Substitute Love

I see all the kids running around the front of the school, anxious to get home & just plain happy that school is over for the day. You can’t blame them. “Zack?” I hear my name so I turn, pushing myself off my car that I’ve been leaning for almost 5 minutes waiting for Victoria. I turn to see my sister there, with Gianna standing there.

“Uncle Zacky” She says, throwing herself at me, just in time for me to catch her & scoop her up. She hugs me & I place a kiss on her head.

“Hey, girl. How’s my favorite lady doing today?” I ask her, adjusting her in my arms.

“I’m great. Guess what? My dad is buying me a new bike. A pink one. With a basket on front” She says, swiping her hair from her face.

“Oh, really? That’s nice” I say.

“Gianna, why don’t you go inside to see if your brother is ready” Zina, my sister says. Gianna wiggles out of my arms & head towards the school doors in search for Gavin. “What are you doing here?” Zina asks me once she watches Gianna take one of her teacher’s hand & walk inside the building.

“Well, I, um… I’m waiting for someone” I tell her, scratching the back of my neck. I’m not sure how she will feel when I tell her that I’m actually waiting for Gavin’s teacher. She gives me a curious look, fully knowing that I’m up to no good.

“Someone? Who’s this someone?” She asks, placing her hand on her hip, giving me that don’t-dare-lie-to-me look.

“Um… her name is Victoria” I say.

“Huh. She’s a teacher here?” She asks & I nod. But before I have chance to fill her on with who this Victoria is, I see Gavin & Gianna racing towards us. I catch Gavin & scoop him up, my eyes landing immediately on the girl that’s making her way towards us, with a couple of books & papers on her hands. She gives me a smile & it’s like the sun is shining brighter. She has her hair pulled up in a pony tail. She stops momentarily to speak to some other teacher, I assume, giving me a quick glance, before focusing on the woman standing in front of her. “So that’s her” Zina says, standing next to me, eyeing the brunette. “She’s pretty” She says, nudging my side. I turn to look at her, giving her a smirk.

“Yes, she’s really pretty. & she’s very nice too. & she smells nice too” Gavin says. Zina & I turn to look at him. He’s staring adoringly at Victoria.

“You know her?” Zina asks & Gavin nods. But before I could stop him from spilling any information, he beats me at it.

“That’s Ms. Forbes. She’s my substitute teacher” He says, looking at his mother for a second before returning his eyes to the girl that’s chatting away with a mother now. I see Zina’s eyes wide in shock. She opens her mouth, but closes it.

“Kids, why don’t you go wait over there while I talk to your Uncle Zacky?” She says, ushering the kids to go play at the swings that are a couple of feet away from us. They hop there. When she makes sure they are out of hearing range, she slaps my arm, making me cringe away from her. “You’re banging his teacher?” She whispers harshly at me. I rub where her blow landed.

“I’m not banging her” I lie & she gives me a look. “It only happened once, ok? Besides… I really like her. She’s really nice & I think you might like her too” I say, trying to calm down a visible upset Zina. One thing you need to know about my sister is that she’s like me. She’s a very cool girl, but whenever she’s upset, she can be the biggest bitch you’ll ever meet.

“Oh my God, Zacky. You’re… you’re… I can’t even think of a fucking word to describe what you are” She says, fuming. I laugh, wrapping my arms around her.

“It’s ok, Zina. I love you too” I say. When I pull away I notice Vicky standing next to us. She gives me a shy smile. I kiss her cheek & place a hand on her back. “Victoria, I would like you to meet my sister” I say. “Zina, this is Victoria. She’s Gavin’s teacher” I say.

“I’m just the substitute teacher. I’m covering Mrs. Cooke while she’s on maternal leave” She says, extending her hand. Zina politely shakes it. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Gavin won’t stop talking about you” She adds & I see my sister’s face soften. “He’s a really nice kid. Very smart & very polite” She finishes. I can feel she’s a bit tense & I start rubbing her back softly, letting her know that everything will be ok.

“Nice to meet you too. Gavin won’t stop talking about you either. He really likes you” Zina says, adjusting the kid’s backpacks on her hand. “So… you & Zacky, huh? How did that happened?” She asks. I can see that she’s dying to know. Victoria’s cheeks blush. It’s nice to see this soft, insecure side of her. She’s been so confident & sassy since I met her that it’s really cool to see her just being a normal… well, 2nd grade teacher.

“That’s gonna be a story for another day” I say. I really don’t want her to know what happened that day that I came to pick Gavin up. “Kids” I call them. They stop whatever they were doing & sprint towards us.

“Say goodbye to your Uncle Zacky & to Vic-, I mean, Ms. Forbes” Zina quickly corrects herself. I kneel down to kiss each one of the kids that make my life worth living.

“Goodbye, Ms. Forbes” Gavin says, looking up at her. It’s so cute. Almost too fucking cute.

“Goodbye, Gavin. Be good & do your homework, ok?” She says, ruffling his hair a bit. They start walking away when I turn & place my lips on her, taking her by surprise.

“Zacky” She says in an adorable panic tone. “Not here” She says, glancing around to see if someone was looking at us. No one was paying attention to us.

“What?” I say, laughing. She sends me a playful glance. “I can’t resist you” I say, wrapping my arm around her body, leaving her trapped. This time… she doesn’t attempt to resist me. I glance down at her hypnotic brown eyes. I see them shining. She’s so fucking beautiful. “Want to get out of here?” I ask softly & she nods her head. I open the passenger door of my car for her. She stands on her tips, placing a soft kiss on my lips, before getting inside. I close the door & smirk all the way to my side. That kiss… so soft & small & barely-there left me with this tingling sensation that I’m not sure I want to shake off. I get into the driver’s seat & I turn to look at her already buckled up. She gives me a smile & lean to peck her lips. She grabs the back of my neck & deepens the kiss a little. Thank God for tinted windows. We pull apart & she runs her hand through my hair. I’ve come to notice she likes doing that. “What do you want to do?” I ask her, starting the car & backing up.

“How about some ice cream by the beach?” She tells me. I nod & head towards the beach. Her hand reach mine through the car console, lacing her fingers with mine. I turn to look at her briefly & see her staring through the window. I smile cuz I don’t mind being the one that gets to hold her hand.