Fragile

Questions without Answers.

Monday, 5:00 p.m. , dismissal

The encounter Jack Ernest had with Miss Kate Summers last Sunday reminded Jack that he had to talk to his History teacher. He had not slept well last night, as he had kept thinking about why Miss Summers wanted to talk to him on the spot that they had met, the park.

“This time, for sure, I will not miss this chance that I have been given to finally get to talk to her, to know her more", Jack said to himself, as he made his way towards one of the gates leading out of the school. He planned to wait there, and once he will see Miss Summers step out from that gate, he will immediately go to her, and talk. He was nervous, but not as nervous as before, since he already had some sort of interaction with Miss Summers yesterday. Besides, he had so many questions to ask, and his doubts about his teacher had been gnawing at him, ever since he bid her farewell on the park.

Fortunately for Jack, there was a waiting shed right outside the premises of the school, the same one where he had been able to talk to Miss Summers after she had spotted him about to get hit by the rain, last week, on a Thursday. A pained smile spread across his face as the memory played all over again in his head, like a video without pause button. He sat on one of the cold, metal benches in the waiting shed, and he patiently waited, silently hoping that Miss Summers would pass through the gate he just went out of, as there were many different gates the campus had since the school's area was rather wide.

“...One hundred fifty-nine, one hundred sixty, one hundred sixty-one, one hundred sixty-two, one hundred sixty-three, one hundred sixty-four, one hundred sixty-five, one hundred sixty-six, one hundred sixty-seven…”

Jack had tried counting in order to pass the time, but to no avail. His patience had worn thin, and he wanted to walk away to his apartment and simply give up, but he decided to count once more, to have one last try. As he started counting again, he saw the easy to spot figure of Miss Summers step out of the gate.

Jack noticed that she did not look like her usual, cheery self, and she looked as if she lacked a lot of sleep. She did have dark circles around her eyes, and this made her always look sleepy by default, but this time, her exhaustion was noticeable. As she neared the shed were Jack sat at, Jack gave her a little wave as a greeting. Miss Summers saw his gesture, but she squinted in his direction before she walked slowly towards him. Once she reached him, she responded to Jack's greeting with a tired smile. She immediately spoke at once.

“Well, hello there. To be honest, I had sensed that you would be out here, waiting…” She trailed off as she covered her mouth to yawn. It was still audible, and to Jack, it was one of the longest yawns he had ever heard in his life.

That's…cute, but I guess she must be really tired, Jack silently thought to himself. Jack looked at Miss Summer's dark, brown eyes, which contained clearly showed bone-deep exhaustion, and yet, those eyes still maintained their twinkle. Jack noticed that her eyes almost looked fierce, as if there was a fire somewhere within them, a small fire but one ready to burst into an inferno.

Miss Summers' pale skin contrasted the slowly darkening afternoon sky. Looking tired and all, Jack still found her more attractive than any other girl-or rather, woman-that he had ever met.

“Miss, if it is okay with you, may I have a moment to talk to you? We can go somewhere to eat… Jack asked his to teacher who was now sitting beside him on the waiting shed. After a few moments, Jack realized what he had just said, and he covered his mouth with his hand, ashamed at himself for asking such a thing. He was basically inviting Miss Summers to have dinner with him.

Jack became more flustered as he watched his teacher raise an eyebrow at him. Then, she let out a laugh, and it sounded like a genuine laugh. She stopped, and she looked away from Jack as her laughing resumed.

After a few seconds, Miss Summers finally turned her gaze at Jack's direction, and spoke.

“Hmm. If you are serious about that, and if you are willing to pay for the both of us, then, I'll gladly accept the offer", Miss replied to Jack with a smile that seemed less tired than before. Jack was about to ask his teacher where would she like to eat, but she interrupted him with another statement. One that totally caught Jack off guard.

“Wait a minute. This is, like, going on a date with you, right? I wonder what your pesky classmates and the rest will think if they saw both of us eating together…perhaps, they'll spread rumors?”

Jack looked at his teacher. He did not deny the fact that she was right; if both of them got spotted somewhere eating together, just the two of them, there will, undoubtedly, be rumors spread by the students in his school, most especially the ones who enjoyed ruining lives through gossip.

“I swear I did not mean anything like that, Miss…I just wanted to talk to you about…some things…so, where would you like to go? I don't care about what people may think, but if you're uncomfortable with this, then, I'll try some other time…”

The eyes of Miss Summers lit up. She stood up and looked at Jack. It seemed like she miraculously forgot her concerns about she and Jack being talked about.

“Really? We can eat anywhere I like? Then, what about this burger place that I usually only go to on the weekends? Their prices are not that cheap, but I promise, it's worth your money. Not my money though, since you're the one who offered…", the teacher replied. She squinted at Jack again, as if to find reassurance from him that he really will pay for her food.

Wow, that was quick. Oh, and yes, anywhere is okay for you as long as it's my money, huh…well, I am the one who offered, so…

Jack stood up, and Miss Summers was still explaining how the burgers were grilled, and how juicy the steaks were. Jack let out a small, relieved sigh.

“If that's your choice, then we should start going there now. And, um…are you fine with walking, Miss?”

His History teacher looked surprised at the question. She turned towards Jack.

“Huh? Of course I am fine with walking. I walk a lot more than anyone thinks. Just because I look small and pale and sickly doesn't mean I go anywhere by taxi or whatever, you know”, Miss Summers responded.

Jack remained silent, and he began to walk. Miss Summers followed along, but Jack slowed down so that she could be in front of him, so that she can lead the way. The teacher and the student walked in silence, both of them not uttering a single word to each other as they journeyed along the streets.

After a few minutes of walking, Jack finally saw the place Miss Summers had described. As both of them went inside, Jack could see why his teacher liked the place.

The floor and the walls of the restaurant were made out of polished wood. The kitchen, which contained a place where the staff grilled the steaks for the burgers, was designed so that the customers could see how the burgers were made with every step. Bottles of juice, carbonated drinks, and liquor were neatly divided on a huge shelf behind the counter, where a bartender tended to the assorted beverages.

There were only a few people present within the establishment, and those that were inside did not seem to care at all about Jack and Miss Summers; some were seated at the bar stools in front of the counter, sharing stories with the bartender. Others were people who sat on the corners, drinking their problems away, and another was a young woman who was sipping coffee, which was unusual, for it evening had already begun. The young woman did not even look at Jack and Miss Summers; she remained fixated on a book that she held with her left hand as she held her cup of coffee with the other.

Miss Summers found a table, and she signaled for Jack to sit. She also sat down, and she crossed her hands together. A smug smile formed on her face.

“Look. It's a place where no one cares whatever you are, or whoever you are, as long as you are eighteen and older. You are already eighteen, right?", Miss Summers said to Jack. Jack smiled, but he remained silent. His teacher looked at him directly, in his eyes.

“So, what do you want to talk to me about, exactly? The order can wait.”