Till Eternity (teacherxstudent)

Chapter 10: Thursday

Thursday, a day before the “deadline”, I was planning on going up to the roof to get my thoughts straight. However, to no avail, the door was sealed with a slip of paper warning of temporary work being done to the AC's. Thus, I roamed around aimlessly during break time. As I did so, I was trampled by a swarm of girls chasing after Mr. Jones in the hallway, giggling and sighing dreamily. I observed them as I picked up my books. Not one of them isn’t prettier than I am, so I cannot help myself from questioning the truth in his words when he told me I was the only one with whom he flirted. What could possibly be so special about me? I pretended to straighten my glasses and look down once he caught sight of me. If I stare at him so much, he might get the wrong idea.

“Hey, Mr. Jones, do you do home tutoring?” My eyes dashed back towards him, quickly defying my attempt to avoid looking at him.

He took a quick glance at me before replying, “As long as your parents are home.”

“Aw, but my parents are out of town for the rest of the week.” she whined. It was obvious the girl wanted to be alone with him. The other girls knew it too, and giggled under their sparkling nail polish, waiting for his response as I did. Are looks really enough to make them fall for a guy?

“Well, then no can do.” he said somewhat impatiently.

I sighed of relief – Wait, why should I care? I shook my head and, with it, my thoughts, turning around to flee the scene before their hormones infected me.

“Excuse me girls, could you do me a favor?” I heard him say as I took a step away. “Take these to my office, will you?”

Their excited nods faded along with their hurried steps, probably wanting to return to him as soon as possible. Nice way to get rid of them. I sighed, this time of irritation. Quick, wide steps rushed towards me, and I fasted my pace as well. He caught my hand, forcing me to turn around.

“You know, that rule doesn’t have to apply to you.” he said with a smirk, cupping my chin after checking that no one was around. “I would be glad to come over whenever your mom is not around.”

“Pervert.” I threw a disgusted look at him, shaking his hand off.

He chuckled. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

But I was not quite free yet. Mr. Jones pinned me against the wall, not as worried f being caught as I was. It must be a privilege to be handsome like him – he can get away with just about anything.

“So,” he began, and I immediately knew where he was going with this. “have you though about it yet?” he grinned and stared into my eyes with the cool expression that was customary to him.”Or must I give you an F on that last test you took?”

I glared impatiently at him, “You’re not allowed to do something like that.”

“Just watch me.” he teased.

I looked at him doubtfully, but knowing him, a shiver convinced that he could actually pull off something as vengeful as that. I began to panic. “No, wait, I studied really hard for that test.”

He held in a chuckle. I could tell he was finding this amusing. “I’ll tell you what,” the suppressed chuckle morphed into an eerie smirk, “I’ll raise your grade by 20% if you kiss me. And if you agree to date me, I’ll give you an A plus.”

Idiot.

I quickly pecked him on the cheek. “You didn’t say where where I had to kiss you. You owe me 20%.” I said, backing away.

He smiled amusingly. “No can do.” Mr. Jones pushed me back against the wall.

However, before he could lean in any closer, a voice clearing caught our attention. Our heads jolted to the right and Mr. Jones’s back straightened and he back off me to face his boss.

“Come with me, both of you.” the principal ordered, and we obeyed with heads hanging low.

We followed her to her office, trembling as if it were the depths of Antarctica – or at least I was. Closing the door behind us, the vigorous woman took her time to get behind her desk as we froze at the entrance. She slowly twirled the chair to face her before taking a seat and clamping her fingers. Her knuckles cracked and her eyes were nearly closed. What made everything worse was the lack of expression on her face that accompanied her calm and sure movements. She was a firm and potent woman, both in appearance and rule. Not even the delinquents had the guts to defy her directly, so they acted strong by bad-mouthing her behind her back, only to recoil their tails once she stood tall before them in her regnant stance. Nonetheless, I admired her. To stand tall and unfaltering before any confrontation and to keep her cool and act righteously no matter the opposition were qualities not just anyone could acquire. Right now, however, my feelings were not so much of admiration as they were of fear. She sighed before her narrowed eyes fixed on us. How she was capable of staring at two people at once without it ever feeling like you were released from her eyes’ grasp for one mere second was beyond my knowledge.

“Just yesterday I got word of a sighting of you, Mr. Jones, with a student matching your exact description, Deborah.” I gulped once more. “I was not going to act upon it without having a confirmation, but after the spectacle I just witnessed…” The principal inhaled deeply in a breath that pulled her back straight. I never saw her releasing that breath.

“I was aware that your age, Mr. Jones, might cause trouble, but I decided to trust you.” I could tell the word trust hit him like a dagger. She had that ability to turn compliments into shame, enough to make anyone feel sorry for their actions. The way she uttered someone’s name had this same effect. “You are aware of the penalty for getting involved with a student in any way, are you not, Mr. Jones? I am sure I made clear the reason for the previous science teacher’s termination.”

My eyes widened. That’s right, how could I possibly forget about that? He had… he did it with a girl and was fired as soon as word got out. We never figured out who the girl was however. Wait, then that means that Mr. Jones’s job might also be on the line.

“Do you have anything to say in your behalf?” Her eyes were piercing and her lips firm.

Silence overcame the room.

I looked at Mr. Jones. Why aren’t you selling her some excuse, lying as you so fluently do? Please get yourself out of this mess. Since he remained silent in surrender, I then lost myself in my thoughts, calculating the situation. If he is fired, then I will be freed from his constant pestering. But is that what I really what I want? I began thinking of my school life these past years without him – uneventful is an understatement in comparison to what has happened already in less than a month. However, it is not like this type of events is what I was hoping for in my life. Though, just the thought of him being fired because of me…

“Well then, I trust you understand the school’s lack of tolerance for warnings in these circumstances, and I expect you to clear your office in--” Before I had time to conclude my thoughts, the principal reached her own conclusion, only to be rudely interrupting by a mouth that moved on its own and a body that flung itself forward unwillingly.

“No, wait!” The room echoed at the sound of my voice.

All eyes darted towards me, and even I was shocked at my unusual audacity. I gulped, feeling the impatient pique of her gaze. I should have though of something to say before interrupting. I pursed my lips and fumbled in place, skimming through my thoughts until I could find a way to get myself out of this.

“Yesterday… what the maid saw…” I stuttered and struggled to speak before the eyes that pierced me from across the room. If I cannot lie, then I’ll just tell her the truth, with a twist. “My mom and I had gotten into a fight, and Mr. Jones was trying to comfort me. I know the school prohibits physical contact, but I was crying and Mr. Jones was the only one I felt I could talk to, so I hugged him. And that’s all she saw, I swear!” There was no stopping me once I began to ramble, and no one tried to stop me either. I felt like the principal had let down a layer of her defense systems, and though her gaze did not loosen its attention, it softened to allow me to speak more comfortably. She might be the only professional that is ready to listen before making assumptions.

“And today,” I spoke haltingly, not used to having the floor for so long, “I was feeling dizzy.” What am I even saying? There is no way she will believe this lie. “I was about to fall, but Mr. Jones caught me.”

Her cutting breath stopped me and got me believing that this final lie was too much for anyone to believe. He was clearly going to kiss me, and no one could doubt that. “You seem fine now and, Mr. Jones, your silence is not helping your case.” she raised a brow, confirming my suspicion.

Come on, you i***t, speak before I get punished for lying.

After a moment of reflection, he finally proved the existence of his voice. “What Deborah is saying is the truth. Please believe her.” His tone did not sound convincing at all, but somehow the principal seemed ready to rest her case. I was perplexed by this.

Upon taking a final deep breath, she spoke, sounding as convincing as he did, “I will believe in you two, for now,” her final words came as a warning, “so do not give me more reasons for suspicion.”

Mr. Jones and I left the office as silent as when we entered. After one last sigh of relief, we were free. It is a miracle that worked out. After all, it seemed more like the principal decided to accept my lie rather than she truly believed it.

“Hey, Deb?” Mr. Jones’s voice came out gentle and genuine. I looked up at him. “Thanks for covering for me in there. But, why did you do it?” My eyes returned to the floor and I shrugged. Yeah, why?

I guess that no matter how much he teases me, all in all it is still nice to know someone will be there for me.