white spot in the crotch. She looked at her nude body, running her hands along her chest and down to her pussy.

‘I had sex with him tonight. I’m no longer a virgin,’ she thought as she looked at herself. She practically floated to bed, without putting on a stitch of clothing, and covered herself with a blanket. She was tired. The evening had been physically and emotionally draining, but she was so happy. She drifted off to sleep thinking about everything that happened and wondered when they might be able to do it again.

The rest of the weekend, her parents badgered her to tell them who she was with, but she didn’t crack. She would repeat that she was at a party and that friends gave her a ride home. When they wouldn’t stop pestering her, she’d go to her room and daydream about spending the rest of her life with Gordon. If he really was serious about moving with her when she left for college, she could have everything she ever wanted. She desperately hoped what he said was true. It wasn’t that she doubted him, she knew him well enough to know better. It was that maybe his feelings might change, or something could make it difficult, even impossible.

Monday morning, Kelsey arrived at school early for band practice. There were already a few students warming up when she saw Gordon. He was in his office, going through some papers when she knocked on the door.

“Hello, Mr. O.” she said, with a smile.

“Oh, uh ... hello Kelsey, what can I do for you?” he said nervously, Kelsey noticing hands starting to shake.

“Oh nothing, just thought I’d ask what we’re working on this morning. Get everyone on track early, you know,” she said.

“We’re going to work on the Christmas arrangements, I think ‘Silent Night’ first.”

“Alright, thank you, Go ... I mean, Mr. O.,” she said before spinning around and taking her seat. That was something she was afraid of, calling him by the wrong name. She needed to be careful, or they could both get in a lot of trouble. She didn’t want to do anything that would jeopardize her chance for happiness with him. She needed to control herself better.

Kelsey told everyone what song they’d be starting with, and received an acknowledgment and a bit of laughter. She knew everyone already saw her as a brown-nosing teacher’s pet, but she didn’t care. ‘If they only knew the truth,’ Kelsey thought to herself, which helped shield her from the snide remarks she’d hear from the corners of the room.

As everyone arrived, she watched Gordon come out to take his position behind the podium, tap his baton, and start the practice. Throughout practice though, Kelsey could feel his eyes on her. He’d try to keep scanning the room, but she could see his eyes returning to her. It made her feel warm and happy inside. They shared a secret that only they knew about, something forbidden and taboo. She found herself daydreaming a bit too much and missed her entrance. It caused Gordon to stop the song and call her out for missing her cue. Embarrassed, she nodded and promised not to do it again.

The rest of the practice went well, and she was able to keep her head out of the clouds long enough to avert any more mistakes. She did her best to try to focus entirely on what she was doing at that moment, looking primarily at the sheet music and listening to where they were. When practice ended, she wanted to talk to Gordon and apologize for her mistake, but there wasn’t enough time, and a few other students had questions for him. She packed up and headed for her first class and hoped to talk to him at lunch.

Gordon had to take a deep breath after band practice ended. He had a biology class to get to, but he just needed a few moments to decompress. He went to his office and pretended to sort through paperwork until all the students left, then took a deep swig of the coffee he brought from home. Seeing Kelsey was always going to be difficult, but when she popped in his office before practice to say hello, he just wanted to pull her in and kiss her right there.

He needed to keep his composure and not let his emotions get the better of him. He almost did, when she missed her cue during practice. She hadn’t made basic mistakes like that since her first month in the band, four years ago. Internally, he wanted to tear a strip off her for her mistake, knowing her mind had likely drifted elsewhere. Externally though, he had to keep everyone from knowing something was up, so he lightly chided her, like he would have for anyone else.

What he ended up saying was “Wake up and focus, Kelsey.” A comment he never had to make before, which in and of itself, may have looked suspicious. It also could be that he was becoming paranoid, worrying too much about what everyone else might be thinking. It wasn’t something he’d concerned himself with for the last year, so why would he suddenly now, unless he had something to hide.

As he started spiraling down the rabbit hole of what ifs and whens, he noticed the clock and saw he only had a few minutes to get across the school. He grabbed his bag with his biology supplies and rushed to class, barely making it before the final bell. He knew it was going to be a long day.

Eventually, Gordon made it to lunch. He had managed to compose himself during his first period and was back to his old self. As lunch period began, he went to the cafeteria to get a salad. While he was in line, he saw his old friend Steve, who simply looked at him and turned away. It was disappointing to have burned that bridge, since the two of them went way back, but there wasn’t much he could do about it now. He got his lunch and headed into the safety of the music room. When he entered, Kelsey was waiting there for him holding her own lunch.

“Hello Mr. O.,” she said, sitting down at one of the chairs in the front row.

“Hello Kelsey, I thought we weren’t eating lunch together anymore?” Gordon wondered.

“I know, but I wanted to...” she stopped when the door opened and one of the new trumpet players entered.

“Hello Marcus, what can I do for you?” Gordon asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Hi Mr. Osgood, I was hoping to get a little practice in, if that’s ok.”

“I think so, check to see if anyone’s booked one of the rooms, but I think you’re good,” Gordon said, pointing to the schedule calendar.

Marcus checked and headed into the second practice room, but not before looking back at the teacher and student sitting together for lunch. Gordon noticed this but simply smiled and waved for him to head in. A few minutes later, they heard him start practicing, meaning it was safe to talk again. Gordon looked to the practice rooms before turning to Kelsey.

“Kelsey, we’ve got to be careful here. People are already suspicious of us, and I don’t think we’re doing a good job of hiding it now,” he warned.

Kelsey looked down at the ground. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just so tough not getting to see you. I hoped we could have lunch together, just like before, but you’re right.”

“I hate this too, believe me. I wanted to do nothing more than kiss you this morning before practice, but I couldn’t. We have to keep cool about this and if things work out, we won’t have to hide any more.”

“I can’t wait for that. Ok, I’ll try to keep my distance, but you have to behave as well. I saw you watching me all practice,” Kelsey said softly, keeping her voice low.

“I know, I couldn’t help it. You look so damned good. I’ll try not to ogle you too much, ok?”

“Can I still come to my after-school practice time?” Kelsey asked.

“If you’re actually going to practice, then yes.”

She gave him a frowny face but then nodded in agreement. They both finished their lunches and Kelsey left via the back door, to avoid extra suspicion. Gordon could tell she wanted to kiss him goodbye, and he wanted to do the same, but it was too dangerous. They simply parted with a smile and wave, and soon she was out the door. Gordon went to his office, pulled out some tests and started grading, the sound of an off-beat trumpet blaring in the background.

Kelsey spent the rest of the school day trying to figure out a way she could spend more time with Gordon without getting them in trouble. It was frustrating now, with her parents actually paying attention to her after school time. Why now, when she wanted to come and go as she pleased, did they have to start parenting?

When she got home from school, both her parents continued their attempts to pry information from her about her Halloween activities. They were convinced she had a boyfriend and that she was messing around with him. They had no proof of this, she was certain, as they would have brought it up if they did. It was like being interrogated by the cops, but they had no evidence of a crime, just some gut feeling, like in the cop shows. Sure, they were correct. There was someone she was involved with, but Kelsey figured it was not their business. They couldn’t ignore her for years and then suddenly became helicopter parents.

As soon as she finished dinner, which was another inquisition, she headed up to her room and shut the door. She lay in bed thinking about what life would be like next year at college. She wanted to pick a college farthest from here, away from everyone who knew her, except for one person. There, free from all of this, they could be a couple. Maybe they’d even get to live together, she thought to herself. If she could, she’d never come back to this town again. Eventually, after several hours of daydreaming, she fell asleep on her bed.

She woke up the next morning, still dressed in her clothes from the previous day. She quickly stripped and jumped into the shower, having slept in a little longer than she wanted. Her mom banged on the door at one point, telling her to hurry up or she’d be late. She didn’t have time to shave her legs, so she’d have to wear pants today. She tossed on some jeans and a cute blue top and headed downstairs to run and catch the bus.

She just made it to school on time and spent the rest of the day running around, just barely able to keep up. At lunch, she wanted to go to the music room but knew it was a bad idea. She ended up sitting alone at a table in the cafeteria, picking at her sandwich, not having much of an appetite for ham and cheese. She looked around at all the students chatting with their friends and felt a bit sad. She even saw her old friends Vicki and Stephanie, sitting with their current boyfriends and a bunch of the jocks. She felt a pang of loneliness at that moment. She got up, threw the rest of her lunch in the trash, and just sat in front of her locker, waiting for the next bell.

Kelsey endured the remainder of the school day, having a difficult time, but eventually the final bell sounded, and she headed to the music room. Gordon was already in the classroom, having just taught a class there during last period. He smiled at her and said hello, but she could tell he was trying to maintain some distance. She didn’t know why, until she heard someone in one of the practice rooms. ‘Damn it’, she thought to herself. She went to the free practice room and got herself set up.

A little sad that she couldn’t chat with her favorite teacher openly, Kelsey started practicing her piece for this year’s music competition. It wasn’t as clarinet heavy as previous years, but she did have a lengthy melody section which was somewhat challenging. As she practiced one of the trickier sections a few times, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She checked it, seeing it was a text from her mom, and chose to ignore it. She restarted the section and was part way done when she was texted again.

Where are you?

Kelsey again chose to ignore it, getting really sick of her parents over-parenting at his point. She once again restarted the section, slightly angry. They were now ruining her peaceful time of practicing, which helped her deal with the frustrations of her life. Just as neared the end of the piece, in her final run... buzz buzz ... buzz buzz. A phone call from her mother. Really angry now, Kelsey answered the phone.

“What! What is so important you can’t give me a few minutes to myself?” Kelsey shouted into the phone.

“DON’T YOU TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME, KELSEY MOORE,” her mom shouted back. “Where are you and who are you with?”

“Are you FUCKING SERIOUS? I’m at school, practicing for band like I always do every Tuesday and Thursday. You’d know that if you’d paid attention to my life the past FOUR YEARS!” Kelsey spit back.

“BULLSHIT! Where are you actually!” Her mom yelled back. “Let me talk to your teacher then!”

“FINE! Give me a moment!” Kelsey threw open the practice room door and headed for Mr. Osgood’s office. She could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t like what was coming. “Mr. O., my mother would like to talk to you.”

He nervously took the phone, clearly uncertain about what was going on. Kelsey hit the speakerphone so she could hear both ends of the call.

“Hello, Mrs. Moore?” he asked quite unsure.

“Hello, who’s this?” she barked.

“This is Gordon Osgood, music teacher at Lincoln High School. What seems to be the problem, Mrs. Moore?”

“Kelsey has told me she stays late after school twice a week to practice, is that true?” She said, still in an accusatory tone.

“Yes ma’am, sometimes more if she’s stuck on a piece. She’s been doing that regularly since I met her as a freshman,” he said with a bit more confidence, since it wasn’t a lie.

“Does she ever have anyone else there, a boy perhaps?”

“No, unless someone else is using one of the other rooms. I don’t really follow the personal lives of students, but I haven’t seen anyone with Kelsey since the incident with Mr. Tate last year,” he said, knowing the truth. “Is there something I should be concerned with?”

“No, thank you Mr. Osgood. Could you pass me back to Kelsey?”

“Ok, but before I do, let me just say that Kelsey has been a great student and has been one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen,” he said, looking at Kelsey before handing her the phone.

Kelsey had to wipe a tear from her eye before she turned it off speakerphone. “See, I told you I wasn’t lying.”

“Alright, you weren’t this time. We’ll see you at home,” her mom said before hanging up.

“Bye to you too, bitch,” Kelsey said, before nearly throwing her phone. Instead, she just dropped it on the ground and started crying.

“What was that all about?” Gordon asked, sitting on the ground beside her.

“My parents think I’m seeing a boy and I’m not telling them about it,” she sobbed. “It started after Halloween, and now it’s a never-ending interrogation.”