Honor Student (2 page)

“Stop biting your lip.” He said angrily and
slapped the ruler on the desk, apparently losing his train of
thought. I jumped and bit my lip harder by accident, drawing
blood.

“I’m sorry.” I said under my breath, not
knowing what else to say. I touched my lip and pulled my fingers
back, looking at the smattering of blood. He stood up from his desk
and walked towards me. My stomach fluttered. He brushed his thumb
across my lower lip, his blue eyes locked dead onto mine. I sucked
in a ragged breath and held it, afraid that if I moved it would
break me from this dream.

“Breathe.” He whispered as he leaned in close
enough for me to feel his warm breath across my face, sending a
chill down my body. A loud ringing broke the spell and he closed
his eyes for a moment before turning to dig his cell phone out from
his pocket. I stood there awkwardly as he talked. His answers were
clipped and I could not tell if the person he was talking to was
male or female. His eyes danced up and down my body as he spoke and
I could feel my cheeks burning. I bit the edge of my lip but
quickly released it as he narrowed his eyes at me. I decided to
start wandering around the room and reading the posters on the
wall. I felt rude standing there listening to his conversation.

“You should get to your next class. The bells
about to ring.” He said quietly into my ear. His hot breath on my
neck made my body melt. I had not even heard him end his call.

“So, I’m not in trouble?” I asked, too
nervous to turn around and face him.

“I didn’t say that.” From the tone of his
voice, I could tell that he was smiling. I sucked in another ragged
breath and nodded my head.

“Yes, Sir” I grabbed my books just as the
bell rang and snuck back out into the hall as everyone else
filtered out of their classrooms. I could not tell if I was still
buzzing from the weed or from my encounter with Mr. Honor. Halfway
down the hall Claire and Becka rushed to my side.

“Oh my God Emma I am so sorry!” Becka
apologized.

“Who was it?” Claire asked, she had looped
her arm with mine and I was not sure if it was a friendly gesture
or if she was still too stoned to walk straight.

“Come on! Tell us! Did you get in trouble?”
Becka asked, stepping in front of me so I would have to answer.

“I think it will be okay.” I replied, not
sure what had just happened. Part of me thought I had made it all
up.

“Did you tell them our names?” Claire asked
and I could tell all she was worried about was herself. I paused
for a moment as they hung onto my every breath.

“No. I did not say your names. You guys owe
me big!” I finally said, letting them off the hook. They threw
their arms around me and thanked me. “I got to go. I can’t miss
another class.” I said as I pried their arms off me. Claire
frowned.

“Want to hang out later?” she asked. I did
not know how to respond.

“Get to class, Ladies!” A voice boomed from
behind us and goose bumps suddenly covered my body. It was Mr.
Honor. Claire and Becka reluctantly let go of me and I snuck a
glance over my shoulder. His blue eyes burned into mine. I turned
back around quickly and made my way into class.

Everything was a blur. I could not keep my
mind off him. At the end of class, Becka and Claire were waiting by
the door.

“Here’s my number if you want to go out after
classes.” Claire said as they followed me down the hall. It was the
end of the day and Mr. Honor was standing outside of his classroom
as we filed by. I could not help but stare at him.

“We were thinking of checking out that new
scary movie everyone is raving about. It starts at eight.” She
continued, oblivious to the fact that I was not paying
attention.

“Sure.” I said, not really knowing what I was
agreeing to. Mr. Honor smirked and I could not help but grin back
at him.

“So you’ll come?” Becka asked and I stopped
dead in my tracks as Mr. Honor slid back inside his classroom.
“Yea, I’ll come. What time did you say?” I asked.

“Eight o’clock. Don’t be late, the place will
be packed!” She warned me and I smiled.

“I’ll be there.” I promised and they headed
off to the parking lot.

Chapter Four

I sat in my car replaying everything that had
happened today. I cannot believe I was stupid enough to get high in
school. I was praying Mr. Honor would not tell anyone, but I was
certain my secret was safe with him. Still, I could not stop
thinking about what he said about being in trouble. What did he
mean exactly? As the parking lot cleared out, I started my car to
leave. I cranked the radio and sang along Crimson and Clover as I
made my way to my Aunt’s house.

I pulled into the driveway cursing myself for
agreeing to a girl’s night out with the very girls who used me as a
scapegoat. I could not entirely blame them. I was just as guilty
for what we did. Besides, had I not done it I would have never
gotten to spend extra time with Mr. Honor.

The house was empty and I was glad no one was
around to ask me twenty questions about where I was going. I
slipped into the shower to get ready for the movie. I stayed under
the water, daydreaming until it ran cold. I wrapped a towel loosely
around my chest and went to my bedroom to find something to wear.
Most of my belongings were in boxes so I had to do a great deal of
digging before finding something suitable. I decided on a little
black dress and black heels. After getting dressed, I carefully
curled the ends of my hair. By the time I was done applying mascara
I looked at least a few years older. I sat around listening to
music and cleaning the house to kill time. When it seven o’ clock I
figured it was a safe to leave. By the time I got to the theater
and we got our snacks it would only be a short wait for the movie.
I jumped in my car and began backing out the driveway as headlights
filled my rearview mirror and a horn beeped. I threw my car into
park and sighed loudly. My Aunt pulled her car alongside mine.

“Where ya’ headed?” She asked, as her male
passenger looked off, seemingly uninterested and completely
wasted.

“Heading to the movies, don’t wait up.” I
called over the engines and smiled.

“Oh, we won’t!” She replied and her cheesy
grin made me nauseous. I rolled my eyes and backed the rest of the
way out of the driveway.

Finding the movie theater in the dark was a
lot harder than I had anticipated. I had to text Claire and Becka
several times before I finally saw the great big theater sign along
the side of the highway. I made three passes around the parking lot
before I found an available space. Everyone had come out to see the
new horror flick Slash. I suddenly felt self-conscious about my
dress and wondered if I should leave quickly before anyone saw me.
I could claim my car broke down or ran out of gas. It was too late.
I spotted Becka and Claire making their way across the parking lot
waving at me to get my attention. I reluctantly got out of the car
and straightened my dress.

“Stop tugging at that! You look great!” Becka
reassured me. She was wearing a similar outfit in deep purple.

“Thanks.” I said shyly, tucking my hair
behind my ear.

“What am I, chopped liver?” Claire asked from
behind us, half-joking.

“You look great, Claire!” I said, shooting
her a smile. She smiled back and I knew she was just being
insecure. She was very much like me in that way. We waited in line
outside of the building to get our tickets.

“Do you have that new teacher, Mr. Honor?”
Becka asked me but did not wait for me to answer. “God, he is
fucking hot!” she said fanning herself. I smiled and nodded my
head.

“His eyes” Claire added and I bit my lip and
waited for the line to move. After a few moments of gushing over
our teacher, they finally changed the topic to clothing, another
subject I did not like to talk about. Luckily, the line was moving
quickly and we were able to get our tickets and move inside to the
next line for our snacks. When all was said and done we had spent
over twenty dollars apiece, but Becka and Claire assured me that it
would be worth every penny.

Most of the moviegoers were hanging out in
the lobby so we were able to score some good seats near the front.
I always preferred to sit in the back but Claire insisted that the
closer to the blood and guts you where, the better. The lights
dimmed and a hush fell over the crowd as the previews started to
play. It took an entire fifteen minutes before the movie started,
but Becka and Claire had made a list of all the new movies coming
out that we would have to go see.

When the movie finally began, the room fell
completely silent. Within a few moments they would all be
screaming, myself included. My heart felt like it was going to
burst out of my chest. This was worth every penny and I was glad I
had decided to come.

An hour into the film I excused myself to use
the restroom. The line curved out of the door. I played on my cell
phone and stepped forward as the line moved oblivious to my
surroundings. That was until a woman’s giggles broke my train of
thought. I glanced up to see a man and a woman locked in each
other’s arms. He was kissing her neck and she playfully smacked him
on the chest. Just as I realized I was staring the man and woman
were kissing each other passionately. His eyes opened and my heart
caught in my throat. Mr. Honor was staring back at me and I could
not look away. My face burnt red but his gaze held mine. I bit my
lip as jealousy bubbled through me.

“Your turn” A teenaged boy called from behind
me. I glanced back at the bathroom and saw that the line had
completely vanished in front of me.

“Sorry.” I replied and stepped into the small
room. I splashed some water on my face hoping it would magically
make the blush fade from my cheeks. Of all people to catch making
out at the movies, I would have never guessed I would see Mr.
Honor. I went to the bathroom and waited around a few more seconds
before heading back out the door. I took a deep breath and pulled
it open, glancing to the side of the hall quickly. He was gone. I
breathed a sigh of relief and headed back into my theater.

“What took you so long?” Claire asked as she
handed me back my popcorn and candy.

“The line was crazy.” I replied, but did not
elaborate on what else was crazy about it. I sunk deeper into my
seat and tried to get back into the movie but my thoughts would not
leave him. His burning gaze locked on mine for what felt like an
eternity. There was something very creepy about our encounters but
I could not get enough of him. Unfortunately, someone else already
had him. I spent the next half of the movie trying to imagine what
she looked like. She had dirty blonde curls that cascaded down her
back and I assumed she was probably in her early twenties. She was
no doubt gorgeous if she could hold his attention. My cheeks heated
again as I realized she had not held his attention. His eyes were
locked on to mine. Butterflies filled my stomach as I thought about
what it had meant. In reality, I knew it probably did not mean
anything. Perhaps he was embarrassed by seeing a student out of
class while in such a compromising position.

Chapter Five

The crowd screamed in unison, jarring me from
my thoughts. My popcorn flew from its container and Claire laughed
at me.

“Scared?” she taunted. I nodded and smiled. I
had no idea what was going on in the movie and at this point, I did
not care. I was feeling a little sad seeing Mr. Honor with someone
else, not that I had a right to feel jealous, but for some reason,
I had thought on some level that he liked me. I shook the thought
from my head. It was stupid for me to let myself be caught up in a
fantasy. I suddenly missed home and wanted nothing more than to
leave this place and never come back. I slunk down in my seat and
waited for the movie to end.

Twenty long minutes later the credits where
rolling and I could not be happier. We waited for the majority of
the other moviegoers to file out before finally making our way
towards the exit.

Becka and Claire were rambling on about going
to some party and getting drunk. I made up a lame excuse about
having a curfew so I could go home. I did not feel much like
partying.

The drive home seemed longer than the trip to
the theater even though I did not get lost this time. My thoughts
flashed to Becka and Claire inviting me to the movies. I was sure
Mr. Honor had overheard our conversation. In my overactive
imagination, I pictured running into him there. I just had not
factored in that he would not be alone.

I was relieved to see the driveway empty when
I pulled into my aunt’s house. The last thing I wanted was to hear
her raving about the new man of the hour. It was late so I was sure
I would not see her again until tomorrow. I stalked into my bedroom
and threw my shoes into the corner. I pulled off my dress, not
bothering to unzip it and slipped into an oversized t-shirt from my
old school.

I grabbed my old yearbook and walked into the
kitchen for a drink. I slid the milk out of the way and grabbed a
can of soda, along with a cheap bottle of vodka. I carried
everything into the living and clicked on the television. I watched
on old romance movie as I drank a small swig from the bottle. The
alcohol burned my throat and I coughed and sputtered. I quickly
chased it down with my soda as tears filled the rims of my eyes. I
flipped open the book and ran my fingers over the indents left by
the pen my friend’s had used to sign it. My body began to feel warm
and I took a longer swig from the bottle, wiping a drip from my
chin. I thought about packing my things and heading back to
Michigan. I knew it would never be the same there. Everyone looked
at me with pity after my parents had died. They treated me as if I
was a toddler who could not take care of myself. At least in
Florida most had no idea the situation I had come from. Only a few
teachers and the school guidance counselor had the gory details. I
wiped a wayward tear from my cheek and put the bottle to my lips
again. The sadness magnified as the alcohol took effect, but I did
not care. I knew if I drank enough I would forget about it all. I
flipped through the pages as my tears fell onto the glossy paper. I
ran my fingers over the wet marks and the signatures smudged across
the book.