by Isabelle Rae
“Yeah it was good. Yours?” he asked, offering me some of his chips.
I took a couple and shrugged. “Didn’t really do much, studying and shopping. Nothing exciting.”
“Right, that’s good… I mean, not good that you didn’t do anything exciting, just good that it was uneventful and…” he trailed off, frowning. He shook his head and looked back at me again. “I was wondering if you wanted to go and do something on Friday night?” he asked, looking really uncomfortable.
Oh no! He’s asking me out again? Is this why he was staring at me for the whole of first period? Because he wanted to ask me out again? I gulped when I realised the whole table had gone quiet and were now listening to him ask me out. Wow, talk about uncomfortable! How can I let him down gently? I wracked my brain quickly for an excuse before I thought of one. “I can’t, I have plans already, sorry.” I relaxed. That wasn’t a total lie, Sam had suggested we do something Friday, but we had no definite plans. I’d rejected Oliver twice now so he shouldn’t ask me out again which would be a lot easier.
“Oh right, okay yeah. That’s fine.” He frowned, seeming to look anywhere but me.
Suddenly I felt awful. The whole table had just seen him crash and burn. “Maybe you could come to the movies with us on Saturday? We were just arranging something,” I suggested, hoping that including him in our planned outing would make him feel a little better somehow.
His whole face lit up and he smiled broadly. “Yeah? I’d like that.”
Oh crud, does he think this is a date or something? He does know that I meant it as friends, doesn’t he? “There’s like eight of us going I think,” I added quickly so he would know I meant it in a friendly way.
He nodded still smiling. “Sounds good.”
The bell rang so we all made our way to our respective classes; Amy looped her arm through mine and practically skipped along at my side. “Yay, you’re going on a date with Olly!” she chirped.
I frowned. It wasn’t a date. “Amy, we’re all going, it’s not a date.”
She shrugged. “Seems like a date to me. Maybe you should get him to pick you up then if you have a good time you’ll get to be alone with him at the end of the night.” She waggled her eyebrows. I rolled my eyes but didn’t bother to answer.
A couple of hours later, and it was time for Will’s class again. Please let Tricia be in today, please, please, please. I repeated it over and over in my head as I made my way to his class, I even crossed my fingers and shoved my hands in my pockets so no one would see them. I didn’t want to have to work with him again today, not after this morning; I certainly wouldn’t be able to be civil with him today knowing that he had plans with Miss Teller.
“Hey, Chloe,” Olly called as Amy and I walked into the classroom. I smiled and he waved us over to his bench where Jessica, Amy’s partner, was already sitting. Oh great, another uncomfortable hour! Amy sat down next to Jess so I sat the other side of Olly and his partner, leaving an empty seat for Tricia if she had decided to grace us with her presence today.
“Hey, do you know if Tricia’s in today?” I asked, looking at her empty seat longingly.
“Yeah I saw her this morning,” Olly replied. I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders because I wouldn’t have to work with Will today.
I smiled broadly as Tricia walked in and I resisted the urge to jump out of my chair and hug the life out of her. I waved her over to me excitedly. “Hey, you got stuck with me as a partner, sorry.” I patted the empty desk next to me happily.
“I did, what for?” she asked, smiling, looking a little confused as she sat down next to me.
“Stupid calculus slash science project that has no bearing on our lives outside of these walls whatsoever,” I replied, shrugging.
She laughed, still seeming bewildered. “Sounds awesome.”
Will walked over and smiled at Tricia. “Hi, you’re back. Miss Henderson should be able to fill you in on what you missed yesterday but if you two struggle or anything then let me know.” He smiled kindly, and Tricia actually looked like she melted into a puddle at his feet as she stared at him dreamily. He put a few sheets of paper down in front of me. “You left your notes here last night, Miss Henderson.” Without waiting for an answer, he turned and walked off.
Left my notes. What did that mean? I didn’t leave my notes; they’re in my bag, probably making all of my books smell like vinegar because I didn’t bother to copy them onto fresh paper. I glanced down at the pages that he’d put on my desk to see they were in his writing. I frowned and flicked through them quickly. He’d rewritten everything we did yesterday for me. Aww, that’s so freaking adorable! I sighed and pushed the notes towards Tricia, deciding that I needed to fill her in about the stupid rocket.
The class was uneventful. Our rocket was half made because of Will yesterday so we didn’t need to do much, just work out the amounts of substance that would generate the pressure we needed. We worked on it all class and were pretty much done by the end, mostly thanks to Will’s notes that he’d written for me. When he walked past to check on how we were all getting on I smiled at him gratefully. He winked at me and carried on walking past as if nothing had happened. My heart fluttered in my chest. Stupid traitorous heart.
There was about five minutes left until the end of class so Tricia and I were pretending to look busy. We’d done everything we were required to do, so for the rest of the week all we needed to do was work on the presentation which wouldn’t be very hard because of Will’s detailed notes he’d given me.
Someone knocked on the classroom door and walked in. I groaned internally when I spotted her blonde head. Not one hair was out of place and she looked impeccable and classy even though it was the end of the day. Miss Teller.
Every boy in the class stopped what they were doing to look at her with lustful expressions. She smiled at Will and headed over to him, swaying her hips as she walked. Jeez, does she do that on purpose or does sexy just come naturally to her? I felt my jealousy rise again as he smiled at her.
“Hey, you’re early,” he greeted, nodding at the clock on the wall.
“Yeah I had a free period; I just wanted to let you know that I have to speak to the textile teacher about costumes for the play. I won’t be long, but I might be a couple of minutes late. Is that okay?” she asked, pouting, obviously going for vulnerable and needy. Go away, stupid woman! I felt my leg twitch, but I forced myself to stay in my seat. What I really wanted to do was go over to her and do the little vinegar explosion thing in her face. That would wipe the seductive smile off of her pretty face…
“Sure, I wouldn’t leave without you, don’t worry.” He smirked at her making her giggle. Oh my goodness, she actually just giggled! Does this woman have no shame? She’s flirting with the teacher, right in front of his class.
“Great, I’ll meet you here then when I’m done.” She turned and flicked her hair over her shoulder as she swayed out of the door, leaving all of the boys watching her with their mouths and eyes open wide.
The bell rang. I looked up at Will. He wasn’t bothered at all that he’d just done that right in front of me. It probably hasn’t even entered his head that I would be upset over this. How can he go from so thoughtful and adorable one minute; to a complete jerk in the next?
Olly smiled at me. I decided then that I could use him for a little payback. Let’s see how Will likes having it shoved in his face. It probably wouldn’t bother him; he’d already told me that he didn’t have feelings for me anyway. Jerk.
I grabbed the rocket that Tricia and I had on our desk and followed Olly over to the side where we were storing them. Will was standing there moving them all around to make room for them all on the side.
I waited until I was close enough for him to hear before turning to Olly. “Hey, so I was wondering if you’d pick me up on Saturday for the movie?” I asked, smiling sweetly. I felt a little guilty flirting with Olly when he obviously liked me but to be honest he might be able to hel
p me move on just like Amy suggested.
He grinned. “Yeah sure.”
“Great. Maybe we could grab something to eat before we meet up with everyone else, what do you think?” I suggested, leaning in slightly as I spoke.
His smile got even broader. “I’d like that. Maybe we could go to that Mexican restaurant that just opened.”
I laughed and shook my head. “Nah, a Mexican restaurant isn’t a good first date.” I shrugged, knowing that Will was listening from where he was. His shoulders were stiff, and he’d moved the same rocket four times already. He had his back to me and I kind of wished I could see his face to see what he thought about it.
“Maybe we could go there another time then,” Olly replied, grinning boyishly.
I laughed and rolled my eyes. “And who said I’d want to go out with you again? Maybe your date will suck,” I teased.
“I hope she does.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
I suppressed a groan. Is he kidding me right now? Sexual flirting like that just doesn’t work at all.
I opened my mouth about to make some witty remark about him counting his chickens or something, but Will span around with a face like thunder and almost snatched the rocket from my hands. He glared at me angrily. “Maybe you could finish this little discussion outside of my classroom.”
I faked shock. “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even realise you were there, Mr Morris,” I lied, looking at him with wide eyes.
His frown grew more pronounced. “Obviously, otherwise you would have left this little innuendo conversation in the hallway, right?” he retorted sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.
Wow, pissed off definitely suits him. All that brooding and frowning makes him look super sexy. I desperately tried not to imagine pressing my body against his and running my tongue down the side of his neck, biting on the edge of his jaw just the way he liked so I could hear him moan my name. Focus, Chloe! Oops, spaced out for a second there! “Absolutely. I’m sorry, Mr Morris.” I looked at him apologetically and tried not to smile at the way his body was tense and alert. He really didn’t like to hear me flirting by the looks of it. Oh well, he started it. Olly was just smiling sheepishly so I slapped his arm playfully. “You got us in trouble,” I scolded, smiling as I glanced towards the desk where Amy was standing there waiting for me with a grin on her face.
Olly grinned. “Sorry, my bad.”
I rolled my eyes teasingly, throwing one last smirk in Will’s direction as I walked off to pack up my bag. Olly grabbed his bag and headed out of the room with one of his friends, winking at me as he walked past my desk.
Amy giggled as soon as he was out of the room. “I hope my date sucks?” She laughed, shaking her head. “He is so bad at flirting.”
I laughed and shoved my books in my bag. “I know, tell me about it. But that was super sexy. Really got to me and made me want to be with him,” I joked, rolling my eyes.
She giggled. “I know, who says that to a girl? Epic fail on his part.”
“Maybe he’s never spoken to a girl before.” I shouldered my bag and followed Amy towards the door.
“Miss Henderson, a word please,” Will called just as I was about to make my escape.
I sighed and turned back to Will. He was still standing over by the rockets; his easy cocky attitude was totally gone now. He actually looked a little hurt, and I started to feel stupid for doing that and making him feel bad. I turned back to Amy. “I’ll meet you by your car.”
She nodded and carried on walking out of the room; I stopped and dropped my bag on the nearest desk before turning to Will. Hmm, maybe I should apologise for that. That was way over the top. But was it though? He dumped me, not the other way around; I shouldn’t have to be mindful of his feelings. He’s the one that has already arranged a date with the hot teacher; I’m just following his lead and moving on like everyone suggested I should.
“What the hell was that?” he snapped, frowning angrily.
I took a deep breath; I was just about to apologise when Miss Teller sauntered back into the room, smiling happily. “Hey, Chloe,” she greeted as she spotted me.
“Hi. How are you today?” I asked, faking friendliness. I willed myself not to cry as she walked over to Will’s side. He smiled at her, still looking tense and angry but obviously trying to hide it.
“I’m good. You’re not taking drama this year?” she asked, perching sexily on one of the desks making her skirt rise a little.
“Not this year, unless I can trade for calculus,” I suggested, shrugging. Actually I would trade anything for calculus right now; I honestly never wanted to come to this class again.
She laughed. “I don’t think they do trades.”
I didn’t want to stand here and listen to them flirting; I looked longingly at the door. “Are we done now, Mr Morris? Can I be excused?” I asked hopefully, knowing he wouldn’t want to talk about this with her sitting there.
He looked at me for a few seconds before he sighed and nodded. “Yeah, we’re done, you can go.”
I practically ran out of the room and down to my locker in a bid to be away from them both. Amy stood there waiting for me; she was watching me expectantly.
Why is she looking at me like that? “What?”
She made a scoffing noise and looked at me like I was stupid. “What did he want? Did you get into trouble or something?”
Eek, what do I say to that? I shook my head. “No he was just offering help in case Tricia and I needed it, because she was off yesterday,” I lied. I winced, hating the fact that I was lying to my best friend - but I couldn’t tell her the truth because I couldn’t let anyone know about Will. I didn’t want him in trouble for this.
“That’s nice of him. You two seem to be getting on better now, not clashing as much as last week.” She shrugged, closing her locker.
“Yeah I guess.” I sighed and followed her to the car. Another day down, only another ten and a half months to go, then I’ll leave school and will never have to see Will’s handsome face again.
Chapter Fourteen
The rest of the school week passed without event. Will barely even looked at me except when he needed to in a teacher way, and even that wasn’t very often. In a way I was grateful because I didn’t want to talk to him. Especially after half of the school had witnessed him pull into the parking lot on Tuesday morning with Miss Teller in the passenger seat of his car.
After going out with him on Monday after school it was pretty obvious that she stayed at his place with him. It honestly made me feel sick but I tried my hardest not to let it affect me, well, I tried not to show that it affected me is more like the truth.
The rumour mill started immediately. Talk of the new hot teacher couple was all around school within minutes. Every time it was mentioned my stomach would start to ache but I worked hard on not showing it. Instead, I flirted with Olly and pretended I was looking forward to seeing him on Saturday.
After school was really busy all week, so that helped to keep my mind off of my calculus teacher. On Wednesday and Thursday I went home with Nick, and we studied. Though to be honest he didn’t need to help me too much this week, Will’s notes and his help on Monday had made everything pretty clear. It also helped that Tricia happened to like calculus, so she was leading the project during class. So after Nick and I studied for a little while, we watched a movie or something before eating.
Nick was fun to be around. He was totally avoiding the subject of his mom, we both were. The anniversary of her death was Sunday so we were going there early in the morning so he could pay his respects, and then we’d planned to hang out afterwards so I could cheer him up a little and take his mind off of it.
On Friday night I went out for dinner with Sam. It was good; as usual Sam didn’t fail to make me laugh with tales of disastrous dates and his all-time best successes. He’d suggested we go out on Saturday next week instead of Friday. A friend of his, one that I had already met through Will, was thr
owing a party, and Sam wanted me to go with him. He said Amy could go too which I knew she would love to do. So, after making him promise me five times that Will wouldn’t be there, I’d eventually agreed to it. It sounded like fun though so the party would probably be good.
Today was Saturday and I was sitting watching the clock tick round way too fast. For the hundredth time I looked at my cell phone, willing it to ring and for it to be Olly cancelling the date or something. A nasty case of food poisoning would go down a treat right now. Maybe I could call him and tell him I have food poisoning… When I heard a car pull up outside, I let out a long groan of frustration. He was right on time. Seven pm on the dot, I had to give the boy points for punctuality. I was really going to try on this date. Olly was a nice guy, and he was good-looking too, I was going to give moving on my best effort.
I headed downstairs slowly, letting my dad answer the door. Maybe he’ll scare Olly away for me then I won’t even need to go! I walked up behind my dad who was standing there, glaring. His posture wasn’t very welcoming as he blocked the doorway, leaving Olly outside.
“I’m serious, I know you father and if I hear one thing about her being mistreated tonight then I’ll be speaking to him before I come looking for you,” Dad warned.
Wow, poor Olly, he hasn’t even stepped through the door, and he’s getting it already. I smiled apologetically as I tapped my dad’s arm, letting him know I was there. He turned slightly to look at me, still frowning. He had always been protective of me; I was an only child so he went completely over the top. It was almost funny in an embarrassing as heck kind of way.
“I understand, and I wouldn’t even dream of mistreating her, I promise,” Olly vowed, looking like he wanted to run away from the door screaming. Run, please run away. He didn’t run though. My heart sank as my dad waved him inside the house.
“Hey, Olly.” I forced a smile and turned to my dad. “We’ll be going, Dad, I won’t be late,” I promised as I grabbed my jacket from the coat rack and headed towards the door quickly before he could hassle Olly anymore.
