by A. R. Breck
Both look like typical bros to me with their wild hair and jogger pants with plain tees. They're hot. I don't fall for their charming, lopsided smirks though. There are about fifty guys who looked just like these guys swarming California. They are all the same in my eyes.
"My bad." Shawn puts his hands up in an apologetic gesture, "It's nice to meet you Callie."
The other one, Lane, nods his head at me in hello. Since they are both dialing down the douche, I give them a nod in return only to be polite.
The door shuts, making us turn around in our chairs and look at the source of the noise.
Oh, wow.
It's the hot guy from the office. He is Mr. Cooper? I knew he had to be a staff of some sort, but I never expected him to be one of my teachers.
Of course, he is.
Now I get to look at him every day for the rest of the year. Oh, joy. Not like he won't be a distraction or anything.
"Alright class, welcome. My name is Mr. Cooper for those who don't know me." He looks around the classroom, eyes widening slightly when they land on me and then flit away as quickly as they came. "I will be your history teacher for the semester. I expect hard work from every one of you. I won't take any goofing around or slacking off of any kind. You treat me well and I will treat you well." He claps his hands together, "Now that we've got that out of the way, let's begin with our first lesson. I would like everyone to open up their notebooks and their textbooks to Chapter Four." He turns towards his computer to get the lesson plan loaded up on the projector.
Have you ever wondered why teachers can never go through the textbooks from the front to the back? They always jump around from chapter to chapter throughout the year. It's like… why?
I glance up, seeing Mr. Cooper's eyes already focused on me as he gives me a heavy stare. He really is handsome, with his dark hair pulled back into a pony and his thick beard. He is all man, that's for sure. I glance away first, suddenly feeling like I'm overheating. I grab my shirt underneath the desk, give it a little flap and try to fan myself off.
Good Lord, I hope he didn't notice my reaction.
As Mr. Cooper begins the class, the time seems to fast forward because before I know it, he is finishing up his lesson. Listening to the rumble of Mr. Cooper's voicer is like a lullaby. The tone and rumble of his voice is something that I could listen to all day.
When the bell rings and I'm starting to walk towards the door, Brock runs up behind me. "Callie, wait up. What are you doing after school?" I turn around to wait for him and catch Mr. Cooper's eye. He looks towards Brock with a scowl on his face.
What the…?
"Callie?" Brock snaps his fingers in front of my face, lifting my attention back to him.
"I'm sorry, what? Oh, yeah. After school I'm planning to drive downtown and look for a job."
"Oh, cool. I was going to see if you wanted to do something… but maybe another time then?" He asks once we reach my locker.
"Yeah, maybe another time." I give him a smile. He knocks his knuckles twice on my locker and walks towards a group of his friends down the hall. As he is walking away, I notice that almost every girl in the hall follows him with their eyes with heated looks, then turn around to give me a stare that screams – what's so good about you?
Great, he must be pretty popular around here to get all of this attention. Exactly not what I need right now. I stick my head back into my locker and grab my stuff for art, irritated with all of the attention already today.
Colorado, please do me a solid. Let me get through this year in one piece. Thanks, Callie.
* * * *
Walking into the lunch room feels like walking into a tank of sharks. It's one of those times where you wonder if eating in your car would be easier than dealing with the stares of hundreds of teenagers. My eyes flit around the lunch room and I keep my eyes peeled for a blue-haired and blonde-haired duo. It doesn't take long to find them. Granted, they are waving their hands like a couple of clowns, attempting to get my attention.
"Callie! Over here!" Good thing that it's so loud in here, otherwise I would be as a red as a tomato from them drawing attention to me. Unfortunately, even the noise in here doesn't deter some nosy students who are looking at us intently.
I make my way over to them with my lunch tray, plopping down across from them. Today on the lunch menu is a BLT, which looks at least somewhat edible. At least you can never go wrong with bacon.
"So how is your first day at Middle Park going? Word on the street is that a mister Brock Hanson has his sights set on the new chick with the killer tan. Any idea on who that would be?" Mya says with a deviant smirk on her face.
I groan and cover my face with my hands. "Ugh! Do you people have nothing better to do here than gossip?"
"No, but anything that has to do with Brock spreads like wildfire through this school. No wait, this town." Leah chuckles.
I take a big bite of my BLT, moaning from the crispy bacon. When the both of them give me quizzical looks, I get my shit together and say, "We're just friends. I met him at the skatepark over the weekend and now we found out we have history together. That's all."
They don't look convinced.
"Seriously!" I use my most serious tone ever, but start chuckling when they cross their arms at the same time and give me cut the shit looks. Wow, this twin thing is kind of creepy.
"Would you tell us if there was something going on between you and Brock?" Mya questions.
"Yes. And if something ever goes down, you two will be the first to know." I put my two fingers up in scouts honor. Finally, they start to look appeased.
"So, this Friday there is supposed to be a party over in Fraser at Sawyer's house. This is supposed to be some kind of a we got through the first week of school party. Are you down to go? We could like, come over to your house and get ready and then all drive there together." Leah says.
"Who is Sawyer?" I ask.
Leah blushes. "Some guy from the lacrosse team. He's cool." She focuses on her food when she says this. I give her a curious look but decide to not say anything.
"Well, I'm going to go look for a job today. If I do get one, I will have to see what my schedule is going to be for the weekend. If I don't work, I might be able to go as long as my Aunt Jenna is okay with it. I haven't really partied since I was back home so I'm down to go out for a while. As long as we leave if it's lame or whatever." I say, finishing off my sandwich.
"Yeah, totally. But, it's usually pretty fun. Just let us know about the job search." Leah says, finishing off her own BLT.
Mya, who is currently scrolling through her phone, suddenly puts it down on the lunch table and slams her palms down. "Oh no! I almost forgot about homecoming coming up in a few weeks! We need to go find our dresses stat before all the good ones go! Callie, you're coming to homecoming, right? Basically, everyone from school attends. School that day is one huge party. Then we all go to the football game after school and then the dance at night."
I cringe. "If Middle Park is anything like my school back in California, homecoming is some over the top event. Me and my friends would usually skip it and go hangout somewhere and get high. We could do that instead?" I give them both a cheesy smile.
"Um, no. No, no, no. Everyone attends homecoming here. Oh, and we all get high before the dance. So, no worries about that." Mya grins at me.
"I don't even have a date to the dance. I don't even know anybody here enough that would ask me to the dance." Nerves start filling up my belly.
"You seriously think Brock isn't going to ask you to homecoming? He has been over there giving you some dreamy stare since we sat down." She points over to where he is sitting, and what do you know? He is giving me a heated stare. I lift my eyebrows at him and he just winks at me and turns back to his friends.
Can't I just go to the dance with my history teacher?
"I guess we will have to see. Homecoming is a few weeks out anyway, isn't it?" I ask.
"Yes, but we need to go and get
a dress stat, like this weekend. That's if we want to shop anywhere besides the Goodwill." Mya says.
"Okay, I suppose." I give in. "I need to talk to my Aunt, but I'm sure she will be cool with it." I clean up the garbage from my lunch, noticing the other students are starting to trickle out of the cafeteria.
Mya and Leah start picking up their stuff too. "Sounds good. Text us tonight and let us know how your job hunting went." Leah says.
We exchange numbers and go to throw our trash away. I give them a small wave before heading to my locker to grab my stuff for next period.
After stopping at my locker, I take a pit stop at the bathroom.
I feel like today has been a whirlwind of a day. I'm glad I have met a couple people that I can hang out with while I'm here, but I do miss home. Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my Facebook feed, noticing all of my friends from California look like they're having a good time on their first day of school. My heart gives a small tug in my chest. I miss them.
With a huff, I exit out of my app and shove my phone back into my purse angrily.
I glance up at the mirror in the bathroom and look at myself, really look at myself. I seem to carry a heaviness in my eyes that I didn't have two years ago, before my mom got sick. It's easy to put on a happy face when I get around people.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy getting hanging out with people and being able to get my mind off of all the negativity. But the moment that I'm alone, it feels like there are shards of glass going straight into my heart. And those shards of glass are emotions – a million emotions that I don't even want to feel.
It hurts, it really does.
With a sigh, I run a hand down my face and get myself together.
Snap the fuck out of it, Callie.
I start walking to next period, passing by Mr. Cooper's class on the way. I wonder how old he is? Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend? Kids? I wonder if he will be at the homecoming dance? Peeking in his door, I see he is nowhere to be seen.
Where the hell is he?
Maybe he is on the phone with his girlfriend somewhere. A hot spike of jealousy zaps through me, surprising me.
Really, Callie? You don't even know the guy.
Shaking off these thoughts and deciding to quit acting like a creep leering in his doorway, I continue down the hallway until I make it to science class.
Only two more hours.
FOUR
When the final bell for the day rings, I feel like I can finally breathe.
Ugh, I cannot wait until this year is over and I can finally be done with high school. That day can seriously not come soon enough. I'm at my locker sifting through my purse, attempting to find my keys.
Why do they always have to get lost in this thing?
"Come on, where the hell are they – OUCH!" I get bumped into from behind, slamming my forehead into my open locker door.
"Are you serious? What the fuuu… Mr. Cooper?" I question.
Rubbing his own forehead and looking down, he snaps his head up when he hears my voice. "Callie? Wow, twice in one day. That has to be a record." Reaching up to rub his forehead again, he says, "God, I am so sorry. Are you hurt? Your forehead looks a little red." He is in the process of reaching up to touch my forehead when he realizes he's about to touch me and snatches his hand away.
"I'm okay, I think. Jeez, are you like accident prone or something? My God." I reach up to my forehead one more time, just to make sure I'm not bleeding.
"I'm not. We just really need to stop meeting like this." He chuckles softly. Realizing how close he is, he takes a few steps back. Clearing his throat, he asks, "So, how was your first day of school?"
"It was fine. Except first period. That teacher seems like a real asshole."
"Who do you have for first period?" He asks, stuffing his hands into his pockets, which only tighten his pants around his thighs.
"Mr. Lennington." I rasp, suddenly very thirsty.
"Ahh. Mr. Lennington. He likes to act tough, but we all think he is just a big softy. You should see him with his grandkids. He turns from a grizzly bear to a teddy bear in the blink of an eye. His bark is bigger than his bite, as long as you don't fail, that is." We both chuckle at that. He then gets a serious look on his face and says, "I'm sorry to hear about your mother. My office is always open if you need someone to talk to." He lays a hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture, although the moment that his hand touches me, it feels like a blast of heat flows through my body. I look up at him, falling into the depth of his green eyes.
Sucking in a breath, I can tell he feels the connection too. My heart speeds up, beating like a heavy drum, feeling like it is about to come right out of my chest. Breaking the connection, he takes his hand off of my shoulder and looks past me at some lingering students in the hallway.
Feeling cold where his hand once was, I say, "Thank you, Mr. Cooper. I'm sure I will be fine though." I give him a small, fake smile. I start digging for my keys again, trying not to give away how affected I was from him laying his hand on my shoulder. I give myself an internal fist pump when my fingers brush up against the keys.
"It looks like the busses have left for the day. Do you have a car? Or is someone coming to pick you up?" Mr. Cooper asks.
"I have a car." Tucking my hair behind my ear, I say, "I better get going. Thanks for bumping into me again." Smirking, I give him a small wave and make my way to the door.
Grimacing, he yells down the hall, "I'm sorry, Callie. Won't happen again!"
Laughing, I say, "Goodbye, Mr. Cooper."
When I look back at him, he's giving me that heated stare again. He looks like he wants to say more, but is holding back. Probably a good thing, I think. He definitely looks like someone who will crush my heart into stardust. "Have a good night, Callie." He replies in a raspy voice as he turns to walk back to his classroom.
Turning back around, I continue my walk out to my car. I hop in the seat and thump my head against the head rest, look towards the ceiling. He makes me feel like I am floating and drowning within the same second. How am I supposed to go through an entire semester with him as my teacher?
He looks so strong underneath his dress pants and nice shirt. The outline of his muscles is accentuated every step he takes. And his stare? His chocolate eyes make me feel a heat between my legs, one that I haven't felt in a very long time.
The boys at this school don't even compare, they look like prepubescent boys with spaghetti arms and barely-there facial hair. Not wanting to crush on my history teacher any more than necessary, I turn on my car and search my playlist for something good to listen to.
Lindsey Stirling, perfect.
Backing out of the parking lot, I start heading towards downtown Winter Park.
It's a nice afternoon, with the sun shining over the mountain and only a few clouds in the sky. I roll my window down, hanging my arm out the window and letting the mountain breeze wash over me as I navigate through the curving, mountainous roads.
Once I arrive downtown, I search for a place to park. Seeing one of the cute boutiques from the other day, I decide to park there. Grabbing my purse, I walk into the store and the first thing that I notice is the wide selection of dream catchers hanging around.
Wow, these are incredible.
There are big ones and small ones, and they all look homemade and crafted with the most delicate hands.
I gently go and reach for one, turning it around and seeing the small stones that are strategically placed in different areas around dreamcatcher.
This dreamcatcher reminds me of the ocean, I think instantly. I immediately pick it up, knowing that I can't leave here without it. I just have to buy it.
"Hi, can I help you?" I turn around, seeing an older woman coming out from the back room. She looks to be in her late sixties, with long graying hair tied back in a braid with jeans and a colorful, flowing top on.
"I was just admiring this piece. It is absolutely breathtaking." I say in awe.
"Oh, yes. That one is quite remarkable, isn't it? My niece makes all of these by hand. She's quite the artist, isn't she?" She says with a smile on her face. She turns back to me, "I haven't seen you around these parts before. Are you just passing through? I'm Marcia." She puts her hand out to shake with mine and I see she has about 10 different style bracelets on her wrist.
"Oh, no. I just moved here last week. My name is Callie."
"Callie, pretty name. Nice to meet you. Come, let me show you around." She brings me over to a different section of the store where there are many bags, scarves, jewelry and different colored stones. I grab a few bracelets and earrings along with my new dream catcher and go to check out.
"Marcia, you wouldn't happen to be hiring, would you?"
"Sorry dear, I am not. It's mostly just me and my two nieces, and even they feel like they can't get enough hours." She says sadly.
"No worries. I just thought I would ask. This place is awesome. It would be cool to be able to hangout in here all day." I smile, looking around the colorful store.
"You come visit whenever you want, dear. Sorry that I can't help you more." She says, bagging up my things.
Undeterred, I walk around town for a while scoping out the other shops. I come across a cute little coffee shop that has a Help Wanted sign hanging on their window.
Well, look at that.
Walking in, I walk up to the line and look around. This place looks really cool. It has some couches and a few fireplaces. The big stone walls give it a rustic look, and it has a small bookshelf off to the side! People are hanging out on their laptops, reading, or just chatting with their friends. It all looks very homey here. Seriously, this place looks awesome.
When I'm next in line, I go up to the counter and ask, "Hey, my name is Callie. I saw the Help Wanted sign when I was walking by. Are you guys still hiring?"
The guy behind the counter looks to be about thirty years old, with thick framed glasses and short, light brown hair. "Yes, we are actually. I'm Ethan, and you are?"
