"I heard Principal Higgins is gay... like, full-on gay."

"He's got two kids, how can he be gay?"

"Well, he's divorced, right? What if that's why they got divorced... 'cuz he's gay and was having an affair."

The voices of students float into my office as I prepare for class. Smirking, I tiptoe into the classroom behind the students. I lean in, saying in a low voice, "I hear Mister Conlon is, like, best friends with Principal Higgins, and tells him every little rumor he hears about him."

The students whip around, eager to find out who's talking to them, and their eyes widen when my face registers. "M-Mister Conlon," the first one stutters. "You heard us?"

I grin. "This is the music room, my dear, little friend. The acoustics in here are amazing. I hear everything." I stroll to the front of the classroom, chuckling to myself. "So, are we ready to start class?"

--

"Oh, sweet Jesus," Race sighs, leaning his head back against the backrest of the couch. "They're spreading rumors about me now? God, that's going to get back to Maria and then what's she going to do?" He rubs his hands over his face, shaking his head. "Why can't they just spread rumors about each other, like normal teenagers?"

"Because there's no such thing as a normal teenager at J.P.'s. And anyway, Maria can defend herself." I shrug and put a hand on his knee comfortingly. "But suppose she decides not to lie about it. And why should she? It's perfectly normal to her."

"I'm going to lose my authority," he groans as he drops his hands from his face into his lap.

"I bet the students will all still be afraid of you," I offer.

"No... no one's going to respect me now."

"Quit being such a fucking whiner, Race," I snap, and he looks at me in surprise.

"What?"

"You need to stop with all the damned self-pity and complaining. Are you going through some sort of midlife crisis or something?" He glares at me indignantly. "Oh, come on, Race. You're forty. Your life isn't anywhere near over yet."

"Spot, I..." He sighs and shakes his head.

"You're pathetic. Snap out of it. You're not old, you're not weak, you're not losing your touch. None of that is going to change if people find out you're gay." I push at his knee a little, sighing. "I want my old Racetrack back. Where'd he go?"

Race sighs, yet again. "He's been taken over by someone who doesn't know how to control his own life." He shrugs. "I don't know what to do about it. It's like everything that made me who I was packed up and left somewhere along the line."

I node and slide my arm around his shoulders. "Well, let's see if we can't get it to come back, huh?"

"Okay." He leans his head on my shoulder, curling into me a little bit. "Sorry I've been such a drag lately."

"It's alright. We'll fix it. Just know that if it ever happens again, I reserve the right to completely kick the shit out of you."

"Deal," he says, leaning up and kissing me.

--

"Maria," I call, knocking on the door of her dorm room. There's no answer, so I knock again, and still, nothing. I try the knob, and it's unlocked, so I walk in. I'm prepared to just set the box of Maria's stuff down on the floor and leave, when I hear a gasp.

I look over and see Maria laying on her bed, half-naked, with a boy, also half-naked, laying on top of her.

"What the hell is going on here?" I set the box down and stride over to the bed, grabbing the boy by his belt loops and yanking him up. "Get off my daughter, you fucking punk."

The boy grabs his shirt and pulls it on as he runs out the door, and Maria scrambles up, pulling on her own shirt and buttoning her pants. "Maria, what are you doing?"

"What are you doing? Who said you could just barge in here?"

"Your door was unlocked and I figured no one was in here, seeing as you didn't answer when I knocked." I bite my lip, shaking my head. "Does he even go here?"

"No. Not that it's any of your business." She crosses her arms over her chest, fixing those moody brown eyes on me.

"It is my business. I'm your father." I sigh. "Maria, what were you thinking? Not only are you breaking the rules about having non-students in the dorms, but... well, just, what were you thinking?"

"I was having some fun." She sets her jaw, still glaring at me. "And you have no right to be in here."

I scoff. "And why not?"

"Because!" She storms over to the box I brought over and picks it up. "You brought over the box and that's all you came here for, so now you can leave."

"No, I think we need to talk, Maria."

"We do not. Get out."

"Maria. I'm your father, and--"

"You're not my father!" She's screaming at me now. "Get out!"

Okay. Ouch.