“All right,” he grumbles, standing up and walking over toward the chalkboard. “My name is Mr. Hawthorne, and trust me when I say, I want to be here even less than you do.”
A round of chuckles fill the air as they think he’s cracking a joke, but judging by the way he rolls his eyes, he isn’t. Skye raises her hand with a cocky grin on her face. He raises a brow at her, giving her permission to speak.
“What’s your first name, Mr. Hawthorne?”
A bunch of girls fail at masking their giggles while Asher looks entirely fed up. “That is not information you need to know. You are a high school student, and I am your teacher. It’ll do you good to remember that.”
Skye pouts but my focus stays on the way Asher glances over at me and then down at the ground. Something tells me that little speech wasn’t meant for her, but for me. I can’t help the dull feeling of disappointment at his words, because seeing him again…I fucking want him, bad.
“Let’s get back to business, shall we?” He walks back over to his desk and sits down. “I’m going to take attendance. You’re all seniors in high school, so I don’t think I need to explain how this works.” Looking at his computer, he starts to call out names. “Tanner Ackerman.”
“Here,” Tanner calls back.
“Lennon Bradwell.”
“Here.”
“Tessa Da—” As he stops short, I realize he almost called out the fake name I gave him that night. He swallows, hard. “Sorry. Tessa Callahan.”
I drop my head down, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in a while. “Here.”
He continues as if nothing happened, but the way my heart is racing proves otherwise. If this is how the next few months are going to go, Jesus take the wheel.
THE WHOLE CLASS IS spent with Asher avoiding looking at me at all costs, yet I’m still afraid that when the bell rings, he’s going to ask to speak to me—which is something I can’t handle. When I woke up this morning, the absolute last person I expected to see today was him, and I just need a minute to get my head on straight. So, the second the bell rings, I grab my things and blend in with the crowd, careful not to make eye contact with him as I leave.
“Ugh, the rumors were true,” Skye sighs as she grips her book. “He is gorgeous.”
Charleigh laughs. “Didn’t you hear him? Messing around with one of his students doesn’t seem to be on his bucket list.”
“A girl can dream, okay?”
I look over at Lennon and can practically see the gears turning in her head. It’s obvious she hasn’t caught on yet, but it’s only a matter of time until she puts the pieces together.
“Honestly, he seemed like a major hard-ass,” Adrianna offers.
Kellan snorts and shakes his head. “You think that was him being a hard-ass? You should see him at practice. He almost made Tanner vomit.”
“He did not!” Tanner whines. “I told you. I was already feeling sick before I got there.”
“Sure you were, buddy.” Kellan pats him on the back twice before jumping away as Tanner goes to smack him in the stomach. He focuses on Lennon. “What’s up with you? You’re quieter than usual.”
Turning the corner, Lennon sighs. “He looked so damn familiar, but I just can’t put my finger on it.”
“You’ve probably seen him on TV or in a magazine.” Tanner shrugs. “He’s a former record-breaking quarterback for the 49ers.”
And there it is. Lennon’s eyes double in size as she stops and turns to me. I push her up against the wall and cover her mouth with my hand to keep in whatever she might blurt out. The girls keep walking, but Kellan and Tanner stop. Their brows furrow, but I smile sweetly.
“You go ahead. We’ll catch up,” I tell them.
Thankfully, they don’t ask any questions as they continue their trek to our next class. Once they’re out of earshot, I remove my hand.
“Tessa!” Lennon whisper-shouts. “What the fuck?”
“I know.”
“He’s the guy from the club!”
“I know.”
“You’ve had sex with our English teacher!”
I roll my eyes, but I can’t hide my amused grin. “I know. I realized who he was as soon as I walked in.”
She runs her fingers through her hair as she lets it all sink in. “Do you think he remembered you?”
“Trust me, there’s no way he didn’t.”
I lean against the wall next to her and let my head tip back. What am I going to do? I can’t just continue to go to class every day, pretending I don’t know how good his hands feel against my skin and the magical things he can do with his tongue. Just today alone I spaced out three different times as I replayed that night inside my head. But the look he had when he realized I’m a high school student wasn’t only surprise—it was pure, unadulterated anger.
“So, are you going to try talking to him?” Lennon questions.
I exhale heavily and then shake my head. “I don’t know. If I do, it certainly won’t be right now. I obviously need to say something; I’m just not sure what.”
WE’RE HALFWAY THROUGH LUNCH when Oakley and Micah finally decide to make their appearance. Them showing up late is completely unsurprising, especially on the first day of school. However, when they learn that their new football coach is their first period teacher, both their cocky smiles drop off their faces.
Oakley is a lot like Kellan, but with morals. He’s your typical jock who only has love for football. Sure, he’s hooked up with his fair share of girls. They practically flock to him, with his hazel eyes and toned body. Plus, he plays on the fact that his eyes change color in the light. However, he’s always been very clear about the fact that his future in sports is his sole focus right now, and that there’s no room for anything, or anyone, else.
Micah is more of the shy, quiet type. He’s been Oakley’s best friend since they were in first grade, which is why he’s just as into the dream of playing in the NFL, but he’s nothing like him personality wise. For example, when I met them both over the summer, it was at a party. Oakley was doing body shots off some girl he didn’t remember the next morning, while Micah was reading a book in the middle of a crowd of people.
“Shit, and we have practice today, too,” Oakley whines. “All right, we say we had a doctor’s appointment.”
“Both of you?” Kellan raises a brow.
Oakley looks over at Micah and grins. “Quick, pretend you’re pregnant.”
The whole table laughs, since it’s such an Oakley thing to say. He’s always been the one to make a joke of things. It’s nearly impossible for anyone to be in a bad mood around him, including myself.
As I’m talking to Tanner, Lennon subtly elbows me to get my attention, nodding her head toward the door. I can feel his eyes on me before I even see him. When I glance over at him, my chest tightens. He’s standing near the entrance and talking to another teacher, but his eyes move to mine every few moments, glaring hard.
A part of me considers marching up to him, demanding to know what his problem is. However, I don’t think the middle of a crowded cafeteria is the place for that kind of conversation. Instead, I just sit here, unable to look away.