Kwentong Guro: A Special Anthology for Teachers

Future by D Fox

"You don't pay any attention to mee." My “so called” girlfriend pleads and I weight my options whether to straight hang up the phone or parrot the usual excuse. 

I go with option two, it's safer, as I know she won't just stop there. 

"You know, the season's began, I can't just stop going to practice."

"Ughh...you and your stupid hockey." She says, evenly now. That probably means she got distracted by checking her nails, or her make up in the mirror. 

"Cool, I'll see you at school then."

"Wait, you aren't coming tomorrow with us?" 

"What's tomorrow and who is us?" I'm sure she's told me, but for the life of me I can't remember s**t.

"You promised to meet?"  

"Was is it in the afternoon?"

"Yeah, Trent. Before going to Bree's party?"

"Was it really tomorrow?"

"God..Duuuh..."

"Yeah, no. I can't."

"And why not?" She asks.

"I have to stay after school."

"Practice again?"

"Nah, getting scolded by Mr. Belcroft. "

"Who?"

"My teacher."

"That was the literature geezer teach, right?" 

"Same one."

"What does he want again?" 

"Dunno, says he's unhappy with my essay."

"The stupid essay again. Okay, whatever. "

I should've hung up for real. 

"Right, so I'll see you at school then."

"See you."

"Bye, Jessica."

"Uh-huh. Aren't you forgetting something?"

A massive eyeroll on my end.

"Kisses, babe."

"Kisseeees."

I hung up, resisting the urge to throw my phone away. 

As the hockey team's captain, though, I guess I have to obey the rules and date the main cheerleader. 

At least till homecoming, and untill everyone f*****g leaves me alone. 

I don't like it, you probably don't like the status quo, but it is how it is. 

Next day, I'm late for class. I mean, it's not by accident, I never go on time, because I can't stand sitting on the desk for that long. 

Plus, I'm twice the size of most dudes my age, I can't even fit in there.

I get in, although I didn't hear the usual chatter before opening the door.

Fuck, that only means we have test. 

Fuck Victorian literature and f**k me, I guess.

I open the door and pause. 

"Hello, Trent. Please take your seat." Mr. Belcroft says, but I don't hear anything after, because next to him is the prettiest girl I have seen in my entire life. 

Her long brown hair's falling over her breasts in big, rich curls and she lifts her hand to put the stray lock that just fell behind her ear. 

She smiles and I'll be damned. 

"Uhh, yeah. Hi teach."

I find the first empty seat available and plant my butt there. 

"Right, so..." Mr. Belcroft announces. "I spent the best years in my life in that school."

Oh, boy. Here's the good old rant about teachers being proud of us. 

"But as you all know, " he continues, "it's time for me to retire." 

"Nooo, Mr. Belcroft. Don't leave us."

Someone says. f*****g fakes, you hated the dude when he was putting poor marks randomly and now you whine. I don't know what I hate more- the plastic dolls that my classmates are trying to be, or the rest of this theatre.

"But you're our favourite teacher."

I snort and rub my forehead. I look up and see the new girl, standing next to our now ex-teacher regarding me. 

I'm slouching in my chair, but there's something so demanding in her gaze, I immediately straighten myself up. 

A slow smile spreads on her beautiful face. 

She's petite, but I swear there's something about her. 

"So Miss Delaware will be with you from now on."

"Who?" I say and everyone errupts in laughter.

I've said it out loud.

"Miss Delaware here is going to be your new literature teacher."

A teacher? Wtf? I look around. 

My classmates start whispering, but while they're excited we've got a new, young teacher, I'm actually scared. 

Scared, because five minutes into her space, and knowing she's that close I can think of nothing.else. 

And I'm close to being terrified, because I like it. 

I have practice after classes, and normally I would've gone, ignoring the fact I have to meet a teacher after school. But not today. Not anymore. 

Miss Delaware's waiting for me in the library.

It's early October and the afternoon's unusually warm. 

Sun's hanging low in the sky and I see her before she does. 

She's hot, because she's unbuttoned the top of her shirt, waving at her with a notebook. 

I can think of nothing else, but running my hands all over her thin, white neck, pulling her hair away from her face. 

I realize I've stopped in my track, staring at her. 

My teacher must've seen me, because she smiles my way. 

I shiver, I swear I have the feeling she can read minds. 

"Hello, Trent."

She puts her hair behind her ear the way she sometimes does and my heart starts doing that crazy thing it's been doing for the whole day. 

"Hello, Miss."

"Thank you for coming."

Like I haven't thought about seeing her again for hours.

"No problem, I know I messed my essay up."

I sit opposite her. She waves at her one last time with the book and I catch the fain scent coming from her. 

I clench my fists. It suits her, a real woman like her. 

I know Jessica puts all the s**t she can find, like lotions and stuff, but they're like fruitty and girly. 

No, Miss Delaware smells different. I know she looks not much older than us, and she isn't, because they said she just graduated. 

But still. 

It's something she carries around her. With her, if you want. Queens are born, and no matter how hard Jessica and her dumb barbie squad pretend and try hard to be something more, they can never be that. 

"Do you?" She's asking me.

"Um...Apologies, Miss. I got lost in thought."

She props her chin on her palm, observing me.

I can do pretty much anything she asks of me. She probably wants nothing of me, though. 

"I read your essay." 

"I'll do it again, I promise."

"Again? Why?"

"Because it's s**t. I know I'm just a jock, but I know I can do it better."

"First, who told you that?" 

She smiles. I can't think. Well done, Trent. 

"Umm, like...Everyone?"

"And you listen to what everyone says?" She keeps regarding me and I, for the first time ever, like the conversation I'm having. 

"No, but maybe they are right?"

"And you don't want to prove them wrong?" 

"Should I?" 

"I'd expect that from the team's captain."

Damn it, I know I'm not smart enough for her. 

My new teacher leans back in her chair and picks up my essay. 

"Mr. Belcroft evaluated your work as Average."

"Yeah, it's how he normally does."

"You mean did. He's no longer here."

"Right." She pauses and says.

"And I think it's brilliant."

I almost fall from my chair. 

"What?"

"You're much better than you think, Trent. You just don't seem to realise it."

"I..." 

I feel embarrassed. Like never before in my life. I'm used to being complimented about my goals and the way I do on the ice, but not outside of it. 

"I want to ask one thing of you, Trent." She says, dead serious now.

I almost say anything, but bite my tongue. 

"Yes, Miss Delaware?"

"Don't ever stop expressing yourself and your bold ideas. And don't let anyone tell you what you're good at. Even me." 

"What's wrong?" Jessica flutters her fake eyelashes at me. We're at that dumb party I still have no idea how I agreed to come to. 

"Nothing's wrong, just..." I run my hand through my buzz cut.

"Thinking about that stupid assignment?"

I pull away from her.

"It's actually pretty interesting, I was thinking about applying for the literature..."

"Ughh, what's wrong with you recently?" Jessica makes another disgusted face

 Like I've been feeding her lemons or something.

"What do you mean what's wrong with me?"

"I don't know, you keep talking about books and all that crap."

"Excuse me?"

I get up and she looks at me, still incredulous. 

"Like, I'm dating the hockey team's captain. Not some weird nerdo, heyo?"

"Since when I can't be both?"

She gets up, fixing her top and pulling it way too low. 

As if that would make me want her. 

She wraps her hands around me.

"Come on, Trent. Everyone knows you'll be doing sports your whole life. You can't just change your mind."

"Why not?"

She laughs and I peel her away from me.

"Forget it. I'm leaving." 

I head towards the door, trying to make my way through the drunk chicks and guys trying to hit on them, when I hear Jessica shouting over the music: 

"If this is because of that new teacher, you stand no chance."

I ignore her and head home. f**k her, lshe knows nothing about any of this. 

He's waiting for me outside my apartment. I see him from afar- he's sitting on the ground, reading a book. 

His eyebrows are locked, and he never realizes he does it, but he always frowns while he's reading, even if it's something that's not so serious. 

He's developed a habit of staying with me after school, because he's applying for a scholarship. Not a sports one, like he tells everyone. 

It's one of our secrets. 

He's never come to my place before, though...

"Trent?" I ask as I come closer and he visibly flinches. 

"Oh, hey Miss."

"What are you doing here?"

He closes the book and smiles. Whenever Trent smiles, it's like the the whole world smiles back at him. Or me, I can't tell for sure or make the difference. 

I'm trying to scatter all those thoughts. The ones that have been passing through my mind for the past few months, since I started staying extra hours with him to study or explain things we don't have time for in class. Because even though he's in his last year and he's already of age, anything between us would be unthinkable. 

"I got the letter." He gets up, still smiling.

"You did?" I can't hide my excitement. 

"I haven't opened it yet, because I was scared. "

"Okay. Do you want to open it now?" 

"I've waited for the whole day, so that I can be here." 

I don't ask how he knows where I live. It doesn't matter, I wouldn't ask him to leave. Not now; maybe not ever, despite everything.

I open the door of my apartment.

" Woah, you have so many books." 

I hear him say behind me. I turn around to reply and bump into him. 

He's much taller than I am facing his chest. I look up, but he quickly moves past me. 

"Wow. This is a great edition. May I?" He pulls Edgar Allan Poe's collection of short stories. His eyes shine, and he traces the beautifully crafted lines on the cover. 

"It's yours."

"What, no. I can't take it."

"You can. I know you like the way he writes." 

He pauses, still looking at the book and says.

"One day I'll get you the first edition." He looks at me then "You have my word." 

I try to say something back when he quickly adds "So. Shall we?"

We sit down on the couch and he takes out the big envelope.

"Ready?" I ask.

"Always." 

He starts opening it "You should know, it doesn't matter if they said yes. For me and for you, you should already think of yourself as a ...

"I got it."

"What? You did??" He passes me the acceptance letter. Smiles again. 

"You did!!" I can't hide my excitement, and try to hug him. But he only slips on the floor, kneeling in front of me. 

"Trent?" 

He takes my hand in his and says

"It's all thanks to you." 

"No, no. It's all thanks to your hard work and..."

"Miss Delaware." He whispers. 

"I told you you can call me by my first name, Trent."

He shakes his head "No, not yet. "

My student looks back up at me and says "I'm not your equal yet. But I will be, one day. And when that day comes, I will call you however you ask me to and make you mine." 

He kisses my hand then and gets up to leave.