?WINGLESS AND BEAUTIFUL?
?EPISODE 39?
“But… it’s illegal for a student to date a professor!” I
hissed at her. I wasn’t pleased at all. And I knew her
parents… even Hunter… would berate her for this.
“I think I’m in love, Alice,” she said.
“But you’re eighteen and he’s too old for you!” I argued.
“Age does not matter.”
“Is that why you’re always M-I-A particularly during
lunch breaks?”
She sighed and then nodded.
“Oh my God, Denise!” I groaned. “This is bad!”
“Alice! I haven’t told anyone. And I thought you would
be on my side.”
“I am,” I said to her calmly. “But… your parents are
going to kill you.”
“They would,” she said with absolute certainty.
“Does Hunter know?”
She shook her head. “And I don’t give a dang what he
says or thinks.”
“But your parents?”
“I know they will be disappointed. But this is the first time I felt like this.”
“Denise… are you sure he’s not taking advantage of you?”
“He said he loves me.”
“A guy can say anything you will believe just so he can
get into your pants!”
She stared back at me for a moment. Then she said,
“Sure, was that what H did to get into yours before he left
you?” Obviously, she was pissed.
I fell silent after that. I knew Denise was upset. She
knew what she was doing wasn’t right and she desperately
wanted me to be a friend… to be on her side. And I was
being a friend. But I couldn’t help feeling scared for her.
Sure, Arthur Buckley was cute but he should know
better than seduce a high school kid who was young enough
to be his baby sister. He was a teacher. He should know
better.
I took a deep breath. “Denise… I just want you to think
this through.”
“I did. And I believe him.”
“You love him?”
She nodded. “So, can’t you just be happy for me?”
I wanted to be. But I couldn’t. Denise was gorgeous
enough to have any boy she wanted. Any boy—her age!
Why did she settle for somebody who should have been old
enough to know better and might not have the best
intentions for her?
“Did you sleep with him yet?” I asked.
She took a deep breath. “We could only see each other
in the campus. We made out a lot. But we were both afraid
that if somebody caught us, he would lose his job.”
“And he could go to jail if your parents could have it
their way.”
I was glad that at least she was sensible enough not to
go farther than she should.
“You’re not happy for me, are you?”
I sighed. “I’m worried about you.”
“I can handle it, Alice. I’m old enough to make my own
decisions and judge what’s right and wrong!” She said that
with so much emotion that I felt like she was practicing the lines she was going to say to her parents when she finally
came clean to them.
“Just be… careful,” I said to her in a quiet voice.
She nodded.
We were silent for the next ten minutes. I felt bad about
not supporting her with her decision. Denise had always
looked out for me. It was supposed to be my time to be
there for her. But I couldn’t help worrying. I had a bad
feeling about Arthur Buckley. Denise was rich and sheltered.
She wasn’t exposed to the real world like I was. She may not
be able to identify danger even if she was looking at it face
to face.
Finally, she stood up. “I’ll go ahead,” she said quietly.
“I’ll take a shower on the other bathroom. You can take this one.”
I went out of the Jacuzzi after her. “No. I’ll take the other
bathroom, if you just tell me where it is.”
She didn’t argue. Apparently, she was not too pleased
with me, too.
“Third door at the end of the hall.”
I towel-dried myself and wore the bathrobe that she
gave me. Then I took my bag with me and went out of her
room quietly.
The hall was dark. The lights were all off. I didn’t know
where the switch was. I felt my way towards the end of the
hall, keeping my hands on the wall to make sure I didn’t trip
on something. I was not sure I would be able to afford to pay
for whatever I broke.
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