Frostbitten (7 page)

“Is this the reason
people are staring at me?” Anastasia asked in an exasperated tone, more to
herself than Chloe. “It’s just a rose!”

“I doubt that’s the
only reason,” Chloe stated as she took the rose and examined the note. “I don’t
recognize the handwriting. Who do you think it’s from?”

“I don’t know,”
Anastasia answered quickly, even though she suspected and hoped it was from
Frost. Knowing that Chloe wouldn’t be too happy about that prospect, she kept
her thoughts private.

“Well, I have a guess,
and it would explain this negative attention you’re getting.” Chloe looked
closely at Anastasia and then asked slowly, “You’re not dating Frost, are you?”

“Seriously, Chloe? I
only met him yesterday.”

“Then let people know
it’s not true before the rumors get any worse.” Chloe handed the rose back to
Anastasia. “Whoever did give this to you is thoughtful – he removed the
thorns.”

Admiring the rose,
Anastasia noted its beauty and how special it was because of its scarcity. If
the rose really was from Frost, she couldn’t help but think how perfectly it
epitomized him.

“Coming?” Chloe asked
as she began to leave.

Quickly, Anastasia
retrieved her textbook and then gently placed the rose in her locker. She’d
never received a flower from a boy before, and she wouldn’t allow anyone to
ruin the moment. Smiling slightly, she hurried along the hall with Chloe and
then said goodbye as they reached their separate classrooms.

As expected, chemistry
class was boring and lonely. She was forced to sit with Jack and Jill again,
but at least neither of them spoke a single word to her. They were far too busy
playfully touching each other and doing anything besides their school work.
Jack and Jill weren’t the only students who were distracted, though. Hearing
her name whispered around the classroom made it difficult for Anastasia to
concentrate on the formulas that Ms. Stevenson wrote on the whiteboard. She was
about to raise her hand and ask for extra help when her cell phone vibrated,
alerting her of an incoming text message.

I was wrong about the
rumors,
the message from Chloe read.
They’re about Mr.
O’Donoghue. Everyone thinks you’re hooking up with him.

Feeling sick and
overcome with confusion, Anastasia stared at the message for several moments,
praying that it would somehow change to read anything other than what it did.
Who would start such a rumor and why? It had absolutely no foundation, but
sadly, Anastasia knew that the most vicious rumors usually had no accuracy.

A new text message from
Chloe caused Anastasia’s cell phone to vibrate again.
This is harsh, but I
thought you should know what’s being said. I’m so sorry this is happening to
you
. There was a link below the message which directed Anastasia to a very
active social media page. To her sheer horror, there were hundreds of posts
about her and Mr. O’Donoghue. Someone had even created a poll which asked
voters if they thought Mr. O’Donoghue would end up in jail. As Anastasia
continued to scroll through the page, she felt like crying. It seemed like
everyone had an opinion on the disconcerting topic, but the consensus was the
same: Mr. O’Donoghue was a pervert, and Anastasia was a slut.

Anastasia was about to
shut her cell phone off when she saw the post, from an anonymous user, that had
started it all.
Seems like that new girl, Anastasia, and Mr. O’Donoghue have
really hit it off. He was totally flirting with her during class, and she
stayed with him afterwards – behind closed doors, of course! Here’s a tip for
Anastasia and Mr. O’Donoghue: what you’re doing is illegal!

“Will Anastasia
Lockhart please report to the principal’s office?” a voice suddenly came from
over the P.A. system.

Several students turned
around in their seats to stare at Anastasia, causing her face to flush with
embarrassment. She couldn’t believe this was happening, especially since it was
only her second day at Cedar Falls High. It was like some twisted form of karma
kept her from leading a normal life.

“The principal’s
waiting for you, Anastasia,” Ms. Stevenson warned in a stern tone.

“In case you don’t
know, his office is located beside the front doors,” Jill told Anastasia with a
very smug smile.

Feeling heavy-footed
and almost numb, Anastasia slowly rose and walked out of the classroom. As she
made her way down the empty hallway, dread overcame her. She knew that this had
to be about Mr. O’Donoghue. What else could it possibly be? Anastasia reminded
herself that she hadn’t done anything wrong, but unfortunately, that thought
did nothing to ease her nerves. This was going to be bad.

Like an ominous sign, a
door marked
Principal’s Office
in large black lettering came into view.
Anastasia took a deep breath and then knocked upon the door. Seconds later, it
opened to reveal a tall, heavy-set man with thick black hair and glasses which
were several sizes too big.

“Come in, Anastasia,”
he said, before stepping aside and opening the door wider.

The office was
inviting, spacious and accentuated by a variety of thriving potted plants;
however, Anastasia couldn’t help but feel on edge. She took the chair the
principal offered to her and then squirmed anxiously. Anastasia wanted to get
whatever this was over with as quickly as possible.

“I’m Principal Keith,”
he said, while sitting down behind his large desk that was cluttered with
stacks of paper.

Anastasia merely
offered a small smile in response.

“You’re not in
trouble,” Principal Keith reassured her in a tone which was gentler than
expected for a man with such an imposing physical appearance.

“Why did you want to
see me?” Anastasia asked, trying to keep her voice steady and her expression
one of naivety.

“It’s come to my
attention that unprofessional behavior may be occurring between a student and
faculty member. Do you know anything about this matter?”

Remaining silent,
Anastasia thought about how she should respond. If she claimed to be ignorant
of the matter, it might look like she had something to hide. On the other hand,
if she confessed to knowing about the rumor, that would also appear suspicious.

“Anastasia?” Principal
Keith interrupted her thoughts.

“I...” Anastasia
replied, unable to say anything else.

“You can be honest with
me,” Principal Keith reassured her for a second time. “My job is to ensure a
safe and healthy environment for all students. I’m here to help you,
Anastasia.”

The old Anastasia would
have played dumb just to avoid any trouble which could potentially befall her.
However, she now wanted to be a stronger and better person. After all, the
innocent Mr. O’Donoghue was the one with the most to lose, and that wasn’t
fair. “I’ve heard the rumors,” she finally admitted, “and they are absolutely
not
true.”

“Why would people lie
about something so serious?” Principal Keith inquired, suddenly sounding as if
he was interrogating Anastasia instead of helping her.

“I have no idea how or
why the rumors about me and Mr. O’Donoghue were started,” Anastasia said
hastily, with growing frustration. She cringed after speaking, realizing that
she had said too much.

“Has Mr. O’Donoghue
ever displayed any behavior which made you feel uncomfortable?”

“No!” Anastasia cried.
“Didn’t you hear me the first time? It’s not true – none of it!”

“Calm down,” Principal
Keith advised. “These questions are routine for this type of investigation.”

“Investigation of what?
Nothing happened!” Anastasia assumed the impromptu meeting with the principal
would be the peak of this nightmare, but with an actual investigation, the
rumor would only become more public and humiliating. For once in her life,
couldn’t telling the truth make things simpler?

“Serious allegations
have been brought forth by both staff and students. While your account of the
events is important, I must take into consideration other factors. I have no
other choice but to file a report with the school board.”

“So, basically you
don’t believe me,” Anastasia seethed, before running out of the office.

The first class of the
day had just ended, and the hallways were now filled with students who were
hurrying to get to their next class. Anastasia was also in a hurry, but she was
heading toward the nearest exit. She flung the front doors open and then leaned
against the cold brick, finally allowing the tears to flow down her face.

Anastasia needed to
talk to someone, and not knowing who else to call, she retrieved her cell phone
and dialed. “Grandma?” she choked out, after the person on the other end had
answered. “I need you.”

It felt like an
eternity, but Anastasia’s grandmother arrived at Cedar Falls High in less than
half an hour. As soon as she pulled into the parking lot, Anastasia ran toward
her car and then jumped inside. She had waited outside the whole time, and
without her coat, she was freezing. However, that seemed like a much better
fate than re-entering the school and facing the students and staff who thought
she was capable of having such an inappropriate relationship.

“Please, take me home,”
Anastasia immediately begged her grandmother, who looked at her with great
concern.

Without asking a single
question, she drove home. However, when they arrived in their driveway,
Anastasia burst into uncontrollable tears. Her grandmother hugged her and
didn’t let go until several minutes had passed. She then retrieved a small
package of tissues from her purse and wiped away Anastasia’s tears.

“I don’t know what I’ve
done to deserve this,” Anastasia sobbed, calming down only slightly. “There’s a
horrible rumor and it’s so not true. I...” Her voice cracked as she began to
cry again.

“Shhh...take your
time,” Mrs. Lockhart said soothingly.

Taking a deep breath
and forcing the tears to stop, Anastasia continued. “Before I tell you what the
rumor is, you have to promise that you’ll believe me when I say it’s a lie.”

“I believe you,” she
replied without hesitating.

“People are saying I’m
dating my English teacher.” As Anastasia said the words out loud, she realized
how ridiculous they sounded.

Mrs. Lockhart didn’t
look the least bit shocked. “I’ve heard crazier rumors,” she admitted. “Small
towns have many great attributes, but ironically, privacy isn’t always one of
them. People talk, and sometimes what they say isn’t nice or true.” She paused
for a moment. “Don’t ever allow anyone to define who you are – make that
decision for yourself.”

“I know you’re right,
but how can I possibly go back to school? I can’t face my English teacher. What
if he thinks
I
started the rumor?”

“If you stand your
ground, the truth will come out, but if you run away...” Her voice trailed off
as she smoothed Anastasia’s hair and smiled. “I know you can overcome this.”

“Why are you being so
nice to me?” The words tumbled out of Anastasia’s mouth before she knew what
she was saying.

This time, Mrs.
Lockhart did look shocked. “My dear, how can you ask such a thing? You know I
love you.”

Conflicted, Anastasia
said nothing.

“Oh, Anastasia,” she
said, while wrapping her in a hug again. “I’ve been giving you space because I
thought that would help you adjust. I hope you weren’t thinking I didn’t care.”

“It’s my fault,”
Anastasia replied quickly. “I’m sorry if you thought I wanted space because I
don’t. I love you, Grandma.”

“Let’s go inside. I’ll
put the kettle on and...”

“No,” Anastasia
interrupted firmly. “You should go back to work. I’ll be fine. I just need a
little time to recuperate if I’m going to return to school tomorrow.”

Mrs. Lockhart smiled at
Anastasia. “You truly are a strong girl,” she said proudly, before kissing her
forehead.

Alone in her house,
Anastasia stood in the bathroom, washing her tears away. She dried her face on
a soft towel and then looked into the mirror. Despite the horrible morning
Anastasia had experienced, she smiled slightly at her reflection, feeling a
glimmer of hope for better things to come. Her relationship with her
grandmother was on the right track and heading toward a stronger bond than
ever. All it took was for Anastasia to be honest instead of trying to hide
behind some tough façade. It was a huge step, but she knew that the hardest
challenges were still ahead of her.

When Anastasia exited
the bathroom, she heard a knock upon the front door. Uncertain of who could be
there, she hurried down the stairs and then looked through the peephole. She
was surprised to find Frost standing on her porch and what appeared to be his
dark blue SUV parked on the road. Seeing that he was about to leave, Anastasia
quickly opened the door.

“Please don’t leave.”
Anastasia hadn’t meant to say those words, especially in such a needy tone, but
they had just come out like some unstoppable force.