The 4th CRIME

Chapter 7

Of course like the little minx that she is, Victoria told my parents about me getting detention. My father wasn't bothered but my mum was upset and she vowed to not come to school and speak to Mr Kim because I "deserved to learn a lesson". So instead of me driving us to school, it's back to each of us going to school with our own drivers. 

There really isn't a reason why we can't all just use one car, but because we each had gotten our own drivers and could pick whichever car to go with every morning, we all went different ways. I enjoyed the comfort and lavishness of the Rolls Royce Sweptail which I had been gifted on my 16th birthday. 

Czar had chosen a Range Rover and Victoria travelled in her usual chauffeured limousine with three bodyguards in case anything happened, which definitely wouldn't. 

I had to leave home earlier than usual because I had to be on time for Mr Kim, after all my mum gave me no other choice as she made sure she woke me up fifteen minutes earlier so I could arrive to Mr Kim's class earlier than him. 

I had to behave, be respectful and stop running my mouth if I wanted things to get better and for that I have to be punctual and tolerant of the man. 

My driver stopped the car outside the school’s doors. The elderly man got out of the car and came around the car to my side as he opened the door for me and I smiled at him, thanking him as he held my bag for me. He walked me to the English Room and I found it was still locked. So I took my bag and excused him. He nodded respectfully before handing me my usual spending money, which is a thick stack of cash and left. 

I waited patiently at the door and looked around. The school was empty except for the few BMW's and Mercedes-Benz’s parked outside, which was the teaching staffs cars. 

"Miss Hutcherson," Mr Kim said as he looked at me with his eyebrow raised, looking down at his cheap wristwatch and then back up at me, "my goodness, you're here early. How long have you been waiting for me?" He asked me as he fumbled to take his keys from his pocket to unlock the door. 

"33 minutes," I answered him, "good morning, Mr Kim." 

"33 minutes? Why did you come so early?" He stressed as he opened the English Room door and pushed it open, stepping aside for me to enter, "I just wanted you to come in five minutes earlier. I feel terrible. Would you like a cup of coffee? I can go buy you coffee." 

I shook my head, as I walked to his table after leaving my bag at my table, "I had breakfast, thank you for the offer," I declined but I deeply regretted it. I'm addicted to coffee and I'll always take a cup, especially on such a cold day. 

He put his bag on the table, shaking his head, "I don't believe that. I was on my way to buy myself a cup of coffee and then I was going to come back. Come, I'll buy you a cup of coffee and a muffin or some toast. I feel bad leaving you out here in the cold." 

"I don't mind staying here and waiting for you, Mr Kim," I said to him and he raised an eyebrow, surprise in his eyes probably at the fact that I wasn't being rude or snappy with him. 

He slowly shook his head, "I can't leave you here, it's just coffee and we'll be back in ten minutes. I know the perfect place. It's just around the corner," he said as he started to walk to the door and then he stopped, looking at me, "Miss Hutcherson," he urged softly as he put on his jacket, smiling encouragingly and I nodded, walking to him. 

"I know two coffee shops," he began as we walked to the big doors that led outside, "Coffeemania and Starbucks. Which one would you like?" He asked me as we stepped outside of the school doors and in front of the doors was a BMW M4 Coupe which beeped. 

I didn't answer him as I followed behind him, nearly turning around and going back into the school when he went to the passenger door and opened it for me. I bit my bottom lip, as I walked around him and then got into the car as he closed the door behind me and then jogged in front of the car as he came to the driver’s seat and looked at me expectantly. 

"Whichever you prefer, Mr Kim," I responded as I put on my seatbelt. I didn't care about the seatbelt but I needed to act like a normal teenage girl in a teacher's car and wear the damn seatbelt. 

"Starbucks is always full, we'll go to Coffeemania," he said, sounding more like he was asking me and I nodded, agreeing with him as he started the car with the push of a button and it rumbled smoothly, the heater coming on and spreading warmth in the car. 

I'm already used to the cold weather because winter is my favourite season. I'm always my most fashionable during winter whereas the other seasons required me to wear less which I didn't like. 

Mr Kim didn't speak as he pressed on the accelerator and sped through the streets of Moscow, which I appreciated. I can't stand slow drivers. Speed was what caused me to get excited, speeding especially when you know you shouldn't. Which is exactly now because the car was sliding over the ice but he seemed calm and collected and I shyly looked into my lap, my palms pressed against each other. 

I've never been in a car with a man I didn't know before. Mr Kim wasn't my family and he wasn't my bodyguard, he was my teacher- a teacher who got on my nerves. But I wasn't blind and I was very aware of his good looks and charm which would sometimes sneak past me. So, being in a tight space with him, like his car, made me nervous. Something I wasn't used to feeling at all. 

"Oh s**t," he swore under his breath in Korean, not knowing that I was fluent, "I'm sorry about speeding Natalya, let me know if you want me to slow down," he said as he looked at me and then back at the road, switching to English again. 

A minute later we were entering the restaurant, Coffeemania and walking to the counter. There was a short line and Mr Kim and I stood beside each other as I paid attention to my phone, reading the messages from my mum that first told me to behave and then told me that she loves me. 

We silently stepped up to the counter. I ordered myself a coffee with three sugars and two teaspoons of creamer. Mr Kim had decided to order for me a batch of cupcakes that I tried to turn down but he didn't listen as he bought himself a breakfast meal and a coffee as well. 

"I'm addicted to coffee," Mr Kim admitted as we sat inside his car and he sipped on his coffee letting out a sigh of joy as he looked at me and chuckled, "always have been." 

I smiled, nodding as I held my cup of coffee on my lap and my batch of cupcakes were in the backseat, "really? So am I. Ever since I was a child." 

"And it's not like it makes me feel more awake. I'm still tired but my heart beats faster due to the caffeine," he commented as he placed his cup on the cup holder. 

"Yes, that's exactly what happens to me," I said, as I laughed, shaking my head. 

"I get so angry at myself. I'm like 'ah, I've played myself, yet again'. Every time," he pressed as he reversed the car and then we began driving back to the school again, "I'm glad we share the same struggles when it comes to coffee. How do you feel about tea?" 

"Do people who like tea even deserve rights?" I asked him as I watched him choke back his laughter but he let it through. 

"No, they don't!" He agreed as he lifted his fist in my direction and I fist bumped him. Laughing softly at how he was laughing as though I was the world's best comedian. 

"But why do you use creamer?" He asked me. 

"Because I love myself," I replied, not having a second thought about it as I raised my cup to my mouth, "don't even fight me on this." 

He looked at me, smiling as he shrugged and then turned, facing the road again as we entered the school grounds. He parked the car where it first was and then turned to the back, passing me my cupcakes which I shyly accepted as we both got out of his car. 

"Seriously though, Miss Hutcherson, I don't want you coming to school so early. I only come to school at 07:35," he said to me as we walked through the doors of the school which now has a few students in the hallways, talking and laughing. Some sitting on the floor and doing homework. 

Some did look our way but didn't focus for too long as we walked up the stairs to the English Room which was unlocked. 

"My mum woke me up early," I explained, "I'll be sure to arrive at 07:30 from tomorrow." 

~~~

"I thought I told you that you don't have to stay for detention today," Mr Kim said as I entered his class, my hands besides me as I walked to my table. 

"Yes you did, Sir, but my mum told me that I should stay," I responded, inwardly irritated at my mother for telling me to stay for detention and behave. Even when I told her he said I can go home, she still told me to stay, once again saying that I "needed to learn a lesson". 

He shook his head as he watched me take a seat, silent as I placed my hands on my lap and looked at the watch that hung above the board. I could feel his eyes on me but I was looking at the hands on the watch wondering when the hour would be over. 

I was just glad Czar took my schoolbag with him so that I didn't have to go the rest of the day dragging it behind me noisily. I mean, I loved my trolley schoolbag but it's loud and everyone can hear me from a distance away. It also causes major traffic whenever we're moving in between classes and I could hear everyone hissing and complaining but I didn't really care. 

I could hear the sound of pen moving against paper and the sound of shuffled worksheets stacked untidily atop of each other as Mr Kim spoke under his breath to himself as he looked over the notes that the learners had made about the play, Othello. 

Ok, I think I can deal with this. Maybe I can take a nap, so that when I get home I can go straight into my homework and assignments and not feel so tired. 

I was about to place my head on the table when I heard Mr Kim speak up, "I really hate silence," he admitted, his eyes still on the papers as his hand moved quickly, "especially if there's another person in the room with me that I can talk to." 

I rolled my eyes upward as he ruined the perfect silence. I licked my lips moistening them as I crossed my legs and closed my eyes, fatigue now setting in. 

"So, tell me about yourself, Natalya," he spoke and I held my composure when I heard the sound of shuffling, opening my eyes to see him facing me as he leaned against the table. 

I sighed inwardly, "what would you like to know, Mr Kim?" I asked him, my voice monotone as I looked into his dark orbs that revealed a lot of emotion. 

He shrugged, clicking his pen as he tilted his head, "anything really, maybe... your favourite colour?" 

"Red," I responded, lying. 

He wasn't family, and those who weren't family couldn't be trusted. 

I looked him over and all of his stationery, "and I assume your favourite colour is black," I added as I raised an eyebrow and he looked down at his feet, before looking back at me, a questioning amused expression on his unblemished face. 

"How did you know?" 

I shrugged, "everything you own is black and the only thing I've noticed that isn't black is your car." 

His shoulders shook in silent laughter, "well black does go with everything," he responded, standing from the table and taking slow and long steps towards me. 

That's what I always said. Black is my favourite colour, it's the colour of blood, really. I know a lot of people believe the colour blood to be a dark crimson but whenever I seen it, I see it as the most beautiful shade of black. Thick and rich, yet trimmed with red. 

Every time I thought of black, I thought of death, evil, torture, hell. All the things I loved. 

"Are you always this talkative?" I asked him, straightening my posture because it was clear to me now that he wasn't going to let me sleep. 

"Why are you always so quiet?" He retorted, pulling up a chair and sitting in front of me. 

"Because I'm always listening." 

"To what? You know, Natalya, you're too serious," he asked me, his eyebrows rose as he scanned my face, "dare I say...snobbish. And that, uhm, that speech of yours about who was your role model, was very short...but strange. Everybody else had pages of their speech but you just came up and gave me a paragraph, just telling me to go screw myself basically." 

I didn't respond. 

"You know, Natalya, we're going to be spending a lot of time together," he began as he placed his elbows on the table, placing his face in his hands, "we should get to know each other and be friends." 

"Friends?" I asked him, repeating a word that unnerved me, "I don't have friends and I don't want them." 

"I want to be your friend." 

"That's creepy for you to say." 

He laughed as he moved his head back, "ok, now that I said it out loud, it is creepy. But seriously, we can just be...acquaintances. We can tolerate each other and just, be civil. How's that?" 

I blinked, as I looked at the watch hanging above the wall, more interested in its intricate designs than the man in front of me. I would have to do what I had to do to make sure I end my years with the great record that I have. 

"I can do civil," I answered and watched as he smiled like I had told him that he'd won the lottery. 

~~~