TABOO TALES(erotica)

Wallace looked uncomfortable, and the others looked grim.

“What? What are you doing here?” she asked. Then her nerves flared. “What happened?” She spun to look back at Andre and saw dread in his eyes.

“May we come in?” Wallace asked politely.

Cassandra turned to stare at the three men in the hallway. She finally nodded and gestured for them to enter.

Principal Wallace slipped his shoes off and walked into the living room. The tall, dark-haired man in a sharply cut suit behind him frowned but took his shoes off too and went into the room as the third man, wearing a dull grey suit, nodded to her as he slipped his shoes off.

“Andre, bring the kitchen chairs into the living room,” Cassandra said, and he moved. She quickly went to her bedroom and brought her desk chair out for the third man to sit in. Wallace and the dark-haired man were already sitting, and the principal gestured to the sofa for her and Andre.

“First, I’d like to apologize for the intrusion so early on a Friday morning,” Harry began, and Cassandra nodded. “With me today is District Commissioner Scott Tennison and School Board Legal Counsel Burt Goldman.”

“What’s this about?” she asked.

“How long has Andre been having an affair with his math teacher, Mrs. Ilsa Jager?” Tennison asked before Wallace could speak. The principal didn’t look happy.

Cassandra’s eyes widened, and she looked at Andre, who was looking back at her in fear. She touched his arm and his eyes locked on her hand. “I’m not mad, Andre. Has she been touching you?”

He nodded.

“He’s been doing more than touching–” the commissioner began.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! I don’t know you. Principal Wallace, I trust. You don’t know Andre, and I’m speaking with him now,” Cassandra snapped as she locked eyes with the man, who froze with his mouth open.

She turned back to Andre, who was still looking at her hand on his arm.

“When did she first touch you?” she asked as her body trembled.

He glanced up at her and saw her compassion. “The day before yesterday. The day I collapsed in the tub.”

She looked at Wallace and saw his concerned look, so she explained. “Andre overdid his workout at school, and his muscles gave out while he showered at home. He told me a teacher touched–” Her eyes suddenly widened as the dots connected. She looked back at Andre. “Were you punishing yourself on the machine after the math teacher touched you?”

He nodded with a look of shame. “She… she had sex with me.”

Cassandra surged to her feet as her rage exploded. Baring her teeth in a silent snarl, she glared at the principal, but he looked shocked as well. Then she felt Andre clinging to her hand. He was pressing it to his cheek as he whispered something over and over. Her anger slipped away as she made out his words.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

She sat once more and took his face between her hands to make him look into her eyes. “Andre, I’m not mad at you. You did nothing wrong.”

When the commissioner made a sound of protest, Cassandra pointed at him with rage behind her stare, and he shut up.

She looked back at Andre, and he was back to staring at her hand, which was holding his.

“Andre can’t stand people touching him. Principal Wallace knows of this,” she said for their benefit. “How did it happen?” she asked Andre gently.

Andre glanced over at the men and saw a range of expressions. He was nervous talking about it in front of them, but Cassandra asked. “S-she treated me like Gloria,” he whispered to her.

Cassandra’s face paled as she stared at her brother in horror. His abuse continued. Her mouth opened, but she couldn’t speak.

“What did he say?” Scott asked.

Cassandra glared at him with a wild rage desperate to escape, to hunt down and kill the one who hurt her brother. Then she saw Wallace’s expression and struggled to rein in her emotions.

When she had control back, she spoke. “Andre was physically and sexually abused when he was younger by his stepmother. She had total control over him, and he couldn’t fight back. This math teacher, she must have found out about this or learned on her own how to do it.”

“Are we supposed to sit here and believe this story about Andre being forced to have sex with a very attractive teacher?” Tennison scoffed.

“Every time you open your mouth, you display your gross ignorance. How the hell did you rise to the position of district commissioner being this dense?” She held up a hand to stop his retort. “Never mind, I don’t want to know. Get out of my apartment. You have nothing of value to add to this conversation!” Cassandra insisted, pointing to the door.

The man looked indignant, then stood to walk to the door. He looked back in surprise when the others remained. He grabbed his shoes and stepped outside.

“Lock the door, Andre,” she said, and he immediately rushed over to the door and locked it. He returned to sit next to her, and she took his hand again.

The lawyer spoke. “You mentioned earlier that Andre didn’t like to be touched, but he shows no discomfort when you hold his hand.”

“Only her.”

They looked at Andre, who glanced at her, then dropped his eyes to her hand in his.

The principal cleared his throat. “One of the reasons we’re here today is to let you know that there has been another violation of Andre’s privacy. Someone shot a video of Mrs. Jager and Andre having sex in her classroom, and they posted it online. It’s very explicit and surprisingly clear, considering where they must have filmed it from. Both Ilsa and Andre are clearly visible. Contrary to the commissioner’s claim, Andre does not appear to be enjoying himself and quickly flees once the act is complete. We do believe he was being forced into this relationship with the teacher.”Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Cassandra’s mouth was hanging open in dismay as she stared at Wallace.

“We’ve come to let Andre know he doesn’t need to attend the last week of classes this year. His record will show he completed the year and achieved excellent grades.” His expression became a little awkward. “I’ve only just been made aware of this today when one of the office administrators brought it to my attention. They received amended grades for your art class, and Ms. Rubio included a note to show her reasoning for increasing your grade average. She wrote she approached you earlier this year to do a quick assessment of your interpretive capabilities?”

Cassandra looked at Andre, and he nodded as he remembered the morning.

“Ms. Rubio said she recognized some behaviors which matched her nephew’s, who is autistic. She suggested Andre might be on the spectrum, just not officially assessed and diagnosed by a physician.”

Cassandra scowled at the teacher, and he raised his hands. “It’s not a bad thing. It just might help explain some behaviors, and you might be able to get some assistance for Andre.”

“I don’t need assistance. Andre is perfect the way he is. It’s true, he doesn’t socialize with the other students, and he gets targeted by bullies, but you dealt with that to our satisfaction. He’s fully capable of functioning in society. He had a job until the damn photo was leaked, and his boss took offense.” She took a breath to calm herself. “My next question is, what are you going to do about this bitch who abused him? Are we pressing charges?” she asked.

The lawyer spoke again. “While what Mrs. Jager did isn’t illegal due to Andre being over eighteen years old, it was unethical and violated the school’s code of conduct. This is grounds for dismissal. We’ll also be working to have her teacher’s license and certification revoked. Even the District Commissioner wants to see that happen.”

Cassandra looked at the two men. “Just how widespread was the distribution of the video?”

Wallace looked uncomfortable. “I’m not an expert, but I believe it’s on the Internet, so it’s available worldwide.”

She gave Andre a sad look, and he looked at her nervously. “How are we going to give you a normal life with all this notoriety?” she said quietly.

“I don’t need normal. I’m content with this,” he said, and she sucked in a quiet breath as his dark eyes held hers. She nodded, then looked at the two men.

“We’re moving to be closer to Andre’s college. Hopefully, we can shed these terrible events and start anew there. Until then, I have to get to work. Thank you for taking the time to visit us today. We appreciate it.”

Wallace took that as it was time to leave and walked to the door with the lawyer. “Once more, we’re terribly sorry these activities happened to you on our watch,” Harry said to Cassandra and Andre, who nodded to him. They slipped their shoes on and left.

Cassandra turned to face her brother and took his face in her hands as she looked into his dark, soulful eyes. “I’m sorry she hurt you. Principal Wallace will see she’s punished. We’re going to get away from here and make a new life for ourselves when we go to Cambridge. You’ll see. In the meantime, you’re done with high school. Congratulations!”

She moved forward to kiss his cheek, catching him by surprise. He turned to look at her, and their lips met. Her eyes widened, then she pulled back. “Naughty boy! Getting me all tingly before I go to work!” She bit her lip as she slipped her sneakers on, then smiled at him as she left.

Andre stared at the door, stunned by what had just happened. She kissed him and… she liked it?

He looked toward the living room and realized he didn’t have any plans for the rest of the day.

He adjusted his shorts as they were running out of room as he recalled his sister’s soft lips on his.

There was at least one thing he needed to take care of right now.