Wicked Chemistry

by R. L. Kenderson

  “Deal.” She grinned. “I wouldn’t want you there anymore anyway.”

  I playfully shoved her. “Turd.”

  It was Friday, the end of the third week of school, and I was sitting in my classroom before school started with one of my students. Amy Kendrick was becoming one of my favorite students. I knew I wasn’t supposed to have any favorites, but it was hard. I simply had to try my best to treat everyone fairly.

  I finished answering Amy’s question and then asked her, “Does that make sense? Am I explaining it better than I did in class?”

  She pushed her long, stringy, dark hair behind her ear. “Yes. Thank you, Ms. F. I tried to figure this out last night, but I didn’t have much time after work.”

  She smiled at me but didn’t quite meet my eyes. The girl was painfully shy. So shy, I was surprised she had come to me with questions.

  A loud rumble came from the area of her abdomen.

  She put her hand on her stomach and laughed nervously. “Sorry about that.”

  I leaned back in my chair and took in her lean frame. She was waif-like, and she always wore clothes that hung on her. I thought maybe she simply had a high metabolism and liked to wear baggy clothes. But seeing today’s outfit up close, I could make out places where her shirt was thinning from use.

  I opened the drawer I kept my purse in and pulled out a protein bar. I put it down in front of her. “Here, why don’t you take this?”

  She shook her head. “Oh no, I couldn’t.” Her head might be saying no, but her eyes were saying yes.

  “Amy.”

  She looked up at me.

  “I wasn’t asking. I want you to have it.”

  She hesitated but then picked up the bar and put it in her pocket.

  “If you have any more questions, please come and see me.”

  She nodded and stood. “I will.”

  She slowly walked to the door, and I made a mental note to find out more about her and her home life. Maybe there was something I could do to help her.

  Just as she was leaving, Mace walked in, and my body went on high alert. She was prime pickings for being made fun of, and I really didn’t want that for her.

  But, to my surprise, he nodded at Amy and kept on walking.

  “Hey, Ms. F.” He stood next to my desk, looming over me.

  “Hello, Mr. Wagner.” I purposely used his surname to keep some distance between us. “Why are you here so early?” I glanced at the clock. “You still have twenty minutes until class starts.”

  He lifted a shoulder. “We finished practice early, and I already showered and dressed, so I figured I’d come here.” He made his way to the back of the room to sit in his usual spot. He looked over his shoulder at me. “Besides, the view in here is much better.”

  My cheeks immediately heated, and I was mad at myself for letting him get to me. I didn’t understand why he was targeting me.

  The last two weeks, he’d made other similar comments. He would say things that might mean something else, but I knew they were directed at me. Like today, he could be talking about what he could see from the classroom windows, but we both knew he meant me. It was frustrating because I wanted him to stop, yet a part of me felt flattered every time, even when I repeatedly told myself he was just messing with me.

  I thought what was almost worse was that he would watch me during class. Like, really watch me. Other kids would doodle or look at the papers I’d handed out or their books, but I felt like Mace’s eyes were always on me.

  It was going to be quite difficult to pretend like he wasn’t there for the next twenty minutes while I finished getting ready for the day.

  My prayers were answered when Connor showed up in my doorway. “Hey, Eden.”

  I looked up from my desk and smiled when I saw it was Connor. Becca had taken my advice about giving Connor a chance, but she was taking it slow, which had resulted in the three of us becoming fast friends. We’d been hanging out a couple of times a week over the last several weeks.

  “Hey, Connor.”

  “So, don’t be mad.”

  “Hmm … I feel like that just means I’m going to be mad. What did you do?”

  “It wasn’t so much me as your best friend.”

  I stood up. “She didn’t.” I rapidly shook my head. “No. She didn’t sign me up to chaperone the homecoming dance.”

  “She kind of did.”

  “That bi—brat,” I quickly said as I remembered there was a student in my room.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mace grin.

  “Where is she?”

  Connor shrugged.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Did she send you to tell me the news?”

  Connor laughed. “I volunteered. I wanted to see your face when you found out.”

  “I’m going to kill her.”

  “You’re the one who lost the bet,” Connor pointed out with a smile. “And I believe it was your idea in the first place.”

  It was a dumb bet we’d made last night. We’d had a few drinks at dinner and decided to play darts. At first, we were making minor bets, like a dollar, but then we upped it to who would chaperone the homecoming dance in three weeks. The principal had been begging the staff to sign up for the last week.

  To most people, it probably wasn’t a big deal, but for me, it brought up not-so-great memories. I hadn’t been asked to go to any dances, and if I had gone, it had been with friends where I’d have to watch the guy I liked make out with someone else. I hated feeling like that girl in high school again.

  Curse my alcohol-induced confidence in my dart abilities.

  I had no idea what the look on my face was, but it must have been bad because Connor stepped into the classroom.

  “Hey, it won’t be that bad. And, if it helps, Becca signed up with you. I just wanted to tease you a little before I told you.”

  I sighed with relief. Knowing Becca would be there made me feel better. It wasn’t as good as not going at all, but I’d take it.

  “Plus, you’re off the hook for the rest of the year.” He leaned forward. “You don’t want to chaperone prom.”

  My eyes widened. “Good to know.”

  I glanced at Mace and back to Connor. “Do you guys have a game that night, or do they pick a night there is no game, so everyone can go?”

  I was really hoping that the answer would be the former. I didn’t want to see Mace at a dance. I already had to pretend like I wasn’t attracted to him in class. At a dance, it would just make an already-unbearable night worse.

  Connor shook his head and laughed at me. “How little you know about our games.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Shh.” But then I laughed, too.

  “We don’t have a game that night. I might chaperone, too.”

  He should. It would give him an opportunity to dance with Becca. But the selfish part of me was hoping I’d get her all to myself that night.

  “But don’t worry. The football guys rarely go. They’re too cool.”

  “I’m going,” Mace said from the back of the room just as Logan walked in.

  “Going where?” Logan asked.

  “To the homecoming dance. You’re going, too.”

  “What? I thought we had plans,” Logan protested.

  Mace shrugged. “Plans change.” He looked at me and smiled. “We’re going to the dance.”

  I was caught in his stare and didn’t even realize it until Connor said, “Hey, Mace, I didn’t know you were here.”

  I blushed. Did Connor catch me staring at my student? I prayed I hadn’t had some lovesick look on my face. Or worse, an I want to jump your bones look.

  This semester couldn’t finish fast enough.

  Later that night, with the football game over, Becca and I slowly made our way down the bleachers. As usual, the whole town was in attendance. We’d shown up late, so we’d had to sit up high in the stands, and now, we had to wait for the people ahead of us to leave. They were currently moving at the speed of a glacier.
<
br />   “What are we doing after this?” I asked.

  Becca shrugged but didn’t look up from her phone. “I don’t know.”

  “Are you texting Connor?”

  “Yeah. Coach Fischer is going over some things with him, and then he said he’d be out.”

  The crowd in front of us finally thinned, and I elbowed Becca, so she would look up. We reached the bottom and made our way to the concourse area. We were about to head toward the locker rooms, but then my phone rang.

  “It’s Adam.” I looked around at all the people mingling. It would be hard to hear anything. “I’ll meet you at the car.”

  Becca nodded. “Okay.”

  I answered the phone with, “Give me a minute. I have to get to a quieter area.”

  I barely heard Adam chuckle.

  Once I was away from the stadium and halfway to the parking lot, I said, “Okay, I can hear now.”

  Adam laughed. “Where are you?”

  “A football game.”

  “You’re joking, right?”

  I hadn’t spoken to him in a few weeks, so he didn’t know I’d been going to the games.

  “Not even a little. This is Texas, man. They take their football seriously. Half the businesses close. There’s nothing else to do. Plus, it looks bad if I don’t support my students.”

  Upon those words, one student came to mind. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t stop thinking about him. It was as if there was an invisible pull toward him. As hard as I had tried not to, I had watched him all night. I might not know a lot about football, but I knew enough to know he was good at it.

  “I thought I’d never see the day,” Adam joked.

  “Yeah, well, I guess anything can happen.” I reached my car and leaned back against it. “How’s Jamie?” I asked, looking to change the subject.

  Adam cleared his throat. “Um, good. Yeah, good.”

  He always got a little weird when I brought up his girlfriend. I often wondered if he thought I was still in love with him, and he was worried that I was jealous, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

  Part of me would always love Adam, but I wasn’t in love with him. I was glad he’d found someone who made him smile. Jamie was the longest relationship he’d had since me, and I was nothing but happy for him.

  “How’s living together?” I asked.

  “Good. Good. Different but good.”

  “Do you think you two will get married?”

  Adam cleared his throat again. “Listen, I’ve gotta run.”

  “But—”

  “I’ll call you later.”

  Click.

  I pulled my phone away to look at it. He’d hung up on me.

  “Is everything okay?”

  I swung around as I clapped my hand to my chest.

  “Mace, what are you doing here?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “I’m leaving the football game.”

  Right.

  “Of course.” I pointed to my phone. “I wasn’t thinking.” I leaned back against the side of my car to show him I was relaxed and not embarrassed or anything. “Have a good night.”

  Mace came and stood beside me, setting his bag down on the ground and leaning against my car as well.

  What is he doing?

  “You never answered my question. Is everything okay?”

  It took me a couple of seconds to rewind and figure out what we were talking about.

  “Oh. Yeah.” I waved away his concern. “I was just talking to a friend, and he suddenly had to go. But I’m sure everything is fine.”

  Mace rested his head on the roof and stared up at the sky. I gave myself five seconds to admire how tall he was.

  “Okay, well, I’ll see you on Monday.”

  He didn’t move.

  “I’m waiting for Becca and Connor. Ms. Larsen and Mr. Wagner,” I corrected.

  He lifted his head and looked at me. “Yeah, I think they’re going to be ditching you tonight.”

  “What?”

  Mace leaned forward into my personal space.

  Damn, he smells good.

  “I saw them kissing.”

  I immediately looked at his lips. They were nice and full and definitely kissable.

  I watched the corner of those lips turn up.

  My eyes snapped to his. “You’re making that up.”

  Ding.

  I pulled my gaze away from Mace and looked at my phone.

  Becca: Remember how you said you were going to bail when you caught us holding hands or something like that?

  I looked up at Mace. I narrowed my eyes at the satisfied look on his face.

  Ding.

  Becca: Would you mind if Connor and I hung out alone tonight?

  Disappointment hit me. I was happy for Becca, but I had been looking forward to hanging out with them. How soon I’d come to rely on the two of them for company.

  Me: You two go have fun.

  Becca: Thank you. I love you.

  Me: I love you, too.

  I sighed as I turned off my phone’s screen and shoved it in my back pocket.

  Mace turned to me and put his elbow on the roof of my car. “So … what are we doing tonight?”

  I laughed in disbelief. “We’re not doing anything.”

  Mace just smiled back at me.

  “Yo, Mace, you comin’ or what?” a voice yelled from a couple of rows away.

  I unlocked my car and got in as Mace picked up his bag and walked around the front.

  I turned the engine over, and as soon as he got out of the way, I would be out of there.

  Mace shouted something back, but I didn’t understand what he’d said.

  I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel.

  Mace came around to the side and opened the back passenger door. He threw his bag in the backseat and yelled, “Nah, I got a ride. I’ll catch ya later.”

  “Uh … no, you don’t. Please get your stuff—”

  Mace slammed the door without even looking at me. He opened the front and got in beside me. He shut the door and rubbed his hands. “What are we doing tonight again?”

  I shut off my car. “Nothing. We aren’t doing anything. I already told you that.” I gestured toward the direction of his friends. “Now, will you please get out?”

  Undaunted, he shook his head. “No can do.”

  “And why not?”

  “Because there goes my ride.” He waved to the car passing in front of us.

  I ducked my head. As soon as I heard it drive off, I shot him a look. “Are you crazy? Are you trying to get me fired?” I gasped at this realization. Maybe that was why he’d been messing with me.

  He leaned over and started the engine again. He sat up. “Of course not. You’re being paranoid.” He lifted his chin toward the exit. “But you’d better get going before more people see us together.”

  I reluctantly did as he’d said because he was right. Not that it was illegal to give someone a ride, but this was how rumors started.

  I slowly pulled out of the parking spot. “Where do you live? I’ll take you home, but that’s it.”

  “Give me your phone.”

  I glanced at him. “No.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I’m just going to put in my address.”

  I hated driving with someone else navigating. They always told me when to turn too late, and I’d have to slam on the brakes, or they forgot to tell me to turn at all.

  I reluctantly got out my mobile and handed it to him after unlocking it.

  A few seconds later, I heard his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he didn’t move to grab it.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

  “Nope. Not important.” He pushed one more button and then stuck my phone on the magnet I had in my vent for this very reason. Google Maps immediately began telling me where to turn.

  “Don’t you have a car of your own?”

  “Yep. I have a truck actually, but it’s at home.”

  “What about your
dad?”

  “Out of town. He travels a lot for work.”

  I peeked at Mace out of the corner of my eye to see if this bothered him, but he was relaxed and unfazed by my question. But I didn’t know if he would act the same if I brought up his mom.

  I knew he lived with his father because Connor had said something once about going to visit his uncle and Mace. There was never any mention of a wife or mother.

  “And your mom?” I cleared my throat. “Do you know where she is?”

  Mace chuckled. “She’s probably at home, in bed with her husband.”

  He didn’t even know where she was. Poor guy. Living with a father who traveled for work and a mother who wasn’t around.

  Mace laughed harder. “Don’t look at me like that. She didn’t abandon me or anything. She was at the game tonight, but she always leaves right after. I have two little brothers who need to go to bed early, which is also the reason I don’t live with her. Living with my father is quieter and more peaceful.”

  My cheeks heated. Thank God I hadn’t said anything out loud. Talk about putting my foot in my mouth.

  The rest of the ride was held in silence because I didn’t know what to say, and Mace didn’t seem to mind the quiet.

  We turned onto his street, and I heard his phone buzz again.

  This time, he reached into his pocket and looked. Five seconds later, he sighed.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Are you sure?” I didn’t want to pry, but it was in my nature to care.

  “Yeah. I’m just annoyed more than anything.”

  I pulled up in front of the driveway of Mace’s house but didn’t pull in. It felt too familiar.

  Mace left the door open as he grabbed his bag from the backseat. He leaned down and grinned. “Thanks for the ride, Eden.”

  And, before I could scold him on the use of my first name or tell him he was welcome and to never pull that move again, he swung the door closed.

  As he walked toward his front door, someone came out from the shadows. At first, I was worried for Mace, but then I saw that it was a very pretty girl. I didn’t recognize her, so either she wasn’t in any of my classes or she didn’t attend my school.

  She smiled at Mace, perhaps a little too eager, but he stood a few feet away and looked over his shoulder at me.