Chapter 49

Mark found several of his first period students waiting outside his classroom door. They filed in quietly when he unlocked it, and solemnly took their seats. Equally quiet teenagers continued to drift in as it got closer to time for the bell to ring. There was some very muted whispering in the back of the room, and a lot of staring at him, particularly at his left hand.

He studied them surreptitiously until the bell rang, and finally he sighed and stood up, leaning against his desk. There was no way their minds were on Biology. Well, not on learning biology, anyway.

"I see we aren't going to get much done until we get this out of the way," he said, frowning. "Very well. I'll answer a few questions -- respectful questions."

A girl in the front row raised her hand timidly. Beth had been shy and flustered around him the entire year, and now her eyes were puffy, like she'd been crying.

"Yes?" he asked gently.

"Did you and Kristen really get married? I mean, like, really?"

He nodded. "Yes, we did."

"When's the baby due?" That comment came from the back of the room, and sounded like Karen, an acerbic blonde whose efforts to entice Mark with her well-padded bosom had gotten blatant enough, recently, that even he had found them obvious.

His eyes narrowed, but he laughed. "What baby?"

"Oh come on! Everybody knows she's got to be pregnant. How else would she get you to marry her? You might as well admit it; everyone'll be able to see in just a few months."

It wasn't entirely out of character. The girl was known for her lack of tact. But it was really pushing the envelope of what most students would be comfortable saying to a teacher, even a young, informal teacher like Mark. Several of the other students were staring at her like she'd lost her mind, but a couple were nodding their heads and glancing at him guiltily.

"Sorry to disappoint you," he said with a tight smile. "She's not pregnant."

Karen snorted. "Yeah. Right. As skinny as she is, she'll probably be showing any time now."

"Karen, you are disappointingly cynical for someone your age," he said. "I married her because I love her, not for any other reason. Don't you believe in love?"

The girl's eyes flashed angrily. "You really expect us to believe you love her?" She sneered. "When everyone knows sh-- mmf!" Her best friend, seated behind her, had leaned forward and clamped her hand firmly over Karen's mouth and was hissing frantically in her ear.

"No, no, I want to hear what she has to say, Chastity," Mark said, drumming his fingers on the front of his desk. "When everyone knows what, exactly?"

Chastity gave him a pleading look, her face flushed with embarrassment. "Mr. H, she's just talking out her ass. Don't worry about it, please."

"Oh, I know," Mark said, his voice mild, but his slight smile didn't reach his eyes. "But she started the sentence, and I want her to finish it."

Karen finally shook her way free of her friend's hand and glared angrily. "When everybody knows she's a tramp, that's what!" she snapped. "You don't honestly expect her not to cheat on you, do you? The baby's probably not even yours!"

The room went deathly silent, as everybody stared at her in embarrassed shock. In that stillness, Chastity's whisper was as audible as a shout. "God! You are such a bitch. I don't even know you."

Mark nodded, keeping his expression carefully neutral. "I thought you were working up to that." He stood up, walking over to lean on the windowsill. "I'm fully aware of her reputation, Karen. In fact, I'm probably far more familiar with the facts behind it than you are. As a matter of fact, if she had been pregnant, I would still have offered to marry her, even though the baby wouldn't have been mine." He looked thoughtful. "Actually, this came out at the meeting last night, so I might as well mention it. At one point, she was afraid that she was pregnant, and I did offer to marry her." He smiled wryly, shaking his head. "She turned me down -- that time." Then his face grew serious. "But, Karen, my wife is not a 'tramp'. Don't ever let me catch you referring to her that way again."

The girl didn't shrink from his gaze. Instead, she tossed her head defiantly. "If the shoe fits," she sneered. "You can call her whatever you want, but that won't change what she is!"