A Teacher's Envy

Chapter 9 - You've Got Mail

This chapter was inspired by the song "News" by Train. Feel free to listen as you read!

The following Monday, Ms. Harper sat at her desk clicking away as she drafted the week's lesson plans. Thoughts of Jay from the dance still consumed her and she eagerly awaited to see him later this afternoon in her English class. She could hear his grunts in her ear, the look in his eyes as he gazed down upon her, all of this filled her with a sense of elation. Jay was becoming the highlight of every day at Freeman High School.

An email popped up from an address he didnt recognize. She clicked on it, planning to put it in spam but the subject line captured her attention. The bold letters stared back at her: Your Secret Affair

Terror washed over her at the threatening sentence, but she remained in denial. No way this email alluded to any of her extra curricular, also illegal, affairs with Jay. Her hands tensed as she opened the email.

Before she could read the body of the email, a video popped up on the right side of her screen. She widened her eyes in astonishment as she watched the two figures in the video. It was her and Jay in her classroom the night of the dance. The video had to be taken from the window of her door.

Once the video stopped, she brought her eyes to the message.

I know all about your affair with Jay Braden. End the affair immediately or I'll expose you at the Student Assembly next week. Remember, I'll be watching.

Tears welled in her eyes as her heart raced at sonic speed. Her world was spinning, her actions crashing together, replaying constantly. She tried to block the video but couldn't find the button, it only opened up the same video over and over again. She slammed her laptop shut. Thinking hard. But who could help her out of this sticky situation? Mr, Vega wa sthe computer science teacher, this was his area of expertise. He'd have to be the one.

She slowly approached his classroom door, which was opened. She took a deep breath and slowly entered. "Hey Nick, I need your help with something." She managed to say composed.

"Ms. Harped good to see you. Please, come in."

She slowly creeped in the room, trying to approach him normally. "There's this spam message that I can't seem to find a way to block or delete it."

He looked up at her and knew something was off about her countenance. "Is everything okay? You Seem shaken. Sit down." he gestured to the chair by his desk.

She sat down uneasily into the chair and cleared her throat. "No, everything is not okay," she said on the verge of tears.

"What's wrong, Ms. Harper?" You can tell me.

She sighed with reluctance tightening her chest. She didn't want to tell him, but sharing this deep dark secret might be the only way to save her skin and Jay's. "I'll show you the email, but you have to promise to me first that you will not tell anyone about what you see."

"Well, yes, Ms Harper. You can trust me."

She slid her laptop to him and he read the message.

"Oh dear, I see."

Well this is a harmful threat, I don't see why you should be worried if it's not true.

'That's the thing, they have evidence...a video..."

"Ms. Harper, are you saying that this rumor, this lie, is really the truth?"

She looked down and nodded her head slowly as tears flooded her eyes.