Chapter 11: Bailey Caught Red Handed

My eyes flicked open. It was light inside my little fishbowl. Peace and quiet that I knew would soon be shattered. I wanted to stay in bed a few more minutes. I wanted to dream of the nasty naughty things I’d done with Brian, but it was already getting late and I really needed to shower before doing anything else. I had to skip breakfast and run out with unwashed hair, sweats, a belly shirt and a zipped up hoodie. I’d have to keep the hoodie zipped with the school’s dress code, but whatever at least I made the bus.

I found Becky and Addy on a pair of benches with a few other cross country girls. I walked up but they just closed ranks. No one even looked at me, they just moved as a unit. The message was deafeningly clear. I wanted to say the magic words to make it better, but I knew there weren’t any. I took a step back. If she’d let me say I was sorry and I was terrible maybe she’d forgive me. But they were making a point. Nothing I said mattered anymore. “I’m sorry,” I muttered and turned and walked away.

School was quiet. I worked on the paper for Mr. Wainwright thought my early classes and lunch, which made it easier to get through the day without talking to anyone who really wanted to talk to me. Phil stopped by and spent time with me even though I didn’t want him to and was trying to work. I guess that’s good?

I guess it didn’t matter since I knew I could go home later and be absolutely free, safe, and have fun. Safe, right ... Crap. You can’t get condoms from the school nurse here, if I was going to be able to please him the way I wanted, I needed to get the pill. Not going to bore you with the details, but I got them. Did you know that you can’t just take them and be good? You have to wait like a month before you can have sex, plus it was more expensive than I expected. Last night I was consumed by it and now I had to wait a month? I guess it was a blessing that Brian was out. I logged into his machine to spy on him, maybe get a clue where he was, but all I saw was texts about delivering product. I guess he’s doing messenger boy work now. One interesting thing they mentioned was, “Party Supplies”. I guess they were planning some kind of party soon. Of course, now I wanted to ask him about it but he wasn’t home and I couldn’t ask him about something that was a secret.

Becky and Addy were still ignoring me the next day and the next night Brian didn’t come home until after I’d gone to sleep again. I guess that’s why I started writing this little memoir. I felt like my voice was disappearing. I didn’t really talk at all for three days. I guess if you can go through school and alienate everybody maybe it’s best if you keep your mouth shut anyway. Still Brian said he had party supplies locked away - like literally on lock. Without anything else to think about, he consumed my thoughts. I looked through his message history for a while for anything interesting. Seems like he’d been doing deliveries for a while. There was one guy who he texted just once. “1024, 34-15-32”. I was eating alone at lunch now, so I had plenty of time to think about it. Yeah, I cried a couple times. But it’d been days and I guess if Becky had decided I was garbage, then that was it. Best not to think about that, better to think about the numbers. Can you go crazy from not talking to people or having friends or anything like that? I think maybe I might be losing it a little, cause I kept on feeling like I was being watched. Then again, you’re at a High School, of course you’re being watched, it’s just no one who is watching actually cares.

It was Friday by the time I think I figured it out, which is embarrassing considering ... Brian’s locker was on the first floor and that could be his locker combination. I had to know for sure. So I waited after school and skipped the bus. I’d have to take a city bus but I still had a little of my own money left, but it was a small price to pay for more information on Brian. I set the numbers and the mechanism popped right open. Score one for me!

He had a couple of FHM magazine pictures plastered to the inside. Figures. It had a hodge podge of stuff and hello. I picked up a plastic baggy that was in the pocket of a jacket. When I tugged it out, the jacket rattled like a bottle of pills. I took a quick feel and knew the pocket also had a bottle of whatever these pills were. They weren’t mom’s sleeping pills, that’s for sure. “Oh shit,” I whispered to myself. My brother was a drug dealer. These were the party supplies he’d been talking about.

“Bailey Marsh.” The voice made my blood freeze. I spun around, slamming the locker door shut, the automatic lock engaged and I felt safe for a moment until I remembered the baggy was still in my hand. “What are you-” It was Mr, Wainwright.

My heart was thumping heart, my vision was narrowing, I wanted to run, but I froze.

“Bailey? Show me your hands.” Oh no, please no. My stomach sunk and terror filled me. I dropped my head and tried to put my hands behind my back, but he grabbed my wrist. “What’s this?” he demanded taking the baggy out of my nerveless fingers.

I didn’t know what to say, I couldn’t look at him. I couldn’t rat out Brian, I’d have to claim they were mine, but Brian’s locker would get searched, oh no, I had just messed up everything.

“Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.” He stared at the pills in his hand for a few seconds of pure agony. In a swift motion, he shoved them in his jacket pocket and hissed at me, “Come with me and don’t say a word.”

I followed him down the hall, outside, all the way to the portable trailer he taught in. I took a seat while he muttered and collected his thoughts. He got up and closed the blinds which left me a little confused. What was he planning to do?

“Bailey ... I don’t even know where to begin.” He dropped the baggy on the desk. “Do you even have anything to say for yourself?”

“I’m sorry.”

He took a deep breath and sighed. “Oh my god ... Sorry is not going to cut it. This ... this is. We have a zero tolerance drug policy at this school, do you know what that means?”

I nodded.

“Do you? Because if I’m following protocol, I take this and you to the office and come Monday, you’re no longer a student here. Plus this gets referred to the police and it actually does go on your juvenile record. This is the kind of stuff that ruins lives.”

My lip trembled. I couldn’t ruin Brian’s life. I had to take this on myself.

“I should do that. By all rights I should do that, but this ... This is not you. I am not giving up on you, but I need to know what the heck is going on? Bailey, look at me.”

Through the prism of tears yet to fall, I saw his concern. Then it hit me. “Were you following me?”

He frowned at me, “Yes, I was following you. Heck yes I was following you because I didn’t like what I was seeing. Sullen, quiet, eating alone at lunch, missing the bus in the afternoon.”

“Why?” I asked quietly.

“Why?”

I nodded. My inner voice told me why. He liked to look at me. To stalk me like a creepy sex starved maniac because that’s what men wanted. A month ago that might have creeped me out big time, but now it felt familiar and comforting.

“Because I know you, you’re a good kid, a kid with brains, friends, and a beautiful future. Suddenly, both of those things don’t seem to matter to you anymore. Those are warning signs, and now this. Is this what’s causing it? Bailey, tell me the truth, are you on drugs?”

“No!” I’m not a drug addict! Maybe a sex addict. Or a cum addict. Instantly, I wondered what kind of face Mr. Wainwright would make before he came on me. God what is wrong with me?

“Then what? Are you dealing?”

“No, I’m not-” crap, I needed to explain the pills. “I just wanted to try them.”

“Why would you-” He stopped himself and reframed. “Why would you risk damaging such a wonderful mind. You could be an attorney if you put your mind to it. Make change in the world. Why would you risk that for this?”

“I don’t know.” Maybe you could punish me and set me straight. Strip me down and spank my bottom for being so naughty. I bet that’s what you really want.

Silence.

“Have you ever done drugs before? Of any kind.”

I shook my head. I only pretended once and that was just to trick my brother into touching me.

“Dump out your bag.”

“What?”

“You heard me, missy, empty out your bag, on my desk, right here,” he opened the drawer and dropped the baggy of pills in it. “I need to know if you’re lying to me. Believe me when I tell you from here on out, you give me one lie and I’m taking you down to the office myself. I’m not giving up on you, but that’s my red line, right there.”

I got up and did as he said. Everything clattered out one by one including the clamshell birth control pills and a condom. I walked around the desk as he sifted through my stuff. He picked the pill case up and paused for a brief moment before snapping it open and seeing a few of the pills were taken. He didn’t look up at me, but I knew he knew what that meant. He didn’t have to do that. I knew I had him, so I couldn’t quite hide my smile. Finding no other evidence of me being a junkie, he stopped and sighed. “Help me Bailey, you gotta give me something.”

“Please don’t tell,” I looked down at him with sad eyes.

He offered me a smile, “I’m trying not to. I still believe in my heart you’re a good kid with a beautiful mind, but I need a reason now. Help me to help you.”

That was the second time he said beautiful and we were alone in his trailer after school. I wished I was wearing something sexy today. Hell, even a jumpsuit or a romper would have been better than this. I just had on my stupid sweats, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. I practically looked like a boy. Still, it was going to work I kneeled in front of him clasping my hands to him to beg, “Please, please don’t tell. I promise I’ll be good. I’ll do anything you say. Please, I promise, I’ll stay after class, I’ll do extra assignments,” my hands fell onto his knee, “Anything, just please don’t send me away.”

“Send you away?”

I looked up at him, “Test me, tell me to do anything right now, I swear I’ll do it,” I ran my hand a little further down his leg.

“Bailey, get up,” his voice was stern, tinged with anger. I got up and bit my lip. He wanted a good girl, not a whore. I could be both. “What are you playing at? No, you know what, let’s play, you say I can tell you to do anything? Tell me what’s going on. What happened with you and your friends?”

With all the crying I’d been doing these days you’d think I’d be able to call it up on command, but I couldn’t. I made the saddest face I could and tried to inflect my voice with tears as I began my confession. “They don’t understand. They think I’m a whore.”

“What? Why?”

I looked down and hid my face, “Because I have feelings ... for a man, an older man. They think I’m crazy. They insisted I tell them who is was, but I wouldn’t because I don’t want to hurt him.”

“Bailey, it’s safe here, no judgement. This man, did he hurt you?”

I thought about Mr. F, he hadn’t hurt me, just fed me cum. But that wasn’t the story I was going for now. I shook my head and looked away, “God no, he’s ... he’s the sweetest man, but he doesn’t know how I feel. He’s always trying to protect me. And he’s so smart and I’d do anything for him to pay attention to me and spend time with me. I need to tell him, but I can’t because if I do, you’ll hate me-” I looked at him and covered my mouth in shock. “I mean, oh god.”

This was it. Either he’d call down to get a school resource officer and everything would be over, or he’d take that one step across a line that would save me. I turned away and waited. He got up, my heart was hammering as I felt the heat of his body come behind me and his hands gently touched my shoulders. I turned around and flung myself into his arms and hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry, so sorry Mr. Wainwright. I’m trying to be a good girl, but I want to be with you so bad it aches,” this was giving me the same headiness I got when I teased men with my body, but it was different this time. Strange how much I found myself getting into character. I think I actually did really want him in that moment. Unsure for a few moments, he settled on letting me hug him and patted my shoulders again.

“It’s okay, Bailey, it’s okay. We can manage this. It’s just a crush, and I’m sure you’ll get over it soon.”

I shook my head no into his chest and breathed deeply.

“Oh Bailey, honey, you know this can’t happen, right?”

I nodded, “I know. And and ... I promise I can be a good girl for you. I’ll study and be quiet in class and do everything you say. I promise, I’ll try, but don’t,” I shook my head, “Don’t tell me not to feel this.”

“Bailey-”

“I can do anything for you, Mr. Wainwright, anything if...” I couldn’t possibly ask, could I? Would this be too far?

“If?”

“If I can just get one kiss. After that I swear I will be good, just one memory to sustain me, one thing to hold on to-” He broke my embrace and pushed me back. I would have shrieked in frustration and fear if it weren’t for the one true sign I got from him. I brushed against his hardened cock, he was fighting a battle on two fronts. All was not quiet on the southern front.

“Bailey Marsh,” he stated with just a hint of breathiness, “You’re going home, right now.” Oh crap. I went too far. He stepped back and got the baggy and put it in his briefcase. “What’s your mother’s phone number, I need her to come pick you up?”

“She’s working right now, we- we can’t afford to have her miss another shift.”

“Your father?”

“Out of town, he’s ... hardly home.”

“Your brother?’

“He’s ... never home either.”

“Jesus Mary, Bailey, you must be so lonely.”

I looked down. His tone softened, “Alright, get your things. I’m taking you home.”

I followed him with a strange twist of giddiness and fear in my stomach. I didn’t know where things were going, it felt like balancing plates on sticks and at any moment any gust of wind could make everything crash down. That’s when we ran into the SRO.

“Evening,” the armed guard said.

He nodded.

“This one not giving ya too much trouble is she?” Officer Mendoza joked.

Mr. Wainwright stammered, “Yeah, well, no, I mean she-, not trouble exactly, but she’s a little handful, sometimes...”

“It’s okay, Mister Wainwright. I’ve been falling behind and Mr. Dubs tutored me. I’m not embarrassed, it’s fine.”

He shrugged.

Officer Mendoza chuckled, “Well, you better head on, the activity bus is coming soon.”

Mr. W. nodded, “Okay, let’s get you to the bus”. Crap, the activity bus. Addy and Becky would be on that. I couldn’t deal with them now. He walked on and I followed him. When he got to the teacher’s lot he turned to me, “The bus is back that way.”

“I know.”

“But...”

“You said you’d take me home.”

He sighed, “I did, didn’t I.” Defeated by my flawless logic, he let me get in the passenger seat and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Alright, Ms. Marsh, what’s your home address?”

“Do you have to take me home?”

“Yes.”

“But ... it’s so empty. Maybe, could I spend some time with you?”

“Bailey...”

“Just a little, I promise, just let me, I swear I’ll tell you anything you want to know, I’ll bare my innermost secrets. Just, don’t make me go away yet? Please?”

There was silence, until I could hear him mutter to himself, “What are you doing Walter?” He still didn’t know where I lived, instead he turned into a trailer park development and weaved through the little streets until he pulled up to a solitary trailer. Oh my god, he lived here. He spent his days in a trailer and his evenings in a trailer too. The car pulled to a stop. He didn’t move, didn’t look at me.