A/N: This is my first fanfiction, so go easy, yeah? :P I'm not sure whether or not I should continue on with this story or whether it's complete shit. Reviews would be greatly appreciated!
Hope you enjoy! xx
The small gust of wind that blew through the open corridors of Roundview College was enough to make Emily shiver unexpectedly. Her friends seemed completely oblivious to something she thought was a rather significant temperature decline, despite the fact that it lasted all of three seconds.
For nearly a month now, Bristol had been experiencing a drought of epic proportions. The sun was out every hour of the day, raining down (no pun intended) on the unsuspecting citizens with harsh, unyielding rays of heat. For as much time as the sun was out, Emily thought the sand of the beaches would eventually harden and crack under the intense gaze of the powerful star. She couldn't even remember the last patch of fertile grass she'd seen that wasn't artificial, if she was going to be completely honest.
The streets of Bristol were so heated it could have been classified into the desert category. It's strange to feel as if you're living in the Sahara when it's winter. Flowers were beginning to wither in disappointment, waiting in vain for their nourishment that would never come. The leaves of trees browned and fell to the ground. If she were a tourist, she would have guessed that summer was just ending and Bristol was approaching fall, not winter.
Emily hadn't felt a breeze in weeks, so the cool gust of air that made her hair fly and tickled the nape of her neck was unexpected to say the least.
"Did you feel that?" She blurted out, wondering how all of her friends could seem so unfazed by what had just occurred. Katie especially. For the past week and a half, Emily's sister had been complaining nonstop that Bristol was a shithole, and it was supposed to be winter, and why didn't just one fucking breeze hit them before she died of heat exhaustion.
In Katie speak, that was her melodramatic way of saying it was far too hot for winter. Emily agreed, but she didn't whine about it nearly half as much. No one, to her knowledge, could complain quite as much and as annoyingly as Katie did and if that person was out there somewhere, she had no intentions of meeting them any time in the near future. Or ever.
"Feel what?" Katie snapped.
If the glares of annoyance she was receiving from various members of their group indicated anything, she had clearly just interrupted something. Not that she had the faintest hint of what was going on lately. She was too caught up in her own little world.
But it wasn't Emily's fault. It was Sabrina's. Or maybe it was Emily's fault. She'd allowed Sabrina to come so close to her. She'd opened her heart to the girl only to have it stomped on repeatedly and then thrown in the trash heap to be compacted later.
Emily groaned internally, realizing how melodramatic she sounded and hating the fact that she was finding more and more of Katie's annoying habits in herself lately.
No matter what she did, Sabrina was always at the forefront of her mind. Sabrina. Emily's heart ached at the name, a lump the size of a golf ball lodging itself in her throat, disturbing her respiration. She took a few deep breaths before swallowing, expunging the imaginary cloggage and allowing her breathing to return to normal. She sighed in relief at how easily the golf ball sized lump escaped her throat, avoiding another panic attack that would be the third one this week.
Her near panic-attack seemed to go unnoticed as the group around her still had their gazes fixed on her intently in that same annoyed fashion.
"Well?" Katie asked, hands on her hips as she looked at Emily expectantly, raising an eyebrow in silent accusation as if she was just caught red-handed stealing the cookies from the cookie jar.
"N-nothing," Emily stuttered, adverting her eyes from the harsh glare of her twin.
Yet again, Katie had managed to reduce Emily to a bundle of nerves, causing her to back down from her authoritative sister. She used to fight back, but she just didn't have the energy any longer. Heartbreak coupled with a mother's disapproval and a cow for a sister was sure to do that.
She began absentmindedly picking at one of the loose strings hanging from her skirt, tugging on it until it broke with a satisfying muted snap. She let the small piece of thread fall from her fingers and onto the floor, but no wind picked it up. The small gust that had blown past her disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived.
"So, like I was saying," Katie began, her words of annoyance clearly directed towards Emily. "Who do you think the new teacher's going to be? Effy?" The older twin's tone had softened considerably as she directed her question at the brunette standing to her right.
Effy merely shrugged, an arm lazily looped around Freddie's torso. "Dunno," She said in a mocking tone. Emily looked up from where she was fiddling with yet another pesky loose strand hanging from her skirt, unable to help the eerie feeling that the tone was addressing her rather than her twin, and found the brunette staring directly at her with those piercing blue eyes that she was sure could see right through her.
Emily used to resent the fact that Effy seemed to be able to read her every thought, to know her innermost secrets without truly knowing them at all. But Emily had nothing to hide. Everything was out on the table; her cards had been shown long ago.
She'd dropped the bomb on her family that she was gay over a year ago, not receiving the best response in the world. She definitely hadn't been given a hug and asked to ride on the rainbow float in the parade next year.
After the yelling portion had been completed, she was greeted mostly by cold silence. Even her twin sister couldn't look her in the eye for two weeks straight.
The only family member who had acted in a remotely accepting manner had been her perv of a younger brother who'd replied with an excited, "Sweet!" and asked if he was allowed to join in when she brought her girlfriends home.
This had earned him a sharp kick to the shin from Katie without their mum even intervening and twenty reps on the naughty bar, a punishment as devised by Rob Fitch for whenever her brother acted out - which was often.
Now that the small boy had been hanging around the McPherson's, he'd taken his vulgarity to an entirely different level. Despite her parents constant reprimanding, they still allowed her brother to retreat to the McPherson's whenever he so desired (more likely to salvage their own sanity rather than to provide a sanctuary for their son).
"All I know is she better be hotter than the last time. Cookie could use a fit older bird to stuff," Cook's voice broke through the barrier of Emily's thoughts, his obnoxiously boisterous voice coupled with his very distinguished accent enough to bring her back to earth.
She brought her gaze to the boy just in time to see him thrusting his pelvis into the air repeatedly in a gesture of vulgarity.
Emily made a face before turning away from the boy as he continually made obscene gestures before grabbing JJ in a headlock and giving him a nuggie, something the curly-haired boy didn't seem too thrilled about.
"So, Emily, who do you think the new teacher's going to be?" Effy's voice filled her eardrums, the brunette's penetrating gaze burning a hole into the side of her head. Emily cautiously turned to meet the other girl's all-knowing gaze, shrugging noncommittally.
"Someone nice?" She drawled out the last syllable of nice in a questioning tone, unsure of why the brunette had asked her of all people and why she was staring at her so intently with that same amused grin on her face.
It was the grin that said she knew something that you didn't. The grin that said she knew all of your deepest, darkest secrets and wouldn't hesitate to torture you with the constant knowledge that she had that leverage over you. Emily didn't like that grin; it unnerved her. Katie rolled her eyes and snorted at Emily's response, obviously expecting something more detailed from her sister.
"I hope he's going to be fit," Katie remarked, putting extra emphasis on what she believed was the correct pronoun. Emily's twin and Cook then got into a heated debate about whether or not the new teacher would be a male or a female.
Emily didn't understand why the coming of a new teacher was such a big deal. Teacher's came and they went. This was nothing new. And how could she possibly care about something as insignificant as getting a new teacher when her heart had just been ripped out of her chest, thrown to the ground and stomped on repeatedly?
Keep it up, Emily. You're turning more and more into Katie each day, she mentally chastised herself. Being melodramatic certainly wasn't going to help her situation. Nothing could. Emily rolled her eyes at herself, realizing that had been just as melodramatic as her previous thoughts.
Sabrina had been her girlfriend for almost a year. She was the one to help Emily discover herself. She was Emily's first. They were special. She was completely head over heels in love with the girl, and boy had she ripped Emily a new one.
Sabrina had definitely given her a new insight on reality; it was cruel and unyielding and merciless.
Sabrina, whom she'd loved so much. Sabrina, with the penetrating green eyes. Sabrina with the beautiful black hair. Sabrina who'd cheated on her.
The details of said cheating were too painful to mull over in her mind; she was sure she would have another panic attack if she thought about it any longer, anyway.
Instead of letting her mind retreat to the dark, lonely corners in which Sabrina was at every turn, she began tuning into the conversation around her, trying to focus on the voices of her friends and not the constant pain ripping through her heart and threatening to invade her tear ducts.
Just as she was beginning to get the gist of the conversation - something about an underground club they visited that they'd like to go to again - when the bell rang, signaling their first class of the day.
Each of her friends groaned in turn except for herself, Pandora, JJ and Thomas. Pandora was a bouncy blonde who always seemed enthusiastic about everything, although oblivious to the harsh reality surrounding them all that could potentially crush her.
Thomas was a dark-skinned straight A student who was just about the most genuinely kind person she'd ever met. Too bad being nice only got you so far, and then you had to deal with getting your heart broken when you were taken advantage of.
JJ was a sweet, curly-haired boy who (she'd been informed by him last year after reciting her speech about liking "tits and fanny" that had made him faint) had high-functioning autism but a kind heart. Despite his autism, he was smarter than most. And eventually he'd have to discover that being smart never worked when it came to love and he would get his heart crushed in the process.
Emily was still slightly bitter about her break up, to say the least. Her friends seemed to sense that in her and kept their distance when they knew she had ruffled feathers, which was often.
"Come on, Ems, you lazy cow. If you make me late to class and I miss out on the new fit teacher, I'll have your head on a fucking platter, you hear me?" Katie spat, grabbing Emily's arm and leading her into the crowd.
After sixteen years of having to deal with her sister, she was used to Katie's aggressiveness and her often abrasive personality. Although she could care less about the new teacher and just how fit he or she was, she knew it was something that meant a lot to Katie for whatever reason, so she felt inclined to make her feet pick up the pace instead of just dragging along as they normally did.
They walked in silence the whole way to class, Katie huffing the entire time and almost crippling a first year when he ran into them in the hallways.
As they reached the door to their first class - the one with the presumably fit teacher - another breeze reached her, this time just lightly grazing the skin of her cheeks and pushing her bangs out of her face with scarily human-like characteristics.
"Katie, did you-" Before Emily could finish her sentence, her sister had seized her arm, much more roughly this time, and pulled her into the class.
Obviously Katie hadn't felt it.
Before she had time to reflect upon the strange occurrences of the sudden winds further, she heard her sister let out a groan in disappointment, throwing her head back in obvious annoyance and taking her usual seat on Effy's left side, the clacking of her heels filling the silence in the classroom for a few moments.
Somewhere towards the back Emily heard Cook's familiar voice. "I told you it was going to be a bird. And she's fit too," He whistled appreciatively, a resounding smacking noise sounding followed by a muted ouch.
Emily rolled her eyes at her friend's antics, taking her seat behind Katie, as she always did.
"She looks young, too. Reckon she's around our age? Emilio, what do you think? You've got an eye on you, don't cha?" Cook's voice addressed her this time and Emily tensed, realizing the mention of Sabrina was eminent. After all, she was the only girl Emily had ever officially dated.
Before the boy could get another word out, she heard another smacking sound, smiling softly despite herself.
It was probably Freddie, reasoning that he was the only one close enough to Cook that could smack him without her seeing. She turned around briefly to offer the olive-skinned boy with the shaggy brown hair a small, thankful smile, turning around when it was returned.
"But seriously, Emilio man. Look at her and tell me you wouldn't fuck the living daylights outta her," Cook's indoor voice, unfortunately, was much louder than a whisper, meaning a number of the kids surrounding them had heard his comment.
She sighed as a small outbreak of laughter occurred among her classmates, about to make a sarcastic comment when she realized she hadn't even looked at her teacher yet - not that that would change anything.
She sighed once again, this time in defeat, and raised her eyes from the desk to the front of the room, finally getting a good look at their new teacher.
Emily's heart caught in her throat. Her breath hitched. Her skin tingled. A dreamy smile painted itself across her lips without her knowledge. Her teacher... she was gorgeous in a completely platonic, not weird student to teacher kind of thing, of course.
From her beautifully slim legs that were accentuated by tight black leggings to her toned thighs, and her probably flat stomach judging by how her shirt was hugging her hips rather tightly, not an ounce of fat pooling over her jeans. She had just enough cleavage showing to make Emily's heart throb, but not to look slutty. She had peroxide blonde hair that looked so soft that she immediately wanted to run her fingers through them.
And her eyes. Her icy blue eyes that were brought out by the royal blue top she was wearing seemed to peer straight into her soul, but not in a bad way. Not in an uncomfortable way like Effy's, but in a way that made her want to never break eye contact. Her beautiful blue eyes... that were staring right at Emily.
Oh fuck.
She felt a blush color her cheeks as she realized what had just happened. She'd been caught eye fucking her new teacher. Their eyes met for a split second and Emily thought her heart was going to break free of her chest due to the way it was pounding painfully against her rib cage. She thought she might have seen a ghost of a smirk on her teacher's lips, but then the eye contact was broken, leaving a flustered Emily behind.
She kept her eyes on her desk for the remainder of the time before the bell rang, signaling the start of class, not wanting to chance a look at the new teacher and accidentally check her out. Again.
The chatter quieted down when the click-clack of heels could be heard across the tile, the new teacher coming to a halt at the whiteboard, quickly scribbling what Emily assumed to be her name.
Once her eyes had been brought from the desk, she couldn't help herself. She couldn't bring herself to tare her gaze away from somewhere she should definitely not be staring.
Fuck's sake, Emily. Snap out of it. She's your teacher. Stop staring at her ass like it's an all you can eat buffet.
Her eyes darted from where they were looking moments ago when the teacher turned around, smiling so brightly that Emily thought she might melt in her seat.
"Hello class, I'm Mrs. Campbell," There were grunts of acknowledgement and confusion as some kids shuffled around in their desks, but Emily was far too fixated on the teacher's voice to think of or do much else.
Normally, teachers at college went by their first name. In fact, Emily wasn't sure she'd ever heard a teacher introduce themselves by last name.
Campbell. She mouthed the word to herself, deciding she liked the taste of it on her tongue, which brought her to think of other things she might want to taste on her tongue.
Emily scolded herself for the thought, knowing she definitely wasn't supposed to be exhibiting this kind of behavior or having these kinds of thoughts about her new teacher.
Mrs. Campbell. She found herself wondering what the teacher's first name was. It was probably something beautiful, something that suited her. She wondered if she was in a relationship. She obviously wasn't married due to the "Mrs." in front her last name.
Right then, she couldn't find it in herself to question any further. She would find out the teacher's first name eventually and why the fuck did it matter to her so much anyway? but for the moment, she was far too caught up in the blonde's voice.
She thought she detected the slightest Irish accent mixed in with the commonplace Bristolian one, but wasn't quite sure. All she knew was that she wanted to hear that voice again. And again. And again. And again. On an endless loop so that she would never forget the way her heart fluttered when she did hear it.
"I may look a bit young to you. That's because I'm around your ages. I became a certified teacher when I was sixteen. That doesn't mean you get to treat me like I'm your friend. You're here to learn and I'm here to teach," Mrs. Campbell stated simply.
Emily hardly heard the words; she was too focused on the sound of her new teacher's voice. She wanted to make a disruption, cause an uproar, something. Anything to hear that voice again.