Amanda Blake sat back in the chair behind her desk and read through the report once again. She sighed and placed the report on her desk and glanced out the window. Another intern problem. It happened every semester, it seemed. Each term Jefferson High School accepted three students to complete their internship on the road to becoming educators. And whenever a new intern was male and good looking, there were always reports filed by female students claiming inappropriate behavior. Usually the girls had been thwarted of their romantic intentions and sought some sort of twisted revenge by filing a report against the intern. Amanda glanced back at the report on her desk. This was one such report. Filed by four girls who Amanda knew well, and all of them were trouble. Still, each report had to be investigated and turned into the principal with her final determination.
The girls had been quite eloquent in their description of what they believed happened. Too bad they couldn’t practice that same talent for writing in their English classes. But, then they had been doing these reports almost since they arrived at Jefferson four years ago. Amanda wondered how they would handle being rebuffed by college professors next year. Well, that was if they got that far.
Now, the intern was different. Corey Edwards. Being in charge of the intern program, Amanda knew all the interns, yet she could barely remember Corey. He was a good looking kid, tall, dark hair, and quiet. She had wondered if he would be able to engage his students, but the teacher he was assigned to told Amanda that Corey took to the classroom like a duck to water. Still, she would have to speak to Corey and find out his version of the story. She picked up the phone and dialed her secretary’s extension.
“Tracy, have Corey Edwards come see me during next period, please. He’s one of the interns in the English department. Thanks.”
Amanda got up and took off her jacket. She walked over to the open window where an ancient fan was running on low to stir the thick air. She turned it up a notch and stood in front of it. It seemed summer was coming early and already the air was hot and heavy. She felt the fan blow warm air through the silk blouse she wore and the chemise she wore underneath felt slightly cool against her body. She had decided against bra, panties, and pantyhose today. Too warm for that and she hoped she would be able to break the rules of proper dress without being detected.
Suddenly her line buzzed, and she quickly stepped over to her desk to pick up the receiver. “Vice Principal Blake, how can I help you? Oh, it’s you, Nick. What do you want?” Amanda had just finalized her divorce from Nick, the man she had been married to for 22 years. Both of their children were now in college and neither she nor Nick had felt the need to continue the façade of a marriage any longer. As she talked to her ex-husband about the proceeds of the sale of their house, she heard a knock on the door and then watched as it opened. Corey Edwards stood in the doorway, looking much like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. She motioned him to come in and have seat. He did so, nervously looking at anything other than her, and she knew he was trying to avoid listening to the call.
“Nick, look, I’ll meet with you and realtor at 6 tonight, okay? I have an important meeting right now. Yes, Nick, I know where it is. I’ll see you later. Bye.” She hung up the receiver with a sigh and picked up the report. She gave Corey a quick smile, and noticed his return smile was nervous.
“Hello Corey, how are things going for you here at Jefferson?”
“Things are going okay, Ms. Blake. The school’s great, but it could use an air conditioning system, you know? Other than that, I really enjoy what I’m doing.”
Amanda laughed. “Yes, we’ve wanted air conditioning installed for years, but the budget is just never there. As you can see, even we up here in administration don’t have the benefit of air conditioning.” She nodded towards the fan in the window.
She looked over the report once again, then placed it on the desk and looked at Corey and smiled.
“Corey, I haven’t gotten to know you as well as the other interns, but I’ve heard some wonderful things about you from the teachers you are working for. It seems you have a knack for teaching, a gift as it were, that is hard to come by.”
“Thank you, Ms. Blake.”
“But, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, that is not why I called you in here. Unfortunately, I received a 325c report this morning. Do you know what that is, Corey?”
“No, ma’am, I don’t. I don’t think I’ve heard of that one.”
“Well, it’s a report by students or parents of sexual misconduct by a teacher or administrator.”
She watched as Corey’s face took on a stunned quality.
“Now, in most cases, these are filed by students as a way to get back at a teacher or administrator they feel has wronged them. But I am responsible to investigate each one, and that was why I needed to speak to you.”
”Ms. Blake, I haven’t done anything wrong, I swear to you. I’m always careful about that kind of stuff!”
“Yes, Corey, I understand that, but I need to address each concern listed here. The girls made it easy this time. They all accused you of the same thing. Let’s see. Each of the girls states you made lewd comments to them regarding the way they were dressed. Do you know these girls?” Amanda pushed a list of their names in Corey’s direction, and he looked over the list.
“Why yes, they are all in my third period class. I have complimented them on something they were wearing, but it wasn’t anything lewd! Just stuff like they were looking nice or something. Stuff that I would say to my mother or a sister.”
“You never made any comment that might be considered sexual or inappropriate? You never commented on the size of Lacey’s breasts? That she might be too big to be wearing certain tops?”
She was almost startled when she saw him blush slightly in front of her. Was he that shy?
“No, Ms. Blake, I would never say anything like that. Ever!”
“Okay, the next complaint is that you were in the habit of touching and fondling the girls. That you touched their backs as though looking for bra straps and caressed their arms. One states that you purposely brushed your hand against her breast. What do you have to say?”