Flourish

There is no school today for both Bambi and Ryan, Bambi is suppose to spend the day studying and Ryan is suppose to be meeting with other teachers but he has called in sick, they are going out on a date, a real date. Nerves flutter in Ryan's stomach as he reaches the coffee place where they had agreed to meet over a whispered phone call this morning. Bambi has gone to effort to look good today, she has paid attention to her messy hair and brushed it back into a nice braid, she has spent more than five minutes with her make-up and has chosen an outfit her mother says makes her eyes pop, it is a knee length pale lace dress. Bambi feels pretty and Ryan is almost speechless when he sees her. He thinks Bambi is pretty hiding behind her curtain of hair, but to see it swept from her face is truly breath taking.

Ryan walks over to the table where Bambi anxiously waits for his arrival, “Hey Alice” He says softly,

“Hi Ryan” Bambi does not find it weird to call her teacher Ryan because to her he is not Mr Carter he is Ryan the boy or man rather who has stolen her breath and heart. Ryan has put on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt of a friends band, he is trying to look casual and does not mention he asked Tony how he looked before he left to meet Bambi.

“Ready?” Ryan really wants to reach over and touch Bambi, kiss her hello but he knows he cannot it is already risky enough meeting here like this, Bambi has assured him no one from their school comes here except for the occasional teacher. Bambi nods and they go to his car, they drive to the next town over and park in a movie thereat parking lot. Ryan is taking Bambi to see a movie, because it is private and he is nervous about finding things to fill the silences that will inevitably fall between them.
Ryan rushes around to Bambi’s door and opens it for her grabbing her hand and leaning her against the car, he leans down her short frame and plants small kisses on her neck, shoulders and everywhere but her mouth, Bambi in frustration leans forward and kisses Ryan.

They order a large popcorn and two sodas, Bambi sips hers because she does not know what else to do, they sit at the back of the theater, Bambi is not interested in the movie so she turns to face Ryan in her seat, Bambi has so many questions. “What?” Ryan asks staring at Bambi with a cute smile.

“I just don’t know much about you” Bambi whispers as more people file into the cinema,

“Ask me anything”

“What were you like I high school?”

Ryan laughs, “I thought I was this mega bad ass, smoking and talking back to teachers” Bambi giggles at her vest wearing teacher being a bad boy, it is a funny thought,

“What happened?”

“I had this teacher, he was… I don’t he just really cared and he really inspired me”

“You inspire me” Ryan smiles, “Is that why you decided to become a teacher?” Ryan loves that this hesitant young girl is so open and free with him, she is not hidden behind her shyness and it makes Ryan very, very happy.

“Yes, he died my senior year and I decided I wanted to be something other than in jail by the time I was twenty-one” Bambi giggles, "What?”

“I just cant picture you as a bad boy”

“I can be very bad” Ryan says with a sexy smile, Bambi blushes so bright she fears she is fluorescent, Ryan lightly brushes a stray hair behind her ear.

“What were you like as a kid?”

“I was a very strange kid, I thought I was superman to the point where all I would wear till I was seven was a superman costume, no joking cape and all” Ryan says cringing at the memory

“What happened?”

“My mother died and I just kinda gave up on that stuff… It didn’t seem important”

“I’m sorry”

“Don’t be” Ryan says, neither Ryan nor Bambi have realized that the movie has started they are both too interested in each other, “What were you like as a kid?”

“I was very happy and I was actually really normal… Until I was seven then I just…” Bambi trails off,

“What?” Bambi wants to explain it to Ryan but she cannot take the possibility of him looking at her as a victim, as a tarnished little girl, she will not be pure in his eyes anymore she will be used and thrown aside and she cannot take that chance.

“I guess I just went through a faze… My mum would read me these beautiful fairy tales every time I had a nightmare and I think that’s what got me through” Ryan is confused, Bambi is staring in the distance and he is not sure what she is talking about, she isn’t really making sense but someone how he knows she does not want to talk about it anymore so he changes the subject and hopes soon she will tell him about all the skeletons in her closet.

“When I was twelve I broke two ribs” Ryan says proudly, Bambi is snapped back to reality, she is not sitting in her mothers bed with the covers pulled up to her chin reading about a pretty princess she is in the movies with Ryan, she smiles as she blinks back tears. It’s not that she does not want to be here with Ryan because she does, she really does she is just sad because the end is so close and she is scared for what comes next.

“How?”

“I thought I’d be a skateboarder and completely wiped out landed on a pole trying to jump it”

Bambi giggles, “When I was a kid I would fall over a lot and I always scraped my knees and bumped my head, I was constantly wearing band aids”

“Is that what happened to your knee”

“Yes” Bambi says with a smile, sitting next to Ryan makes her forget about the bad stuff and she really doesn’t ever want to leave his side, “You noticed it?”

“I notice everything about you Bambi” Ryan says with a chuckle, he finds himself having to constantly remind Bambi he does in fact like her, a lot. “Anything else you want to know?”

“You’ve… You’ve” Bambi stutters because the question is too awkward to ask, she wishes she had just kept her big mouth closed.

“What, ask me anything Bambi”

“Whats your favorite color”

“That’s not what you were going to ask me was it?” Ryan says with a suspicious look on his face Bambi smiles

“It is awkward, I mean I assume you’ve… you know” Bambi is to awkward to even say the word, “I mean your old and, not that you are old or anything, you are young… really young, I’m just younger and I…” Bambi clamps a hand over her mouth, she hates her traitorous brain and mouth.

“Are you asking if I’ve had sex before?” Bambi keeps her hand over her mouth scared she will spew more ridiculousness, “I have Bambi… why do you think you might want to…” Bambi’s eyes open wider than should be possible and she goes even brighter than before, she fees like a tomato. Bambi really hates her body.

“I mean.. I don’t think about that.. But you are older and probably have expectations and I…” Bambi clamps her hand over her mouth again, she is not sure she will ever be able to face Ryan again,

“Bambi, sex is something that is very meaningful and if you can’t even talk about it with me then I don’t think you are ready” Bambi looks at her lap, she cannot look at Ryan, she is a little hurt that he does not want to have sex with her, Bambi is terrified of sex and all that happens but her heart still pangs painfully at his words, “That’s not to say I don’t want to do that with you or think about it.. I mean it’s not like it’s all I think about but yes I think about it… Sometimes…” It is Ryan's turn to make a fool of himself and Bambi smiles turning her face to stare at him. She giggles a little. “I’m sorry, I sound like some deranged pervert” Ryan says running a hand over his face,

Bambi shakes her head even thought Ryan cannot see her, “I think about it too… sometimes” Ryan looks at Bambi, he wants to badly to kiss her and touch her and slowly undress all her clothes and see every inch of body, but he knows she is not ready and he is not about to pressure her. For now Ryan and Bambi are okay with kisses, sweet little kisses soft like butterfly wings.

*

Two days till the devil returns.