Honor Student

by Teresa Mummert

Page 2

  Author: Teresa Mummert

  “You’re lucky I don’t have a class this period. ” He said as he glanced around the hall before shutting his door, pulling down the little shade that covered the window. It suddenly hit me that I could be suspended, and all the suffering I had been putting up with would be for nothing. He ran his hands through his chestnut brown hair and it fell perfectly back into place. I realized I was staring and quickly looked away as he fidgeted with his ruler. I should have been pleading with him to not report me but my head swirled and I just could not summon the energy to care. I bit my lip nervously and waited for him to yell at me some more.

  “Stop biting your lip. ” He said angrily and slapped the ruler on the desk, apparently losing his train of thought. I jumped and bit my lip harder by accident, drawing blood.

  “I’m sorry. ” I said under my breath, not knowing what else to say. I touched my lip and pulled my fingers back, looking at the smattering of blood. He stood up from his desk and walked towards me. My stomach fluttered. He brushed his thumb across my lower lip, his blue eyes locked dead onto mine. I sucked in a ragged breath and held it, afraid that if I moved it would break me from this dream.

  “Breathe. ” He whispered as he leaned in close enough for me to feel his warm breath across my face, sending a chill down my body. A loud ringing broke the spell and he closed his eyes for a moment before turning to dig his cell phone out from his pocket. I stood there awkwardly as he talked. His answers were clipped and I could not tell if the person he was talking to was male or female. His eyes danced up and down my body as he spoke and I could feel my cheeks burning. I bit the edge of my lip but quickly released it as he narrowed his eyes at me. I decided to start wandering around the room and reading the posters on the wall. I felt rude standing there listening to his conversation.

  “You should get to your next class. The bells about to ring. ” He said quietly into my ear. His hot breath on my neck made my body melt. I had not even heard him end his call.

  “So, I’m not in trouble?” I asked, too nervous to turn around and face him.

  “I didn’t say that. ” From the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was smiling. I sucked in another ragged breath and nodded my head.

  “Yes, Sir” I grabbed my books just as the bell rang and snuck back out into the hall as everyone else filtered out of their classrooms. I could not tell if I was still buzzing from the weed or from my encounter with Mr. Honor. Halfway down the hall Claire and Becka rushed to my side.

  “Oh my God Emma I am so sorry!” Becka apologized.

  “Who was it?” Claire asked, she had looped her arm with mine and I was not sure if it was a friendly gesture or if she was still too stoned to walk straight.

  “Come on! Tell us! Did you get in trouble?” Becka asked, stepping in front of me so I would have to answer.

  “I think it will be okay. ” I replied, not sure what had just happened. Part of me thought I had made it all up.

  “Did you tell them our names?” Claire asked and I could tell all she was worried about was herself. I paused for a moment as they hung onto my every breath.

  “No. I did not say your names. You guys owe me big!” I finally said, letting them off the hook. They threw their arms around me and thanked me. “I got to go. I can’t miss another class. ” I said as I pried their arms off me. Claire frowned.

  “Want to hang out later?” she asked. I did not know how to respond.

  “Get to class, Ladies!” A voice boomed from behind us and goose bumps suddenly covered my body. It was Mr. Honor. Claire and Becka reluctantly let go of me and I snuck a glance over my shoulder. His blue eyes burned into mine. I turned back around quickly and made my way into class.

  Everything was a blur. I could not keep my mind off him. At the end of class, Becka and Claire were waiting by the door.

  “Here’s my number if you want to go out after classes. ” Claire said as they followed me down the hall. It was the end of the day and Mr. Honor was standing outside of his classroom as we filed by. I could not help but stare at him.

  “We were thinking of checking out that new scary movie everyone is raving about. It starts at eight. ” She continued, oblivious to the fact that I was not paying attention.

  “Sure. ” I said, not really knowing what I was agreeing to. Mr. Honor smirked and I could not help but grin back at him.

  “So you’ll come?” Becka asked and I stopped dead in my tracks as Mr. Honor slid back inside his classroom. “Yea, I’ll come. What time did you say?” I asked.

  “Eight o’clock. Don’t be late, the place will be packed!” She warned me and I smiled.

  “I’ll be there. ” I promised and they headed off to the parking lot.

  Chapter Four

  I sat in my car replaying everything that had happened today. I cannot believe I was stupid enough to get high in school. I was praying Mr. Honor would not tell anyone, but I was certain my secret was safe with him. Still, I could not stop thinking about what he said about being in trouble. What did he mean exactly? As the parking lot cleared out, I started my car to leave. I cranked the radio and sang along Crimson and Clover as I made my way to my Aunt’s house.

  I pulled into the driveway cursing myself for agreeing to a girl’s night out with the very girls who used me as a scapegoat. I could not entirely blame them. I was just as guilty for what we did. Besides, had I not done it I would have never gotten to spend extra time with Mr. Honor.

  The house was empty and I was glad no one was around to ask me twenty questions about where I was going. I slipped into the shower to get ready for the movie. I stayed under the water, daydreaming until it ran cold. I wrapped a towel loosely around my chest and went to my bedroom to find something to wear. Most of my belongings were in boxes so I had to do a great deal of digging before finding something suitable. I decided on a little black dress and black heels. After getting dressed, I carefully curled the ends of my hair. By the time I was done applying mascara I looked at least a few years older. I sat around listening to music and cleaning the house to kill time. When it seven o’ clock I figured it was a safe to leave. By the time I got to the theater and we got our snacks it would only be a short wait for the movie. I jumped in my car and began backing out the driveway as headlights filled my rearview mirror and a horn beeped. I threw my car into park and sighed loudly. My Aunt pulled her car alongside mine.

  “Where ya’ headed?” She asked, as her male passenger looked off, seemingly uninterested and completely wasted.

  “Heading to the movies, don’t wait up. ” I called over the engines and smiled.

  “Oh, we won’t!” She replied and her cheesy grin made me nauseous. I rolled my eyes and backed the rest of the way out of the driveway.

  Finding the movie theater in the dark was a lot harder than I had anticipated. I had to text Claire and Becka several times before I finally saw the great big theater sign along the side of the highway. I made three passes around the parking lot before I found an available space. Everyone had come out to see the new horror flick Slash. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my dress and wondered if I should leave quickly before anyone saw me. I could claim my car broke down or ran out of gas. It was too late. I spotted Becka and Claire making their way across the parking lot waving at me to get my attention. I reluctantly got out of the car and straightened my dress.

  “Stop tugging at that! You look great!” Becka reassured me. She was wearing a similar outfit in deep purple.

  “Thanks. ” I said shyly, tucking my hair behind my ear.

  “What am I, chopped liver?” Claire asked from behind us, half-joking.

  “You look great, Claire!” I said, shooting her a smile. She smiled back and I knew she was just being insecure. She was very much like me in that way. We waited in line outside of the building to get our tickets.

  “Do you have that new teacher, Mr. Honor?” Becka asked me bu
t did not wait for me to answer. “God, he is fucking hot!” she said fanning herself. I smiled and nodded my head.

  “His eyes” Claire added and I bit my lip and waited for the line to move. After a few moments of gushing over our teacher, they finally changed the topic to clothing, another subject I did not like to talk about. Luckily, the line was moving quickly and we were able to get our tickets and move inside to the next line for our snacks. When all was said and done we had spent over twenty dollars apiece, but Becka and Claire assured me that it would be worth every penny.

  Most of the moviegoers were hanging out in the lobby so we were able to score some good seats near the front. I always preferred to sit in the back but Claire insisted that the closer to the blood and guts you where, the better. The lights dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd as the previews started to play. It took an entire fifteen minutes before the movie started, but Becka and Claire had made a list of all the new movies coming out that we would have to go see.

  When the movie finally began, the room fell completely silent. Within a few moments they would all be screaming, myself included. My heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. This was worth every penny and I was glad I had decided to come.

  An hour into the film I excused myself to use the restroom. The line curved out of the door. I played on my cell phone and stepped forward as the line moved oblivious to my surroundings. That was until a woman’s giggles broke my train of thought. I glanced up to see a man and a woman locked in each other’s arms. He was kissing her neck and she playfully smacked him on the chest. Just as I realized I was staring the man and woman were kissing each other passionately. His eyes opened and my heart caught in my throat. Mr. Honor was staring back at me and I could not look away. My face burnt red but his gaze held mine. I bit my lip as jealousy bubbled through me.

  “Your turn” A teenaged boy called from behind me. I glanced back at the bathroom and saw that the line had completely vanished in front of me.

  “Sorry. ” I replied and stepped into the small room. I splashed some water on my face hoping it would magically make the blush fade from my cheeks. Of all people to catch making out at the movies, I would have never guessed I would see Mr. Honor. I went to the bathroom and waited around a few more seconds before heading back out the door. I took a deep breath and pulled it open, glancing to the side of the hall quickly. He was gone. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back into my theater.

  “What took you so long?” Claire asked as she handed me back my popcorn and candy.

  “The line was crazy. ” I replied, but did not elaborate on what else was crazy about it. I sunk deeper into my seat and tried to get back into the movie but my thoughts would not leave him. His burning gaze locked on mine for what felt like an eternity. There was something very creepy about our encounters but I could not get enough of him. Unfortunately, someone else already had him. I spent the next half of the movie trying to imagine what she looked like. She had dirty blonde curls that cascaded down her back and I assumed she was probably in her early twenties. She was no doubt gorgeous if she could hold his attention. My cheeks heated again as I realized she had not held his attention. His eyes were locked on to mine. Butterflies filled my stomach as I thought about what it had meant. In reality, I knew it probably did not mean anything. Perhaps he was embarrassed by seeing a student out of class while in such a compromising position.

  Chapter Five

  The crowd screamed in unison, jarring me from my thoughts. My popcorn flew from its container and Claire laughed at me.

  “Scared?” she taunted. I nodded and smiled. I had no idea what was going on in the movie and at this point, I did not care. I was feeling a little sad seeing Mr. Honor with someone else, not that I had a right to feel jealous, but for some reason, I had thought on some level that he liked me. I shook the thought from my head. It was stupid for me to let myself be caught up in a fantasy. I suddenly missed home and wanted nothing more than to leave this place and never come back. I slunk down in my seat and waited for the movie to end.