The Cost of a Debt Ch. 03-04

Chapter 3

Alex walked back to her house wrapped in the blanket that John had given her. It was nearly 11:00 in the evening and she was tired. She opened the door and looked for David. When she didn't see him she quickly walked to her bedroom. She quickly walked in and closed the door. As she turned around to take the blanket off, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror.

Alex stood there thinking about the events of the week. She could not believe that she, for one reason or another had given control of her life to a former student and a delusional man who claimed ownership of her. Why had she given in these two guys? She knows that she could have said no to all of their demands and turned them into the police. But she hadn't. Alex then took a seat and stared at the dress that she was wearing. She became disgusted, frustrated, and angry.

Throughout her life, her family took precedence. No matter what happened, she would be there for her kids and husband. Now someone was trying to take this weakness of hers and exploit it. Alex knew that the longer that she played this game with John and the Head Master, the more damage it would do with her family. She realized that in trying to save her family, she was destroying it. In time, Mike would find out about both her kids and about her, and it would be the end of her marriage. She sat there and began to cry.

A few minutes later, Alex stood up and took off the dress and began to take a bath. She sat in the tub and became more determined to take back control of her life. This game was increasingly becoming ridiculous, beginning with the trip through out the house and then the assignment that John had given her. Before Alex knew it, an hour had gone by and it was now midnight. She got out of the tub and dried herself off. As she got ready for bed, her cell phone rang.

She walked into the bedroom to answer her phone. It was John.

"About your assignment, I was..." John said before Alex interrupted him.

"Let me just tell you this, it's over," Alex said sternly. "I am tired of these games and will not be a toy in your sick mind. There is no way I am going to do that assignment. I am not going to go out and try and turn on teenagers."

"Excuse me," John asked.

"You heard correctly, I am not your toy or property to pass around to former students who have a grudge," Alex said. "You can tell the Head Master that this game is over."

"Very well, if this is your choice," John said.

"Yes, it is," Alex yelled as she hung up the phone.

After hanging up the phone, she felt the weight of world lifted off of her shoulders. She was now bound and determined to rid the Head Master and this contract bullshit from her life. She was relieved that she decided not to do the assignment. There was no way that she was going to dress up as a cheerleader and stand on the sidelines for David's last game in high school. She was just thankful that Mike was out of town because trying to explain this to him would cause her some serious problems and headaches.

She then walked over to the drawer where she put all of the clothing that she had been instructed to buy. She took out the corsets, lingerie, and summer dresses and put them into a trash bag and took them outside to throw away. Alex also took out the collar that she wore to work the other day. She wanted it gone out of sight for the rest of her life.

Alex slipped under the covers and slowly drifted off to sleep. All that she could think about was the fact that Mike was coming back into town from his conference in a few days, and by then everything will be back to normal. The experience that she had gone through did excite her to the point that fucking Mike was the first thing that she wanted to do. Shortly there after, she fell asleep only to woken up by her alarm clock.

She got out of bed and began to get ready for work. After going to her closet to pull out the dress she was going to wear to work, she heard her cell phone ring. She picked up the phone and noticed it was the Head Master. Alex decided not to answer it and put the phone back down. Within minutes, the phone rang again, and she did not answer it. Alex finished dressing, picked up her things and walked out of her bedroom in time to see her son David. She walked over to him and gave him a hug.

"We need to have a serious talk tonight," she said to him.

"Okay, I will come home right after football practice," David replied. He then grabbed some thing from the counter and headed out the door.

Once David left, Alex picked up her cell phone and noticed that there was a voice mail left for her. She decided to check it, but she had a fairly good idea of who left the message. She was correct...it was the Head Master.

"John called me yesterday, and he told me about your decision," the Head Master said in the voice mail. "If this is truly your decision, I can respect that. While we are disappointed that you will not be joining us, I wish you the best of luck."

With that message, Alex's day was made. She had freed herself from her bind with the Head Master. She could now go back to her life as she knew it. Alex then walked out of the house with a certain bounce in her step.

The rest of her day was fairly uneventful. There was nothing out of the ordinary that took place. She taught her classes and there were no interruptions or anything of that nature. After her last class, she walked out to her car and started to drive home, but then decided to drive to the police station to talk to a friend of hers.

Diane Lewis was a friend of hers since she was a kid. The two of them had been fairly close until they graduated from high school. Alex left to go to college, while Diane went to work full time. Eventually, Alex became a teacher, while Diane became a police officer. The two kept in touch, often meeting once a year to talk and catch up. Today, Alex wanted to go to Diane to finally get closure on this episode of her life.

Alex pulled up and parked in front of the police station. She got out and walked up to the front desk and asked for Diane. The officer at the front desk called Diane's desk, while Alex took a seat in the lobby. A few minutes later, Diane walked out from the back room. The two greeted each other as it has been quite sometime that they had seen each other.

After exchanges of a few pleasantries, Alex told Diane that she had something important for her to talk to her about. Diane lead Alex back to her desk, to pick up a note pad, and then to an interview room. Once in the room, Alex told her all about the evening, the contract and the location of the house where she was instructed to go.

"I don't know what they are doing in that house, but it can't possibly be good," Alex said to Diane. "Surely this whole blackmail thing can't be legal."

"You're absolutely right," Diane said. "There haven't been any complaints about the house, but we could set up a surveillance. Yes, blackmail is illegal, no matter what the situation is. I can assure you, appropriate action will be taken."

"Thank you so much Diane," Alex said. "This whole situation has thrown my life into a tailspin. Please keep this as low profile as possible. Mike knows nothing of it."

Diane reassured her that everything would be okay and agreed to keep it as low profile as possible. This made Alex feel much better. The last thing she really wanted to do was try to explain this whole ordeal to her husband Mike. Alex left the police station and went back to her car. As she drove home, she thought about what she would talk to her son David about. She was understandably disappointed in him.

Alex got home and noticed that David was already home. She gathered her things out of her car and walked in. David was sitting in the family room watching television. Alex put her things down and sat next to him on the couch.

"Who are these people that you gamble with," Alex asked.

"I only know a few of them," David replied. "I met them at a party after a game last year. A few of them had played on the team before they went on to college. They have these pretty big parties, with a lot of girls..."

"Is John Grisby someone you hang out with," Alex asked.

"I have seen him at the party house every so often," David said. "He's a real popular guy."

"Do you know someone called the Head Master," she asked.

David hesitated. Alex could sense that he was hiding something. She began to give him a glare.

"Uh, sort of," David said.

"What do you mean, sort of," Alex demanded.

"He is like the party organizer," David said. "He is the one that loaned me gambling money every time I ran out."

"How much money did he loan you," Alex asked.

"I owed more than $15,000, but it wasn't just money," David said. "Many of the bets were for points in a game. This last time that I lost, he said that you would have to pay him back. He told me that money doesn't grow on trees, and that I would have to learn to take responsibility. That's why I signed the paper."

"What were you thinking hanging around with these people," Alex yelled. "What he asked you to do was 'shave points.' That's illegal and can get you into serious trouble. Do you know what you had signed?"

"No," David replied. "All they said was that it was an agreement for you to pay off my debt. If I didn't sign it, they would take me to the police for underage drinking and illegal gambling."

"This is the last time I want to even talk about this Club," Alex said. "You are to not hang around with any of these people again. In fact, I want you to go to the police station and talk to Diane Lewis. She is a detective for the police and a friend of mine who is looking into this. Tell her what you have seen there."

"Mom, do I have to," David protested.

"Yes, you do," Alex replied. "You will go to the police and talk with Diane, unless you have the money to pay up."

"No, I don't have the money," David said.

"Then I suggest you head down there now," Alex said. "In fact, I will call Diane to let her know that you will be on your way down."

"Okay, but mom..." David said.

"NO BUTS," Alex said. "Now go."

David reluctantly got up and went to his car to go to meet with Diane. Alex got up and called Diane to let her know that David was on his way.

"That's great," Diane said. "I could use as much information as possible to get these scumbags."

"I really appreciate your help," Alex said.

"No problem," Diane said. "That's my job and what your tax dollars go to."

They hung up and Alex went back to the family room to relax for a few minutes. After unwinding, she got up and started to prepare dinner. An hour later David came home. The two of them then sat and talked over dinner.

David had told his mother all that he had told Diane at the police station. Diane had then informed him that he was not liable for the money or the contract as it was done under illegal circumstances. David and Alex were able to breathe a sigh of relief. They were about to rid themselves of this nemesis.

This came at a great time for David. This was the week that David was playing against a rival high school. This was also going to be David's last game in high school. Alex was a proud mother and could not wait until this game, which was only 3 days away.

The evening went by and Alex went to bed. This was the first time that she was able to get a full night of sleep. In the morning, she woke up and got ready for work. She got dressed in a conservative skirt and blouse. Her cell phone did not ring, which came as a pleasant surprise. She felt that she had defeated the Head Master...the one person who tried to exercise his power over her.

The rest of the week went by and was uneventful. Alex went to work and came home right afterwards. There were no phone calls from either John or the Head Master. Alex's life was back to normal.

Friday rolled around and the entire family was excited. Annabel and Mike had gotten back into town in time to see David play his final high school football game. David had been looking forward to this day for the past four years. This would end one chapter of his life as he prepares to move on in the next year. The school day had gone by rather quickly. Alex made arrangements for the three of them to sit together at the game.

She met with the family after school to get something to eat before the game. As Alex and her husband and her daughter ate, they had casual conversations. Nothing all that serious, seeing that they were all excited for this evening. After eating, they went to the high school football field. On the way to their seats, they greeted a number of their friends throughout the community. As they took their seats, the crowd erupted into a thunderous roar as David's football team ran onto the field.

The place was full of energy.

Alex was so proud to see her son playing, but unfortunately, this was not one of his finer games. The other team came out and just outplayed David and his team. David spent most of the game running away from opposing players. Each time that David tried to pass the football, the wide receivers could just not get to it. Passes were being dropped and David was tackled so many times that Alex lost count. She was getting nervous because her son was getting tackled really hard as the game wore on. Then in the fourth quarter of the game, David was tackled and brought down by two large defensive linemen. The two opposing players got up and walked away. David was lying on the field in obvious pain.

The coaches and medical staff ran out to the middle of the field to help him out. Alex and her family was upset and worried. Mike, being a doctor, ran out of the stands and onto the field. He crouched down to see what was wrong with David. A group of coaches and players began to huddle around David. He was down on the field for about 15 minutes. As the group on the field dispersed, she could see Mike and a coach carrying David off of the field.

Alex and Annabel began to hold each others hands for support. Both of them were visibly nervous about what had just happened. Annabel began to cry, while Alex sat there and comforted her. Once David was on the sidelines, Alex saw Mike reach down and make a call on his cell phone. Afterwards, Mike ran back to his seat to talk to Alex.

"What happened," Alex asked.

"It looks like a bad knee injury," Mike said. "The coaches are going to take David to the hospital in a few minutes. I made a call to have a friend of mine to take a look at it."

"Is it serious," Alex asked.

"Yeah, it looks pretty bad," Mike said. "I am going to go with him to the hospital and let you know what happens."

After he said that, an ambulance arrived to take David to the hospital.

"Okay, we will follow the ambulance," Alex said to Mike. "Please let me know how he's doing."

Mike ran from the stands back down to the field. The medical staff loaded David onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Annabel and Alex left the game and headed back to Alex's car and the two of them followed the ambulance to the hospital. They were at the hospital in a few minutes and the two of them went to sit in the waiting room.

Alex and Annabel sat there for what seemed to be an eternity. She anxiously awaited any news from Mike. She would get up every now and again, pacing around the room. She just wanted to know that her son would be okay.

Mike came out into the waiting room and walked toward Alex and Annabel. Alex stood up and walked toward Mike.

"So how is he," Alex asked.

"He got hit really hard," Mike said. "It was a pretty bad hit. He can probably recover..."

"What do you mean probably," Alex asked.

"He took a hard hit to his knee," Mike said. "His knee is seriously injured. He won't be able to ply football again."

Alex's was stunned. Her son, who was on his way to playing in college, will never be able to fulfill his dream. She sat back down and started to cry. Mike sat down next to her to try and comfort her.

"He's going to be okay," Mike said. "He just won't be able to play football again."

"That's the least of my worries," Alex said. "I just want him to live a normal life."

Mike hugged and kissed both Alex and Annabel. Then he went back to the David's room. Alex followed him, trying to recompose herself to support and comfort David. She became extremely nervous as she approached the room. She got up the nerve to go in without shedding a tear.

"How are you," she asked David.

"Banged up," he said. "Did Dad tell you that I won't be able to play again?"

"Yes, he did," Alex said. "But all I care about is your well being."

"I don't know what happened," David said. "Nothing was going right. None of the receivers were catching my passes and I was running for my life. It just seems like the other team knew what we were going to do before even we knew."

Alex tried to keep the conversations as far away from football as possible. She wanted to keep his spirits up, despite the circumstances. He told her that he was pretty sore from the game and needed rest. David's doctor walked into the room and mentioned to both Mike and Alex that David would need to stay for a couple of days. She then left to let Mike talk to the doctor and make further arrangements for treatment.

She walked back into the waiting room where she told Annabel about David's injury. Annabel was in shock and felt bad for David, but was relieved to hear that he would be okay. Mike came back into the waiting room and had said that they gave David some painkillers and that he would be knocked out for a few hours. Alex then decided to go ahead and take Annabel back home and come back in a few hours. Mike was going to stay behind with David.

As Alex and Annabel walked back to Alex's car, she decided that she was going to have a conversation with her daughter about the friends she is keeping in college. This of course was in response to the photos that she had seen of Annabel's wild antics.

"Annabel, we need to talk about behavior while you're in school," Alex said.

"What's are you talking about," Annabel replied.

"Just because you are away from home doesn't mean you should or can act like a wild party girl," Alex said. "You should know that there are people out there that are looking to take advantage of you. You don't want to do anything you will regret later."

At this point, Annabel was in disbelief. She wondered how her mom could possibly know what she has been up to while she was away.

"Mom, I am not sure what you are talking about," Annabel said.

"Remember, I am a high school teacher and I went away for college too," Alex said. "I know what kids do when they are away. I just want you to be careful."

They then pulled into the driveway of their house. As they got out of the car, Alex looked over to Annabel.

"Your father and I care about you and want you to succeed," Alex said. "Keep your nose out of trouble and the sky is the limit."

"Okay," Annabel conceded as the two walked into the house.

Alex later went back to the hospital to check on David. She spent the greater part of that weekend with David. When she was not at the hospital, Alex ran around town trying to complete many routine household errands. While David's injury was bad, there was a silver lining. It gave the four of them to spend time with each other as a family. This was something that hadn't happened in some time. It was almost a bittersweet moment on Sunday evening when Annabel had to leave to go back to school.

David was released to go home on Monday. His knee was heavily wrapped and he would have to stay off his feet. Alex had to rearrange the furniture at the house so that it would make life easier for David to move around. This, however, would be the beginning to a bad week for Alex.

Alex received a phone call from Annabel on Tuesday evening. Annabel was in tears.