Jan. Week 3: Friday Morning

Leah arrived at the staff lot twenty minutes before the first bell, which was a personal record for her. She wore her hair up and a skirt that was technically within the dress code, though anyone with a pulse and an imagination would know what she was doing. As she exited her car, the frigid January air nipped her exposed thighs, but she didn’t mind—she liked the attention she sometimes received from the parking lot perverts.

The lot was bustling with early-arriving students and teachers, all parading their exhaustion and Friday desperation in the pale morning light. The stench of diesel and vape clouds hung thick near the bus loop, and Leah was savoring her final moments of relative peace—until, inevitably, trouble found her right on cue.

“Miss Williams! Got a minute?” Mr. Howard’s voice boomed over the clamor, echoing off the sad brick facade of Pleasant Plains High. Leah tried not to flinch as he homed in, his smile as polished and predatory as ever.

She **** a peppy, “Good morning, Mr. Howard!”

“You’re in early,” he said, as if she’d won a medal for punctuality. “Love to see that kind of dedication. Makes my job easier.”

Leah’s smile stayed fixed, but the back of her neck tingled. She knew exactly what game he was playing and why.

“Just wanted to get some grading done before the chaos starts,” she lied.

“That’s the spirit,” Mr. Howard replied, giving her a conspiratorial wink that would have made a lesser woman vomit. “Listen, when you have a minute, could you swing by my office this morning? Won’t take long. Just a…quick favor you might say.”

His emphasis on the word quick favor was so deliberate it might as well have been tattooed on his tongue. He leaned in and lowered his voice in a more conspiratorial tone.

“You won’t even need to take your clothes off.”

His emphasis on the word quick favor was so deliberate it might as well have been tattooed on his tongue. Leah tilted her head for a moment trying to decide her answer, feigning deep consideration, though her stomach performed a slow, tight somersault. This was the price she paid for maintaining her salary, her insurance, and most importantly—her secret. She did probably have time but she was hopeful to have gotten some extra grading in and extra prep to go into the weekend more relaxed...