MySpace: A Place For Teachers

I plopped down on the chair in front of my desk. I rubbed my eyes wearily. I had a feeling my eye make-up had been smudged for awhile. Mason had probably told me, but I was probably sleeping. Two classes of sleep and I was still tired.

Brian was, too, from what I could tell. He was sleeping at his desk, looking quite comfortable. His mouth was parted and he was breathing lightly.

Marissa and her little posse giggled in the front. Marissa whispered something to Ashlee that sent them into another round of hysterics. Marissa jerked her thumb in my general direction.

That alarmed me. I sat up straighter and averted my eyes. I didn't particularly want to make eye contact, for fear that that would encourage them.

“Hi! Rory,” Marissa greeted. Her voice was overflowing with candy-coated poison. “Soo. What's the scoop with you and Mr. Haner? Huh?”

“What the hell?” I scoffed.

“Oh, I see those looks you give him,” she prodded.

“Yeah. Looks. Where else am I supposed to look?”

She rolled her eyes in frustration. I knew I was being difficult, and I was doing that for a reason. I did not want to start a conversation with her. But, too late.

“There is something going on,” she said. “I know there is.”

“You know nothing.”

“Whatever, Aurora,” she spat.

Then, she left to go join her group. That did not end the whispers and the jabs of fingers in my direction from them. I was starting to get pissed off.

“'Ello there, darlin'!” Mason chirped. He slammed his books on the the desk and fell down on the chair. He faced me and smiled.

“What?” I snapped.

Mason backed off. “Sorry. What crawled up your ass and died?”

“Nothing,” I murmured. I lied my head on my head and covered my head with my thick blonde hair.

“Is it Brian?” he whispered. He voice was close to my ear.

“Sorta,” I grumbled. I stuck to my one-word answers for a while.

“Want me to text him or something?” Mason asked. Innocence flooded his words.

I sat up and glared at him. Mason held my cell phone in his hand. He waved it around for a bit before I snatched it back.

“How do you always end up with my phone, damn it!” I growled. I went back to sleep. Or, as much as I could with Mason around.

He merely shrugged and focused his attention onMr. Haner Brian. I tried to roll my eyes behind my closed eyelids. I think it worked.

Mason started poking me after a few minutes. First, he poked my forearm. He tapped my forehead incessantly before I snapped my head up and shot him a death glare.

“What. The. Hell,” I spat.

Mason mumbled some incoherent words and pointed subtly to the front of the room. I gazed up to the front with wide-eyes.Brian Mr. Haner was fully awake and standing up – gazing right back at me with a blank look on his face.

I averted my eyes. I glanced out of the corner of my light green eyes at Mason, who was smiling idiotically. I rolled my eyes. He kept grinning.

“What's up, hoes,” he drawled to the class. He yawned, his tongue curling up to the roof of his mouth.

The girls giggled and the boys smirked and chuckled. Mason was grinning.

“I have no idea what the hell I was supposed to teach you terrors today.” Brian yawned. “But, if anyone asked, I taught you alliteration. 'Kay?”

We all nodded.

Brian plopped back onto his seemingly comfortable chair and rested his head on his open palm. He took his cell phone and flipped it open, scanning the screen. His face dropped a bit as he flipped it closed.

I bit my lip. I might be the cause of his little sad expression. I didn't like that.

“Mason. Mason!” I whispered. There was no need to whisper, though, my voice was drowned out by the uproar of the class.

He glanced at me briefly and scanned my face.

“Can I have my cell phone back? I need to, uh, check something.”

Mason laughed. He pointed to my pocket with a lazy expression. “I didn't take it.”

I rolled my eyes. I felt around on the outside of my pocket until my fingers brushed against a rectangular object. I held up my cell phone in disbelief.

He giggled and faced the direction of Brian.

I flipped open the phone and pressed a few buttons. I opened a new text and typed a few things before pressing send.

Within a few seconds, Last Resort echoed off the classroom walls.Brian Mr. Haner literally attacked his phone. He flipped it opened and scanned the screen. He grinned and typed something quickly before closing his phone.

Just then, something dawned on me.

I was going to get a reply. I never turned my ring tone off.

I nearly started hyperventilating. I fumbled with my phone for second before sliding down in my seat. I was screwed.

I felt a tingling reverberating through my hand. I flipped open my phone once again. I hoped my thoughts were correct.

I stared at the screen in both relief and wonder. Waiting for me was a message fromMr. Haner Brian.

From: Brian
To: Lily

hi to you too :)
just teaching my class
not fun what about you? :)

I smiled. I looked over at Mason. He was listening to his iPod under his hoodie. He turned his attention on me and nodded.

Mason had turned my ring tone off before somehow 'giving' me back my cell phone.

I smiled at him gratefully before turning my attention back to my phone and Brian's message.

From: Lily
To: Brian

fun :)
watching tv thats about it
break time today :)

From: Brian
To: Lily

that reminds me
i think i need to take
some sick days ;)

I smiled. My fingers hovered over the keypad as Mr. Haner moved around in the front.

“Hey!” Mr. Haner yelled. He pointed a finger towards me.

I could've sworn my heart stopped its beating right there. The temperature of the blood in my veins decreased. I was caught.

“What's-your-face, dammit! You're worse that the Cyrus bitch herself! Stop singing,” Brian complained loudly. He slammed a fist down on Marissa's desk, making her recoil.

Marissa had been singing off-key again. Mr. Haner had pointed at her.

Mason woke up beside me, rubbing away the sleep from his eyes. My eyes were still wide from the shock I had underwent. His lips formed his signature smirk as he raised his gaze to Mr. Haner.

“Watch this,” he whispered.

Mason jumped onto his chair and screamed, “I'M SLIPPIN' INTO THE LAVA. TRYIN' TO KEEP FROM GOIN' UNDER –“Brian's Mr Haner's glare locked onto my singing best friend. “You! Stop singing, kid.”

“BABY, WHO TURNED THE TEMPERATURE HOTTER? I'M BURNIN' UP, BURN –“

“I am not kidding.”

“I'M BURNIN' UP, BURNIN' UP FOR YOU, BAAAABBYYY!”

Mr. Haner rolled his eyes and stormed over to him. I watched the whole scene with curiosity as the whole room was erupting with laughter.

“Okay, Jon-ass Wannabe, you are awarded with one detention. Congrats, and see me after class,” he scoffed. He rolled his eyes once more before walking towards the front.

Between that short walk, I saw him smile and wink at me. My breath slammed against the side of my throat and made an audible gasping noise.

When he looked over his cell phone at me, I caught his eye and smiled softly at me. His gaze flicked down to his phone's screen without so much as the tiniest of grins. I couldn't help but feel a little rejected.

My heartbeat slowed mournfully as I thought to myself, He didn't smile that time, what's the big deal?

I couldn't answer that.