I helped Bo into my guest room downstairs, "If you need anything my room i upstairs, second door to the left."
She was still drunk so she just slurred words I couldn't understand. "Thanks teach." she says swaying as she walked into the room.
"Do you need any help?" I ask, slightly concerned that she would be more of a danger to herself than others.
Bo takes of her jacket and drops it to the floor, "Um, I don't think I do. I'm not two."
"Alrighty then, those are fresh sheets on the bed and there's a shower in there." I point to the bathroom. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge, it's fully stocked."
Bo tries to take off her shirt and falls into a wall, she laughs, "Ouch."
I roll my eyes and sigh, walking over to her, "Here let me help you."
She squirms to get away from me, "I said no funny business!"
"Be still, you're going to hurt yourself." I say yanking her shirt over her head and gasp at the beautiful sight in front of me. "Um, there you go." I say trying my hardest not to stare.
"Thanks teach, you're a doll." she grabs my hand and shakes it, pushing herself off of the wall. "You can go now." she says.
"Oh right." I say and clap my hands together. "Good night."
"Whatever." she slurs trying to remove her pants.
I nod once and leave the room, but as soon as I close the door I hear a loud bang and swing the door back open. "Dammit." I swear at the sight of Bo laying on the floor laugh uncontrollably. "Are you alright?" I ask running to her side. "Did you hit your head? Are you bleeding?"
She swats at me, "No mother I'm fine, just help me out of these blasted pants." she starts to laugh again.
I tug the pants off of Bo's very toned legs and bite my lip, this woman should be in the dictionary under perfection. Because that's exactly what she was. "There." I say hoarsely and fold her pants before I help her up of the floor and into the bed. "Do you want to be under the blankets?"
She stops laughing for a second and looks at me, "Rachel liked to sleep under the blankets." she whispers.
I roll my eyes and pull back the covers, "Will you be okay?" it wasn't often the I had a gorgeous inebriated woman sleeping in my house. "By yourself I mean."
Bo scoffs, "I'm not going to kill myself if that's what you're asking teach."
I stiffen at her words, "Thats not what I meant, and don't joke about that." I say and pull the blankets up to her chin.
She stares me down, "I wasn't joking. Did I hit a nerve?"
"Like I said before I'll be upstairs if you need anything." I straighten up and go to leave the room once again. "Goodnight."
"Professor?" Bo says as I walk out of the door.
I sigh, "What?"
She pauses and I turn to look at her, "Will you um, could you um,"
"Spit it out what?" I ask getting aggravated.
"Um, can you stay here until I fall asleep?" she asks shyly, eyes watering. "I don't want to fall out if bed and not be able to get back up."
I smile lightly, "Sure, let me go change and get a blanket." she simply nods.
Bo was venerable and she needed a friend, I understood how she felt. After everything with Nora I had no one. I couldn't talk to my mother because she refused to cheer on my "devilish lifestyle choice" and I've never had a best friend who didn't leave. Nora was really the only one I could talk to and I had to fight the urge to call and spill my feeling to her. To tell her that I wanted to forgive her but my heart wouldn't let me. We had a good relationship, until we didn't. Now every time I look my face in the mirror I see someone who has to lie to everyone, even herself, about who she really is. I see someone who is too much if a coward to open up to anyone due to the fear of getting hurt again. Who would want to be inside my mind? My thoughts consume my every activity and I battle with the demons inside of my everyday. Who would want that? To hear about how it gets harder to fight these demons everyday and sometimes I think I shouldn't even be here. No one wants to hear about that. Anyone who I ever thought did just called me crazy and told me I needed help. So I understood how Bo might be feeling and if I could I would save her.
I walk back into the room in my boy shorts and a big t-shirt. "Can I get you something? Hot coco or tea?" I ask Bo walking into the room.
"Um, the sound of anything besides bread or a big greasy burger is so unbelievable unapplealing." she groans and sits up.
I set my blanket and book down on the side table by my favorite chair, "Well I could whip you up a burger if you would like. I'm sure you'd probably be asleep by the time it was done, but it doesn't hurt to try right?"
Bo looks at my exposed legs and I blush slightly, "Um, no please make me a burger, I'll sit in there. If I think too much my brain will fall out my ears." she giggles and waddles out of the bed. "Will there be onions?" she asks.
I turn my head as she stretches, heading out of the room yet again, "If that's what you want sure."
"You know teach, you aren't half bad." Bo says following me out pf the room, not bothering to cover up her bra and panties with clothing.
"Um, thanks, yours not so bad yourself." I chuckle and pad through the kitchen grabbing the ingredients I needed. "So Dennis, what's your story?" I turn and face her to find that she's biting her lip and staring at me.
She snaps out if whatever dirty thoughts she was thinking and clears her throat, "Well I grew up in a small town in Michigan, at eighteen I left. Met a lovely girl by the name of Ashley, she showed my the U.S and ultimately became my first love. She, just like all the others cheated then left. After that I settled in Dallas, Texas and worked a few night clubs." she runs a hand through her hair as I continue to prepare the burgers. "Some stuff with a few guys went pretty bad I had to run to get away from it. I ended up in Washington for about six years, met a few in the closet senators and got out a few tickets and jury duties." she chuckles and winks. "Then I moved to Canada for about two years from there I came here to Illinois and on my twenty-ninth birthday I moved here to Chicago and started attend the university a few months after."
I look up at her shocked, "You're twenty-nine?"
"Yeah teach how old did you think I was?"
"I don't know twenty-two at the least."
Bo starts to laugh, "Really? Are you serious?"
I blush slightly, "You don't look at all your age. And you're a senior in college without a major, I figured you were fresh out of high school and was just getting their standard."
She laughs harder, "Oh professor no, I decided to make my younger years my best and worse ones. Why settle down right away when you can go and see the world?"
I nod and mold a piece of meat into party form, "True, but let me ask you something."
"Go for it."
I knew sober Bo wouldn't be this open with her personal life and I needed to get closer to her so I could get through to her, "Why not just wait until you finished college to travel and meet new people?"
She shrugs and grins, "Before my mom died I remember you telling me, "Isabeau for you to be committed you have to have the drive to stay in one place, to be with one person. If you don't have the drive then your relationships will fail. Forgive and let yourself love. Don't ever keep your heart locked away to long, you'll forget how to love." she was a very smart woman my mom, she just got involved with the wrong people a lot." her warm smile fades and turns into a grimace as memories flash across her face. "I miss her." she says softly looking at her hands.
I place a few patties on a skillet and they sizzle loudly, "What happened to her?"
Bo slowly looks up at me and smiles weakly, "She was coming home to me and my new stepdad, I was about seven, and when she got home dad accused her of cheating on him. Mom denied it of course because she loved dad, more than she loved me I thought sometimes." her eyes start to water again. "Mom was the only one that worked, she would leave me at home alone with dad, he was a bad man, I always knew it. He drove my mother insane. That night when mom got home and he was accusing her, he said things to her that I would never want to hear again in my life, as a joke or otherwise." she paused and looks at me. "She was never the same after that, two weeks went by and one night she brought me into her room and pulled me on her lap." Bo's tears start to fall steadily and she looks back down at her hands. "She told me very quietly tears streaming down her beautiful face, "Pumpkin, mama loves you very much, do you know that?" I nodded and said yes mama. "I want you to know that mama lives you more than anything in this whole wide world. Did you know that sweetheart?" she's asks. I know that mama, I said."
I flip the burgers and start to prepare them, trying not to cry along with Bo.
"I looked up at her and she brushed my hair out of my face and kisses my face all over. Her lips were shaking and I didn't understand why. Are you okay mama? I ask. "Yes angel I'll be fine. But I need you to make me a promise. Promise me that after tonight you run okay? You can't stay here with daddy." where will you be mama? I ask" Bo pauses again and wipes her eyes. "After that she carried me to my room and tucked me in, telling me that she loved me and that everything was going to be alright. I didn't understand why she was saying all of these things, she never said them so frequently."
I put my hands over my mouth noticing where Bo's story was about to go.
"She gave me her locket and a few other things then told me she loved me one more time and said. "You have to always believe Isabeau, and don't let anyone take your shine." I still didn't understand. Not until the next morning."
I place my hand over hers, "You don't have to finish." I say softly.
She shakes her head softly, "I don't have anyone to get it out to, will you let me?" I nod and she continued. "So like every morning I go into mamas room to wake her up so we could make pancakes together." Bo starts to softly sob. "But when I went into her room I found mama peacefully sleeping on the bathroom floor, a bottle of pills spilled out on the floor and a note with my name on it. The note was her apologizing for leaving me and not getting me out of the house and away from my step father. I tried to wake her up, I tried so hard, but she just wouldn't wake up, she just wouldn't move. "Mama please." I say shaking her lightly. "Mama wake up. It's time for breakfast." she didn't move. I curl up under her arm and cry softly. After a while dad comes in and nudges mom with his foot. "Damn woman. Get the hell up Isabeau. She was a stupid slut and a terrible mother you shouldn't even be crying over her." That man was the root of evil, the day mom died her called the police and then collected the insurance. Then he threw me in an orphanage, took everything that my mother gave to me." her hand wonders to her neck and she grabs at the locket. "He didn't get this, I wouldn't let him have it." she takes it off and opens it, leaning against the counter. "This is her." she hands it to me and I look at it. "She was my best friend."
I wipe away a few tears that escaped my eyes and look at the picture, "She was very beautiful." I say hoarsely and run my finger over the picture. "Was that you as a baby?"
Bo giggles, "Yeah, I
it is."
"You were very cute." I look up at her, "And you're really name is Isabeau?"
She nods, "It's my great grandmothers name."
"I like it, it's very original." I had the locket back to Bo and she positions it back around her neck. "You look like her. A lot actually."
She smiles weakly, "Burgers ready?"
I chuckle, "Yeah, you want a beer or a coke?"
"Trying to keep me drunk teach?" she says lightening the mood.
"If I wanted that I'd just break out my good stash." I laugh and wink.
"Thanks, for tonight." she says as I place a burger and a coke in front of her. "It's been a while since I've had friend, and even though we still barely know each other, I would like to call you a friend."
I smile, "Only out of class." I wink at her and take a big bite out of my burger.
"So what's you're story Professor Lauren Lewis?" she asks after taking a big bite of her burger. "How did you become so put together?"
I chuckle, "I'm not as put together as I seem believe me."
"This is really good teach." she says mid chew.
I laugh and her puffy cheeks full of food, "You can call me Lauren. We aren't in school."
She smiles lightly, "Okay, Lauren, these are really good."
"Thank you, it's my Nona's recipe."
"You're Nona?" she's asks confused.
I chuckle, "Yeah, my grandmother."
"Oh okay." she says before finishing off the rest of her food, "Well I'll help you clean up."
I didn't finish all of my burger, I wasn't really hungry so I wrap it up and save it for later, "You don't have to do that Bo."
"Oh shut up and let me help you." she says taking the plates away from me.
"Can I ask you something else?"
"Um, I'm all cried out teach." she says glancing back at me and setting the dishes in the sink.
"No no it's nothing emotional." I laugh lightly. "Why didn't you bother to put clothes on when we came out here?"
Bo prepares a sink of dishwater, "Why didn't you?"
I look at my feet and blush, "You know what I meant."
"Well you stripped me remember?" she shrugs, "I'm pretty confident about all of this." she turns and runs her hands down her body.
I look down at my feet again and blush harder, "As you should be."
"Lauren I'm not doing anything you don't have to be embarrassed."
"I know you're not. I just.." I look into Bo's soft brown eyes and sigh, "never mind."
"Okay then." Bo says turning back around to the dishes, "I wash you rinse okay Lewis."
I giggle and walk to stand next to her, "Yes ma'am."
Bo and I successfully clean up the kitchens and even the living room. Afterwards we went decided to part ways and go to bed. "Well, goodnight Bo, I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight Lauren." she smiles and walks to the side of the bed.
I turn to leave out and forget my book and blanket, "Dammit." I say and turn around.
"What?" Bo asks peeling back the blankets.
"Forgot my book." I say nervously.
Bo walks over to me and I stare at her again, "Why are you so nervous?"
A sigh escapes my mouth as she gets so close I can feel her body heat and smell her sweet vanilla shampoo. I closes my eyes, "Um, I'm not."
She cups my cheek, "Breath Lauren." she whispers getting closer to my lips.
I lean back and get ready for those lips to touch mine. Just as Bo was about to kiss me I chicken out and take a step back, "It's late, I um, I should get to sleep."
Bo sighs and steps away, "Yeah me too. I have an early class."
I nod and grab my things telling Bo good night again before quickly getting up the stairs and to my room. I just almost kissed a student of mine, a very charming and beautiful student. This was a bad I idea, a very bad idea. I should've just gotten her a motel room and payed her to get some food. I was in deep trouble, mainly emotional, and I couldn't just ignore her, she had told me something that she probably has never told another human being ever. I was grateful that she was comfortable enough, probably because of her intoxicated state, to spill that to me. She probably wouldn't let me out of telling her about myself. I'm not really sure were this is was going, it was too early to tell and I don't know if I'm emotionally ready for it. I sigh heavily and run a hand through my hair, "What am I going to do?" I think to myself and decide to just force sleep. I take a few sleeping please and set four alarms.
I fell asleep to that moment with Bo playing over in my head and what could've happened. Tomorrow was a new day and hopefully she would be back to being a jerk to me. Either way, as long as I got to see and talk to her it didn't matter to me.
