A/N Wow! I can't believe how many reviews the last chapter got - that's amazing! We reached 100 for sure. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, please keep it up. You have no idea how much it motivated me to keep writing :-)
This is for everyone who reviewed. Hope you like it!
Bulletin
Pupils are reminded that teacher-student relations are not tolerated at Hollybridge. Any suggestive behaviour towards members of staff will result in immediate punishment, if not exclusion.
Your headmistress,
Penelope Hollybridge
Chapter Seven
"But I just don't understand!"
I took the pencil from Maria's hand and drew a thin line connecting the primary consumer and the secondary consumer. I then connected the producer straight to the tertiary consumer, dodging the line I had drawn only five minutes ago linking the producer to the primary consumer. Maria sighed, and I put down the pencil. She traced the lines with her finger, before putting her head in her hands.
"But this is simple," I said, picking up the pencil again and forcing it into Maria's hand. "This is eighth grade Biology." Maria pouted, her full, red lips jutting out attractively.
"Do you know how many years it's been since eighth grade?" she moaned, twirling the wood between her fingers and then drawing feminine hearts in the corners of my revision cards. "I don't really like to look back at the times when I was fourteen. I was ugly then."
"I find that hard to believe," I replied, without thinking. The compliments flowed from my mouth so easily – after years of them for Susannah. I blushed, and Maria smiled. I shook my head nervously, breaking our eye-contact. I reached for the first worksheet and held it between us. "Try again," I told her, rubbing out my own pencil lines and handing it back to her.
This wasn't how I originally planned my weekend. I normally spent my Saturdays looking through classwork once, and then spending the day in town with Susannah – usually ending with us sharing a pizza back in my dorm room or us walking through the park down the street hand-in-hand. But today I had spent in the library with Maria, helping her with basic Biology, which she seemed to find so bamboozling.
She tossed her glossy black curls over her shoulder and took my hand, her skin soft and her nails manicured. She was still wearing her ruby necklace. "Nice to meet you, Jesse," she said, smiling enough so that I could see her perfect and straight white teeth. They shone in the bright light of the lab. "I'm Maria."
All I could do was nod, and I picked up my pen and began frantically copying from the board again. Maria dropped her bag onto the desk and leant back in her chair, crossing her bronzed, slender legs and twisting a curl around her finger. I dared myself to look at her. She'd spotted me before my head had even turned a fraction of a centimetre. She blinked.
"Yes?" she asked, sweetly. I noticed she hadn't unpacked any equipment.
"Are you… a student in this lesson?" I asked, quietly, my voice more hoarse than a whisper. Maria laughed lightly – flirtatiously yet not contemptuously.
"Oh, yes," she replied, and I watched her as her eyes darted to the chalk-white scar through my eyebrow, and then down my neck. I shivered. "I'm gonna be in these lessons till the end of the semester."
I narrowed my eyes. "Aren't you a senior?" Head-cheerleaders were always seniors, I was sure of it. Well, it was what I had gathered about whatever Susannah had babbled about the subject when she wasn't drooling over Paul. Maria nodded her pretty head.
"Yes," she said. "But I'm so freaking bad at Biology they stuck me in a sophomore class to catch up!" I smiled politely. "I switched to Biology in Junior Year," she explained. I nodded slowly. "I don't know how I'm gonna get out of this place with a degree."
"I'll give you a hint," I told her, gesturing towards her bag. "You need a pen." She laughed again, and there was friendliness in her chuckle that was infectious, addictive. Her brown eyes shone.
"Say," Maria began thoughtfully, and she rubbed her nose shyly. "You don't tutor, do you? Things would be a hell of a lot easier to learn if I had a good-looking guy teaching me 'em." From her skin tone, she appeared Spanish, like me. However, her accent was more American than mine. She slurred most of her "t's" and rolled her "l's", whilst I preferred to clip my consonants. Her dazzling smile was hard to resist.
"Sure," I found myself saying. "I'll tutor you." Maria squeezed my hand, and I looked at my skin as it tingled.
"Thanks, Jesse," she answered. "I owe you."
Maria furrowed her brow, and stuck out her tongue slightly before drawing three lines in the correct places. She finished with a flourish, and smiled brilliantly at me. "Is that right?" she asked.
"You either have a photographic memory, or you've finally cracked it," I replied, and Maria sighed, satisfied, and put down her pencil.
"World's best tutor," she said silkily, and I felt her one hand sliding delicately up my leg.
I jumped and got out of my chair – Maria pulled back her hand like nothing had happened. She blinked innocently at me. "I have to go," I declared, shakily, and I cleared my throat. "Water – I need a glass of…" She nodded happily, and I half-ran out of the library like my feet were on fire.
It was strange, for me to be one who got attention from the opposite sex. I was used to Susannah receiving admiring looks from most of the sports teams - except for those who had other interests...- but for mine to be the leg someone was stroking… it sent shivers up my spine. And I wasn't sure if they were the bad shivers, or not.
I found the water fountain and leant over it, seeing my blurry reflection in the dull silvery metal, and drank nervously. I straightened and wiped my mouth clean, feeling a little calmer than I did when I left the library. I put a foot forward to start towards the library again, when I heard a shriek – a familiar shriek.
"You bitch!"
I turned and began running down the stairs, my shoes squeaking on the marble. As I reached the foot of the staircase, the yells and squeals got louder, I recognised them to belong to Susannah and her fellow cheerleader Kelly Prescott. I pushed the door to the courtyard open to see the pair of them in their black cheerleading uniforms, locked in a feud. Susannah had hold of Kelly's head under her arm.
"Get off me!" Kelly ordered, piercing Susannah's bare arms with her blood-red nails. "Get off me, you stupid skank!"
"I can't believe you did it!" Susannah replied, releasing Kelly and thrusting her into a muddy puddle, staining her uniform. Kelly yelped, and shook her damp hair furiously. "Do you want me to get expelled?"
"Is that a trick question?" Kelly demanded, picking herself up and running her hands through her honey-blonde curls self-consciously. Susannah proceeded to push her down again. I ran to stop her throwing herself into an attack.
"Susannah!" I cried, and I laced my hands around her elbow, pulling her back. "Querida, what is the matter with you?" She pulled herself free, and whirled round to speak to me, shoving an accusing finger in Kelly's direction.
"That stupid whore nearly got me expelled!" I rolled my eyes at her superficial use of insults. "By ratting me out for something I didn't even do!" I noticed a meagre blush appear on her cheeks at these words, and my mind flicked back to the bulletin I received in my post-box this morning.
Pupils are reminded that teacher-student relations are not tolerated at Hollybridge.
Kelly had found out about Susannah and Paul, and had told Mrs Hollybridge. I could tell by the look in Susannah's eyes. She looked like she was about to burst into tears.
Kelly backed away from her, and I kept a firm grip on Susannah's elbow. She sighed, and I felt her whole body lift. "Fine," she whispered angrily, and Kelly flipped her hair before walking away as quickly as she could – no doubt to avoid people seeing her in a less-than-perfect state. I reluctantly prised my fingers from Susannah's skin, watching her exhale heavily in an attempt to cool herself down. She smiled weakly at me.
"I was so scared," she said. "I don't know how she found out!"
"Me neither," I replied, thoughtfully. "Stop chewing your lip, Susannah. Everything's going to be O.K." I pulled her in for a hug, and kissed the top of her head. I felt her squirm. "What's wrong?" I whispered into her head.
"Nothing," she answered. "It's so nice having a best friend like you, Jesse. We don't have to worry about romantic complications." I couldn't stop my heart sinking at that.
"Yeah." My voice was monotonous. She pulled out of the hug but squeezed my hand reassuringly, blinking her gorgeous green eyes up at me.
"What are you up to for the rest of the day?" she asked me. "We could hit the shops, get lattes, rent a movie…" I grimaced.
"Sorry," I replied. "I'm fully booked – tutoring Maria." Susannah stared at me blankly. I elaborated. "The new girl in our biology class. Long dark hair, vivacious personality…"
"Fabulous movie-star looks?" She finished, and laughed, dropping my fingers. Her eyes drifted slowly to the brick walls surrounding us on all sides – each one plastered with colourful flyers reminding us of certain events. I watched a smile dawn on Susannah's face.
"Hollybridge Homecoming Dance…" she read aloud, languorously. "I can't wait."
"Surely if you and Paul go together, then people will know about you two?" I asked, a little confusedly, and Susannah shot me a look that suggested she doubted my intelligence.
"We're not going 'together'," she responded exasperatedly. "But that doesn't mean I won't be able to sneak a dance or two in with the chaperone…" She curled her lips flirtatiously. The sound of me clearing my throat brought her back to earth. "Got a date yet?"
"No…" I said, unhappily. Susannah smiled.
"Perfect," she said. "I've just thought of a solution."
"You know," Maria remarked, hitching up her skirt to walk up the steps into the County Hall, her arm in mine. "This is, like, the lousiest place to have a Homecoming Dance, ever."
"Quit complaining," Susannah replied from the other side of me, sourly. I raised an eyebrow at her warningly. After all, it had been her idea to invite Maria as my date to this stupid dance anyway.
"I wasn't complaining," Maria argued, and she caught my eye, smiling. "I was just saying. The hotel in the centre of town was way better last year."
"I'm sure it was." I chose to remain silent during Maria and Susannah's bickering. It seemed like one of those girl things that resulted in a boy getting hurt if they dared to get involved. I didn't fancy taking that risk. I was planning on leaving County Hall that night with all my limbs still attached to my body.
"So," Maria's tone turned taunting. "Where's your date tonight?"
"Sick," she answered pointedly – this was the story we had agreed on yesterday. "Called me this afternoon." Maria nodded, doubtfully.
"Oh, right," she said, sarcastically. "I tend to find pretend boyfriends do get sick right before you have to bring them out in public."
"He's not pretend!" Susannah cried. I could tell she was beginning to regret suggesting Maria came along.
"Girls," I said softly, and both their attentions snapped to focus on me. "Can this be a nice, civil evening? Or do I have to send one of you two home right now?" They looked at me sheepishly. "Because I can – I can whistle for a cab and it'll be here within seconds."
"He can whistle real loud," Maria added, for Susannah's benefit. Susannah scowled.
"I know," she said bitterly. "I've heard it." There was a sense of ground teeth in her reply.
I handed the ticket-collector our two tickets, and Susannah miserably surrendered hers. She perked up, however, when she spied Paul through the double-doors leading into the main room, where corny coloured lights were flashing, and all that could heard of the music was a heavy bass.
"Let's dance," Maria suggested, lifting my hand up high and dragged me through the double doors. I pulled a face before they closed, at Susannah, who was distractedly gazing at Paul.
Maria took my hands and began moving expertly to the music, whilst I stepped to the side and back awkwardly, watching Susannah longingly as she participated in an enthusiastic conversation with Paul over the punch bowl. He poured some pink liquid into a plastic cup and handed it to her, which she accepted with a smouldering glance.
"Are you O.K?" Maria asked me concernedly, as the tune changed to a slow ballad. She shifted our bodies easily into a slow-dance pose, draping her arms around my neck and placing my hands on her slim waist. "You seem a little down."
"I'm tired," I answered. Maria rested her head on my shoulder. I turned the pair of us around slightly so that I watch Susannah. She had disappeared from the punch bowl – Paul now stood alone. I found Susannah in another corner of the hall, avidly gossiping with Debbie Mancuso – Kelly Prescott's double in everything except intelligence. Meaning Debbie had even less than Kelly.
Suddenly, Susannah's mouth dropped, and I watched her scan the crowd for me, making her way through the hordes of people and carrying her punch – sloshing the liquid on the floor everywhere. Paul had disappeared from the refreshment table.
"I know how to wake you up," Maria announced suddenly, but I was distracted. Susannah had spotted me and was getting closer. "Come with me?" She didn't wait for an answer, and instead linked her fingers with mine, pulling me into the crowd.
"Jesse!" Susannah cried, lifting her head above the crowd and calling towards me. "Jesse!"
"Querida!" I waved my free hand in the air. "Here!"
She forced her way out of the crowd and came face-to-face with me, Debbie close behind her, eager for gossip. Maria lingered next to me, her hands still clasping mine. Susannah's face was flushed.
"Mark Pulsford got stabbed!" she gasped, and Maria snorted, pulling me away again towards the double door. "And by-"
"Whatever," Maria muttered, and Susannah's voice got fainter - I couldn't make out the rest of her words. Maria leant against the door, and it swung open. Tugging me by the hand we got closer to a supply closet, where I heard raised, angry voices.
"Do you have any idea what this could do to him?" I heard Paul demand irately, and the recipient stuttered nervously.
"Y-y-yeah Paul, but it wasn't our fault – he just started asking all these questions and it just slipped out-"
Maria ignored the argument that was obviously going on inside the closet, and eased the door open slowly, interrupting Paul's dispute. The boy beside him was skinny and pale, and wore glasses that he had to keep pushing up his nose. Paul opened his mouth to accuse the boy, but then he spied Maria and me, and turned his attentions to us.
"Mr De Silva," Paul said curtly, and I nodded slowly. He laid a hand on the boy's back and pushed him out of the supply closet, then began to follow him. He halted when he reached me. His eyes were on the same level as mine.
"You didn't hear anything?" he asked, threateningly. I felt obliged to lie.
"No, sir."
"Good."
He narrowed his bright blue eyes at me disbelievingly, before reluctantly walking away again. His footsteps were light and soft - I had to watch him enter the main building to convince myself that he had well and truly left us alone.
"Is that our Biology teacher?" Maria questioned inquisitively. I nodded, and she gave a low whistle. "Man, that's some fine piece of work." She pouted seductively at me, and placed both hands on my shoulders, shoving me into the supply closet and shutting the door so that we were in darkness.
"What are you doing?" I enquired.
I was answered by the touch of her soft lips on mine.
