Dianna Ch. 03

Hello, and welcome. This is the final chapter of the story. I want to thank everyone who read it for sticking with it through to the end. I hope you found it enjoyable.

I want to thank the following people who helped me create this fantasy: LaRascasse, my editor for really helping me with this. Kalamazoo707 and Donalde for helping me stay track and simply being there. Mostera1 for wisdom and encouragement, and finally, Mokkelke for being the best beta reader ever.

Any mistakes found throughout this story are my own, and not a reflection on any of the people who helped.

Again, thank you again for reading. Please feel free to comment and send feedback. Your comments and thoughts help me to become more skilled at this craft.

*

Monday morning arrived quickly. Most of her bruises had healed. She had a few cuts that were still visible. Dianna could only imagine the questions she'd have to face upon her return.

Dianna got up early to get dress. When she walked into her dining room, she saw that her roommate LaTasha had made breakfast for her. Latasha was so proud of her friend and wanted to do anything she could to show her how proud she was and how much she appreciated her.

"Tasha, thank you." Dianna said as she embraced the young woman and thanked her for breakfast. "Sit, join me." Both women ate a hearty meal before facing another long day at work.

Dianna carefully applied makeup to hide the few bruises she had left, hoping that no one would look too closely at her face. She knew that Bryce hadn't told anyone what really happened and she truly appreciated him for it.

Even with carefully placed makeup, she could not hide the truth from the very watchful eye of Mrs. Towers.

"Dianna, I need to speak with you." Mrs. Towers addressed her in the lounge that morning. They exited the lounge and went to Mrs. Tower's classroom.

"Good Lord, Dianna, who did this to you? Don't you dare tell me, it was an accident, or you fell? I know abuse when I see it." Mrs. Towers was clearly distraught.

In an effort to help alleviate her concern, Dianna explained the events involving her ex-boyfriend and his subsequent arrest.

"You should have called me. I know you want your privacy and I can respect that young lady. But there are other people that worry about you. You call me from now on, understand." She then gathered Dianna in a tight motherly embrace.

Summer walked in and saw Mrs. Towers wiping away her tears. She looked at Dianna and knew something awful had happened. However, both women greeted her warmly.

"Ok, what's wrong?" Summer demanded.

She knew it had something to do with the days Dianna was out last week.

"Dianna, did something happen to someone in your family? Did you get hurt? What's going on?" Summer asked as she clearly began to become distressed.

Dianna and Mrs. Towers wanted to calm her down before she got to upset.

"Summer, no one is hurt and I am fine. I just had some type of episode and needed some time. I'm fine alright." Dianna assured her.

Summer was relieved, although she knew they weren't telling her everything. Dianna was alright and that was all that mattered.

After they chatted, each of the ladies went on to their classrooms to start their day.

Bryce found out from Summer that something had transpired between Dianna and Mrs. Towers. He was sure it was alright, but wanted to make sure Dianna was fine.

He stopped by Dianna room during their conference time, walked in, lowered the blinds, then closed and locked her door. He needed to hold her for a minute just to make sure she was really alright.

"Bryce," she whispered, 'We're at school. What if someone sees..."

"Just give me this moment; let me hold you, Dianna. We can go back to being teachers in a minute, right now let me be your man." Bryce whispered.

Dianna pressed her face into his chest and inhaled his scent. His essence comforted her; then, she lay her head on his chest reveling in the feel of him. Soon there was a light knock at her door. They separated and opened it to find Mrs. Towers standing on the other side.

"Well," she asked, "How long?"

Dianna blushed and Bryce looked her in the eye, "Since December, we're not breaking-"

Mrs. Tower's laughed, "Boy, if you don't stop. Just be careful, especially here at school alright." Then she gave each person a quick hug before she left them alone.

The rest of the week went by with the usual disruptions that always occur. Finally it was Friday. Summer was giving her roommate, Chad, a surprise birthday party. She invited all of her friends from work. The other three teachers agreed to come and Mrs. Towers told her she would bring her husband. He could help with the food.

Summer asked Bryce to invite Brian to her party. She really liked Brian. She had a crush on Bryce, but once saw that Dianna liked him, she dropped those thoughts quickly.

Surprisingly, Bryce and Dianna had a great time at the party. As much fun as he was having with his friends and coworkers, Bryce wanted to get his woman alone. It had been more than twenty four hours since he drank form her nectar. To him that was twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes too long. Pulling her into the hall, he stole a few minutes with her.

"Baby," Bryce whispered in her ear. "I will be at your house to pick you up in the morning. Pack light. I want you to stay over, Ok."

"Um, baby. The family might be visiting. But we can go out that evening." Dianna explained.

"I'm still coming over", then he stole a quick kiss.

True to his word, Bryce was at Dianna's house early Saturday morning. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could. Normally Dianna did not do anything on Saturday, except maybe yard work and house work. If Tasha was not working, they'd catch a movie if they didn't have dates.

This weekend was different. She had a guest, several guest actually. When Bryce came over, Tasha called the rest of the family. By noon, Tasha's small house was filled to the brim. Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Sanchez brought some covered dishes. Mr. George picked up sodas. Mr. Lucas brought his grill from storage and picked up some chicken for the barbecue.

Even her neighbors came over to check out Dianna's boyfriend. Bryce was happy to meet everyone and become reacquainted with the people who rented from his father. He especially wanted to thank Carlos for protecting Dianna from Jamarkius.

A simple get together for a day turned into a mini block party. Everyone in the neighborhood brought a dish and gathered for a party.

Bryce was interrogated by the main men in Dianna's life, Mr. George and Mr. Lucas. He gladly talked with them and addressed their concerns.

Genevieve arrived with Bryce's mom, Catherine. The two women kept in touch after meeting over the holidays and became fast friends. Besides, Genevieve was worried about Dianna. She couldn't get to her right after she was attacked and she wanted to make sure her daughter was fine.

At the cookout, everyone was eating, drinking sodas, and having fun. Genevieve took an opportunity to speak with Dianna alone.

"Di, are you all right? When you called and told me about that boy, girl..." Genevieve had to take a moment and compose herself. "Is he in jail? Did you press charges? What did Bryce say about this?"

"Momma, I'm OK. Jamarkius, pleaded guilty, besides with all of the other charges against him, he's going away for a long time." Dianna reassured her mother.

Genevieve started to cry. Dianna's heart was broken and she was afraid. She'd never seen her mother cry. In twenty-six years of her short life, her mother was strong, invincible, and stoic.

"Momma, I am fine. Please don't cry. I'm alright." Dianna held her mother as she tried to comfort her.

Catherine walked in and asked was everything alright. She was followed by Bryce who stood for a moment and took in the scene.

"Young man, you seem serious about her. Keep her safe and make her happy alright." Genevieve said as she smiled at Bryce.

Bryce assured her that he had only the most honorable intentions toward her daughter.

Catherine laughed, "You'd better, boy. She said or I'm pulling out the hickory stick.

Bryce remembered Old Hickory and shuddered. Everyone laughed. Soon after, they all went back to the party.

The evening progressed and came to an end. Tasha had to go to work and everyone else went home. Both Genevieve and Catherine demanded that Dianna call them to check in.

After everyone had left, Bryce and Dianna finally spent a few hours alone.

"So," asked Bryce, "As your man I get to kiss you whenever I want and I want to kiss you now. I think Mr. George and Mr. Lucas approve of me. Mrs. Lucas and Mrs. Sanchez kept feeding me.

Hell, even Tasha seemed to give me her stamp of approval, but I want to know, where do I stand with you? Are you happy with me, Baby? Are you proud to call me your man?"

"Bryce, you mean so much to me." Dianna explained. "I never thought I'd meet a man that made me feel so alive. I am amazed every time I see you and I pray you don't change your mind about me. I am so happy to be your girlfriend. I am proud to be your woman. I love you, Bryce." wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Girl, my Momma loves you. She said if I mess this up, she's pulling out Old Hickory for real. Your Mom seems to like me too." They both chuckled.

Bryce continued. "Baby I am so happy and proud to be your man." Bryce answered, his heart pounding in his chest because she'd just chosen him exclusively as he held her close to his heart.

Bryce and Dianna were now dating, although they kept their relationship private for several months. At school they kept their relationship completely professional, however, at the end of the day they spent all of their time together.

Before long it was the end of the school year. With summer fast approaching, the students were even more rambunctious and parents were even more concerned with whether or not their children would promote or retain.

Dianna was having trouble with one parent that questioned every grade her child received. Summer was dealing with complaints from the same parent. Dianna and Summer documented and kept record on all of their students to help alleviate parental concerns.

This was the same parent that threatened Mrs. Thyme at the beginning of the school year. Mrs. Jeanette Lacey, was a bully and didn't care who she harassed because she wanted her kids to pass.

Mrs. Lacey found out that Bryce and Dianna were dating. After seeing them on a date when they went to the movies, Jeanette then began to grill her daughter, until the girl told her mother what she wanted to hear.

She went before the school board requesting that Ms. Bouvier and Mr. Yearly be dismissed from their positions immediately.

Her complaint alleged that although there was no rule saying teachers could not date, there were clear guidelines on professional behavior. Her child informed her that she had caught Mr. Yearly and Ms. Bouvier in compromising positions in their classrooms on several occasions.

Other people have reported to her that their PDA- public displays of affection- was legendary. This type of behavior was inappropriate at a school and should definitely not be engaged in front of students.

Mrs. Lacey stated that Ms. Bouvier was so engrossed in her relationship with Mr. Yearly that she was unable to do her job properly. Her daughter was a straight A student and in Ms. Bouvier's class she was barely maintaining a C average. This parent took her cause so far as to drum up support from other parents of children at the school.

Bryce and Dianna were called to Mrs. Jones office as soon as the allegations of impropriety were made public. Bryce was infuriated, because he felt that he and Dianna had done nothing wrong.

The afternoon Bryce and Dianna reported to the office to be officially notified of the accusations against them. They were greeted by the principal, Mrs. Jones, the superintendent, Dr. Merritt, and parent advocate from the school board, Mrs. Althea Petty.

"Mr. Yearly and Ms. Bouvier" started Mrs. Jones. "First, I want to thank you for all of the hard work you do with our students every day. However, today we are here on a personal matter."

Superintendant Merritt spoke up at this point. "Accusations have been brought before the school board that the two of you are engaging in inappropriate activities on school grounds. I certainly hope this is not true or I will have to move for your immediate dismissal from this district."

Dianna's heart accelerated. But Bryce had heard enough and was upset.

"Dr. Merritt, Mrs. Jones, and Ms. Petty, I stand here to inform you that Ms. Bouvier and I have not broken any laws. We are consenting adults who have taken great pains to keep our professional and private lives separate. We have not engaged in any inappropriate actions at or near this school. The time we spend together on the weekends and after work is our business."

Taking a deep breath, Bryce continued, "I know Jeanette Lacey. I've had to fight off one accusation after another over the years. For the past three years, Mrs. Lacey has always filed one complaint after another when her children don't receive the grades she wants them to have."

"I don't care about your accusations, Mr. Yearly. I am concerned about teachers who engage in acts that our children should not be exposed to." Mrs. Petty added as she looked at Dianna, "That is one of the reasons I was opposed to bringing in nontraditional teachers into the district. People like Ms. Bouvier, really have no understanding of how impressionable our children are, and she has-."

Mrs. Jones had heard enough. "Mrs. Petty, I will not stand here and have you question someone's competency to teach at this school. You can keep your thoughts and opinions to yourself; we certainly don't want to her them. Ms. Bouvier is one of the best teacher's in this district, so you really need to think about what you just said. "

"Mrs. Petty," Bryce glared at Althea, "This is your one and only warning, attack Ms. Bouvier again and I promise you will regret it. She is one of the best teachers in this school and does not deserve malice from you and I will not sit here and tolerate it."

"Suffice it to say, she is not a trained teacher and may not understand child development enough to work around kids in a school setting, I am surprised by you Mr. Yearly, up until Ms. Bouvier arrived you have been a consummate professional." Althea stated testily.

Dianna listened to these people talk about her and Bryce. For a second, she was terrified, her heart pounded, next then she became angry. She then placed her hand on Bryce's arm, an action that was noticed by Mrs. Jones the principal. Bryce immediately calmed down.

Glaring at Ms. Petty, Dianna decided to speak. "Ms. Petty, let me inform you of my credentials. True, I was not an education major, but I have experience working with kids, especially troubled kids. My experiences at the detention center have more than prepared me for any challenge I might face hear at Armstrong."

"You want to ascertain that Mrs. Lacey has valid concerns. Let's look at her record. All of the teachers on this team have requested conferences with her concerning her child's academics and behavioral concerns and she has failed to show up for any of the meetings. She ignores our phone calls and will not even respond to written correspondence that is sent to her. The only time we have seen her is when we are being accused of foul play."

Taking a deep breath Dianna continued. "I have read the code of conduct set forth by the state and this district, and I have not seen anything that states Mr. Yearly and I cannot date. We do not engage in any improper behavior on school grounds and have taken great pains to make sure we keep our private relationship exactly that private."

Dianna then took a moment to look each adult in the eye, "I am an educator and I have rights as well. If you all pursuit this witch hunt you will be hearing from my lawyer. So until you can present us with definitive proof that we are guilty of these ridiculous charges, we will continue to keep our relationship private."

Mrs. Jones smiled. She knew this young woman had spunk and it was about time someone put Althea Petty in her place. She shared a look with Dr. Merritt. He was impressed as well.

Finally Dr. Merritt decided to bring this meeting to a close.

"Ms. Petty, when these accusations first came across my desk, I looked carefully into the relationship between these two individuals. There are actually faculty members who I have asked about the nature of their relationship.

No one here even knew they were dating. The one's that are aware, Ms. Petty, swear that at school these two a consummate professionals.

Like Ms. Bouvier said, Mrs. Lacey is a bully. I have personally pulled all four of her kids' permanent records. Her kids are average students. They are constantly being referred for tier monitoring for behavior and unless an official request is made by the principal, she never comes to check on her children. She is only seen at the end of the year when she's trying to bully teachers into passing her children. "

Mrs. Jones then joined in the discussion, "Mrs. Petty, if you and Mrs. Lacey want to continue with these accusations, we will go before the school board Thursday. I want to let you know that I and my entire staff will stand behind Mr. Yearly and Ms. Bouvier. I suggest you talk to your client and find another solution to her problem.

Now ladies and gentleman, as far as I am concerned this meeting is over. I have some work I need to finish, so have a nice evening. If this mess continues, I will see you all at the next school board meeting on this issue. You all know they way out. Have a good evening."

All of the participants in the meeting quickly exited her office.

Dianna and Bryce exited the building together and for the first time, Bryce told Dianna, that he would drive her home. When they got into his car, Dianna started to shake and Bryce realized that these accusations had more of an effect on her than she let on.

He didn't drive her to her house, but simply drove to his. He lived closer to the school and he wanted to get her out of his car as soon as possible.

Bryce pulled his car into his garage and escorted Dianna into his foyer. He led her into the den where she sat on his futon; Bryce went to fix her a glass of red wine to help her relax. When he walked back the room, Dianna was curled up on the futon crying softly.

Bryce sat the drink down and pulled her into his lap and held her. He held her until she was all cried out. He hated Althea Petty in that moment. Her constant hounding and false accusations ruined the careers of many teachers at Armstrong; he would not let her destroy Dianna.

"Baby, listen to me." Bryce whispered. "Dianna, don't worry about Jeanette Lacey. She does this every year. It will be fine."

"Do you think I care about my career, Bryce?" Dianna asked. "You have taught for years and she can just accuse you of..." Sniffling Dianna continued. "She can ruin your career. I am not really a teacher. I just needed a job and this one was available, but this is your career."

"I need to resign, because I can't cause you to lose your career over something like this." she finished.

Bryce stood and caught her hand. Lifting her hands to his lips he looked into her eyes. "Dianna, you are everything to me. I will not give you up, certainly not for Jeanette Lacey. Baby, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you." hugging her tightly. "I promise we will get through this."

Dianna held onto him tightly. It was in the meeting when he adamantly defended her that she knew she loved him. She could not be the reason his career ended, but he assured her that he'd chose her regardless of the outcome.