14/02/2014
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Teacher’s Pet (Teacher/Student Werewolf Romance) Book 1
Published by Darlene Gibbs
Copyright 2013 Darlene Gibbs
Chapter 1
**Aziel Hawkings**
I twisted my finger around several strands of my long bright red curly hair thoughtfully as I stared down at the Chemistry test paper. It seemed the answer for number two was the same thing as the answer for number one.
‘I hate chemistry’ I scribbled in the required answer slot and then read on.
“Why do I even bother coming to school,” I grumbled. Mr. Niggins seemed to have bat ears because he heard me and got up from his desk and started to walk over to where I was sitting. I didn’t really care, I didn’t care that after almost half an hour I had only answered two questions and both with the same answer. I hated chemistry, why the heck did I need to study chemistry for anyway? When I grew up I wanted to be an actress and actresses didn’t need to know chemistry.
“Tut tut tut…” Mr. Niggins was staring over my shoulder and shaking his head sadly. “Ms. Hawkings this is my last day at school, could you not at least try to surprise me by passing one chemistry exam for the term?”
“I didn’t think you could handle the shock at your age,” I said and there was chuckling from around the room. Mr. Niggins took the opportunity to look down his long, too big nose at me with disdain. I couldn’t help from giggling; I was definitely not one of the students he would miss.
“Mother may have, father may have, but God bless the child that has her own,” he said dryly. He was always spouting stupid comments like that. It wasn’t my fault that my parents were stinking rich and that my father had donated all the money needed to add a northern wing to the school. It really pi**ed me off the way people assumed that I was who I was because my parents were rich. They might be rolling in dough but I certainly wasn’t.
“Is that the answer to question three or four?” I asked.
He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“Frankly Ms. Hawkings I shan’t miss you one iota when I leave this place. Indeed, I have half a mind to leave right now.”
“Really, well don’t let the other half of your mind delay you,” I shot back and there was more giggling.
“You’re a rude, spoilt, impolite…” He turned on his heels and stormed back to the front of the class. I crumpled the test paper and tossed it onto the floor. It was pointless reading the rest of it, even if I got any right, and that was a big ‘if’, Mr. Niggins would score me a big zero just for spite.
“I need to take a p**s.” I stood to my feet my finger wrapped around my hair and swaying lazily. No point staying around here and wasting time.
“I need to go to the ladies room,” Mr. Niggins corrected.
“You do?” I feigned surprise and his face turned red. “I’ll have to let the Headmaster know about that.”
There was laughter and giggling.
“Oh, we have time to laugh? That means we have all finished our exam then?” Mr. Niggins said nastily.
“But sir…” Clarice, she was like my best friend at school but she was a complete geek.
“I said pass in the papers. Any paper that’s not on my desk in ten seconds will get a zero.” Mr. Niggins said and everyone started to scramble to grab their papers and rush to the desk. I picked my paper up from the floor and lobbed it over the heads of the students so that it landed in the center of Mr. Niggins’ desk all crumbled in a ball.
Mr. Niggins glared at me, I couldn’t help thinking that if he was superman he would have shot out one of those eye thingies and caught me right in the heart.
“Mines there inside of ten seconds, does that mean I don’t get zero?” I asked in my cutest voice.
I could see him struggling to keep himself under control, poor guy; it really sucked being a teacher having to always act the gentleman even when you didn’t want to. Not that I felt particularly sorry for Mr. Niggins; he was a jerk.
He snatched the papers roughly from the desk. What kind of teacher gives you a test on his last day anyway?
“I will be sure to place the marks for this test on your cards before I leave this evening,” Mr. Niggins said and his voice sounded threatening.
“But Mr. Niggins, I have a straight A plus average and I didn’t finish this test. Please don’t put that mark on our report cards,” Clarice pleaded.
“You kids get the best of everything here at this fancy school but do you appreciate it?” Mr. Niggins demanded ignoring Clarice’s plea. “I think a tough grade will help you to see how the other half lives.”
I was just about to make a comment when the door swung open and our headmaster, Mr. Peters, strolled in with a huge smile on his face. He wasn’t the kind of guy that smiled much so when he smiled you knew he really had to be pleased about something.
“Class…Mr. Niggins.” The name was called with a certain level of animosity. Mr. Niggins leaving in the middle of the school term would have really put Mr. Peters in hot water. This was our last year at school and within a couple of months we would be graduating with our high school diploma and there were usually several end of year exams that needed to be passed; to lose a teacher at a crucial point such as this and in a school the caliber of Excelcius High was unimaginable. Personally I didn’t give a flying fig but I imagined that would be the way poor Mr. Peters was thinking. Who would he be able to get to replace Mr. Niggins at this eleventh hour? Any good teacher worth their salt would already be booked for the school year.
“Come come Mr. Wells and let me introduce you to your class.” Mr. Peters was waving his hand wildly towards the open door. Good grief, I had rather hoped I would have a breathing space between Mr. Niggins leaving and another teacher coming. Someone up there really hated me.
“This class is your new chemistry teacher, Mr. Wells,” Mr. Peters said with a hint of satisfaction to his voice as Mr. Niggins’ mouth dropped open in shock. Niggins was such a pain, he probably hoped that Mr. Peters would have to grovel and beg him to stay on. I grinned, served him right, lost his pick for…My mouth dropped open before I could even complete the thought in my head. The new teacher was a hunk.
“Aaaahhhh…” A synchronized sigh rose into the air from every female mouth in the room. I had seen babes in my day, okay, I might only been seventeen but I’m saying, I have seen babes. I watch television and stuff, but this guy seemed like God must have broken the mold after he made him. One of a kind drop dead cute. He had a well defined nose, not too big and obtrusive, but perfect, lips just full enough to be inviting but not so much so that they would appear feminine. Jet black hair that curled just slightly at the nape of his neck and the most shocking eyes I had ever seen. He half grinned as he approached Mr. Niggins revealing a single dimple that I longed to run my finger along. He reached out a hand to shake Mr. Niggins’ and his biceps contracted and flexed slightly under the light white long sleeved cotton shirt he was wearing. I think I heard one of the girls scream. Mr. Niggins refused to take his hand but no one really seemed to care, I guess we were all too busy trying to undress this Mr. Wells with our eyes.
“He’s a kid!” Mr. Niggins snarled. “You expect a boy can take the place of an experienced professor like myself?”
“He’s twenty four years old, and already has his masters in chemistry.” Mr. Peters gloated and Mr. Niggins seemed to recoil almost as if he had been slapped.
“So that’s how it is going to be?” Mr. Niggins demanded.
“You resigned Mr….” Mr. Peters began but Mr. Niggins was already pushing pass the two men and heading towards the door his briefcase gripped angrily under his arm.
I couldn’t help thinking that if Mr. Wells hadn’t stepped out of the way Mr. Niggins would never have been able to pass. Mr. Wells looked so tall and strong…I inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. Eye candy.
“Class.” Mr. Peters was looking around apparently for the first time noticing that most of the students were not at their desks. “Please be seated.”
Everyone hustled back to their desk and I sank back down in my chair. I mightn’t like chemistry but I could see that fun times could definitely be had in the chemistry class with Mr. Wells as the teacher.
“As you are aware Mr. Niggins is leaving us,” Mr. Peters began. I started the applause and a few of the other kids followed. That seemed to catch the new guy’s attention because he stared over at me and our eyes locked. I felt as if there was some kind of magnet drawing me in. A knot formed in my stomach and I looked away hurriedly.
“Mr. Marcus Wells will be replacing him for the next couple of months. Mr. Wells has a masters in Chemistry, graduated at the top of his class and had several offers from renowned institutions to teach but chose to teach at Excelsius High,” Mr. Peters said proudly.
“What a loser,” I said just loud enough for them to hear and was surprised when Mr. Wells chuckled. I had imagined that he would have been upset with me.
“Ms. Hawkings is something of a privileged student here, but of course that doesn’t mean she has the right to be rude to the faculty. If you have any trouble with her you let me know,” Mr. Peters said.
“I think I can handle a kid,” Mr. Wells said quietly and for some reason the comment seemed to make my blood boil. I wasn’t a kid, in two months time I would be an adult.
“I’m sure you can.” Mr. Peters looked pleased. “Since Mr. Niggins has absented himself…” Mr. Peters glanced around embarrassed.
“I can look after the class until the end of the session,” Mr. Wells offered. He had a totally sexy voice. It was so low, cool and deep and yet you could hear everything he said so clearly.
“Thanks. I really hate tossing you in like this.” Mr. Peters laughed with embarrassment.
“Seriously, it’s not a problem. I love kids.”
I made a ‘pukey’ face.
“Thanks.” Mr. Peters turned on his heels and exited the room swiftly, his face back to the stoic mask it usually was.
“Well.” Mr. Wells pushed the papers to one end of the desk, slipped his palm on the desk, jumped onto it with such grace and ease that I found myself wondering if he was always that smooth in everything he did. “I’m Marcus Wells and since we’ve only got twenty minutes of class remaining I don’t think I’ll bore you with chemistry.” There was a loud cheer around the room. “You tell me what you want to do.”
“Tell us about yourself,” I suggested.
“Not much to tell, I believe Mr. Peters told it all,” Mr. Wells responded.
“Can we call you Marcus?” One of the girls asked.
“Mmmmm….” He looked thoughtful. “Do you usually call your teachers by their first names?”
“Yes…some,” I said.
“Sure. Marcus then,” he conceded.
“Are you married?” Clarice asked and followed that up with an embarrassed giggle.
“No,” Marcus responded.
“You have a younger sister?” One of the boys questioned and Marcus grinned.
“No; and if I did I wouldn’t introduce you to her.” There was laughter.
“Do you have a girlfriend?” I asked.
“No.” Marcus stared directly at me as he answered and our eyes locked again. What was it about him that seemed to draw me in?
“Are you gay?” Another guy in the class queried.
“No,” Marcus said treating us to a bright dazzling smile.
“Okay, did you like ever model just underwear cause I would definitely like to see those pics.” Suzy put in and Marcus actually laughed.
“No. Definitely no.” He really had a gorgeous smile and seemed so relaxed and self assured. I think that was when I made my mind up; I was going to get to know this Marcus Wells better, much, much better. So what if he was going to be my chemistry teacher, that was just a little old speed bump in the road to intrigue and excitement and strangely enough I knew that this Marcus Wells was definitely going to be filled with intrigue and excitement.
*****
Chapter 2
I have never seen twenty minutes go so fast, when the bell rang no one seemed anxious to escape the room.
“I hope you will be as enthusiastic about tomorrow’s lesson.” We were all still sitting there as he spoke. “I thought I might give you a quiz just to see where you’re at.” There was a collective groan around the room.
“Not my favorite teacher anymore.” Dawson, the football captain grumbled.
“Sorry kid. A teacher’s got to do what a teacher’s got to do.” Marcus was strolling towards the door as he said that.
“Must really tear you up inside.” I shouted after him but he didn’t answer, just treated us to one more drop dead gorgeous grin and then disappeared.
“No one.” The hot girl slt in our class was saying as Marcus disappeared. “No one has the right to look that good.”
“High five Cherry.” Her wing girl Sundae yelled.
“He is pretty cute,” I muttered. “A little arrogant but…”
“Cuter than me?” Dawson asked.
“Could anyone ever be cuter than you?” I was being sarcastic but it went right over his head.
“Gosh.” He was blushing. “Never knew you felt that way.”
“Me neither,” I muttered; again the sarcasm went straight through the window.
“Thanks.” He stuck his hands in his pocket and rocked back confidently. “So you want to go somewhere after school and fool around?”
“Yeah…I’ll meet you behind the school at ten minutes past never,” I said and for the first time he got my point.
“You’re a real b…”
“Please, no compliments.” I slipped out of my seat and swung my bag over my shoulder and headed towards the door. I could hear Dawson grumbling under his breath but I knew he wouldn’t try to start something; that was the advantage to being Roy Hawkins daughter, there weren’t too many people who bothered to mess with you. Yep, dad was a big shot and no one wanted to get on his bad side. It was laughable really; if they knew how little thought my parents gave to me they would know that they didn’t have to be so afraid of stepping on my corns. Still; I grinned as I twirled my red hair around my finger and sashayed out of the room, it had its advantages. I could just about p**s off whomever I liked and never have to worry about the repercussions.
**
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Clarice touched me gently on the shoulder as she hurried down the stairs to try to get the school bus. There weren’t too many kids that took the school bus at Excelcius High. No, the school was mainly for rich, spoilt brats, present company excepted of course. Clarice was one of the few exceptions, after all a school like Excelsius needed some brain power to make it look good, every year they took in close to fifty top students from around the country in a vain attempt to drive up the dumb average of the rich constituents.
“You sure you don’t want a ride with me?” I shouted after her.
“I’m sure,” she yelled back.
Clarice didn’t much like my chauffer and had even suggested that he had tried to make a pass at her once.
“Fine,” I muttered not caring whether she heard me or not.
It would have been nice to have a little company; within an hour or two the school grounds would look like a ghost town and probably only one person would still be around – me.
“Bye Aziel.” It was Dawson racing past me to jump into his two door red Porsche; he was such a cliché.
“Bye.” I waved my hand daintily at him and jumped onto the step below and my long red hair bounced into the air.
“You’re so hot.” He grinned. With bleach blonde hair and light blue eyes he wasn’t too bad himself, not hot like Marcus Wells, but not bad at all.
“Thanks,” I shouted after him as I bounced onto the next step.
“I can give you a ride home,” he said.
“I enjoy hanging around here. You have no idea the fun I can get up to,” I lied.
“You’re trouble with a capital ‘T’.” Dawson hopped into his vehicle laughing as I bounced onto the next step.
“Bye.” A geeky kid from my science class whose name I absolutely couldn’t remember muttered that in my ear as he hurried past.
“Bye.”
“See ya…”
I just waved at some girl as she hustled past me on the school steps. Everyone was just so friendly when it was time to go home. I didn’t bother to answer all of them; this was something of my regular afternoon routine. I watched the last kid hop into his mother’s car and pull out of the school yard and I waved at them; probably just one more hour’s wait then.
I sank down on the bottom stair and tried to make myself comfortable. It wasn’t like my parents couldn’t afford to give me a car; they were stinking rich but just too selfish to part with even a measly few bucks so I could have my own wheels. I inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. Why bother? I was accustomed to this routine now.
“Aziel.” It was Mr. Peters; he was usually the last person to leave the school grounds. “I’ll let the guard at the main gate know that you’re still here, he’ll keep an eye out for you.”
“I don’t need babysitting,” I grunted.
“Of course not.” He didn’t even break a smile as he hurried off to his oversized vehicle. They must really pay headmasters pretty well here.
“Hmmmph.”
I twisted my lips and tugged at my hair. I was bored with a capital ‘B’. I had bounced up and down the steps a total of ten times and I was completely running out of things to do.
“Whose car is that?” Mr. Peters glanced across at me and pointed to the only other vehicle sitting in the car park, a rundown looking foreign vehicle with dents that looked like it could use a paint job.
“Do I look like the car park attendant?” I demanded.
He glared at me but seemed to think better of making any comment. He pulled open the door to his car and slipped in and was gone in a minute.
“Now what?” I slipped my cell phone from my pocket and stared down at it. It was pointless calling home and saying no one had come to pick me up, I’d learnt that when I was just eight years old, they would just say to wait.
I spent the next few hours playing pac man and snacking on a granola bar I had lifted from the school cafeteria. Perhaps I should have taken more than one granola bar? I was starting to feel pretty hungry.
“Hey.” The voice startled me and I jumped up from my spot on the step and pressed my pencil against my coat pocket.
“I have a knife,” I said spinning around to try to see my potential attacker.
“Are knives allowed at school?” Marcus strolled out from the shadow of the steps towards me one eyebrow slightly raised.
“Ha…” I felt so embarrassed. Why did I freak out like that? “Just my pencil, I was just testing you.”
“Why are you still on the school grounds at this time of the night?” Marcus asked.
“Why are you still here?” I countered and he laughed. He really had a very attractive laugh.
“My car was giving trouble to get started so I had to go get a part to fix it,” he said.
“Where’s the part?”
“My my, you are curious for a little one,” he tut tutted.
“I’m not a little one; I’m going to be eighteen in two months,” I said.
He grinned.
“So, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you still at school?”
“I…I’m waiting on my ride,” I said.
“Your parents must be worried sick. Did you call them?” Marcus sounded really concerned.
I could feel a lump in my throat, in reality my parents didn’t really care if I came home or not. It would be nice for once to tell someone what life at home was really like but Mom and Dad had always made it clear that they didn’t like strangers in their lives or in their business.
“Call? No, I’m too dumb to pick up a phone and call when my ride is coming late. Whatever would I have done if you didn’t turn up here and suggest that to me?” Sarcasm; one of my handiest weapons to keep people at a distance.
“I wasn’t suggesting that you were stupid.” Marcus frowned, gosh, the guy even looked hot when he was frowning. “I was simply concerned for your safety.”
“Well, I’m fine so you can take your invisible car part and run along,” I said.
“Yes fine,” he said dryly. “And you were ready to stab me to death with a pencil a moment ago.”
I blushed and was glad that the evening was dark enough that he might not notice.
“I said I was just kidding.”
“You’re coming with me,” Marcus said firmly.
“Hell no, I don’t know you from Jack,” I said. “There have been some disappearances in this area over the past few months you know.”
“That’s just too bad.” Marcus gripped my arm and pulled me towards him and I started to wriggle.
“You can’t force me to go with you. There’s a guard at the gate you know,” I said angrily.
“You mean the one that fell asleep as soon as the Headmaster left the premises?” Marcus queried.
“I don’t need your protection,” I insisted.
“I’m not driving out of this school and leaving a child alone on the step with no more than a slumbering guard to look after her.”
“I’m not a child!” He was past infuriating. How dare he imagine that he could just turn up and start bossing me about.
“Last time I checked adulthood started at eighteen,” Marcus advised.
I inhaled a deep breath and released it.
“Fine.” I punched in the number to the chauffeur’s phone. “Kyle, I’m getting a ride home with a Mr. Marcus Wells a new teacher at our school.” He hadn’t answered the phone; probably forgotten he was to pick me up again.
“You sure you don’t want to give a description of me in case I run off with you?” Marcus teased.
“The name is good enough,” I responded.
“That’s true. Besides, a guy would have to be crazy to want to run away with a whole load of trouble like you.”
“Buzz off,” I snapped but he just laughed. “I hate you.”
“For coming to your rescue?”
He was doing a stupid thing with his eyebrow that looked like he was asking a question and laughing at me at the same time.
“I don’t need rescuing. I’m not a damsel in distress.”
“That’s true, you’re worse. You’re a kid without a ride home. I could never forgive myself if your face turned up on a milk carton tomorrow.” He was still grinning.
“A milk carton? A milk carton?”
I felt like screaming into his face. How obnoxious could one guy be? I jumped off the bottom step and stormed off towards the one car remaining in the parking lot. “I guess this heap of junk is yours.”
“It’s better than the one you’re driving,” he said and I glared at him.
“I could have my choice of cars you know, I just prefer to be chauffeur driven!” I yelled.
“Yes, keep telling yourself that.” He unlocked the door and I plopped in angrily. I will kill Kyle when I get home, this was past embarrassing.
“I don’t want to talk so don’t try to start any polite conversation,” I said as soon as he slid in on the driver’s side.
“Good. I was hoping you would shut up during the drive.”
“You…you…”
It wasn’t often that I was at a loss for words but Marcus Wells just seemed to bring out a different side to me.
“Great. Nothing to say. Put on your seat belt or do you expect me to do that for you?”
I slumped back in my seat and fumed. How dare he treat me like a little kid? I stared out of the window as we passed the guard hut, Mr. Nicholls wasn’t even there! What kind of crappy school was this my dad was supporting anyway?
“You have homework?” Marcus asked.
I just glared at him.
“You can do it in the car if you want,” he suggested.
“I don’t want to talk,” I said.
“It’s almost two hours’ drive to your house you might as well make the best of the quiet time.”
“How do you know where I live anyway? Are you some kind of stalker?” I demanded. “I have a knife in my pocket if you try anything.”
He laughed.
“First of all, I have no interest in little girls, I like my women with ...um…experience, secondly, your father practically owns the whole town you can’t come to live here without knowing where you and your family live.”
I felt stupid when he put it like that.
“And thirdly, you’ll find that pencils are really no substitute for a knife. I mean, have you ever tried cutting bread with a pencil?”
I turned to face him and he looked in my direction at the same time and our eyes locked.
A set of headlights on our faces made Marcus suddenly turn back to the road and straighten up the car to avoid the oncoming vehicle. It wasn’t done in a rushed way, I suspect that Marcus did everything smooth and controlled, but it was obvious that he had momentarily been completely distracted.
“Do you think you can keep your eyes on the road?” I asked. It felt good for once to be in control of the conversation and when the slightest blush crept under Marcus’ skin I knew I must have struck a tender spot. Marcus Wells was certainly not one that you could easily get under his skin or get the better of.
“I’m sure I can,” he drawled.
I grinned, he might play he was cool and disinterested but I could tell that somewhere deep down Marcus Wells was not nearly as impervious to me as he was pretending to be.
I sank back in the seat with a smile on my face, somehow knowing that made the whole evening a whole lot better.
“Your home,” Marcus said as he approached the large automatic gate to my house.
“Michaels!” I yelled through the window at the guard and he punched in the security key and the doors opened and we drove through.
“Very impressive. You’d think they would put some of that money to making sure their daughter got home safely from school,” Marcus muttered and his voice held a tinge of annoyance.
“I told you I was okay,” I lied as he pulled to a halt in the sprawling circular driveway at the front entrance to my house.
“Sure.”
“Thanks.” He turned to me and nodded his acknowledgement while slipping his hand onto his door handle as if he was considering getting out of the car.
“I’ll see you inside,” he said as if his comment brooked no argument. I wasn’t sure why I did it but I leaned forward suddenly and pressed my lips briefly against Marcus’. As soon as our lips touched I felt like someone had just shot a bolt of lightning through my body – and I liked it, immensely. Marcus tugged away from me so suddenly his head crashed into his driver’s side window.
“Wha…” He rubbed the back of his head and stared at me dazedly.
“I…” I bit my lip then threw open my door and scampered out. Maybe I had wanted to freak Marcus Wells out but the way I had felt when I kissed him was freaking me out.
“Aziel!” Marcus shouted my name after me but I didn’t look back. I wasn’t sure what it was he wanted to tell me but my head felt so light I knew I needed to get away and figure out why the taste of Marcus Wells seemed to jump start my heart.
*****
Chapter 3
“Aziel, really darling must you slam a door like that.”
Mom was standing in the corridor with Dad’s arms draped around her narrow waist as I rushed in. Really, in a house with over fifteen bedrooms the phrase ‘get a room’ was practically redundant. What could be more gross than watching your parents make out?
“I’m upset.”
I didn’t bother to add that seeing the two of them in a lip lock didn’t help my mood any.
“Really?”
Dad looked surprised.
“Whatever for?”
Mom’s honey sweet voice drawled. She was gorgeous and unfortunately I looked nothing like her. She had blonde hair – mine was red, she had blue eyes – mine were gray, she had full breast…I don’t need to go any further. We looked nothing like each other yet people always ask if she is my sister. Could there be anything more insulting than someone thinking your mother…your mother is your sister? Okay, true she didn’t look a day over twenty five but I knew she had to be at least thirty five years old; she must have been an adult when she had me, right? Mom’s age was a closely guarded secretly, I’d stand a better chance discovering the President’s private cell phone number than finding out how old Mom was.
“Someone forgot to pick me up,” I said speaking through clenched teeth.
“From where?” Dad asked still looking completely innocent.
“From school!” I actually wanted to add ‘idiot’ to that but I had learnt long ago not to step over that imaginary boundary with my parents.
“Really?” Mom tossed her waist length straight blonde hair over her shoulder with a flick of her wrist and smiled. “You seem to have made it home okay.”
“You know there’s a serial killer on the loose?” I demanded.
“Really darling you’re much too excitable. It must be the red hair,” Mom suggested.
“I had to get a ride home.”
Dad’s face darkened immediately.
“I thought I made it quite clear that you were not to bring any of your friends home.”
“He’s not my friend, he’s my teacher,” I shot back.
I felt tears sting the back of my eyes, I didn’t even know why I was arguing with them, they didn’t care, they didn’t care anything about me; all they cared about was each other.
“I’m sorry I bothered you by coming home. I should have just waited there until someone came along and cut my throat,” I said turning on my heel and heading towards the staircase just as the door bell chimed.
“Answer that honey,” Mom called out to me and I dropped my bag on the ground angrily and marched back towards the door.
“Yes…” I barked as I dragged open the door and then I just stared. “Mr…Mr…um…Mr. Wells.” Good grief I thought he had left. Was he coming to tell my parents what I had done? How I had kissed him? I stared into his face pleadingly. “Did…um…did you forget something?”
“I wanted to speak to your parents,” Marcus said.
“Who is that?” Dad’s voice was slightly annoyed.
“My chemistry teacher, he…um…he brought me home.” Maybe I should just grab my bag and run upstairs and salvage whatever little dignity I had left.
“Oh.”
Mom smiled at Marcus and she immediately looked almost five years younger, goodness, she couldn’t possibly be hitting on my teacher! The feel of blood on my hand made me look down and I realized I had balled my hands into so tight a fist I had cut myself.
“Mr. Wells, whatever can we do for you?” Mom asked extricating herself rather delicately from Dad’s embrace and sashaying her way towards the door, if I had half the class my mom had all the guys in school would be drooling over me.
“I brought your daughter home.”
Marcus’ voice was bland and disinterested and slightly strained.
“She told us, we’re ever so grateful to you,” Dad said coming to stand beside Mom at the door; it was obvious they didn’t want him any further in the house.
“I didn’t come here to get your gratitude,” Marcus said bluntly. “Quite frankly I was torn between coming in here and calling the Child Care department to report child abuse.”
Mom gasped.
“Really…you have no business speaking to us like that,” Dad said angrily.
“It is my business, as a teacher it is my responsibility to report any evidence of child abuse and quite frankly there is no abuse worse than neglect,” Marcus shot back.
“Where the hell…” Dad’s face was starting to turn bright red and I was wishing there was a hole right under my feet that could carry me to wonderland.
“Darling…darling…”
Mom’s hand trailed delicately along Dad’s arm as she made an effort to calm him. “Mr. Wells is simply looking out for the interest of one of his students.”
Dad didn’t answer his eyes just narrowed as he continued to glare at Marcus.
“Not only is Aziel left at the school well after school hours but she’s failing chemistry with grades that…quite frankly I don’t even know if there are grades to describe her chemistry work,” Marcus went on.
“Take me now lord,” I muttered.
“We had no idea,” Mom said sounding more concern than I had ever heard her before.
“You should. I took the liberty of reviewing all my students files and I was appalled to note that neither of you have ever turned up to one parent’s teacher’s consultation.”
“You have no right to speak to us like…”
“Darling…” Mom placed a quelling finger on Dad’s lips.
“I have every right, this matter should have been long reported to the School Board but there is nothing on the file to indicate that so much as a word has been whispered in the relevant authority’s ears about this matter,” Marcus continued.
“We’re so embarrassed Mr. Wells. You make us feel such the uncaring parents and nothing could be further from the truth. Why we were worried sick when we didn’t see Aziel come home, good help is ever so hard to find and even though there may be no notes on file concerning Aziel’s …um…chemistry we’ve been searching high and low for the right chemistry tutor to help her out. Aziel is something of a handful and it’s very difficult to find persons willing to tutor her.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Really?” Marcus didn’t seem impressed.
“In fact, I was just saying to myself that fate must have brought you to our door. You’re a chemistry teacher and Aziel needs extra classes in chemistry,” Mom said.
“You’re asking me…?” Marcus looked shocked.
“You can tutor Aziel after school,” Mom supplied happily. “I mean if you really care.”
“I…well…um…”
She had managed to do it, she had turned the tables around on Marcus Wells and he was like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. He didn’t want to tutor me, he probably didn’t want to see me again if he could avoid it but now that was being taken out of his hands, if he said ‘no’ it would seem like his ‘holier than thou’ annoyance at my parents was all hot air and if he said ‘yes’ he would be stuck with me every evening after school, somehow I figured Marcus Wells had other plans for his evenings.
“I quite understand; you have a life I wouldn’t expect you to spend your evenings tutoring my daughter so she can scrape a pass in your class,” Mom said demurely.
“I’ll do it,” Marcus Wells responded and mom’s eyes practically popped out.
“Really?” She muttered.
“I’ll start tomorrow. Since the school closes its doors quite promptly we’ll have to find somewhere else to work together. I would want to suggest here, you certainly have enough space.”
“Um…er…” It was Mom’s turn to stutter and I couldn’t resist a smile. There was definitely something about Marcus Wells; he always managed to find himself on top. “Of…of course.”
“Great.”
Marcus stretched out his hand towards Mom and she took it.
“Tomorrow then,” she muttered but her face looked anything but pleased.
I grabbed my bag and raced up the stairs before the front door closed, I didn’t want to be downstairs when Marcus left, Mom was going to be pi**ed.
**
I flung open my bedroom window as soon as I reached upstairs and leaned as far out of it as I dared, Marcus was just about to step into his vehicle; he stopped, turned and looked directly up at me. He couldn’t see me from here, could he? I drew back and sucked in a breath, spending time with Marcus Wells was sure going to be different.
I sauntered off to the bathroom, time to clean up my hand, what had gotten into me to be so brutal to my own self? I slipped my hand under the pipe and then stared down at it. I was pretty sure I had cut myself. I flipped my hand back and forth and then looked at the other hand. I sighed; perhaps I had been so distraught that I had only imagined that I had seen blood.
