Forbidden Literature

31| Surprise

Finding a routine with Jasper over the next couple of weeks became easier than I thought.

On week days, I would go to class or be his assistant on Wednesdays and Fridays. I was thankful that even though things between Jasper and I have changed dramatically, he still treats me with fairness. If I make a mistake when grading, he will tell me. If he needs his planner switched around, I will help him. The hours spent as an assistant he was professional.

Weekends, however, were a completely different story. His act of being an honorable man slipped along with our clothes the moment we reached his room. I use to look forward to the weekends only because it meant that I could take a break from school. Now, those three precious days had a completely new meaning.

As soon as I was through with classes, I would jump in my car and race to his house. Every single time he would be waiting for me on the front porch, even if it was absolutely freezing outside. The moment I stepped out of my car he would wrap me up in his arms pulling me to his house kissing me the whole way. Those were the days I looked forward to, along with the next morning when I would wake up wrapped in his arms.

Sometimes I would stay at my place. Sara was growing suspicious when I kept saying I was staying the night at my parents. She knew me well enough to know there is no way in hell I would stay at their place longer than I had to. I wanted to tell her about me and Jasper. In fact, I almost did multiple times, but something always held me back. Especially with all the Harrington scandal going around the last thing I wanted was for information about my relationship with Jasper, the man who accused her of such crimes, to slip up to the public. Not that I didn't trust her, its the reporters I didn't trust. And they seemed to be everywhere at the time.

I slept better on the nights that the news reported nothing about Jasper. So far his anonymous identity remained hidden. Sometimes I wonder what he could have done to make the investigators stay so quiet. Other days, I'm not so sure I want to know.

Thankfully, the investigation wrapped up almost instantly after they found multiple footages of Ms. Harrington with several different men, even some women. Apparently, all of her past lovers had something to say about what she had done, and none of it was good. Private videos and emails came filtering in throughout the week making her trial one of the shortest ones in history.

As of last Tuesday, June Harrington was officially stripped of her title as CEO of Harrington Publishing Company. Their headquarters sent out a statement promising to fill the position with someone not just because they are family, but because they are qualified. That day Jasper and I watched the news as the camera revealed her being escorted from the building. She had nothing but a small box of her items looking severely pissed off but never said a word. We drank to Jasper's success celebrating her defeat.

It was the topic of everyone's conversation for days to come. Even now it hasn't stopped. As I sit in Jasper's last class on Friday, three days later, I caught girls in the back near me whispering about it while he lectured. I was torn between telling them to focus on what he was saying rather than letting them continue with their gossip. I loved hearing them defile Ms. Harrington in such a foul way. It brought me immense pleasure to hear her castle come tumbling down. On rare occasions do I feel sorry for her. But no soon later are my thoughts filled with the image of her stepping on the elevator wishing me luck while wiping her lip suggestively.

I decided to go with the latter, pecking away at Jasper's laptop as if I didn't hear the girls berating Ms. Harrington.

Once he started to wind down his lecture he snapped his book shut turning to the class. "Alright, I think that's a good stopping place for today. We will pick up with act three scene four of Othello after the break. Any questions?"