ALLY:
Austin was so sweet for buying me breakfast. For himself, he ordered a sandwich with eggs, spinach and cheese and an orange juice. I had just had the most amazing weekend I'd had in a while. Austin asked me,
"Want to take this stuff to go?"
I said,
"Sure."
Walking down the street, I saw my student Cat Altman in sweats holding running and she had her gold iPhone 6S covered in a white case with red roses and it said Warning explicit content. She immediately recognized me, touched her iPhone, that was clipped to her sports tank top and took her apple earpods out of her ears.
"Ms. Dawson?!"
She sounded surprised to see me.
"Hey, Cat. Meet my neighbor, Austin. I was just getting some breakfast with him. Austin, this is Cat, one of my first period students."
He smiled.
"Hey, Cat. I'm Austin Moon, I live across the hall from Ms. Dawson."
Cat giggled.
"I'm Ms. Dawson's student. She's told me about you."
She was staring at him in a very attractive way.
"You're cute."
Austin giggled.
"Aw, thanks!"
He rumpled her blonde hair, which was tied in a side ponytail.
"Awww, thanks!"
Cat said,
"I'll see you tommorrow, Ms. Dawson."
"Yeah. It was great to run into you, Cat."
"You, too,"
She smiled and put her earpods back into her ears and started to jog on by. I held my neighbor's hand as he walked me home and I said,
"Thank you for breakfast and for an amazing night last night, Austin."
"You're welcome. I definitely had a great time with you last night and this morning."
He was stroking my hand with my thumb, which gave me that tingly feeling again. It brought a big smile to my face.
"And you know we had sex last night, right?"
I said,
"Yeah."
"I just hope you know that I want more than just sex with you."
I smiled.
"I believe it."
"We haven't even known each other for two weeks and I feel that you and I have already become very close."
I said,
"I really like that about us, Austin. And not only do I like you better than my three old neighbors, but I also like you better than my ex-boyfriend. I haven't had one for four years."
"Why not? You're freaking gorgeous!"
I said,
"First of all, thank you, and second of all, my old boyfriend, his name was Kevin Harvard. I broke up with him because he cheated on me by having sex with another woman, he was alcoholic and he had a lot of DUIs."
"Holy shit, that's even sketchier than my ex-girlfriend or even any of my inmates."
"You had a girlfriend who sold drugs and her body and you work with kids who get into drugs, gangs and commit crimes."
"I guess that's about the same."
He kissed my hand again.
"I'll see you around,"
I said to him.
"Yeah, Miss thang."
I giggled.
"Ms. Thang?"
"My parents call my sister that, so why shouldn't I call you Miss Thang, too?"
I laughed.
"I like it."
The next day at Kinloch park, I decided that the daily journal topic should be, What would you look for in your perfect significant other? Be detailed. In honor of my date with Austin. Cat was giving me that look that Trish used to give me in middle school and high school when I liked a boy or when a boy liked me. She whispered,
"This is because you're with your new neighbor, right?"
I said,
"Maybe."
She said to me,
"You have a crush, Ms. Dawson. You can't deny it."
I said,
"I'm not denying it. But you know, love is not something you should ever run into."
One of my more troubled seventh graders, Landon Velazquez, who was manifestly eavesdropping on us. He started giggling. I was almost dreading calling on him due to his tendency of constantly putting his foot in his mouth.
"Have you had a booty call with him yet?"
I said,
"Why don't you save that question for when you get stoned with your friends?"
Cat covered put her hands on her nose and face and said,
"Oh you got burned!"
"You don't know I smoke pot with my friends."
Cat said,
"No, but I've seen you and your friends smoking it."
I said,
"Can we get back to the journal topic, please?"
Cat compliantly took out her composition book with the members of One Direction (and Zayn) on it from her pink, red, white and blue plaid Kate Spade backpack. Boybands were an undying trend with middle school and high school girls. I studied the gradebook and my phone was buzzing a bit. It was a reminder to go move my car. I said,
"Class, I'm going to be right back, I have to go move my car real quick."
AUSTIN:
After an amazing date with my neighbor Ally, I had work again. Doug and I were taking the inmates on a community service field trip to the homeless shelter. We wanted them to do their community service requirements, and I thought no better way to do that than to have them go on a field trip. I had to be there a little later than I usually did, so I decided to stop by Kinloch Park and bring her another little gift. I got her a necklace from Tiffany that had her name on it and I went to her classroom, which was room 208, and dropped it off on her desk.
Cat, the student I had met yesterday while out with her, perked up.
"Hey, Austin,"
She said to me, smiling.
"Oh, hey, Cat."
Another student with strawberry-blonde curly hair in a red tank top that said Train like you've been picked for The Hunger Games in white letters told me,
"You know, our journal topic today was what we would want in our significant other, and I think you've just epitomized Ms. Dawson's perfect significant other."
A latino boy in a black t-shirt with a topless woman covering her nipples with her arms and a black ski cap asked,
"Are you on crack, dude? Why would you want to date Ms. Dawson? She's a cranky old bitch who shoves things we don't even give a goddamn shit up our asses. She's been sucking your dick so hard she's making you stoned."
I said,
"Hey, kid, I'll have you know, Ms. Dawson and I have not gotten that intimate, and no, I'm sober. You should be grateful she's your teacher. She does it out of her compassion for others, and despite her crappy salary."
"What kind of drugs are you doing?"
Cat said,
"Shut up, Landon. You had too much marijuana for breakfast. I think Ms. Dawson and Austin are the best couple since Brangelina. If you worked at this school, I'd totally vote for you in the best teacher couple poll in the yearbook."
I pinched her cheekbones.
"Aw, you're such a cutie."
Landon said,
"Fine. Date Ms. Dawson if you want to. But just know that you could find a hotter girl on a porn website."
I said,
"You're in middle school. You shouldn't be watching porn. Now, I gotta go to work."
I left the classroom. I knew Ally was going to like the necklace. Now, time for work. I smiled at Doug, my supervisior.
"Someone's in a good mood today."
I said,
"I am. You want to know why? You know I moved, right?"
"Yup."
"Well, I have this new neighbor, her name is Ally and she's amazing. Super nice, smart and really beautiful. I haven't been in love for five years, and it feels good."
I pulled out my phone and showed him a picture of Ally.
"You scored!"
I said,
"I haven't asked her to be my girlfriend yet. We've just been on four dates together so far. And I give her subtle hints that I want to go out with her by giving her candles, gift cards and even jewelry."
"Great hints."
"So, how are we getting to the homeless shelter?"
Doug said,
"In my van."
Doug had a wife and four kids so he used a minivan. I did role call and all the inmates were here, so we went in the van to the homeless shelter. I asked,
"It's kind of quiet back here, aren't you guys excited for community service?"
I heard a handful of,
"Yay" or "I guess" in flat, monotoned voices.
Sammi said,
"Well, it beats picking up garbage of a freeway in hot weather."
I said,
"That's the spirit! And it helps you kids fulfill your community service hours."
That was chapter 14. Happy fourth of july! I hope you all are having a ton of fun and eating all the grill you can eat! Peace, love, hugs and kisses.