Page 47 of Saving Stella
“What’s going on here, Ms. Lennon? Mr. Keller?” came an authoritative voice from behind.
Stella cringed. Lord, could my day get any worse?
“Well?”
“Headmaster Osmond.” Stella pasted the fakest smile she could put on her face as she turned to her boss. “Good morning, how are you today?”
The stodgy old man’s white eyebrows waggled as he peered up at Cliff. “Who is this man?”
“Ms. Lennon’s bodyguard,” Tyler guffawed. “Apparently.”
“Well, I don’t care if he’s Secret Service, he can’t be in here.”
“What?” Cliff protested. “I need to do my job?—”
“And I must do mine,” Osmond interrupted.
Cliff crossed his arms over his chest. “Someone’s trying to harm Stella. I’m here to keep her safe.”
“Harm you?” Tyler asked. “What does he mean?”
“Nothing.” She glared meaningfully at Cliff. “I mean, it’s just some silly misunderstanding.”
“Someone tried to kidnap her,” Cliff continued. “And her brother hired?—”
“Parents!” Stella quickly interjected. “My, er, parents hired him to watch over me.”
“It was that video, wasn’t it?” Tyler snapped his fingers. “You have a stalker now or something?”
“Er, yeah. Something like that.”
The headmaster harrumphed. “That video … I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that, Ms. Lennon.”
She groaned inwardly. “Yes, I suppose you do.”
“Come to my office after dismissal.” He glanced up furiously at Cliff. “Ms. Lennon, may I remind you, it is our duty to keep the students here at Crestholm safe and secure.”
“What do you mean, safe?” Cliff’s voice boomed down the hallway.
“I’m sorry, headmaster, I’ll take care of this. Cliff,” she pleaded. “You should wait outside.”
“But—”
“Please, this is my job. I’ll be fine in here.”
Cliff’s jaw hardened. “I’ll see you at three.”
“She’s safe in here,” Tyler said. “We take care of our own.”
If looks could kill, Tyler would have dropped dead at the intense death stare Cliff had sent him.
“Um, I’m going to be late for class. I should go.” With that, she scampered away from the two men.
Dread filled Stella the whole day as she watched the clock, waiting for the dismissal bell. When she made that video, she had no idea that it would turn her world upside-down. She only wanted to find her sister, not have deranged stalkers trying to kidnap her. Or put her career at risk.
Teachers employed at Crestholm signed a morality clause in their contracts, not to mention that anything that disrupted academics was severely frowned upon. Last year, a teacher had posted pictures of herself in a bikini on her own private social media channel that a couple of students somehow got access to. The pictures were shared around the school, and a few of the parents found out and complained, which led to her being asked to resign.
What if some parents saw her video?