A Step to Love

I tried to explain. Her sudden need to know why I was asking felt distant to me. I didn’t want to say simply “nothing”. I tried to really come up with an excuse in the seconds she stared blankly. “I—I think I s—sa—”

“Ms. Parker?”

My eyes found him, connecting softly with my sight.

What did he want now?

Fear followed me quickly, but also a breeze of relief connected to it. He had interrupted, yet another, embarrassing moment for me.

I looked at Jenny who had seemed to disappear quickly. I sighed, unsure of what to do.

I held my books tightly against my breasts. They were probably suffocating, when I turned again to him. “Yes, Mr. Roberts?”

“Sorry to interrupt your teenage and fluent conversation, Ms. Parker,” he started sarcastically, “but I would like to speak to you for a second, if you don’t mind.”

As I followed him to his classroom, I felt nervous. Maybe one shouldn’t be alone with a teacher in a deserted classroom. He entered his room, waited for me to pass, closed the door and went to sit in his desk, but stopped as he gestured for me to take a seat.

I proceed to do so, and found myself in my current seat at class. He chuckled and pulled a chair in front of the desk towards him, indicating that I was too far away. I switched seats.

“What’s up?” I asked, trying to sound completely normal.

I think.

I put my books vertically, standing up, in front of the table the chair held, feeling the need to cover the form of my breasts. I slid the jacket I also held in my hands to my knees when a cold breeze hit me and I waited impatiently for Mr. Roberts to answer, so I could leave the awkward atmosphere.

“Yes.” He stepped out of his desk and sat in front of me, making me feel scared, yet totally weirded-out (in a good way). His blonde hair flew with him to the front before speaking. “You left in such a hurry the other day that I barely had time to apologize for my behavior.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“I was a bit off, wasn’t I?”

I still didn’t say anything. He smiled and confused my lack of words with nervousness. “I don’t bite,” he said and then he did what I thought I had imagined this whole time, proving me that I was indeed not so crazy. He seduced me, by giving me light wink and walking next to my ear. “Unless you want me to,” he whispered.

I instantly got up. “W—why would I want that?” This felt like a version of my dream with Alex, when he turned into a creepy monster and I ran away. My heart began beating as I did in my dream; my lips began feeling damp along with my hands.

Mr. Roberts' hand took me by the elbow and pushed me gently guiding me to sit again. “It was only a joke,” he said in a voice that sounded more little bad boy-like than professor-like. His hand didn’t stop at my elbow as I did this; it went to rest on the back of the seat while my eyes searched uncontrollably for a way to get out.

My cheeks were flushed in redness; I could sense it when hotness entered them. His eyes were captivating, but I knew I did not want to go there. No matter how attractive the man was. “Mr. Rob—”

“You can call me Cory,” he chimed in.

I stood up; ready to leave, but then I noticed how close his face actually was. I tried to sit down again, but Mr. Roberts held onto my back, pulling me closer. “What would I do t—” I tried to ask again, but his lips got a hold of mine. I felt my eyes widened as his hands held my waist softly and not animal-like, like I had expected him to. He held me, right there, kissing my lips, but I wouldn’t—couldn’t kiss him back. Instead, a hand ran across his cheek, reminding me once again about Alex, this time where I sat on top of the oak tree, thinking he might kiss me. When in reality, during that time, the last thing he thought about was kissing Lillian Parker. And I wouldn’t even kiss myself for what had just happened, even if I was exaggerating.

I ran away from his classroom, struggling with the door which was locked. When I freed the lock, I ran as far as I could, ignoring the fact that my aunt was already waiting for me in the school’s parking lot.