Page 78 of I Will Ruin You

Despite that, I tried to act as though nothing unusual had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours. But all day I kept looking out that same window where I had spotted Mark LeDrew, expecting to see a Milford police car pull into the lot. Sooner or later, I feared, something was going to connect me to my visit to Billy Finster’s the night before.

All they had to do was look at the call history on his phone. They’d see he’d called me not long after I’d told Bonnie everything, even texted me when I’d told him I wasn’t going to give in to his demands.

How would I explain that? What reason could I come up with for his You’ll be sorry text?

I hoped he’d used another phone for that, a burner, that maybe he’d gotten rid of. Why hadn’t I looked for it when I was there? Too shocked, that’s why.

During a free hour in my schedule, Trent came to my room.

“You came by the house last night?” he said.

“Yeah,” I said, my back to him as I wiped down my blackboard, erasing a lesson on symbolism.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Everything’s fine. I was just... just going to talk to you some more about my circumstances.”

“Well, I’m here now.”

“It’s okay,” I said. “I’ve burdened you enough with all this. I appreciate it, I do. I’m sure things will find a way of working out.”

“So... what are you saying?” He closed the door. “You paid him? It’s over?”

“I didn’t—I think my blackmailer’s had a change of heart.” More like his heart stopped working.

“You heard from him?”

I put down the eraser and raised my palms, signaling I really didn’t want to talk about this anymore. “Trent, really, forget I ever mentioned any of this. Put it out of your head.”

He stood there, studying me. “What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothing. Just... let it go.”

Trent nodded slowly, mulling over my request. “Okay, then,” he said. “If you change your mind, if you want to talk, you know where to find me.”

“Thank you.” I expected him to withdraw, but he was still standing there. “What?”

“I know you need this like a hole in the head, but—”

God, what now?

“Another lawsuit?” I said. “I already got served by the LeDrews, forwarded the paperwork to the union.”

“Not that,” he said. “Remember me telling you about some parents being concerned about the books in your class?”

I needed a second. Andrew Kanin. The Road.

“Yeah,” I said.

“They’d like a meeting. How do you decide what book is worth studying? What are the criteria?”

“Really? There’s not a book out there someone wouldn’t find objectionable. Maybe we should abandon the teaching of ideas, Trent. Just teach them the times table and the state capitals and send them on their merry fucking way.”

“I’m on your side here.”

I sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m at the end of my tether.”

“I get it, but let me tell you the spot I’m in. I can’t dismiss their concerns even if I have problems with them. I have to listen, and we have to make our case. They’d like to meet tonight. The best person— Why do you keep looking out the window?”