Marshall Valentine
"What was that? A bribe?" Tamara Jones asked. If she goaded me one more time, I swore I would've said something I'd later regret.
I'd just gotten her off detention for another one of her organized protests in the Administrative Lounge.
I wasn't one to tolerate students speaking to me as if we were the same age or on the same hierarchy, but this was Nightengale's friend.
"Watch your mouth Jones. I'm still your superior."
She stopped walking along the abandoned corridor and I turned to stare down at her, my patience was being tested by this child.
"You're such a hypocrite. You have the nerve to tell me that you're my superior and yet still, you're basically screwing someone who is the same age as me."
"I would never have," I lowered my voice so that it wouldn't echo,"sex with her Jones. I know better."
"Do you? I wouldn't have such high expectations for the both of you. You're a grown ass man Mr. Valentine!"
I felt my features harden. "I don't have to justify anything to you because I don't give a **** what you think about me or my decisions." She looked surprised.
This was my first time ever swearing in front of a student, but the situation had already spiralled out of control.
"I'm doing this because I care about Nightengale and for some reason, she thinks very highly of your opinion, so I'm going to say this for the first and final time."
I placed my hand on her shoulder, ensuring she was looking at me, "Nightengale is in my classroom waiting for us. We're going to discuss this like civilized human beings and don't ever speak too me that way again." I said, squeezing her shoulder a bit.
When we got there, Nightengale was sitting nervously biting her nails, her body rigid.
"Baby, come here." Jones dropped the water bottle she was carrying, but refused to look at any of us.
Nightengale came up to me and I held her close. I wasn't going to lose her over something like this.
She was mine.
"Tammy, I wanted to tell you but..."
"You knew all of this is wrong? You didn't trust me enough?"
She shook my hands free from her body. "You think I don't know that this is wrong? How ashamed of myself I am? Tammy, I know all of that, but I really like him."
"He could be your father Gayle! Do you get that?"
I folded my arms over my chest and leaned against my desk, observing. They needed to talk about this without me interfering.
"Tammy, I know he's a lot older than I am-"
"And a teacher and a married man..."
"He's going to leave his wife!"
"Oh really! Why hasn't he then?"
I pursed my lips. I myself hadn't pondered that seriously in the months that Lisa had left me.
Nightingale looked back at me for a split second and I stood upright.
For the first time in a while, I realized how troubled she was about me still being married to Lisa.
She didn't say anything about it, so I assumed she was fine and knew that she was the only female in my life.
The only one I wanted.
"Tammy, I'm sorry you had to find out about this the way that you did and I know that when you caught us, we looked too intimate, but I promise you, we haven't done anything aside from kissing. Please, for all our friendship is worth, don't tell anyone about this."
Tammy grabbed Nightengale's shoulders. "He could go to jail for this."
"Actually, Nightengale is an adult by law and I haven't forced her to do anything she didn't want to do. As long as the school board doesn't find out, we should be fine." They both looked at me.
"Please Tammy." Her friend looked glanced at me, then at her.
"Fine. Just don't expect me to support you guys and if your parents ask about any suspicions between you two, I'm not lying."
"Thank you, Miss Jones." Nightingale simply expressed her gratitude by hugging the darker female who only loosely wrapped her arm around her.
"I should go."
"I could drop you," I offered.
"No thanks."
"She has her own car," Nightengale later said as I drove home. I glanced up at my rare view mirror to check up on my dozing son.
"My parents are leaving tomorrow."
"Have you...have you told them about us?"
I shook my head. Sheila definitely suspected that something was going on, but I kept denying it.
"God Marshall, all this secrecy and deception is beginning to make me feel so dirty."
I placed my hand on her bare thigh, taking full advantage of how soft and tender it felt.
"We'll get through this. I just need to know that I'll have you at the end of the day. No matter what happens."
She rubbed my hand.
"Are we still on for tonight?"
"Of course. What're you going to tell your parents?"
"I really don't know. I'll figure something out."
I noticed how her shoulders slumped these days whenever we had to do something together and she had to lie to her parents. I released a sigh and accelerated.
*
"Thanks."
I nodded, wanting to at least kiss her, but her brother was on the porch.
"Yo'! Mr. Valentine! Hang for a sec!"
I waved at him.
"Is that cool with you?"
She nodded, opening the door.
Nightingale Phillips
"He's going forty meters per hour and has about...five minutes to get himself out of the car without actually burning himself too. He grabs on to the-"
"Riverton, come help me!"
My brother cringed at the sound of his name coming from the kitchen.
"Hold that thought." After he got up from where he was sitting, Marshall and I were the only ones in the room. He'd put Brook in my bedroom to nap.
We sat in silence, him on one end of the sofa and me on the other. He watched me play with my fingers.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah."
He reached over and his ran his palms over my arm, settling on my hand.
I brought his hand up to my lips and kissed it, trying to convince him and myself that I was alright.
One more person knew our secret. Marshall told me that he'd talked to his boxing friends about me initially, but he never actually told them that we were together.
This was different. Someone knew that we were a couple. Someone saw us being intimate.
That person was Tammy.
I didn't know if I felt relieved that I no longer had to lie to her, ashamed because I didn't trust her enough to confide in her or fearful that she was going to try to play the good friend by going to the authorities, thinking that she was doing me more good than harm.
To be honest, I felt perfectly safe with Marshall. I knew he would never hurt me or force me to do anything that I felt uncomfortable doing.
I understood where she was coming from, because if I was in her position, I would've done the same thing, but I wasn't in her shoes. I was the one who was dating her teacher and I was enjoying every minute of it.
Therefore, I would've felt betrayed if she went to the cops or told my parents. Call me hypocritical.
Still, she promised that she wouldn't tell anyone and I'd known her long enough to believe her. After all, we'd been friends since forever.
If only things weren't as complicated and Marshall was my age. I'd be able to tell my parents about him and show the entire world that he was mine.
I mentally shook myself roughly. This was Tammy! She was my best friend. I shouldn't have been having those thoughts. She was practically part of my family.
I could trust her.
"So, Marshall, how has she been doing lately?"
Marshall ripped his hand out of mine, almost leaving me winded and utterly confused, I hadn't even registered the fact that mom had just about walked in on us holding hands.
I looked down, begging God for a miracle, because that would've been the only way that she would've missed our hands.
"She's actually improving in History, Melissa. I'm very proud of her."
I looked up to mind my mother nodding approvingly as she handed me some dishes.
"Set the table, will you sweetie?"
I took the plates from her and got up. She always did this. She'd tell you to do something and make it seem like a question, but it really was a command. I wondered if it was like that for all parents. Mrs. Jones was never as strict with Tammy as mine are. Well, she was cool with the exception of the 'no white boys' rule, which my best friend was having a fun time breaking.
I walked by Marshall and I could literally feel his eyes on my butt.
Men.
We were having Asparagus and Rice for dinner that night. I was opposite to River and Marshall and my mother was at the head of the table.
I was scooping some of the rice into my fork and listening to the most boring conversation that they were ha in about Christopher Columbus not being the first to come into contact with the Amerindians and almost zoning out when Marshall pulled me back into the conversation.
"Speaking of Columbus, Miss Phillips, you should be happy to know that I graded the last quiz and you got at B+."
My mother's expression was one of surprise. See, I was basically failing the subject a month ago, so a B+ was a fantastic grade in my opinion.
I grinned at him.
"Well, I owe it all to you, Mr. Valentine. Thank you for all those extra lessons. "
When he realized I was improving, he decided that I didn't need his help anymore, but being the uptight boyfriend that he is, he still randomly questioned me on a particular topic from time to time.
I didn't mind. It showed me that he cared about my education and didn't just want me physically.
"That's what I'm here for."
"Mom, the trip to New York is still on. It's in a few weeks. I'm still going right?"
"You'll be with them, right Marshall?"
He nodded, chewing the remaining rice in his mouth.
"Mrs. Lopez is also coming. She's almost done finalizing the exact date, so I'll let you know by Monday."
"I like Mrs. Lopez."
I didn't know if there was a person on this planet that my mother didn't like.
Someone's foot nudged my lower leg as the thought crossed my mind. I innocently nudged back and asked for dessert.
*
Her climax hit her, tearing her apart emotionally as she physically continued to ride him. She squeezed her eyes closed, not caring for anything but the pleasure that the boy was giving to her.
He cupped her face with both his hands, but she brushed them away and threw her head back as another wave hit her once more.
Her scream echoed throughout the walls of the small, cramped apartment.
She got off him and pulled her garments back into place. She left him on the sofa to get something to drink.
She knew he was watching her leave. The boy was smitten.
Lisa smirked. There was nothing he could give her that Marshall couldn't and do it twice as well, but the boy provided for her, which is all she requested of him. If that meant having sex with him everyday of her life, she'd do it.
In his defense, he wasn't all that bad in bed.
She heard his footsteps come closer to the messy kitchen, which was basically separated from the living room by a curtain.
He could've found her a better apartment, she thought.
He wrapped his hands around her torso and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. Couldn't he just leave already?
He kissed her cheek and she was about to push him away, before she remembered something that she'd intended to bring up days ago.
"My landlord came here a few days ago. I have to pay the rent."
Sly looked at her adoringly. She knew there was nothing he wouldn't do for her.
Idiot.
"I have to be discreet about the money I'm taking out of his account."
She knew his dad was loaded. That's one of the reasons why she'd chosen him.
"Well, hurry up. You're gonna make them kick me out."
She unhooked herself from him and walked out of the kitchen.
"I'll get it, okay?"
She smirked, knowing he couldn't see.
"How soon?"
"Gimme two more days."
She turned to him, face radiant.
"That's more like it."
She wrapped her arms around him.
"Have you spoken to Nightengale?"
"I went to her house. I saw your ex-husband. I still don't know why you want me to spy on her."
She pulled his head down and bit his lower lip harshly. She knew he liked it like that.
"All you need to know is that she's the key to helping me divorce Marshall. You know he doesn't want me to be free of him, Sly."
He nodded, rage burning in his eyes.
"I love you."
His eyes held truth. She smiled softly.
"I love you too."
*
Marshall turned off his car's ignition and stared blankly into the darkness up ahead whose only illumination was the theatre's lights.
"My parents are leaving tomorrow."
Marshall kept trying to fill the empty silence, but I think he was beginning to realize that I didn't want to talk.
"You're gonna miss them."
It was a statement. The thing about Marshall's family was that they were really close, even though they lived miles apart, they were still close. Not every family was like that. Mine wasn't. Even now, my own sister was in another state and I hadn't spoken to her in weeks.
He interacted with his parents in a way that I never could. My dad was supposed to come home that evening, but he never even called to tell my mom that he would be late.
My parents loved each other, but ever since Marshall and I became something more, I felt like my family was drifting apart, or I was drifting away from them. I knew it was the fact that I had to lie to them everyday of my life.
One thing about lying all the time is that you always have to be be guarded. If you're always guarded, you're always going to push people away and that's what was beginning to happen to me. I didn't feel like Nightengale anymore. Before Marshall, I was an open book.
I was beginning to lose myself because of this man and he wouldn't even come clean about his relationship with his ex and why he wouldn't divorce her.
I know that I wanted this as much as he did, but it wasn't too late to have doubts. I was entitled to that at least.
"They love you, you know?"
My heart was beginning to pound. The question was welling up inside me, my vital organs were begging for space because they were about to stop functioning properly.
"Why won't you divorce Lisa, Marshall?"
He said nothing.
I couldn't look at him.
My heart skipped a beat twice. He couldn't answer.
"Oh my God." I gasped. I willed myself not to let the tears fall.
"I don't know."
That was all he said.
"I watched you throw away her picture Marshall. What did that mean?"
I turned on the car's overhead light so I could see him properly.
"I...I don't know. It's what you wanted me to do."
I shook my head and stared up at the ceiling in disbelief. I didn't know what to say.
He forced me to look at him.
"Nightengale, you need to know that I feel very strongly for you. I'm falling in love with you."
I shook his hands away.
"But you love her more."
"No. Baby, she's my past. You're my future. Nightengale, you have to trust me."
A teardrop fell from my eye.
"Then why is it so hard for you to just sign some papers?"
He harshly ran his hand though his now messy hair.
"Why does the divorce matter to you so much?"
"As long as you're married to her, I'm going to be the other woman."
"I'm here with you Nightengale, not her. Doesn't that count for anything?"
I shook my head.
"Not much, because it doesn't change the fact that you're still married to her."
"If you love me like you say you do, then why can't you do this one thing to make me feel secured about this relationship?"
I wasn't stupid. If he genuinely loved me, would've gotten that divorce. Right now, I was nothing but a teenage slut who was messing about with someone's husband.
I'd sacrificed so much for him. My dignity, my best friend's respect and I was slowly losing my family in the process.
What had he lost? Nothing.
"You don't know how many women want me, yet still, I'm here with you."
"The question is, how many of them do you want?"
"Christ! I thought you were more mature than this!"
"You still can't answer the question!"
"What?"
"Why are you still married to her? After all those years of legal separation, why?"
"Because she was the mother of my f*c*i*g child! Alright?"
To say I was shocked was an understatement. I could only gape at him. Jealousy and heartbreak bit at me, but mostly shock. Where was this kid now?
"She was screwing some kid and got pregnant. It was mine, but I only found out after she'd had the abortion."
"How do you know it was..."
"She told me she did a paternity test. She just didn't want a kid."
"Wow."
It was a lot to take in. How could someone be so heartless?
"Wait, she was having an affair?"
He nodded.
No wonder why he loved Brooklyn so much. He knew she was cheating on him, yet still he only separated from her, not divorce.
"That's why you can't divorce her."
Divorcing Lisa would mean that he was finally acknowledging that the only thing that was worth fighting for their marriage was dead. It would mean that his child was dead.
Knowing Marshall, he wouldn't want to ever accept that his kid was dead.
That was twisted.
"I can't..."
"Can't what?"
His expression portrayed panic. He didn't want me to leave, but I couldn't stand by him.
There was nothing to justify. I'd always be the loser in this. No matter now hard I tried or what angle I considered it from.
"I can't be whatever it is that you need me to be Marshall. I need to get my life back."
I reached for the door's handle.
"No!"
His voice didn't even sound like his. It sounded faint and desperate. Marshall always sounded so confident.
"I'll ask my brother to come get me Marshall."
I needed time to think. He let me go.
*
The only thing I wanted to do that night was cry, but I only stared blankly at my purple wall. I'd often imagined having Marshall's child.
I thought of how much he'd be even more in love with me, knowing that I was the woman impregnated with his biological child.
I couldn't give him that anymore.
My phone vibrated and I thought that it would've been him, begging me to let him explain, but it wasn't him. He didn't text me that night.
Tammy<3: Can we have a girl's day out tomorrow?
At least one good thing happened today.
®Gayle: Definitely. Sleepover at your place?
Tammy<3: Hell yeah. We need 2 talk.
®Gayle: I know.
I didn't want to face the world the next morning. I didn't feel as if I could make it through the day without hearing his voice, but he didn't care. If he did, he would've stopped me yesterday.
I didn't brush my teeth nor did I comb my hair. I took my time going downstairs. I passed my parents room and I saw my dad in their bed. He was tying something on his laptop.
I hadn't heard when they came in.
"Daddy..."
I climbed into their bed and felt instantly comforted. Dad and I weren't close, but he loved me and I knew I could count on him in anything I did.
"Morning sweetie."
I cuddled up to him and pulled the sheets over my head.
"I don't feel so good."
"Do you need to go to the doctor?"
I shook my head and sighed.
"I see you haven't brushed your teeth."
He laughed, rubbing my arm soothingly.
"Dad, were you in love with anyone before mom?"
He didn't reply for a few moments. I bet he was surprised. Normally, I went to mom for advice. I just decided it was time for me to share some things with him as well.
"Yeah. I was. Or, I thought I was."
"Huh?
"Her name was Sarah. Total babe, as River would say."
I snorted.
"The difference between her and your mother was that I could always imagine what life would be like with Sarah. I couldn't imagine it without your mom. That's how I made my decision."
That meant Marshall had already made his decision as he was still holding on to Lisa.
"Thanks Dad."
I kissed his cheek.
"Where are the others?"
"Outside wishing Mr. Valentine's parents a safe trip."
I wanted to see Sheila before she left. I already loved her and I'd only known her for two weeks.
I rolled out of the bed and was about to leave when Dad stopped me.
"Gale?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad we had this talk."
I smiled and walked out of the room.
Sheila was on our porch, laughing loudly at something River probably said.
She was sipping some orange juice when she finally realized I was watching her. Marshall looked so much like his mother. How hadn't I noticed this before? Even if I did, it hadn't impacted me that much. Maybe it was because this was the last time that I was ever going to see her.
"We need to talk missy!"
She told mom that we were only going to take a stroll down the lane. What was the pressing issue?
We made small talk before she actually brought up the topic.
"I actually didn't know how much I -"
"I know about you an' Marshall."
"I-what?"
"Nuh play dumb."
"Look, he's not perfect dawlin'. Give him time and between me an' you, I neva like dat bitch he married. Reminds me of a horse."
That morning, in my crop top and bed slippers, I laughed hysterically. I hadn't laughed like that in such a long time.
"Just be very careful, alright?"
_
A/N:
Thank you so much for your support guys. I'm actually encouraged to write as soon as I get free time these days. Thank you for that!
Also, 10.1k reads?
You don't know what this means to me guys.
Thank you.