The Joker Saves the Day

Following the directions, Ashley found herself outside a two story new build located just a few minutes’ drive from the high school. Even though there was a space in the driveway next to a motorcycle, Ashley parked curb side and stepped out onto the sidewalk in front of the garden. Walking up around the crisp, well maintained grass, Ashley had to admire the house with its garage and porch and sleek white finish. In truth it was smaller than Ashley’s home, but her father was the District Attorney, and something like this was beyond a simple high-school teacher’s salary. With a smile, Ashley noted to herself that Ms. Griffin must have come out quite well in the divorce.

At the front door, she rang the doorbell and waited. Less than a minute later it opened but Ashley was surprised that her teacher didn’t answer the door, instead, a young man, just her age with short blonde hair, clear green eyes and a wide grin, as if he were amused just to see her there, on his doorstep. Of course, she shouldn’t have been so shocked. This was his house too.

“Hi, Leon.” She returned his smile pleasantly. “I’m here to see your mum.”

“Oh, I know,” he said, standing to one side, allowing her entry into the hallway. “She told me to expect you.”

“She didn’t happen to also tell you why she invited me here?” Ashley asked as she entered the house and took a look around. To her right was a set of stairs, wide enough to accommodate one person at a time, going up to the second floor. Through an open door to her left was a den, but, from what Ashley could make out, Ms. Griffin wasn’t in there.

“Nope, I’m not special enough to be privy to that information, I’m afraid.” He closed the door behind her and waved her to follow him down the hall. “But you must be in some kind of trouble, and, boy must it be big if she didn’t want to do it in school.”

“Yes, that’s my fear too,” Ashley admitted with a sigh as Leon led her down past the stairs, the hall only single file wide as well, through an open archway into a kitchen space. The whole room was open plan, the kitchen leading onto the dining room and just around the corner was another smaller living area with just a couch, a coffee table and a television.

It was there that Ashley caught sight of the back of her teacher’s long blonde hair as she sat at the sofa, leaning over the table, grading math sheets no doubt turned in just before the start of Spring Break. KAZR-NWS was on the television in the background, but muted. A tall, slender man with high cheekbones and a receding hairline was giving a statement to the camera in front of Ravers Enterprises.

“Mom,” Leon got his mother’s attention, and brought Ashley’s back to the here and now. “Your guest has arrived.”

“Oh, Ashley, finally,” Harmony jumped up from the sofa and turned to face her student. “I was beginning to think you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry, I got held up and, well, actually I’m spending Spring Break at Heather Ravers’ cabin up near Silver Lake. So, it’s a bit of a drive to get here,” Ashley said, hoping she’d understand. Even in class, the math teacher was never terribly strict about tardiness.

“Ah, I see, I wasn’t aware of that. There’s no urgency to our discussion, I just have to show my face at work soon,” Harmony explained, then turned to address her son. “Leon, give us some privacy please.”

“As you command.” He bowed slightly, as a footman to his queen, smirking softly at Ashley as he swanned out of the room after, his mother’s ire watching him go.

“He’s playing up for your sake, you know,” Harmony remarked, as she gestured towards the dining table.

“Me?” Ashley stammered and shook her head. “I don’t think so. Leon hasn’t even been at school a full year and he’s already got a reputation as a funny guy. Jokes are just his thing, aren’t they?”

“That’s true,” she agreed, pulling out a seat and sitting upon it, then waiting for Ashley to do the same. “But not with me. He’s being bold with his comedy to impress you.”

“You think your son is interested in me?” Ashley leaned so far back in her chair that it shifted, squeaking against the floor as it moved. “I…I…I don’t think so. He’s barely spoken to me.”

“You’re a very pretty girl. And a cheerleader. I’m sure you have any number of boys chasing after you all day long, and some you probably don’t even know about.” Harmony stared at Ashley, seemingly watching her expression as well as listening intently to her responses. “And even if it wasn’t obvious from watching you two in the hallways, it’s a small school, these things tend to get around. That’s how I also know you have a boyfriend too. Brandon, isn’t it?”

Ashley was tempted to tell her that her information was old, but she bit her tongue, less worried about her teacher thinking she was still dating Brandon and more concerned about the underlying reason for her questions.

“Sorry, Ms. I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you asking about my love life?” Ashley inquired bluntly. “Or are you trying to set me up with Leon?”

“Oh, no, no, sorry, damn, I didn’t mean for it to come across like that.” Harmony smacked her head. “Honestly, that boy doesn’t need my help. He goes out on dates two, three times a week at least.”

“Okay,” Ashley believed her. “So, then why are you asking?”

“I guess I should have just been straightforward from the get go, but…it’s a rather awkward situation, and I didn’t want to embarrass you either.” The teacher leaned over and reached into a tote bag that lay resting against the dining table. Straightening up a few seconds later, she held in her hand, high enough for Ashley to plainly see, a pair of torn panties, the blonde teen’s name scribbled onto the label. “But I found these in my classroom yesterday.”

“Oooooh,” Ashley deflated as she realized the true meaning for this meeting and that she was, most definitely, in trouble. “Oh, shit.”

“I don’t appreciate the language, but at least you aren’t trying to deny it.” Harmony frowned as she glanced at the name on the label. “Though it’s not like you can I suppose.”

Silently, Ashley cursed her own mother. A few years ago, after one too many fights about whose clothes belonged to who, her mother had decided enough was enough. She **** both Ashley and Hannah to write their names onto the label of every single piece of clothing they owned, panties and underwear included, and anything that wasn’t signed within a day was going to charity. Not that it actually stopped them from stealing each other’s clothes. Even after Hannah went off to college, every so often she’d return with a load of laundry and when she left, a top was missing or a sexy thong Ashley had just bought was gone. The only thing that never got stolen were her bras.

Now that Hannah was on the run, probably for the rest of her life, Ashley realized she’d never have to worry about having her clothes taken ever again, and that thought brought her close to tears.

“Ashley? Are you alright?” The teacher reached across the table and put her hand on Ashley’s.

“Yeah, yes, sorry, it’s just…embarrassing,” she let out a nervous chuckle as she wiped her eyes clear. “Of course, those are mine.”

“Well, would you mind tell me how they ended up in my classroom, off your body, torn up?” Harmony asked, holding the panties up a little higher for closer inspection.

“You know my friends were there, to show Peter around,” Ashley began, quite unsure how she was going to finish the story. “Well, I was there too, only I ran into Ms. Moreau.”

“Your English teacher?” Harmony raised an eyebrow while making a mental note to verify that fact with Mary herself later. “Okay, so what happened next?”

“Okay, see, Ms. Moreau had slipped in the bathroom. It wasn’t serious, but she was a little shaken up, and her hair was a mess, so she asked me to fetch her a hairbrush,” Ashley replied, parroting Ms. Moreau’s lie from yesterday.

Unfortunately, that was as far as she was willing to go with those events. To explain what had happened with Mr. Ward wouldn’t just be a scandal for him, but it would thrust her into the spotlight, and not necessarily in a positive way. And the last thing she needed, with the police still investigating her role in Hannah’s confession, was more bad publicity.

“…is that all?” Harmony scrunched her face in confusion when Ashley abruptly ended the story. “I understand how you were separated from your friends, but how does that relate to you ending up pantyless in my classroom?”

“I…um…” Ashley was at a loss.

“It was me.”

Both women looked around at the door into the hall to see Leon strolling back through, grinning just as wide as he had when he left. Approaching the dining room table, he offered Ashley a wink, his head turned just enough so his mother probably didn’t see it. She had no idea what he was going to do, but she had no other options than to go along with it.

“Leon, what, ugh” Harmony closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “I thought I asked you to leave us alone.”

“I did, or I was going to, but then I felt my ears burning. I was curious whether the reviews were good or bad, so yes, I snuck downstairs and listened in,” Leon explained to his mother. “When I heard what you were talking about I knew I had to step in and save Miss Woodsen, since she’d no doubt stubbornly hold to her silence just to protect me.”

“Is that so?” Harmony glanced at Ashley, clearly doubting Leon’s story. “Well, I’d like to ask Ashley about what happened, so, can you-”

Knowing Ashley wouldn’t have the details to collaborate the alibi, Leon cut his mother off and said, “Oh, I can tell you that. Remember I rang and said I needed some money, and you told me there was a break coming up in the training and that if I came to the school, you’d give me some? It was right about that time I ran into Ashley…”

“Okay, Leon, that’s enough,” she tried to stop him from feeding Ashley any more information.

“She was just on her way back from helping Ms. Moreau, to meet up with her friends again, when we ran into each other. I guess I must have been on my A-game for charm because she decided to stop and chat for a bit…”

“Okay, Leon.”

“She thought it was so dangerous to sneak into school and I was teasing her about it, so I said to her ‘You know what would be really exciting?’, and she said ‘what?’ and I said…”

“Leon, okay, stop.”

“’wanna have sex in my mom’s classroom?’, and like I said, I must have been really charming that day, because she said ‘yes’ and then we-”

“OKAY LEON ENOUGH!”

Harmony Griffins was on her feet in seconds, her hands slamming down hard against the top of the dining table. The smack resonated throughout the room, bringing her son to silence finally. But the damage had already been done. Ashley could now just repeat everything he said. It still didn’t make it any better, it was still an indecent and inappropriate thing to do on school premises, but now Harmony couldn’t do a thing about it without implicating her own child as well.

“Get out of my sight now, the both of you,” Harmony seethed, sliding Ashley’s panties across the table. The blonde teen quickly pocketed the lacy rag, and scurried out of the kitchen, back to the hallway, with Leon following just behind. “I’ll deal with you later when I get back from work,” she called after him.

Neither one said anything until they were back on the doorstep, the front door closed tight behind them to muffle their conversation in case his mother was still listening in.

Keeping her voice low, Ashley said, “Thank you. You really didn’t have to do that, but you really saved my skin.”

“I think I did have to do it. You were floundering out there. Makes me wonder who you were really protecting,” Leon said sincerely.

“That’s a secret I’ll take to my grave,” Ashley confessed darkly. “But now I’ve gotten you in trouble too.”

“Ah, I’ll probably just be grounded, or maybe she’ll take my bike keys,” Leon shrugged and leaned back against the door. “Maybe not though. If she does that, she’ll have to give me a ride to school, and she’ll just get pissed even being in the same space as me for a while.”

“Well, you can take some solace in the fact that once Spring Break is done, I’m grounded too. My dad already has me penciled in for ‘forever’.” He smiled lightly at her joke. “But that was still really nice of you.”

The garage door opened and a silver Chevrolet Cruze pulled out into the driveway. Through the window, the teens could see Ms. Griffins still scowling face as she backed out onto the street before driving off in the direction of the school. With her gone, and the kids alone, they relaxed and allowed their voices to return to normal.

“Well, it wasn’t purely altruistic,” he admitted, his smile widening to a grin. “I do have one request.”

“Oh, here we go,” Ashley slumped her shoulders, knowing her luck wasn’t that good to get away that easily. “If you’re going to ask for a re-enactment of your story, I’m afraid you’re shit out of luck.”

“No, though maybe we could work up to it,” He nodded, his clear green eyes twinkling. “Go on a date with me.”

“A date?” Ashley clarified, though Leon hadn’t been asking, almost commanding. Even Brandon had never been so bold. “Was your mom right? Do you have a thing for me?”

“Yeah, me and everyone guy in the school,” Leon noted, letting the teasing slide right off his back. “Come on, take a ride on my motorcycle, and I swear, that’s all you have to ride. Unless you want to…”

She shoved him playfully and pursed her lips to keep from smiling, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of actually thinking he was charming. It wasn’t that she was opposed to the idea entirely, Leon was a nice enough guy, handsome and fun to be around in general, though she didn’t know him terribly well after only one school year. But after her failed relationships with Zack and Brandon, she’d wanted to be alone for a while, to take some time for herself. Then, another realization struck her.

“Aren’t you worried about Brandon?” Ashe asked suspiciously, wondering if word of their break up had already gotten out.

“I’m asking for one date, not your hand in marriage,” Leon remarked as he dismissed even the thought of her supposed boyfriend with a wave of his hand. “Mr. Quarterback never has to know.”

“But you’re asking me to cheat on him,” she reminded him, coming closer to the conclusion that Leon really just didn’t care about her relationship status. “Have you been talking to Amber?”

“Ha, no. I tried, but Sharon still has an embargo on all basketball players, and Amber and Tanya are following her lead. I’m hoping that policy doesn’t extend to you,” Leon said, still confident he could persuade her. “And it’s not really cheating if you’re just hanging out with another guy. Or is Brandon that insecure?”

“If he thinks someone is making a move on his girl, which you definitely are, then yeah, he’s gonna have something to say about that,” she replied, keeping up the ruse. Since Leon liked to joke around, maybe she could play a prank of her own. “How about this? You come to Heather’s party at the cabin tomorrow and I’ll save you a drink.”

“My mum could have me executed by tomorrow,” he noted with a feinted grimace. “Won’t you grant a dying man’s last wish?”

Ashley folded her arms, wondering how she was going to get Brandon and Leon in one place. “How do I know this just isn’t some ploy to stick it to the football team for hording the cheerleaders?”

“For starters, there are much better places to ‘stick it’ than to the football team,” Leon continued to joke. “And secondly, there are two things I’d never use so callously…”

“Let me guess, girls and bikes,” Ashley smirked and Leon nodded in reply. “So, let’s say I buy that this is sincere, and you can’t come to the party tomorrow, and I can’t say no, or you’ll take back your alibi-”

“You can say no,” Leon interrupted her summation. “Like I said, I’m not that guy. You say no, we go on our merry separate ways, no harm done, no grudges bore. I just thought that right now might be a good opportunity to make my play. I just did a nice thing, you’re in a relieved mood and maybe have a good opinion of me right now.”

“One that’s rapidly falling,” she lied, and again tried not to smile.

“Then I better get your answer quick I guess,” Leon said, shimming up closer to her.

“Alright, okay, you know what, let’s go,” Ashley finally agreed, deciding to play it by ear. “I have some errands to run for tomorrow, but why don’t you tag along, and we’ll see where we wind up?”

“Okay, but I do have one condition.” He dangled his motorcycle keys in front of her face. “I’m driving.”