“Maybe you think so, but as I hunted down your mother today, I saw a lot of old magazine photos with you in them. Paparazzi loved you just as much as your mother. You didn’t tell me you acted in a movie before.”
My stomach coiled. “Against my will. I hated every second of it, but my mother and Bill made me. They thought I’d be perfect for the role, and at first I liked the extra attention I was getting from my mother, but like with all things, she got bored. I, on the other hand, got stuck living and going to school on set. Miserable wouldn’t be a strong enough word to describe my dip into the movie biz.”
“But actors get stalkers. It’s normal. So, maybe yours comes from that time period.”
“Maybe… or from all the parties I’ve been to. My mother went on a party host kick for a while and had one almost every night. There were constant people flowing in and out of the house. A lot of drugs, sex, and creeps.”
“Does anyone stand out from the parties? Someone who made a sexual pass? Someone who gave you a bad feeling?”
I chuckled. “I’ve lost count. Frankly, there was a sea of men who got too grabby. Power, wealth, and stardom gives many a free pass.”
“And let me guess… your mother did nothing.”
I didn’t answer. Did I need to? Mr. D was slowly getting the picture of my life.
“So, what do you want for dinner?” Mr. D asked. I had never been more grateful for a change of subject as I was right then.
“Whatever you want. I’ll cook. It’s the least that I can do.”
He took his focus away from the road and looked at me with raised eyebrows. “You cook?”
“Well… no. But I could try.”
Mr. D laughed loudly. “I would rather we not experiment tonight. I’m starving. How about we swing by this great Mexican restaurant down the mountain and get takeout?”
“Sounds great,” I said, noticing how we were once again getting dinner someplace not in the heart of Black Mountain.
I didn’t blame the man one bit.
“Mr. D…” I said softly. “Could you get in a lot of trouble for doing this for me? Could you lose your job?”
He licked his lips, tensed his shoulders and nodded. “It wouldn’t look good. There’s no way around how this appears. Legally I can’t get into trouble because you aren’t a child. But the board would rip me to shreds.” He glanced over at me. “But regardless, I make my own decisions. I’ve never been one to march to the beat of conformity. If it gets out that I stepped in to help you, I’ll stand by my decision. Fuck anyone who tries to judge me for it.”
“I promise I won’t tell a soul.”
“I appreciate that,” he said. “But at the same time, you aren’t my dirty little secret, Corrine. Don’t ever feel that way. I’m here with you because I choose to be. I want to help. I’ve given a lot of thought to this and just how much involvement I want to engage in. I’m following my gut. And we aren’t doing anything I’m uncomfortable with.” He turned onto the highway leading us out of Black Mountain. “But at the same time, if this situation ever makes you feel uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. I know it’s weird. I’m sure you didn’t exactly want to spend your Friday night getting Mexican food with your principal.”
I gave a small giggle, but it was just to hide my true feelings.
The truth…
I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
“But I don’t want you to lose your job,” I said, growing serious again.
“Then it’s not a job worth keeping.” He shrugged his shoulder. “Between you and me, I’m not sure it really is.”
“You don’t like being a principal at Black Mountain Academy?”
“I thought I would. I’m trying to find the joy in it. Harder than expected,” he admitted.
“Why did you want to be a principal?”
“To make a difference,” he answered quickly. “But I’m not sure I actually have.”
I opened my mouth to tell him just how much of a difference he’d made with me, but decided that confessions could happen another time.
10
Corrine
I always wondered what normal felt like. I always had assumed that the definition of normal was different for everyone, but I most certainly knew I had never experienced it.
Not like now.
A normal night sitting on the couch with someone watching a movie. I never did things like this growing up or even now. My mother would never waste an evening doing such a thing, and anytime I would want to watch TV, it was alone. I didn’t date guys… not in the normal way. So, sitting on a couch side by side with a man was a completely new and foreign experience.