When Summer Ends

by Isabelle Rae

  The hair on the back of my neck bristled at his tone. “Obviously, otherwise I wouldn’t have done!” I snapped back.

  He sighed dramatically. “Forget it. Just go enjoy the rest of your free time before the bell rings. I’ve got to get this stuff written up on the board anyway.” He shrugged and headed over to the electronic board behind his desk, grabbing a pen and starting to write out some sort of equation that looked slightly similar to something Nick and I had been working on.

  I refused to leave it like that though. This was the first time we’d talked properly, and I wanted some answers. I deserved some answers. I was fed up with wondering what went on in the stupid guy’s head. “Why don’t you like being alone with me?” I inquired, gripping his arm and pulling gently, trying to get him to look at me again.

  He span around so quickly that it made me jump. His arm wrapped around my waist as he moved me so that my back was pressed against the board. He pressed his body against mine; his face was so close to mine that I actually whimpered. His breath was blowing across my lips making my mouth water. I could barely breathe.

  His hand came up to cup the side of my face as he slowly inched his face towards mine. Oh my God, he’s going to kiss me! Excitement bubbled up making my stomach flutter.

  “This is why,” he mumbled. His mouth was so close that his lips brushed against mine as he spoke. I gasped and closed my eyes, so excited I actually thought it would kill me. Suddenly the pressure and warmth of his body was gone. I forced opened my eyes, confused as to what had happened. Will was a step away from me with his hands gripped in his hair. He had a pained, angry look on his face. “You need to go.”

  “Why?” I whispered a little hurt. I didn’t want to go. He was so close, and I needed him.

  “Because I need you to go. I have things to do.” His tone was firm and final as he marched over to the classroom door and wrenched it open. He didn’t even look at me as he silently waited for me to leave.

  I felt my eyes stinging with tears again so I stomped out of his classroom. Stupid asshole getting me all excited then disappointing me like that. I really need to let him go and just stop thinking about him like that. He isn’t the hottest, most thoughtful guy I’ve ever met. Hmm, maybe if I keep telling myself that I’ll actually start to believe it.

  Throughout the rest of my afternoon classes all I could think about was Will. ‘This is why’ he’d said. Did that mean because he wanted to kiss me, or because he knew how I felt about him and he didn’t want to encourage me? I couldn’t keep my mind off of how close he was and how his soft lips had brushed against mine ever so lightly. My mind wandered to kisses that we’d shared, and how he tasted. I sighed and shook my head, trying to concentrate on what the Spanish teacher was saying and the assignment I was supposed to be working on right now, but it was just pointless. My stupid traitorous brain refused to focus on anything other than Will.

  When the bell rang signalling the end of class I groaned. I didn’t want to see him again. Not with everybody around anyway, on our own I would love to talk to him and make him tell me what the hell he meant by grabbing me like that. Could he still want to be with me even though I was a student? Was that what he meant?

  “Chloe, are you coming or not?” Amy laughed, knocking my elbow that was propping my head up. My head dropped down quickly. I just managed to catch myself before my chin collided with the desk. She laughed hysterically and shook her head. “Love sick Chloe is so funny.”

  I rolled my eyes in exasperation. “Come on then, let’s go test and see if Nick’s tutoring skills are worth me cooking for him.” I linked my arm through hers, and we walked slowly to class.

  “So nothing’s going on between you two? Just friends?” she clarified, looking at me curiously.

  “Just friends,” I confirmed.

  She sighed, looking at me sadly. “That’s a shame because he was always so sweet to you.”

  “I know he was, but it just wasn’t working out and I couldn’t keep leading him on knowing that,” I admitted. Amy and I had talked about it a lot before I broke it off with Nick. She didn’t think I should have broken up with him and said that sometimes love grows. She thought that I should have just carried on dating him and that I would have fallen for him eventually. I wouldn’t have been able to do that to him though. Nick was already crazy about me, and staying with him on the off chance of falling for him wouldn’t have been fair on him at all. He deserved better than that.

  “So what about you? Spoke to Ryan yet?” I asked, knowing that if I brought up her long-term crush she would go off on one talking about him and would completely change the subject from my love life.

  She sighed dreamily. “No not yet. Did you see him this morning? Wow he looks so hot in blue. I think blue’s his colour.” She fanned her face, laughing.

  I laughed and rolled my eyes. “I thought you said he suited black best.”

  She grinned. “He did, yesterday. I must admit the boy looks good in every colour. Whatever colour he’s wearing is always my favourite for the day.”

  Amy had been crazy about Ryan Everett since first grade but had never even spoken to him once. To top it all off, whenever he was around she seemed to melt into a quivering puddle at his feet and made herself look like an idiot somehow.

  “No one looks good in every colour, you’re just bias,” I said, rolling my eyes. Well actually, come to think of it, I’m yet to see Will in a colour that doesn’t suit him.

  I pulled her through the door of the classroom and scanned the room. We were a little later than normal but Will wasn’t there yet. “Come on let’s get a seat.” I looked around and spotted two together, but they were at the front again. Damn it, I don’t want to sit at the front of his class every day! Why oh why does the Spanish block have to be on the other side of the school so all the good seats are taken by the time I get here?

  “There’s two,” Amy chirped, pulling us to the front row.

  I sat down and pulled my books out, praying for this hour to pass without a hitch. I was really hoping that all of the time Nick and I spent studying on Saturday would pay off, and I at least would vaguely understand what was going on today.

  Will strutted in a couple of minutes later. I felt my face immediately start to heat up as I remember how close he’d gotten to me at lunchtime. He put his laptop down on the table and looked up at the class. As his eyes met mine I saw him smirk. Probably amused that I’m blushing yet again no doubt.

  “Right then, class, I want you all to partner up today with the person sitting next to you and we’re going to be doing a project on pressure and how math can be used to accurately predict the outcomes of certain situations, even scientific ones. Math isn’t just numbers, it can be used as the basis of a lot of things in life,” he said, grinning happily. He obviously enjoyed this kind of thing.

  I groaned quietly as he started talking about making a rocket from an empty soda bottle and balloons and stuff. He ran through how to work out the exact formula for the amount of pressure per square inch that would make the bottle soar into the air and land on the target. Each pair would be given certain variations of it, like a longer or shorter distance the bottle had to travel, so each formula would be different.

  Apparently if we did well with this it would actually count as part of a science project too, so we wouldn’t be getting homework from science for the week while we were doing this. I sat there in silence, feeling my heart sink. It didn’t make sense at all, and I had a feeling I would be calling on Nick a lot over the next week.

  I looked at Amy helplessly, but she shook her head signalling she didn’t get it either. It would be no use us teaming up, because it would be like the blind leading the blind. I looked to my other side and cringed. Erika freaking Dennison. Wow, could life suck any more than this exact moment?

  “You have a couple of lessons to work on it. At the end of the week I want you to present your findings to the class and how you came to that equation. We’ll even do practi
cal demonstrations outside,” Will gushed, rubbing his hands together happily. I groaned out loud this time. Well, my stupid ass question as to whether life could get any worse has just been answered, and the answer is heck yeah it freaking can.

  “You and me then, ice princess,” Erika said, sneering at me hatefully as Amy paired up with Jessica on her other side. That was a nice pairing for her. Jessica was a bit of a geek, but genuinely nice with it, so they would at least have fun whilst trying to work this out.

  “Awesome, can’t wait,” I lied forcing friendliness. Hopefully if I try, really, really try to be nice to her, then she’ll be nice back.

  “Just don’t bother talking to me, I know you suck at this subject so I’ll do the project and you can stand with me at the presentation and look pretty. Oh wait, I forgot you won’t be able to do that, you’d have to actually be pretty for that job. Hmm, I guess I’ll have to do that part too,” she mocked, looking me over and turning her nose up.

  My hand instinctively clenched into a fist. I was a split second from ramming it into her face when Will walked over. “Erika, I need you to help Martin.” He nodded towards the back of the class where Martin was sitting on his own. Wow, poor Martin! Immediately, Erika stood up and grabbed her books before moving next to him. She looked more than a little relieved not to be working with me.

  I looked around quickly for someone else, but everyone was already partnered up. “Wait, but then I won’t have a partner,” I noted, panicking because I had no clue as to where to start with this assignment at all.

  “I’ll help you, Miss Henderson.” Will smiled kindly. What the hell? What was all that, ‘I don’t like to be alone with you’ crap about then? He’s sending my partner away so I can partner with him? “Tricia Marshall’s off today so when she comes back you can have her as your partner; I’ll just be helping you today,” Will added, shrugging like it was no big deal.

  I nodded breathlessly. I was grateful that I wouldn’t have to work with Erika, but at the same time, I would probably rather work with her than with him. He made it so damn hard to be around him sometimes with his cocky good looks and his fun personality. Wow this is going to be a fun hour… not!

  Chapter Twelve

  “Let’s go collect our things then, unless you’d rather look at the theorem first?” Will inquired, raising one eyebrow as he sat in Erika’s seat.

  “Can’t you just tell me the equation?” I countered, pouting.

  He laughed and shook his head. “I could, but then you wouldn’t learn, so what’s the point in that?”

  “Well where’s the point in learning what pressure makes a soda bottle fly up in the air anyway? I can hardly use this in real life; what the hell kind of occupation am I going to have that requires me to know this codswallop?” I ranted.

  He laughed quietly. “You’re way too funny when you’re agitated, but at least you’re not blushing.” He raised one eyebrow and smirked at me - which of course immediately made me blush. “Oh there it is.” He laughed before pushing himself out of the seat and heading to the front table to collect all of the equipment we would need to do the experiment.

  The hour passed pretty quickly, and it was actually quite fun. Will was joking around and actually did a lot of it for me which I was grateful for. I watched him taping it together and adding the liquid, measuring it all out precisely, talking about the pressure inside the bottle and how the compressed air would build up. He looked like he was enjoying himself as he jotted down numbers and letters with a small smile on his face. He looks so freaking hot right now!

  “Okay, come and do this bit.” He motioned for me to take the bottle. I took it hesitantly not really wanting to do anything, I was happy just letting him do it all, but I guess I needed to have some sort of input. “Okay now I want you to pour this in slowly, then, when I say, you’re going to get the lid on fast. The two substances will start to react together immediately so you need to be quick with the lid.” He smirked at me as he stood behind me.

  “React immediately what does that mean?” I asked as I started to pour the white powder which he said was bicarbonate of soda into the foul smelling yellowish-brown liquid already in the bottle. “What’s in here anyway?” I asked, turning my nose up. It looked a little like urine.

  “Vinegar,” he answered. I nodded and poured the rest of the powder in all in one go instead of slow like he said. “Better get the lid on.” Will laughed behind me as it started to fizz rapidly.

  “Oh crud, what’s it doing?” I asked as I grabbed for the lid… but I wasn’t quick enough.

  Will laughed and grabbed for the bottle putting his hand over the top just as the bottle looked like it exploded. It was spraying foul smelling yellowish foam all over the place. It looked a little like a champagne bottle when you shake it up. I screamed as it sprayed all over my shirt and jeans. People were yelping and hiding under their desks, laughing as the bottle continued to spray. It was going everywhere; it went in my mouth and wet my hair. I span around and buried my face in Will’s chest as it spayed my back. I could hear him laughing his ass off, and I couldn’t help but laugh too.

  When it finally stopped I pulled away from the safety of his body. My was hair dripping and smelt foul. Will was soaked too. He smirked at me, rolling his eyes. “What part of ‘pour this in slow’ did you not understand, Miss Henderson?”

  I looked back at the desk and winced. Everything was soaked, the notes I’d been taking as he worked, the floor, there was even foam on the ceiling. I looked down at myself and flicked the wet off of my hands as it dripped from my fingertips. I looked like I’d just stepped out of a vinegar foam party.

  “Shit. I’m so sorry,” I mumbled, looking back at him apologetically.

  He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it up and flicking drops of vinegar off of it. He laughed sheepishly. “I did that when I was learning this too, and watch your language.” He smirked at me teasingly making me laugh.

  The bell rang so he looked back at the class who were all laughing and grabbing their bags, preparing to leave. “Guys, make sure you put your names on your rockets and put them to one side. You’ll be working on them again tomorrow. Maybe it’s a good idea for people working near Miss Henderson to bring a change of clothes,” Will joked, nudging me with his elbow before walking off to the little room off of his classroom.

  I rolled my eyes at his insult. Amy came over then, brushing foam from her arm. “I’m so glad I moved over slightly so it only got on my arm because damn you smell!” She laughed, turning her nose up at me.

  I put my hand to my nose and smelled it wincing as the acrid smell seemed to burn the inside of my nose. Wow she’s right. Gross. “I guess I’m not getting a ride in your car,” I mused, but looked at her hopefully.

  She rolled her eyes. “I wouldn’t be much of a best friend if I left you all wet and stranded, now would I?”

  I smiled gratefully, but Will stepped forward and threw a cloth at me. “Miss Henderson, you can stay and help me clean up your mess. The school cleaners won’t touch this.” He waved his hand at the puddles and foam all over the place.

  “Okay.” I frowned and turned to Amy. “I’ll walk, don’t wait for me.”

  “I can drive you home if you want,” Will offered as he wiped over the desk, sopping up the mess I’d made.

  Amy grinned. “Awesome. I have to babysit again right after school so I don’t have time to wait.” I noticed with some measure of dissatisfaction that Amy was raking her eyes over Will’s body. I frowned, glancing in his direction to see that his T-shirt was wet and was sticking to his chest a little, showing of his muscles. “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Chloe. Goodbye, Mr Morris,” Amy called, waving over her shoulder as she made a swift exit.

  “See you tomorrow, Miss Clarke,” he replied absentmindedly, still wiping the foam up.

  I turned back to the table and looked at Will apologetically. “You really did this when you were doing this experiment?” I asked curiously.

&nbs
p; He nodded. A mischievous smile stretched slowly across his face. “Yeah, but mine was done on purpose, and I aimed the bottle towards the schools cheerleaders.”

  I giggled. “Pervert.” That was a typical Will comment. “Did you know that would happen to me?”

  He grinned and nodded. “Hell yeah, I said pour it slow and get the lid ready. I knew you wouldn’t have the patience to pour it slow. Why do you think I hid behind you?” he teased, raising one eyebrow at me.

  I laughed and shook my head. “Jerk.”

  He made a little bow as if it was a compliment and laughed. “You got five bucks?” he asked suddenly, digging in his pocket.

  I shook my head. I didn’t have any money on me today. “No, why?”

  “There’s bound to be a freshman we could pay to do this,” he joked.

  I burst out laughing and went to the sink in his little room off of the classroom and rinsed my cloth out so I could carry on with the clean-up. It took about twenty minutes to get everything foam free, but even then the whole room smelt like vinegar.

  We cleaned in silence; I stole little glances at his body as he wiped the table. I watched the way his bicep flexed and tensed, the way his T-shirt rode up a little, exposing his stomach as he stood on the desk and reached up to wipe the mess off of the ceiling. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I imagined running my tongue across his sculpted abs. I was so lost in my own world that I didn’t even realise I was just standing there stock-still, staring at him like a complete moron.

  “Chloe, you can’t look at me like that,” Will muttered, looking like he was in pain as he jumped off of the table landing, gracefully on the balls of his feet.

  I blushed but didn’t look away from him, I couldn’t. I wanted him so much. “Why not?” I challenged, and then immediately felt stupid.

  He frowned. “Because I’m your teacher and you’re a minor. We need to forget what happened and just behave like teacher and student.”