Tear Down These Walls (10 page)

“Just a little bit,” Victoria mutters.

“Are you ladies ready to learn some self-defense
tactics?” Trent, oblivious to their conversation, asks them both.

Happy to diffuse the situation with Victoria, Teagan
nods, “Yes, I am ready and open to learn.”

“She is definitely
open
for you to teach her some
stuff,” Victoria nudges Teagan with her elbow.

In total embarrassment, Teagan shoots her friend the
look of death. “Umm, yes,” Trent coughs.  “I am going to start class now.”
As he walks past Teagan, he gets close to her and whispers, “I’m glad that you
made it.” She smiles broadly.

He walks into the center of the mat. “Welcome ladies. As
some of you know, my name is Trent Grayson. I would appreciate it if you
address me as Mr. Grayson. This is a ten-week course, every Monday at this
time. You have given me your numbers, so if anything should arise, I will
contact you about changes. If you have any questions during this course,
please, feel free to ask. I want you comfortable and able to replicate what I
teach you. So, let’s get started. I want everyone to tell me their name and why
you are here.”

There are nervous giggles and groans from all over the
group of women. They each go around saying their name and why they came.
Finally, it’s Teagan’s turn. “Hi, my name is Teagan.  Umm, last Friday
night I was assaulted. Luckily, this wonderful guy was there to save me and
insisted I take a self-defense course. So, here I am.” The corner of Trent’s
mouth twitches up and then disappears.

Victoria goes, “My name is Victoria, and she made me
come.”

There are laughs from the rest of the group. Trent claps
his hands. “Alright ladies, first I am going to teach you the proper stances
you should take when someone is attacking or grabbing you.  Who wants to
volunteer?”

A lot of hands shoot up. Trent looks at Teagan. She
playfully scowls in return. Victoria suddenly shoves her forward and towards
Trent. “Victoria!” Teagan hisses.

“Come on Miss Murphy, don’t be shy,” Trent says, with a
hint of humor in his tone.

Teagan walks over to him. Trent grabs her and turns her
around, so she is facing away from him.  “Make sure you keep your hands
where they are supposed to be,” Teagan barely whispers to him.

“Why Miss Murphy, how unprofessional do you think I am?”
Trent murmurs back into her ear. Looking up, he says, “All right, you always
need a firm hold and stance when doing anything. If an attacker can knock you
off your feet, that is going to put you at a disadvantage. So, let’s start
there.”

He spends fifteen minutes using Teagan as an example.
Finally, he wants everyone to pair off and try to knock each other over. Teagan
and Victoria have way too much fun slamming into each other.  They end up
giggling into a fit. Trent suddenly appears next to them. “Teagan, you need to
take this seriously.”

She tries to keep a straight face but can’t. “We are doing
what you told us to do! We are just having fun doing it!”

“He would be object less if we were in bikinis and doing
this in pudding,” Victoria snorts.  Trent shoots her a look, and she
shoots one right back.

“I just want you to be serious. This is important,”
Trent emphasizes. His eyes flash something between annoyance and frustration.

“I know,” Teagan sighs, “But I can have fun doing it.”
She takes a stance. “Try and push me, and you will see that I have been
practicing.” Trent shakes his head and shoves her. Teagan barely falters. 
“See, I am doing well at this.” Trent grins and then pushes her sideways, and
she falls back. He quickly grabs her. Teagan gasps, “That is not fair!”

“No, no it isn’t,” Trent replies. “Sorry.”

Teagan stands up and glares at him. Finally, she smirks,
“If you wanted to sweep me off my feet, you could have gone a different route.”

“Teagan, stop,” Trent sternly demands. It is obvious he
does not appreciate her humor, but she just can’t stop herself.

“Trent, relax,” she retorts quietly.

“It’s Mr. Grayson while we are here,” Trent states.

Rolling her eyes to the heavens, Teagan says, “Batman
has disappeared, and Captain stick up my ass is here.”

“Teagan!” Trent hisses loudly. “I don’t want to remove
you from class.”

She shuts up quickly and stares at him. “Fine,” she
snips. Turning to Victoria, Teagan says, “Get your stuff.”

“Uh oh,” Victoria giggles. She turns and walks to their
jackets. Teagan gives a look to Trent and then follows her.

Trent walks up behind them. “You aren’t seriously
leaving!?” He reaches out to grab her shoulder, but she brushes him off.

Spinning on her heel, Teagan looks at him. “Listen
Trent, I like you. I think you could teach me a lot, but you need to stop being
such a hard ass.”

He exhales and rubs his temple. “I told you. Here, I
will only be professional.”

“I understand that, but would you talk to any of your
other students like this?” With a sigh, Trent shakes his head. Teagan looks
down. “Then why are you with me?”

“Because,” he starts. “We have this thing going on
outside of class. I need to keep them separated.”

Her eyes flash open. “We have
what
going on
outside of here?”

“We had lunch. You have my numbers. I have your number.”

“You were you planning on using it?” Teagan inquires
with curiosity, “Mr.  I Don’t Fraternize With Students?”

Trent opens his mouth and then pauses. “Well, I am going
to Michigan with you, aren’t I?”

“He is wwwhhhhaaaattttt,” Victoria draws out in shock.

Teagan gives him a look and whispers, “I hadn’t made my
mind up about that yet.”

“Well, I’m still offering,” Trent replies. He reaches
over and rubs her arm. “Sorry….. please stay. I have to go finish teaching, and
I want you here.”

“Okay,” Teagan says, feeling relieved. “No more being a
jerk?”

He shakes his head, “No, no more being a jerk. Come on.”
Trent nudges his head, and they all walk back to the mat.

A half an hour later, Teagan is putting her jacket on.
Victoria exhales dramatically, “I’m tired.”

“You need to get more physical exercise,” Teagan laughs.
“I told you I would go run with you or something.”

“You girls should work out three times a week,” Trent
states, appearing behind them out of nowhere.

Victoria smiles, “You can give Teagan a workout whenever
you want.”

“OH…MY….GOD. Victoria! Shut up!” Teagan yells. Trent
looks uncomfortable, but a grin twitches on his mouth anyway. Teagan hangs her
head. “Please excuse her.”

Scoffing, Victoria counters with, “Whatever, you need a
guy in your life.”

“I don’t need you to get me one, and it’s not going to
be Trent,” Teagan declares hotly.

With an evil smile, Victoria laughs, “That’s what you
say. Meet you at the front door.” 

Teagan and Trent watch her walk away. Teagan turns and
says, “Please, ignore her.”

“I don’t fraternize with students, which includes sex,”
Trent replies.

“Oh, but you will go to Michigan with me?” Teagan
inquires.

He shrugs, “That’s different.”

“Awww,” Teagan whines. “I won’t get any after the
wedding?”

“Not from me,” Trent retorts, smiling broadly.

“Damn,” Teagan sighs. “I was hoping to.”

Trent narrows his eyes. “Liar.”

“Yup, pretty much,” she laughs. “You teach an awesome
class. I feel as though I am actually learning something.”

“You doubted that you would?” Trent asked, with his
eyebrows raised.

She shrugs, “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I think I
will feel more comfortable with myself.”

“Good,” Trent replies.

“Well, I have class in the morning,” Teagan says,
picking up her bag. “I will see you next Monday.”

He gives her a soft look and then mutters, “Yeah, I
guess I will see you Monday.” Teagan smiles and starts to walk to the door.
Trent casually follows her there. “If you need anything before then, let me
know.”

Teagan looks up at him. “What do you mean by that?”

Hesitating, Trent shakes his head. “I don’t know, never
mind.”

“Like if I can’t get a jar open, you will come to help?”
Teagan teases.

“Yes,” Trent laughs. “That’s exactly what I meant.”

“Figured, well sorry, I can open jars just fine without
a man,” Teagan declares proudly. “So, I won’t need your help.”

“Okay, then I will see you Monday,” Trent chuckles.

Nudging him with her hip, Teagan whispers, “Maybe I will
text you out of boredom.”

“No fraternizing,” Trent retorts.

“Well, I will keep the texts innocent then and send the
naked shots to some other guy.”

Trent laughs and then says, “Have a safe ride home.”

“Okay, you too,” Teagan replies.  “Talk to you
later.”

“Bye.” Trent smiles and then turns around to walk away.

With a smirk, Teagan walks out the door. The chill in
the air has turned into straight up cold, and she can see her breath. Victoria
is waiting for her at the car. “So….what did his hotness have to say?”

Teagan shakes her head. “Nothing really, that he will
see me on Monday.”

“What is this about him going to Michigan with you?”
Victoria probes with humor in her tone.

“Well, he offered to go to the wedding. He wants to make
sure Justin stays away from me.”

“You need to take him up on that offer!” Victoria
exclaims. “Can you imagine the look on Justin’s face!? Trent is like three
times the size of Justin!”

Giggling, Teagan says, “Yeah. It would actually be
pretty funny.”

“Funny,” Victoria counters. “It would be hilarious!
Plus, Trent is hot! Justin would know he doesn’t have a chance in hell.”

Shaking her head, Teagan sighs, “I can’t take him to Michigan.
It would be lying to my friends.”

“You don’t have to say he is your boyfriend,” Victoria
points out. “Just a date.” 

“That is what Trent said. I don’t know. I just met the
guy. It could be weird. Maybe he is a serial killer in his spare time.”

“Well…..I doubt that, but okay. Isn’t it worth the
risk?” Victoria inquires with a grin. “Imagine what Justin’s reaction would
be.”

Teagan smiles, “He would have a coronary.”

“I say, take Trent. Maybe you guys could get closer
while you are there.”

With a snort, Teagan replies, “It’s not even like that
at all, but I will definitely think about taking him.”

“Go for it Teagan,” Victoria urges. “It’s better than
going dateless and being near Justin alone.”

“True,” Teagan exhales, not sure on what to do. The idea
of seeing Justin again makes her stomach turn.

“So, do you want to do breakfast before class tomorrow?”
Victoria inquires. “I could go for an omelet.”

“Sure,” Teagan laughs as they drive away from the
building and into the darkening night.

*            
*            
*            
*             *

The newscaster says, “Hello, thanks for joining us on
this beautiful Sunday morning!”

Teagan pours her coffee and sighs. When she takes her first
sip, she glances down at her cell phone. She has been wanting to text Trent all
week, but has chosen not to. She doesn’t even know what she would say.
Abruptly, her phone starts to ring. Teagan gets hopeful, but then sees that it
is Isaac.  She exhales and answers, “Hello.”

“Hey Teagan!” Isaac exclaims. “What are you doing this
afternoon?”

“Studying for my test,” Teagan sighs. “I have been all
weekend.” She looks around the apartment. “I need to get some cleaning done
around here, also, before my dishes go on strike from neglect.”

“Want to get away from it for a while? We are going to
the pub to shoot some pool.”

Thinking about it for a minute, Teagan asks, “Who is
going?”

“Michael, Emily, Victoria and me,” Isaac answers. “Come
on, you know you want to come!”

“Sure, why not,” Teagan replies. “What time are you
going?”

“2 o’clock. Want me to pick you up?”

“No, I will meet you there,” Teagan states quickly.
“I’ll call Victoria and see if she wants a ride.”

“Okay,” Isaac mumbles, sounding disappointed.

Teagan rolls her eyes. “See you there.”

“Okay.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

She hangs up the phone and quickly dials Victoria. “Hey
girl!” Victoria cheers when she answers.

“Hey, do you want a ride to the pub later?” Teagan asks.

“Sure, I am glad that you’re coming!”

“I need a break from studying,” Teagan sighs. She thinks
she knows what Victoria is going to say, but she doesn’t want to assume
anything, or give her any ideas.

“You know what you should do?” Victoria giggles.

“What?” Teagan retorts. She nestles the phone against
her chin and starts water running in the sink.

“Call and invite Trent!”

“No,” Teagan snaps. She almost drops the bottle of dish
soap into the sink.

“Why not!?” Victoria exclaims.

Narrowing her eyes, Teagan says, “Because, it’s not like
we are going to hang out.”

“You don’t know that,” Victoria counters. “You haven’t
asked yet.”

“No, I haven’t talked to him all week. It would be
weird.”

“Just do it.”

Laughing, Teagan says, “No!”

“I double dog dare you,” Victoria challenges.

“No.” She rinses off the plates she just washed and puts
them in the dish strainer on the counter beside her left elbow.

“I triple dog dare you.”

“Still no,” Teagan retorts, as she finishes the dishes.
She pulls the plug to drain the sink. Good, one less thing to worry about, she
thinks.

“What do I have to do to get you to do it!?” Victoria
yells.

“Nothing, because I am not going to do it,” Teagan
states strongly, drying her hands.

There is an exasperated exhale on the other end of the
phone. “Whatever.”