by J. Lea
I looked at myself in the mirror. My purple dress was hugging me perfectly. The top of the dress was a corset that pulled my waist in and accentuated my breasts. Thousands of tiny rhinestones sparkled on the edge. From the waist down, the dress was short in the front, exposing my tan legs, and reached to the floor in the back. The inner part of the bottom of the dress was made of light purple shiny satin, while the outer side was darker, decorated with a purple veil, giving the dress a delicate touch.
“You look beautiful, sweetie,” my Mom gushed as she stood behind me with her hands on my shoulders, admiring me.
“Thank you,” I beamed at her. I still needed to do my hair, so I curled the ends to create a playful look. Silver drop earrings were shining from my ears. The final touch of my look was my make-up, which was slightly more daring than usual. With my silver peep-toe, high-heeled sandals, I was ready to leave.
“How do I look?” I asked Tyler, who was sitting on the couch, watching TV. I needed a man’s opinion.
“You look beautiful. I bet Elias will have to think twice whether he still wants to date Drake,” he winked cheekily at me.
“No need to exaggerate,” I laughed, and kissed the top of his head.
A few minutes later, we heard the doorbell go off. Elias stood at the door, looking dashing like always. He got a haircut; his new hair was shorter at the sides and swept upwards and backwards on the top. His shirt matched the color of my dress. He had on a black tuxedo and a black tie. In his hand, was a corsage with purple alstromeria and gerbera daisies topped with silver details, which he placed on my wrist.
“Thorn’s eyes are gonna pop out of his head when he sees you,” he whispered in my ear, making it look like he was kissing my cheek. I blushed at his comment. I hoped Parker would like the way I looked. I dressed up for him, even though I would only be looking at him from afar.
Mom rushed out of her bedroom with a camera in her hand, snapping pictures of us, tears shining in her eyes.
“I’m so proud of you, sweetheart,” she said, as she hugged me one more time. “You’ve grown into a stunning woman.”
“Don’t cry, Mom.”
“I can’t help myself,” she sniffed.
“Well, I have you to thank for that,” I told her. She’d stood by my side the whole time, and I wouldn’t have become who I was without her sacrifices. She’d spent all her life savings to ensure I felt beautiful in my skin again. I will forever be grateful for her love.
After Mom gave Elias a final squeeze, we drove to the prom. When we arrived, it was jam-packed with people. Disco lights hung low from the ceiling, lighting up the room with their reflective brilliance. Students were dancing, and I saw a few teachers sitting behind a table, observing them. But I wasn’t interested in them; I was searching for one specific teacher who didn’t seem to be there. Elias and I stood by the far end of the table in the corner of the room, drinks in our hands. My eyes kept combing the crowd.
“He’ll be here soon,” Elias assured.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I replied, playing dumb.
“Lori, we’ve been standing here for half an hour, and all you’ve done is look around. It’s so obvious you’re looking for Parker.”
“Shh, someone might hear you,” I hissed.
“Like someone could eavesdrop over the loud music,” he rolled his eyes.
“Let’s dance.” I wanted to relieve myself of the tension I felt inside.
“Okay.” We put the cups on the table, and moved to the center of the room. We danced to a couple of fast songs, and then a waltz came on, forcing us to move slowly, more gracefully. In the middle of the waltz, I felt his eyes on me. I lifted my gaze, and our eyes instantly met across the room, as if some invisible force was alerting us to each other. Parker stood by the table with the rest of the teachers. His hands were in his pants pockets, and he looked incredibly sexy in his suit. God, I wanted to lick him. He was perfect. Instead, I just smiled. Every time Elias and I spun around, my head turned to Parker. Elias noticed my distractedness, so he followed my eyes.
“Of course,” he rolled his eyes. “Lori, be careful.” He warned me, before I planted a kiss on his cheek, and walked toward Parker. I moved slowly, one small step at the time. Our gazes locked on each other the whole time. We were like two magnets that attracted each other. It took all my powers not to run into his arms as I made my way to the table Parker was at. His hands were clenched into fists at his sides, and I could tell he was thinking the exact same thing. We held our gazes for a few more seconds, just taking each other in, before we looked away. I stopped next to him, and poured a drink for myself. With my hip pressed on the table, I sipped my drink. Parker stood still in the same spot, watching the crowd, and whispered, “Lori, if you only knew how stunning you look tonight.” I smiled, a blush rising to my cheeks. “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” It was so easy to accept his compliments. And what was more—I believed them.
“Same back at you.” All the men paled in comparison to him, even though every one of them was in their best attire.
“I’d give anything to be able to kiss you right now.”
“That makes two.”
“Are you headed anywhere after the dance?” he inquired.
“Elias and I thought we’d go to town with a couple of friends.”
“Would you rather come over?” There was hope in his voice.
“There’s no place I’d rather be than at your place with you, but I already promised them,” I said, feeling disappointed. Parker closed his eyes briefly, and nodded. “But I can stop by tomorrow evening after work, if you want.”
“I can’t this weekend. There are some urgent matters I have to deal with.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. I needed to touch him, if only for a second. I reached for my cup on the table, and Parker did the same. Our hands touched, I felt flutters in my lower belly, and we sneaked a glance at each other. I guess we’d been both craving a touch.
“I better get back,” I waved my hand at my friends, dancing carelessly on the dance floor. Parker clenched his jaw, and nodded once. With a heavy heart, I left his side.
After I came back from my trip to the toilet, Jon approached me.
“Care to dance?” I nodded, a smile on my face. “You look stunning tonight,” he said. “But then again, you always look stunning,” he said a bit awkwardly, which was nothing like him.
“Thank you,” I said, before he started spinning me on the dance floor. I felt Parker’s eyes watching us carefully, studying our every move. But Parker knew my heart only beat for him; I didn’t even notice any other men.
“Hey, where did you disappear to?” Candy appeared from thin air. She gave me a nasty look, and turned her back to me, focusing solely on Jon. She placed a hand on his shoulder, forcing Jon and I to break apart. “Can you come with me for a second? I need to show you something.” Jon let out a frustrated sigh.
“Can it wait? I’m in the middle of a dance with Lori.” She measured me from head to toe with her calculating eyes, and grimaced.
“No, it can’t.” She grabbed his hand, and literally dragged him off the dance floor. Jon turned around and mouthed his apology. I gave him a smile and nodded. I used that moment to retreat to a quieter place for a few minutes to clear my head. I stopped by the exit door. I was flushed, so the cold night air, coming in through the open door, helped cool me down. It wasn’t long before I sensed someone behind me, and, soon after, I felt warm breath tickle the skin on the back of my neck. I knew outright who it was. I swung around, and he placed his hands on my hips, pushing me back into a wall. His lips crashed onto mine the moment my back hit the cold wall.
“Parker,” I breathed as I broke the kiss. “What if someone sees us?”
“I know, I know. I just couldn’t resist you anymore.” He leaned his forehead against mine. “It’s so hard watching you dance with other guys, when the only arms you should be in are m
ine.”
“Nobody means as much to me as you do, Parker.”
“I know. But still. I don’t like those guys touching you.”
We heard girls’ voices and laughter, so we quickly retreated to a dark corner, lowered our heads, and waited for them to walk past us. When they disappeared around the corner, Parker kissed me again.
“Are you sure you can’t come home with me?” he asked me again.
I shook my head. “Not tonight.”
“Just checking.” He cupped my face in his hands, and I could feel his breath on my heated skin. “Be careful out there, okay?”
“You don’t have to worry about me.” My heart skipped a beat at his words.
“I’ll never stop worrying about you. I love you, Lori.”
“I love you, too.”
We exchanged one final kiss before he walked out the door, and I watched his retreating back until he sat in his car and drove away.
The rest of the night, I hung out with Elias and our friends, and came home when it was already light outside. I set the alarm so I wouldn’t be late for my shift, and crashed into bed.
On Monday, when Elias and I arrived to school, the whole school was abuzz with rumors, our classmates fervently talking about how some teacher was no longer teaching at our school. Even as we came to our lockers, we heard people speak about it.
“Man, what is going on?” Elias stopped Jon on his way to the classroom.
“Didn’t you hear?!” he exclaimed in surprise. We both shook our heads. “Thorn is no longer teaching at our school.”
I felt like the wind got knocked out of me. “What?” I gasped. “Why?” Were we not careful enough? Did he get fired? What is happening? I didn’t regret our relationship, but I was still scared for Parker’s career. I’d blame myself for the rest of my life if he lost his job because of me.
“Beats me. Something must’ve happened. I’m sure they’ll tell us.”
I looked at Elias, and ran to the girls’ bathroom. I didn’t care if someone saw me crying. I couldn’t care less if I got thrown out of school. All I could think about was Parker, and that I was most likely the reason he got fired. I locked myself in a stall, and broke out in tears. Pulling my phone out of my bag, I quickly typed Parker a text.
Lori: Is it true what I heard? Are you no longer teaching at our school? Were you fired? Please, tell me it’s not true.
When five minutes later there was no response, I wiped my tears, and put the phone in my pocket. I fixed my clothes, checked my make-up in the mirror, and walked to class. Even though my insides were in turmoil, I had to collect myself and stay focused on school. Finals were fast approaching, and I only had a few weeks to get ready.
When we got to German class, the whole class was anxious, sitting in our seats, waiting. For what, I didn’t know. Parker didn’t show up. Instead, an older man who looked like he was a step away from retirement, walked into the classroom.
“Students,” he started. “I will be your substitute German teacher for the remainder of the school year. My name is Gus Fraiser.”
“Where is Mr. T.?” Jon spoke up.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” the professor replied.
I slid my phone out of my pocket. Still, no reply. I desperately wanted to run out the door, and keep running, until I reached Parker’s house. I was a bundle of nerves, and I needed to know what happened. It even crossed my mind to walk into the principal’s office and explain the situation. But, since I didn’t know the reason for Parker’s leave, I pushed the thought aside and waited to hear from him.
“Parker?” Elias whispered into my ear. I shook my head at him.
“Still no response,” I sighed.
“You think someone saw you two and reported it?”
“I have no idea. We were so careful all the time,” I said anxiously. “I have no idea what is going on.” I hadn’t seen Parker since the night of the prom. I’d thought we’d be together during the weekend, but he had his mysterious errands to run, so he was unreachable.
I couldn’t wait for the day to end so I could go to him and find out what was going on. Most of all, I needed to hear the reason. If he’d been fired because of our relationship, I needed to apologize. And what will happen to me if the school board knows about us? I wondered. Will I still be able to graduate? I shook my head. I didn`t want to think about it. Hours dragged on like days, and I exhaled in relief when my final class of the day was over.
I leaned my bike on the fence, and ran up the path to Parker’s front door. I frantically knocked on the door and waited. He didn’t open. I peeked through the kitchen window to see if he was inside, but the curtain obscured my view. I needed an explanation, I needed it fast, and I was going to wait as long as it took to get one. Just as I sat down on the doorstep, I heard a rumble of a motorcycle in the distance. My heart started beating faster when I recognized the sound. Parker parked the motorcycle in front of the house, and removed his helmet. When he saw me, his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He approached me, keys in his hands.
“Lori? What are you doing here?”
“Is it true?” I asked him.
“Is what true?”
“That you lost your job because of me. Please tell me it’s not. Please,” I said desperately. He wrapped his hands around my elbow, and looked around.
“Let’s go inside.”
“No! I need to know.” I pulled my arm out of his grasp.
“Let’s just go inside first. I’ll explain everything. I promise.”
“Okay,” I flailed my hands helplessly. I didn’t even know why I was angry; I had no right. As soon as we walked through the door, I turned to him, my face contorted in regret.
“I’m sorry,” I cried out. “I’m so, so sorry. I didn’t want it to get to this. I’m sorry,” I kept repeating. Parker grabbed my shoulders to stop my outburst of hysteria.
“Lori, shh, calm down. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I didn’t? Mom lost her husband because of me, Tyler lost his father, and I lost him, too. As if that wasn’t enough, now you lost your job because of me. I hurt every person in my life,” I lowered my head.
He shook me by my shoulders. “Lori, listen to me.”
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “Tell me how I can fix it. I’ll do anything. You can’t lose your job. It’s not fair.”
“Enough!” he raised his voice, and I snapped my head up to meet his eyes. “Stop it. You did absolutely nothing.”
King walked over to me, and leaned comfortingly against my legs. I petted him. “Why do you keep defending me?”
“Because I didn’t lose my job.”
I frowned. “But we already have a new substitute teacher.”
“Yes, I may not be your teacher anymore, but you have nothing to do with it.” I was even more confused. “Do you remember when we talked about our dream jobs? When I told you what I wanted to do if I had the chance?”
I nodded.
“And what did I say?”
“That you’d like to own your martial arts studio?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, so what does this have to do with your job?”
He took a deep breath, and walked me to the living room where he sat me down on the couch and brought me a glass of water. “Lori, before I took the teaching job, I knew one day, I’d have my own place where I’m gonna teach children martial arts. I just didn’t know it was going to happen so soon. When the principal called me with an offer to be a substitute teacher for the year, I was skeptical at first. I did study to become a teacher, but my dreams lay elsewhere. I told her right away where I stand, that I’m searching for a place to set up my martial arts studio. I explained to her this was just temporary, but because there was no one else available for a German teacher position at that moment, she agreed. That day, when you went to see the principal about Tyler, I was just giving her my notice. She didn’t like it, but we agreed I would stay until they found a replacement.”
I stared at him with my mouth agape, shaking my head.
“Why didn’t you say anything before?”
“Because I didn’t know how things would turn out. I didn’t know how long it would take to find someone new in the middle of the school year. I didn’t want to raise your hopes until I knew for sure.”
“And now you are? Sure?”
He nodded. “I signed all the papers on Saturday. It’s official.” He walked to a cabinet and pulled a stack of papers out of the top drawer. He handed them to me.
While I scanned them, a million questions were running through my head. “Why haven’t you responded to my texts? I must’ve sent a million of them.”
He sat down next to me, lifted me up and placed me in his lap, so I was straddling him. “I’m sorry. I had so many things to do that I completely forgot to check my phone.”
“So, nobody found out about us?” I asked.
“Nobody.” He smiled at me, and touched his lips to mine for a brief moment.
I exhaled in relief. “Thank God.” I took his hand in mine, rubbing my thumb over the back of his hand. “What now?”
“Now,” he moved my hair off my face. “Our future can begin.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. “I never thought I’d hear these words. That I would actually look forward to the future.”
“I want to experience everything with you, Lori. I want to shout from the rooftops, and tell the world that I love you, and parade you in front of everyone. I want to introduce you to my family, so they see what a warm, amazing person you are. I want to marry you and create a new life together.”
Fat tears rolled down my cheeks. A year ago, I hadn’t dared to dream I would one day meet my prince, let alone that I’d be able to have my own family. Now, everything was within my reach. “I feel like I’m dreaming,” I gasped for breath.
“Then let’s dream together,” he beamed at me.
“Parker?”
“Yes, honey?”
“You’ve had my heart and soul from the very beginning, I’d like to give you my body, too. Please, don’t say no.”
