Edward
Another year has come around, and yet another new bunch of teachers have just started here. Typical.
"This is Edward Townsend my husband" I internally groan as this wretched woman reminds me of one of my greatest regrets of my life.
"Ex-husband, thank you very much." Why would she bother saying that to these new teachers? She knows I would definitely point out that we are currently going through a divorce. Maybe she's planning to do something? No matter, I do not care neither is it any of my concern. I pull myself away from those thoughts and focus on the new arrivals in front of me. The woman, Abigail, I think they said her name was, was rather attractive. Her green eyes were spectacular. I'd heard about her already, the teachers had been talking rumours about a Juilliard graduate coming to teach here since last year. I had not heard about the history teacher, who, by what I can see is probably in a relationship with her. There's just something about him that seems odd, I just can't place my finger on it...
I quickly introduced myself and paid her a compliment. If I hadn't have been watching her curiosity I wouldn't have noticed the slight blush that dusted her cheeks as I said it. But it was true, I was impressed. I also assume that the new male teacher came from some Ivy-league college. This school prides itself on having teaching staff from the best universities in the world. I myself graduated with a degree in English from Oxford university and Ivory the same but in Art instead. Yet, I hadn't encountered a Juilliard grad until that moment.
Despite the fact that she seemed harmless. She reminded me of the fact that I can't trust a beautiful face off the bat so easily. Even for a man of my age, I hate to say I haven't escaped trickery and fakery. Im certain that when I followed my compliment with an insult, it most definitely offended her. I shuffled my papers in my hand to find my lesson plans for the day and left. I have my class to get ready for, no woman was going to distract me, not anymore.
Believing that, I didn't think that only a mere few minutes after I would be running towards her classroom.
Abby
Its ridiculous, but I can't get over the fact that Townsend just insulted me like that. He doesn't even know me yet, and thinks he has the right to assume that I will fail at this job? Well, we will see about that. There's nothing I find more pleasureable than proving people wrong. I walk to my desk and lay out the notes I have made ready for today's lesson and familiarise myself with the classroom. To my surprise I found endless supplies of various instruments ranging from percussion instruments to guitars, keyboards and cellos. I leaned over to pick up a box of percussion instruments when I only at the last second discovered the cymbal teetering over the edge of the shelf, going straight for my head.
All I remember is my head feeling like it was on fire. I was on the floor, looking up to the ceiling, I met the gaze of a pupil who was staring down at me with concern across her face.
"Don't worry Miss Cameron, we've called for back ups." The girl looked about twelve or thirteen at most, freckled splayed her face and she wore her hair up in a long chestnut ponytail. Without thinking, I pulled myself up into a sitting position too quickly, the blood was rushing to my head so quickly. I felt around for the tender spot on my head, to my horror it felt hot and wet. I drew my hand back and saw dark, rich blood painted my hand.
"Oh, oh no, no, that's not good." My head was whirling.
"Ooh, I'm afraid you're going straight to the medical room, Miss Cameron." A voice came from behind me, one I didn't recognise. It was Australian. Instinctively, I turned around to meet my adresser. The blonde man looked like a surfer, with golden curly hair, or more like a surfer that had been forced to put smart clothes on, yet it still looked good. He had bright, curious blue eyes. He wore green chinos paired with a white shirt and navy suede shoes.
"Thank you for staying with her Violet." He flashed a megawatt smile at her. Wow, is there not a single unatractive teacher at this school?
"It's the least I could do, Mr Sheffield." The girl stammered, I'm not surprised, this man seemed like the teacher all the teenage girls would have a crush on.
Oh wait. This was the one humanities teacher I hadn't met yet.
"You're the Geography teacher?" I questioned him, I just thought he was a maths teacher or something. Taking a seat besides me on the floor besides me, eyeing the back of my head.
"I am indeed, the one and only Lucas Sheffield." He laughed, turning his megawatt smile onto me.
"Forgive me, I was hoping our first meeting would be on better terms." He joked. I couldn't suppress the laugh, I bursted out and regretted it as soon as I did. The room was spinning.
"I thought there was an emergency?" Edward stood at the door frame, watching us, trying to figure out whether he was needed or not. Two teachers giggling on the floor certainly wasn't what he classified as an emergency.
"No, there isn't an emergency, I am perfectly fine." I dismissed him, hand waving in the air.
"She's lying, Townsend, she's got a hefty concussion by the looks of it." Lucas halted me, maybe I was underestimating my injury.
Students started crowding into the classroom, only to stop in their tracks when they saw me.
"All students who have Miss Cameron for music right now, can you please wait in my classroom next door, thank you." Lucas instructed the students and we both watched them all file out, leaving the three of us teachers alone.
"I am so sorry to inconvenience you, I'll make my way there myself." I rose up, holding onto a nearby desk as I felt wave of nausea hit me, the room hadn't stopped spinning. I swayed, staggering towards the door. Edward crossed the room in two steps, steadying me. Lucas rushed to my side and linked my arm through his, then held onto that arm tightly.
"Let's go, Abby." He shot me a sympathetic smile. Edward moved away from the door and gestured for us to leave. I nearly missed his murmur as I passed by.
"Just as I thought. Hopeless." He muttered. Shaking his head, he retreated back to his class.
Lucas guided Abby down the hall and escorted her to the medical room. It took a lot longer than she had imagined, however she didn't take into account how slowly she was making Lucas walk.
"How's your day going so far?" Lucas teased.
"It's gotten off to a bumpy start, no pun intended." She moaned, first she woke up late, second she dealt with a crappy colleague and now she's gotten concussion too. She was convinced her day couldn't get much worse from here.
"So, geography, huh?" Abby started.
"Graduated from King's College London. If that's what you're asking." He raised his free arm to scratch his head, his eyes wouldn't meet hers. He was humble about his education, he wouldn't deny going to a prestigious university however he struck Abby the type that wouldn't gloat about it.
" Oh no, I wondered why you chose to teach it."
"Ah sorry about that, usually every teacher wants to know where I studied.." Abby shook her head and let him proceed.
"The planet Earth is one of the most complex systems in the universe, curiosity burns like a wildfire within me to explore every secret. I teach geography as I want my students to understand how we've come to be in this world." Abby watching him as he spoke, there was a deep passion that burned in his eyes and you could feel his enthusiasm for it in each word he spoke of it.
There was something about this man that seemed so friendly, as soon as she laid eyes on him she knew that she could speak openly to him. Who knows, maybe they would become friends.
"Why is Edward so cold?" She hadn't meant to say it but it had been playing on her mind the whole day. He would've probably left me on the floor if he had gotten to me first.
Lucas sighed. "I wouldn't fret, he's like that with new people. He's a lovely chap, once he's warmed up to you."
I don't know about that.
Eventually the pair had reached the medical room. A displeased looking woman sat there, waiting for her arrival.
"Ah our concussion victim has finally come." The displeased woman marvelled at her and wondered just what excuse was about to come.
"Wow news really does travel round fast here." She joked to herself, the nurse still didn't look happy, especially after she examined her wound.
Lucas sat there and waited for her to have her head examined, once the nurse had finished examining her, she went off in search of the right equipment to dress her wound.
Leaning closer to her he spoke to her in a soft tone.
"Don't worry about Angela, she's just annoyed that she's had a new case to deal with so quickly is all." He smiled at her, and when Abby smiles back, his eyes brighten. I think we'll make good friends, she thought to herself.
On their way back to class, Angela's words kept replaying in Abby's head. 'Take it easy, you're still clearly disorientated from the concussion', she couldn't just abandon her classes today, she would fight onwards, lunch was coming up anyway. Rounding up her students and sending them back to class, she turned one last time to Lucas and murmured.
"I owe you one, Sheffield."
"Don't sweat it Cameron." He winked at her, grinning, disappearing into his class.
Before starting her class, Abby said a silent prayer and willed that she would get through her next few lessons. The next few hours saw the corridors of the humanities floor filled with the sounds of a piano, playing different pieces, softly yet flawlessly.
Lunchtime couldn't come any quicker. Her classes had gone exactly as she had planned them, there were moments where she was touch and go but she fought every single spell she had. Lucas waited outside her class for her, holding a couple of textbooks in his arms.
"Hey kiddo, how's the bumped head?"
"It's better, actually." She replied.
"Liar. But you've done well to get this far. Just give me a shout if it gets bad again, okay?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, assuring her. Abby dragged Lucas to the history classroom to see if Isaac had finished. Only to find his classroom empty.
"How about we go grab some lunch? He's probably in the staffroom." The pair strolled down to the staffroom once they had grabbed their lunch. The whole time they spent telling each other about themselves. The funniest thing she had heard Lucas talk about was the one time Lucas encountered a shark whilst surfing back home and how it stalked him, yet didn't harm him. Another victim fell prey to Lucas Sheffield, even animals couldn't resist his charm.
Pushing the doors open, all eyes laid on her. Edward and Florentina stared at me, Florentina shot her a sympathetic smile whilst Edward tensed. She found Isaac sitting with a coffee and chatting to Ivory. Once he has spotted her, he enveloped her in a hug.
"I heard what had happened! Are you okay?" Concern hung to him as soon as he head heard the news.
"This one's a tough cookie, mate. She really pulled through." Lucas explained, placing an arm around her shoulders and grinned. Out of the corner of her eye, she could've sworn that Edward was watching. She didn't care, he was a waste of her time, if he didn't want to make the effort to get to know her, then neither would she. Pushing that thought aside, she took a seat aside Isaac and Ivory, Lucas joining them shortly after he had made a cup of tea. Their conversations flowed freely and mainly focused on what they had done that summer. Ivory mentioned how she had spent her summer touring Europe in search of a specific painting she was keen to add to her collection. Lucas had been visiting his family back in Australia, pulling photos up on his phone to show them. That smile was permanently glued to his face, Abby decided.
"I hate to say this Abby, but you're the talk of the school currently. The new music teacher who managed to knock herself out with a cymbal-"
"Don't remind her." Isaac and Lucas said in unison, clearly on the same wavelength. Groaning, Abby got up in search of some coffee.
In the near distance, she could hear Italian. Edward and Florentina were talking in it, Edward passing glances at her as he spoke. She thought maybe she was hearing things but thought better of it when she picked up on a concussion being mentioned. Why not listen in? She stood stoic at the counter, stirring her coffee.
"Lei è stato colpito alla testa ricevuto commozione cerebrale!" She got a concussion! Edward cried out, stifling a laugh.
Florentina playfully slapped his arm, clearly disagreeing with the way he was speaking of it. "Poveri darling" poor darling, she added.
"È patetico." It's pathetic. Edward complains, suddenly noticing Abby walking towards them, coffee in hand.
"Non essere cattivo, È il suo primo giorno!" Don't be mean, it's her first day! Florentina scolded him, shooting him a warning look.
"Hey guys, what are you talking about?" She interjected, trying her hardest to give the impression she had no idea what had been said. Smiling widely, she leaned against the table, eager to hear their response. Edward stiffened ever so slightly.
Edward cut her Florentina before she could utter a word. "Nothing much, just discussing how the weather was-"
"In Italian?"
"Exactl-" Edward was catching on to what was about to happen.
"Capisco quello che stai dicendo." I understand what you're saying. Abby gave the dirtiest look she could muster.
Edward's eyebrow rose in surprise, his jaw set. This woman is full of special tricks.
"Don't be absurd, you have no idea, Abigail." Edward exaggerated her name, implying that she hadn't heard him openly insulting her, yet again. Turning his back to her face, he returned to the conversation he was having with Florentina.
He laughed, a deep throaty chuckle,changing to French. "Elle ne comprend pas cette langue" She won't understand this language. He said, switching effortlessly from Italian to French.
Leaning dangerously close to his face, she seethed. "Vous seriez surpris." You would be surprised. She stormed off, dropping her freshly made coffee into the sink and not turning back to look at anyone. Hands balled into fists at her side.
"Abby, what's the matter?" Isaac was quick on his feet, calling out to her, watching her dart for the door.
"Touché" Edward uttered, gobsmacked.
Lucas had been watching the whole encounter silently, once Abby had moved way he walked over.
"Not cool man. Not, cool."
Florentina smacked his arm, hard. " Tu es très sévère pour elle, Pas tout le monde est comme elle!" you are too harsh on her, not everyone is like her. It was the last thing Abby heard as she ran off. Tutting and shaking her head at him, Florentina picked up the remainder of her lunch and she Lucas out.
She was furious. This wasn't the first time someone upset her like this. She always found coming back to her piano would be the perfect medicine for her moods. Forgetting that she hadn't even explored the room's piano yet, she dropped into the seat and felt the keys beneath her fingers. It was a Yamaha CF6 Handcrafted Grand Piano in polished ebony that sat in the middle of the room. This piano reminded her of the one she would play back at college, it was absolutely spectacular. The mere shine of the instrument was bright enough to blind someone when the sun hit it. She played a few keys and closed her eyes, feeling for the keys she had imprinted in her mind. She pulled her music sheets out of her bag and fished for a pencil and her glasses. Placing headphones on, she started to play the composition she had already written.
The melody was solemn, her fingers moved gracefully, she wasn't simply playing the piano, she brought it to life. She wasn't merely strumming keys, she was caressing it. The piece was beautiful, but not perfect, yet. Every few moments, she would stop and etch in a new note into her sheet and replay it back to check, nodding when she agreed with the way it sounded back.
Townsend roamed the corridor, trying to find her. He had nearly failed until he had heard notes being played at the end of the corridor. Pursuing the sound, he discovered her perched by her piano. Her fingers moved with an impossible speed, playing each note perfectly. Her eyes were closed and her body moved with the music, swaying back and forth frantically her pianoforte was melancholy, it made Edward feel the complete opposite.
She was breathtaking. He was transfixed on the beauty that lay in front of him, her fingers waltzed on the keys, her golden hair from her gorgeous face moved with an unnatural wind. The whole room faded away, all he could focus on was her, he was transcended. When she finished he longed for her hands to return to the keys. Scribbling her note down, she removed her headphones and threw a hand in her hair as she read her sheets.
"I didn't lie when I said I was impressed by the fact you went to Juilliard." Abby's head snapped around to meet him. Yet again he was watching her from her doorframe. His shirt was rolled up to his forearms, revealing the veins that ran across his arms and his tie was loosened at the neck. His mouth twitched, he looked like he was fighting a smile. She was fighting her racing heartbeat, unsure of whether the piano was really controlling her emotions or if it was something, or someone else.
Raising from her stool, she stood eye-level to him. Placing one perfectly manicured hand on her hips, she placed the other hand on the table and nodded for him to go on.
Finally noticing the coffee in his hand, she shot him a curious look.
"I suppose this is a peace offering." He mumbled as he handed her the mug. She glared at it as if he was handing her a cup of poison.
"Are you even sorry?" She scowled, eyeing the cup, her gaze piercing him.
"Yes, I am." He started.
"Sorry because I heard, or sorry that you got caught? Because let's be honest you're probably not sorry for saying it." Taking the cup of coffee she walked towards her piano and leant against it. The aroma of the coffee had filled her senses, taking a sip she stopped in surprise.
"How did you guess-" A hint of a smile playing at her lips. It was a coincidence that he knew what kind of coffee she liked. Edward sat down and shrugged his shoulders. When in reality, he had asked Isaac what kind of coffee she preferred.
"Lucky guess." Her head pounded, downing the coffee, she placed it on an adjacent table and took a seat besides him.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot Abigail." Edward started, not breaking her gaze. Her expression gave nothing away.
"You don't even know me yet, Townsend. To just hurl insults at me isn't fair, especially when I have given you no reason to do so." If looks could kill, this would be one of those moments, those green eyes reminded him of the forests he would explore as a child, but the expression cast in them brought back memories of when he was completely lost in them, with slight sense of anxiety mixed within.
She was right. He was unfair, but he knew deep down that by getting attached it would only end in his own destruction. She was a beautiful woman with a breathtaking talent, admitting that he was attracted to her and wanted to get to know her better was out of the question. That had never worked out for him in the past, so why bother repeating past mistakes. He wouldn't be made a fool of again for his mistakes.
"Why are you so rude?" She demanded.
"How did you manage to get concussion on your first day?." Deflecting her question
"It was an accident-"
"Rumour has it, you got knocked out with a falling cymbal." She glared at him. She was never going to hear the end of this.
"What? My students do talk, and I can't help but hear these things." He gave her an innocent look, as if hearing rumours about her was the most natural thing in the world.
"It's just I didn't expect someone as talented as you to manage to do something so stupid. I was under the impression that you were intelligent." He sighed, secretly watching how she was responding to his insults. She clearly wasn't the type to let insults heavily bother her, yet when he looked between the lines, he knew that eventually he would push her past the tipping point. This may be fun. He thought.
"How dare you-" Her face reddened at his words. How was he able to compliment her yet offend her at the same time. Her heart was hammering and she couldn't tell why.
"I could send you a class syllabus if that would help? I mean you would actually need to be able to teach first, which is the first hurdle that you failed to jump over." He spat, counting them off on his fingers as if it was an extensive list.
"If you'd like, I could give you some tips on relationships, as I couldn't help hearing that you're currently going through a divorce. You couldn't get over whatever hurdles were there. So how about you but out of my business instead of making it a talking point with other people?" She was getting too close, literally. Within seconds she was towering over him and looking down at him. His face grew serious. Good, I struck a nerve. She thought.
"Because, I assure you. Should you continue, two can play that game. And I always win." She whispered. Edward also stood and repeated what she had just done. Raising her head to meet his stare, her mind started whirling with the scent of his cologne. It was a mix of sandalwood and his own musky scent. Only then did they both acknowledge how little distance there was between them. Using it to her advantage, she moved closer to him, causing him to back up as quickly as she moved towards him.
"You do not want to make an enemy of me, Abigail." He breathed, refusing to break his gaze. Catching onto what she was doing, he couldn't help noticing what was literally right in front of him. Her cheeks were flushed and his raked his gaze over her , mentally taking note of the curves of her voluptuous body as she was near pressed against him. Her chest was perky and in his line of sight, it wasn't his fault that his gaze lingered there. The hint of her collarbone peeked through her collar, the image etched into his mind. No, I can't...
Abby interrupted his thoughts. "Don't you worry about that, Townsend, you've already done that for me." She challenged him. Having backed him up against the closed door, a smug smile took over her face.
Edward sighed, not getting where he was aiming to. It had taken a completely different turn which was starting to test his willpower. "I was trying to apologise-"
"Clearly apologising isn't your strong suit. When you wish to try again, you know where to find me." Placing the still full cup of his 'peace offering' back into his hands, she gave him a sweet smile and turned her back to him.
"Oh and Townsend-"
He turned back around to her.
"Don't let the door hit you on your way out." She sang as she went back to her sheets, ready for her last class of the day.
All that Edward Townsend knew was that, Abigail Cameron is a woman that he had to limit any interactions with.