Each of us has a story to tell (Completed)

Chapter 10- James

Trigger warnings- Swearing, drug mention, blackmailing, student- teacher relationship mention, pregnancy mention and sex mention (not explicit). 

I don't want to do what the blackmailer is telling me to do. But it's not like I have a choice. Between lying to the principal about who set off the fire alarm and having the whole world know I'm a drug dealer I'll take the first option every time.

I write out the note during science, trying not to make it look like it's written in my handwriting, and fold it up neatly.

At lunch I head towards Mr Rogers' office and slide the note under the door. His secretary is out, must be getting her own lunch. I quickly head away from Mr Rogers' office and head off to meet Ryan.

As it's Friday Ryan has his first session with his mentor today and as it's Ryan he doesn't want to go by himself. So we're going to see if his mentor is ok with me sitting in on their sessions. I'm supposed to go to Greenwood's classroom as she's my tutor but she decided I only have to go once a week instead of every day. I think she hates it as much as I do.

"Hey man," Ryan says as I approach. We're outside the detention room as this is where Ryan was told to go. As it's lunchtime the hallway is abandoned.

"Who do you reckon this mentor's gonna be then?" Ryan asks.

"No idea" I reply.

"I bet it's a girl" Ryan mutters.

"Let's wait inside the room," I say. Mostly because I want to tell Ryan I got a note from the blackmailer too. I sit down and Ryan sits beside me. "I got a note from the blackmailer too, they know about the drug dealing" I tell him.

"Shit," Ryan replies "what do they want you to do?"

I think about lying for just a second but I change my mind "to lie about who set off the fire alarm," I reply "they told me to say it was Jessica."

"So that's how Mr Rogers found out," a voice from the doorway replies. Ryan and I look up and see that it's none other than Jessica herself.

"So you got a note too then?" She asks.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ryan asks.

"If I'm being made to tutor you please don't swear," Jessica asks "but to answer your question, yes I did get a note, telling me to set off the fire alarm at 10am this morning."

Wow, I can't believe it was Jessica who actually did it. She doesn't look like she could break a rule if she tried. Whatever secret she has aside from her relationship with Mr Grey it must be a pretty big deal.

Jessica sits down at the table infront of ours and turns the chair around to face us.

"You don't mind me being here do you?" I ask.

"No," she replies "not at all, Ryan have you got a note yet?"

Ryan looks at me sceptically before he replies "yeah that's why I ran in the athletics competition against Windmere yesterday, the blackmailer told me too."

Jessica pulls out a pad of paper and a pen. "Ok so what do we know so far about the blackmailer?" She asks.

"Aren't we supposed to be doing maths?" Ryan asks.

"Duh but this is much more important," Jessica snaps, "so what do we know about the blackmailer?"

"Well they could be someone on the athletics team" I suggest and Jessica writes it down.

"And they take drugs" Ryan says.

"Ryan leave it" I say.

"It's alright Jess won't say anything," Ryan assures me, but I'm not sure I trust Jess with my secrets.

"This morning James got a text asking for a bag of coke to be put in the boys toilets next to the detention room. The customer asked for it to be put there by 10am. They said they would pick it up later." Ryan explains.

"James,you deal drugs too?" Jessica asks.

"Yeah," I reply, no point in lying now "I've only been doing it since the start of the year."

"Ok I guess since I know what your secrets are I'll tell you mine," Jess says softly. She pauses and takes a deep breath. At last she continues "I'm pregnant."

"Holy shit" Ryan says.

"Whose is it, Mr Grey's?" I ask. "No," Jess replies bluntly "ugh I suppose I should explain."

She takes another pause and Ryan and I are silent while we wait for the explanation.

"James, you saw me in the cafeteria on Monday evening. I was texting Mr Grey to ask where he was as we were supposed to be meeting each other at 4:15. Eventually at 4:50 I gave up and I left. I wanted to talk to him so I could break up with him as I'd already found someone else. I wasn't cheating on him, well... technically I was but I knew I shouldn't have been dating a teacher anyway. He said he would improve my science grades if I dated him. Don't worry we never went further than holding hands. Except for one time. I told him that at the start. I was seeing Liam Morris. We were actually dating for a while last year but Mr Grey said he didn't mind that I was seeing someone else. The baby is Liam's. I haven't told him yet."

"But you're only 15, you're not old enough to give consent yet" Ryan says.

"No I'm not, I was held back a year in year 8. I turned 16 on the 8th of September. We used protection and everything but, I guess it didn't work. The blackmailer is threatening to tell my mother. I can't let that happen. It needs to be me who tells her, not some stranger."

"I don't think my sister got a note from the blackmailer yet," I say "so apart from Laura we've all gotten one."

"We need to find out who this is," Ryan says "before we end up spending the rest of the year following their every wish and command." Just then there's the sound of a phone vibrating. I pull out my burner phone but there's nothing. I look to my left and see Ryan's expression.

"What's up?" I ask.

Ryan doesn't answer. He just turns his phone around so both Jessica and I can see.

There on the screen is a single text message. Another message from the blackmailer. This time. Their demand is much worse. The message reads.

A PACKAGE IS WAITING IN THE BOYS TOILETS ON THE 5TH FLOOR. IT CONTAINS A PACK OF STINK BOMBS. 6 TO BE EXACT. SET OFF ALL 6 IN ASSEMBLY ON MONDAY. THEN BLAME IT ON LAURA JACKSON.