Page 30 of XX Love Affair

Brynn’s face implied she didn’t want to give away her source, but she had no choice. “You’re still Instagram friends with Cinder. Her sister and I deduced where you were based on some of the views you had shot after you arrived.”

“I see.” Cinder’s sister was Ember Donahue, Brynn’s much younger girlfriend. And former student. Helena was one of the first to discover the inappropriate relationship between the history teacher and the assistant coach she had taught a few years before. She even attempted to ruin their lives out of a misplaced sense of anger. Teachers aren’t supposed to do that. Even when we grow up and become adults, it’s simply not done. Helena had learned that the hard way. There were multiple reasons most schoolteachers were off limits to her.

“Please, don’t be angry. I haven’t told anyone but Ember that I’m speaking with you. She’ll keep your secret.”

“I don’t care if people know I’m here. I just don’t want them coming after me. Especially my mom.”

“Your mom cares about you.”

“I keep in contact with her. She knows I’m alive. She knows I’ll come back for school.”

Brynn nodded. “Look, I’m a fan of letting people have their business to themselves. I don’t need the details of what you’ve been up to. But it’s in my blood to worry when I see a young lady I know running around the country with boyfriends and girlfriends twice her age. You’ve done a good job staying appropriate enough on social media, but… I don’t want you to lose your scholarship. That’s the lifeline to your future.”

Helena was quiet for a moment, although her gaze never broke from Brynn’s. The more we sit here staring at each other, the faster she melts into her seat. Helena had that power over women. The more they knew her, the easier it was to make them crumble in awkward propriety. Brynn thought she knew Helena. Thought she knew what went through her head, why she was the way she was, and how quickly she might spiral out of control and ruin everything she had worked so hard for as a kid in a new school. Brynn was one of the only people who knew what Helena had been through at her old school. Being a minor had its perks… Before she turned eighteen and graduated high school, Helena’s name was stricken from the media records. Her ex-boyfriend hadn’t been as lucky.

Here she was. Free, while he battled in the courtroom.

Brynn thought she knew something about that. And while Helena could admit that her former teacher came from a well-meaning place, none of this had been her business. It still wasn’t any of her business, no matter what she said when they inevitably spoke.

“You’re still with Ember, huh?”

Surely, Brynn wasn’t surprised by that question. It was one of Helena’s favorite things to talk about. “Yes,” the older woman finally said. “We’re long distance right now as we both go to school, but it’s working out.”

“How nice.”

“Are you seeing anyone right now?”

All day, Helena had barely thought of Delia, yet it was hard to ignore that face in her mind right now. Or what we did all weekend. The party hadn’t stopped the morning Helena left to resume her life outside of another woman’s bed. They went out again Sunday afternoon, enjoying an early dinner and a perusal of the latest museum exhibit before going back to Delia’s for another spin on her mattress. Helena had quipped she was sexually satisfied for “at least two days” which was shorter than what Delia could commit to before seeing her again. We’re supposed to go out this weekend. Their communication had been sparse, but that was fine with Helena. Delia had a busy job, and there were rooms to find and jobs to pin down.

“Sort of. It’s not serious.”

“You got money?”

Helena snorted.

“I’m not offering to loan you money,” Brynn said. “I’m asking if you’re okay.”

“I just got back from an interview, actually.”

“Good. An old colleague of mine, who taught way before your time at our school, now lives out here with a plant shop. She says she’s looking for a part-time worker. I can set you up pretty easily if you need some money.”

Helena had certainly not expected this. “I… well, is it okay if it’s for a few months? I can’t commit to a lot of hours. Just enough to make some money.”

Was Brynn excited that Helena was interested? “I’m sure she’ll be fine with that. It’s mostly in the late morning and early afternoon, while she’s at lunch or out making deliveries. Pays over minimum wage. I can put you into contact with her.”

“Is that why you’re here? To get me a job?”

“I told her I knew a hardworking former student who might be interested. I think you’ll find that this whole networking thing is pretty powerful.”

Helena slightly bowed her head. “You don’t have to do that.”

“No, I don’t. But I want to. That way when your mom inevitably calls me and asks if I’ve heard anything, I can tell her you’re doing okay and not be lying out of the side of my mouth.”

“My mom talks to you?”

“Yes, but I don’t tell her anything you don’t. I respect your privacy.”

“Do you? Because you’re here in the lobby of my hotel talking to me.”