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.She still was unable to feel the repugnance andself-loathing she knew she should for her own unspeakable depravities, and this was frightening her morethan all the wicked acts which had been committed upon her more-than-willing flesh.After she had finally managed to pull the tattered remains of her sweater and skirt around her nakedbody, she had stumbled through the empty field to her rooming house, where she'd cleaned herself up asbest she could and fallen into an exhausted sleep.Luckily no one had seen her walking from the barn,and had it not been for the bruises and puffiness around her lips and eyes the following day, Joandoubted whether anybody would have known that something had happened to her at all.As it was, she allayed suspicion with a few hastily-formed excuses, and locked the appalling truth insideher heart, there to remain forever hidden as far as she was concerned.To expose the whole hideousepisode would be the same as slitting her own throat.The boys' word in a town controlled by AgnewHarrison Conroy would be all that would be needed to condemn her.In fact, as Mr.Blatherton hadpointed out, since she was the teacher of the sex education class, hadn't she already been condemned?Joan had decided, of course, that she had no alternative but to leave Montock as soon as possible, forshe had truly been beaten.She had already handed in her letter of resignation to Ozgood BlathertonTuesday, citing ill health and the strenuous demands of the curriculum as her reasons for quitting.Theprincipal had been naturally distressed, assuming that she was going because of the "vicious rumors" theParent's committee were supposedly spreading, never dreaming of the actual nature of her suddendecision.He had tried to calm her, but she had been adamant, and after some discussion he was forcedto accept her letter sadly.But in order for her to get another teaching position elsewhere, she had towork another two weeks until the School Board acted on her resignation; it was only a formality, but anecessary one.In two more weeks, she vowed to herself, she would pack up her bags and vanish from this horridplace.Until then, she could only pray that Wayne and his two evil cohorts would leave well enoughalone and not do or say anything to make the situation worse.Now, once again, she was hurriedly walking down the aged grey hallway of Montock High, books inone hand, a can of film in the other.Two more sex education classes, she said to herself with tight-lippedanxiety; only two more times that she would have to formally face those wretched little monsters acrossthe room and teach them of a subject they already had passed with flying colors.Joan felt her mouthtwisting into a harsh, cynical smile of bitterness at this galling bit of irony, but as she neared Room 12again, her stomach began to knot and convulse as if it had just turned over.When she entered the classroom, the five students were in their seats, looking expectantly toward her.She forced herself to smile, endeavoring to portray an outward calm by sheer force of will, but in doingso she unwittingly glanced at young Wayne Conroy sitting at his desk.She saw his beady little eyes rakeup and down over her body with blatant lewdness, and her belly began to churn like a whirlpool.Andthen she saw the twisted, lewd grins on Mickey Hagen's face, and the similar one the Gerber boy wore,and she sensed the blood draining from her face.Even as she looked at them, Knuckles Gerber leanedover and whispered something to Mickey, and they body broke out into a meaningful series of suggestive snickers that brought the blood roaring back to her cheeks in a flaming blush of color.God, how could she go through with this hour? Joan moaned to herself.How could she stay in this room and act as if nothing was the matter? Well, if she didn't, the onlyalternative would be to run.run right now and never look back.And then the truth would come out asquestions about her strange behavior would be asked.No, if she were ever to have another chance,she simply had to find the strength.And thank heavens there was another film today, so she could hideher obvious emotional upset behind a mask of darkness."All right, class," she said with her chin held high and her voice unwavering, "Today we have anothereducational film.It's all about the different glands of the body, I understand, and how they operate duringpuberty to change boys and girls into young men and women.It.It isn't as explicit as last week's film,but I think you'll find it most worthwhile."Again the three boys sniggered, as though they had some evil plan cooked up between them.Joanrapped her hand on her desk for attention, and with a crispness of tone, she snapped: "I hardly seeanything funny, and I assure you, class attitude will count in the final grade you get! M-Mickey? Will youput the film on, please!"Mickey Hagen arose slowly, still grinning."Why, yeah, Miss Frazer.I'll be right proud to do anything you want!"Swaggering, he took the can and went to the projector at the rear of the room.Then, hidden by the largemachine, he reached down to the enclosed shelf of the metal cart and switched the educational reel offilm for another one! As he threaded the celluloid strip of this second movie through the projector, helooked over at Wayne and gave an obscene wink to his buddy.Wayne had supplied the new reel,having stolen it that morning from his father's private pornography collection in his basement den!Unsuspecting, Joan requested Lucy Hamilton to switch off the lights as before, then hastily went to sitdown in the front row of seats, unavoidably close to Wayne's own chair.Then, thankfully hidden in thedark, the teacher took her first breath of relief and sat back to watch.She heard a quiet shuffling ofchairs and the patter of feet, and she glanced back just as the silver screen lit up, and saw through thedim light that Mickey Hagen had gone to sit beside Sharla Gronsworth, while Knuckles Gerber was nowleaning close to full-breasted Lucy Hamilton.She frowned momentarily at this strange behavior, but thenher thoughts were jerked back to the film as the sound-track began to play the opening theme.The scene Joan viewed on the screen before her was of an idyllic country setting.Unlike the meadow ofFarmer Treakle's pasture, however, this glade was more sheltered with tall clumps of trees and thick,lush bushes, and the ground was covered with spongy dark green moss
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