Tarton Ch. 03

I guess I'm just as bad as my mum, letting the headmaster have his fun. I really should stop it, but hell it's easy money, so why should I?

Cynthia's Story

The weekend I find putting my mind on my work helps me forget what I've been through. My computer has a few emails from the students about the homework I've set. Vanessa has sent photos of her from the modelling agency, which has just signed her up. Luke has sent some photos of his older brother in a motor cycle race, and a rather lengthy video of his brother going round and round the race track, but he did come second and has a few first to his name.

I'm out in the front garden, weeding the flower bed. I watch with a smile on my face as Sylvia walks past with June, the boy from my class who wants to be a girl.

"Hi Mrs Harrison, Aunty Sylvia is taking me for a drink or two, do you want to come?"

"No, I'm rather busy at the moment."

I watch them walk off, noting just how much June looks like her Aunt.

"Hi Mrs Harrison, was that your new friend walking down the road with June?"

I look up and there stands Toby watching them until they go round the corner.

"What do you want Toby?"

"Well a drink would be nice; I know your old man is working a way. I thought I'd bring my homework round."

"It's Saturday. Toby, I'm busy."

"Come on Simon....fuck your teacher...FUCK ME!"

"Shall I play it again, louder, or perhaps I'll come back when your old man is home?" he says putting his phone back in his pocket.

"What do you want, money?" I say holding the glass of orange juice out to him, and wishing my hand would stop shaking.

He takes the glass, and sips it.

"No, I want top marks in my exams, and I want you to arrange a date for me."

"I, I'll phone the police if you don't delete that from you're phone."

"Okay."

He shows me his phone as he deletes it, but the smile on his face tells me he has only just started.

"There you see I'm playing ball, now it's your turn."

"No way, I'm not letting you have...with me."

"I don't want sex with you, I want you to arrange something else, or my homework here gets shown to your old man, the school, my parents, and just about anyone who has a computer in this shitty town."

I watch him sit at my computer pushing the stick in the port.

"Now here we go, this you see Mrs Harrison, is my homework."

He opens a file and I watch, feeling my stomach turning over.

"So there we are coming round the corner at school, and there you are on your knees, after tying poor Simple Simon up and shoving his tie in his mouth so he can't cry for help. Luckily we came round the corner when we did, or you'd have sucked his cock."

"That's not true and you know it....I didn't tie him up, and you, you haven't shown your hand pushing on my head."

"Hey this is even better. I filmed this from my bedroom window, there you are fiddling about in the garden, and oh look, here comes lover boy creeping up behind you, oh you'll have to excuse this bit, because I had zoomed right in, and I was laughing, that's why the picture is shaking, just after he made you jump."

I watch as replay after replay of a few seconds of Simon touching my cheek goes on.

"H, he was wiping dirty off my........."

I stop as it jumps to Simon lowering the necklace he had bought me over my head, and then as he fiddles with the catch.

"As my friend said at the time, it is so sweet that he buys you gifts, and look, there you are touching it a few minutes later with your husband present."

"What friend?" I shriek.

"Does it really matter who I was with? Did it feel naughty miss, having your lover's gift round your neck, and touching it with your husband there, totally unaware?"

I go to remove the stick but he grabs my hand.

"Mrs Harrison this is my homework. I'm expecting good marks for this. There is more so just fucking sit down and enjoy my presentation."

"I'll give you money if you stop this right now, please Toby, this isn't fair."

"And nor is not seeing the rest of my homework. Now let's get this over with shall we?"

"Oh my god, you were in......."

"Yep, I had to get a part time job, my dad insisted on it. So there I was working in the singles bar collecting glass, and in comes the town whore and the teacher whore, all friendly. Here watch this you'll love it."

I watch as Sylvia pulls my wedding ring off, and then holds it above her head.

"Mrs Harrison shame on you, dressing like a slut, and then letting your friend take your wedding ring off, so the two men know they are in, and then of course there is this."

I'm watching a slowed down clip of the guy kissing me.

"You see the school board will take a very dim view of one of their teachers fucking strangers in a motel."

"B.....but it never happened; we didn't go to the motel."

"Yeah I know that, but hell I managed to get out the back quickly enough to see one of the guys going in the hotel over the road to book a room. I had to duck down because you and Sylvia came out, you nearly caught me."

I'm shaking and looking at him hoping somehow I can get myself out of this.

"Then of course when I saw you walking up the road the night of the fire, well yeah I came back this way. I couldn't believe my luck, there was a gap curtains and in your window where it wasn't shut properly. I caught you groaning those words I played on my phone outside 20 minutes ago."

"Toby, please stop this. I know I've done wrong but I'm not like you are painting me."

"And at school, I came back just in time to see your knickers dropping down behind the radiator."

I'm watching the computer screen. Simon is fucking me over my desk.

"I bet I get good marks for my homework, don't I? Now like I said you don't have to worry, if you do what I want, which is to go and talk to Sylvia."

"No, no way. I can't ask her to....with you. I'll give you money, if you promise me you'll delete everything. Toby this really isn't fair."

"Oh stop sobbing, it isn't Sylvia I want it's, well to see....June."

I'm staring at him, and for the first time I can see apprehension and a little embarrassment on his face.

"You had better not start fucking laughing at me, or I swear everything I've got goes to your old man."

"I'm not going to laugh, and I'm not going to ask Sylvia to, arrange something like that, I can't. You take the Mick out of Julian.....I mean June at school. Toby, if you are interested in June, then why don't you...."

"If you say ask her out, I swear you'll regret it."

The rage in his voice frightens me.

"Toby, listen to me. I know you're worried about what people will think if you go out, on a date with June, but think of her, she's having a difficult time of it as it is. Why have you suddenly got all this interest in June?"

He's staring into my eyes

"If you repeat to anyone what I tell you, you'll regret it."

I go to touch his arm but he pulls it away.

"Alright, just tell me."

Toby swallows the last of the juice, and looks at the empty glass like he is delaying or thinking about what he wants to say.

"We were best friends a few years ago, before you came to this town from the sticks, we grew up together. Julian and I, well there was this thing between us, not sexual before you have a go at me. We played together, Julian's parents had this summer house in the garden, and we played dress up, and don't think I dressed up as a girl, he did."

"Okay, there is more isn't there, I'm listening."

"I swear you tell anyone and I'll."

"For god's sake Toby, stop threatening me. Just calm down and tell me."

I watch him take a deep breath.

"Last Valentine's day, well I sent her a card."

"I know, she came up and told me."

I watch his face turn to shock, and then the anger comes back.

"Toby she didn't tell me who sent it, she said she knew. I swear she didn't tell me, she was happy. She said on the card, it said she looked pretty, and better than any of the real girls."

"Harrison if you're taking the piss I swear."

"I'm not, I'm just telling you. She went there you know, down by the canal. I drove down there, just to make sure she was safe, and that's the only reason. I watched her pacing about, and then even from over the street I could see she was, well sad when you didn't turn up. So I went and took her home.....she looked really pretty."

"I couldn't go; I couldn't even get out the door. I just thought of all the shit I'd get. Toby, the son of a rich dad, the hard boy in school, being seen out with a......."

"Toby you should talk to her. There's no need for all this, is that why you've gone to all these extreme lengths recording me with Simon?"

He shakes his head, "No, things just happened. Simon and I never got on. He talked to June; he was probably the only boy that would."

"And you felt jealous?"

"Don't start saying things like that. So when I saw you and Simple Simon being all close, and by the way, I'm not the only one who noticed the way he looked at you, and then there you both were having your fun, which isn't exactly right."

"So, when did you decide to try blackmailing me?"

"At first I was going to make you give me good grades in my exams. My dad makes me work for every penny I get; he says I'll never amount to anything, because I'm stupid."

"Toby you're not stupid."

"Fucking hell will you just listen for once? He said when you sent him my report last year he said a 5 year old could do better. Then when I saw you with Simon, I thought you'd have to help me."

"Toby, you can do good work when you try."

"SHUT UP! Just listen to me..... Dad cheats on mum with well just about anyone. He's fucked Sylvia too. She worked topless in the pub for him and his mates not long ago."

This time I do get to touch his arm. I rub it gently for a few seconds until he pulls it away, but not as quickly as he did the first time.

"Today I followed Sylvia and June down the road. That's when I changed my mind; I was coming to make sure I got good grades, in my exam. I was doing it so dad would be proud of me, and then watching her go down the road, I changed my mind. It was no longer about making dad happy, I wanted to be happy. So that is what I want."

"Then why are you so cruel to June at school?"

"Because she came up to me, and asked why I didn't turn up on Valentine's night. She was crying, and then you came round the corner and thought I'd upset her."

"I remember that day. She kept telling me you hadn't done anything."

"Yeah, then the headmaster came round the corner, with a few kids from our class. I couldn't have her defending me in front of everyone, that's why I called her a pervert. So you'll ask Sylvia to arrange for June to be at her house next Saturday, or this goes to everyone," he says pulling the stick out of my computer.

"Why don't you let me talk to June first?"

"Because I want to surprise her, I don't want her knowing in case........"

"In case she doesn't turn up? I get it that's why you want to use Sylvia's house."

"Well she shags my dad, the least she could do is fuck off out for a few hours, and besides June stays there now and then so she won't suspect anything."

"I'll talk to Sylvia. I'm not promising anything, and there is no way I'll do it if you want to have....well you know?"

"Well you had better promise, because I'm serious about going to your old man, and it is not about sex with June, it's just well, a chat."

The next day I go round to Sylvia's.