The Teacher (8 page)

I shook my head sadly. "You're jus
t making it harder, Alicia." S
he kept staring at him like she wished she had something shar
p. The thing was
,
I believed
she thought she was looking out for me. But treating him like crap was just making it harder for
me to do what I needed to do, w
hat I wanted to do--move on.

Mrs. Reynolds swooped back in, holding a bottle of wine. Thank God.

I took a huge swallow, trying to ignore my mother's disapproving glare as Chance saddled up beside me.

"So!" Mrs. Reynolds said brightly, trying to alleviate the pressure with a smile. "What do you do for a living, Chance?"

"Were you ignoring me ear
lier, Mom
?" Alicia spat. "I told yo
u he was teaching at Thomas
so he can weasel his way back into
Cass'
life."

"Alicia!" Mrs. Reynolds gasped, her face reddening.

Alicia shrugged a shoulder.
"Just being honest."

Mrs. Reynolds shoulders slumped as she apologized for her daughter.
Again.

"It's alright," Chance said. But I could already see him unraveling at the seams, clenching his jaw and pointedly not looking in Alicia's direction.

The timer dinged and I almost wanted to offer to dish it out, but Mrs. Reynolds flitted from the room quickly, like she too couldn't stand the tension.

I tried again with Alicia. "I saw the most interesting article on-"

"You know what's interesting?" s
he interrupted. "That apparently Thomas' rules and regulations have gotten so lax that it's no biggie that professors and students hook up."

My stomach lurched as Chance slammed his wine glass down with a snap.

"I mean, have the rules changed, Dr. Crawford?" Alicia asked sweetly.

"I think you're aware they haven't, Alicia," Chance said, chewing every word. "Why don't you go ahead and say what's on your mind and cut the suspense?"

I looked at her, knowing exactly what she was hinting at, but not wanting her to say it.
Begging her not to.

She looked at me, then him and raised her chin. "It would be a shame if someone let the dean know about the conduct of his rookie English professor."

I inhaled sharply, taking all the air from the room. Affairs between teachers and students weren't allowed but they only existed in rumor. Even Mom looked at Alicia with surprise. Chance was just looking forward, frighteningly still.

I reached for his hand. "Chance-"

His seat sliding back on the floor was like nails on a chalkboard. He looked at me, no one else. "Please let Lisa know that I regret not being able to stay for dinner."

I jumped up but went no further, torn. It didn't matter because Alicia was already crucifying me.

"He says jump and you say how high? You’re not really going to
follow him like some puppy dog,
are you?”

“J
ust stop it!” I yelled, slamming my fist on the table. The glass and silverware clinked and clanked and the room went silent. Mom and Alicia looked at me with surprise. I knew it was because I’d been a zombie for far too long, j
ust going through the motions; n
ot rocking the boat, or asserting myself. But now I was wide awake and they were going to hear me out.

I turned my ire to Alicia first. “How dare you threaten his
job!
I know you think you’re helping, saving me from myself or something another, but I don’t need to be saved.”

“Yes, but-”

“No,” I snapped, pushing back from the table. “I was hoping we could all be adults. Everyone makes mistakes. I decided to forgive Chance. You don’t have to agree with my decision, but you do have to respect it!”

My mother’s glare softened and Alicia looked down at the tablecloth. I knew it would be a cold day in hell before she apologized for what she said, but at least her silence meant she wouldn’t say anymore. Not tonight anyway.

But I wasn’t done.

“I know you think that this is some cry for help because of Dad,” I continued. “That Chance is the problem, a drug and now I’m relapsing. But he’s helping me. I need him.”

Alicia glanced back up, her face still hard, but trying to listen.

“Chance isn’t going anywhere,” I said
with finality. “The next time he joins us for dinner, don’t embarrass me again.”

The room was still
quiet,
the only sound my kitten heels clicking on the hardwood floor as I left the dining room. I stopped in the foyer to grab our jackets and thank Mrs. Reynolds for her invitation to dinner before following Chance back out to the car.

He wa
s perched on the hood of the sedan,
his body taut and furious.

When he saw me, he stood up, shaking his head adamantly. "You don't have to do that."

"Do what?" I said. "Leave with my date?"

"
I’m sorry I stormed out. I'm not mad," he adde
d unconvincingly.

I gave him a look. "You blew
out of there like the house was on fire."

He gave me a sliver of smile, but it evaporated almost instantly. "Your friend, your mother have every right to not trust me.
To hate my guts."

I walked over and leaned against a space beside him. "True...but they should trust me. And trust what I want."

He turned to me, his face open.
Almost vulnerable.
"And what is that you want, Cass?"

I nudged him with my shoulder playfully. He was the one teaching me about second chances, showing me that it was okay to open my heart again. Now he needed me to school him on something that should have been obvious.

"You," I answered simply. "It's always been you."

###

Thank you for taking the time to read The Teacher. Please consider leaving a review.
xoxo
A.C.

Ava Claire is a sucker for Alpha males and happily ever
afters
. When not putting pen to paper or glued to her Kindle, Ava likes road tripping, karaoke, and vintage fashion.

More about the
His Dark Lessons
series:

The His Dark Lessons series will be released in
serial format
and will consist of
three parts
.

The Student (Part One): November

The Teacher (Part Two): December

The Test (Part Three): January

**Stay tuned to Ava’s blog for more info on new releases
!*
*

http://avaclaireromantica.blogspot.com