Weeks From Now.

Chapter Two

I woke up at 6:30

30 FUCKING MINUTES BEFORE THE SHOW STARTED.

I bolted to the shower, took my clothes off and put 6 drops of shampoo on my hair. I rinsed out my hair and dried my body off.

it was still raining when I looked outside so instead of walking I just took my car.

when I got inside my car I remembered that I didn't even know the address of the cafe.

I found it eventually, but it didn't really look like what my friends had described it as.

I got to the show at exactly 6:30, the time it was supposed
to start. But as I was in line I already heard the band. I finally got passed the bouncer. Why was there a bouncer?
I didn't really care...

I rushed inside looking for Alex or anyone I knew from school. No one was here,
just a bunch of college students. I walked to the general admission area of the cafe or club or whatever it was . The stage was a decent size, the entire room was lit up by lights of every color.

I danced a little to the techno music, wondering where the band was. After about 15 minutes I went to the bar to get a drink.

"I'll take a sprite"
"yeah, sure" the bar tender said.
I slipped her a five dollar bill, just wanting to get away and not have to wait for her to give me change.

I turned around and saw Mr.Mayer.

oh god, he's looking over here. what do I do?

he came up to me and started talking but I couldn't really hear him over the music, so I just smiled and nodded.

"No, i said how did you get in here?" Mr.Mayer questioned
"What do you mean?"
"It's an 18 plus club, do you have a fake ID or something?"
Why would my friends have me meet them at an 18 plus club? None of us were 18 yet and we didn't have fake ID's either.
"uh... no they didn't check me"
Mr.Mayer raised his eyebrow.
"Well you probably shouldn't be here" He said with a smirk
- but don't worry I won't tell anyone that I saw you here, okay?"
"Yeah okay"
I walked around for a little while and then found a corner of the club. Mr.Mayer followed me.

"So what? You're going to harass me?" I asked
"I'm just making sure you're going to be safe"
"Well I don't think anything bad is going to happen to me, thanks."
I didn't want him to go away but I also didn't want him treating me like a kid.

I looked away, watching the crazy college kids dance. I took a drink and noticed he was still staring at me.

His eyes were sparkling, like actually sparkling. We stared at each other for a long time. I them felt my phone buzzing in my pocket.

5 missed calls
3 new text messages

Alex: Where are you?
Taya: Are you here?
Alex: We left... it was too country sounding.

Too country sounding? was I in the wrong club? that explains the college students.

" I gotta go" I told Mr.Mayer
"I should walk you to your car"
"you don't have to, its fine."
"I want to"
"yeah- okay"

I grabbed my coat and we headed toward the door of the club. As we walked to the parking lot I shuffled through my purse to kind my keys. The lot was crowded, there were a lot more cars here than when I parked. I looked everywhere but my car was nowhere in sight. After about 5 minutes of walking around the same parking lot I started to panic. I mean honestly who wouldn't. My car was literally no where to be found.

"w-what should I do?" I said, my voice shaking.
"You should probably call your parents or something" Mr.Mayer said.
"They're out of the country and they don't have roaming and I can't call them and-"
"Okay, okay well calm down"
Mr.Mayer had more panic in his voice than I did, but he tried to cover it up. which made his words just sound like jibberish.
Mr.Mayer put his hand on my shoulder to try and comfort me. Thats when I broke down crying.
"I can give you a ride if you want."

In the midst of panic, I still thought: this is my moment, this is the time I make a move on Mr.Mayer

"Yeah, sure lets go down PCH or something."
"Okay my cars over here" He pointed to a pearly white Range Rover, he must come for a rich family, I thought.
I got into the car and sat in the passenger seat, as he started the ignition I took i deep inhale. I was still worried about my car, it wasn't brand new or anything but I got it for my 16th birthday and hadn't even gotten used to it. I unlocked my phone and dialed the local police department, i reported it stolen, told them my name, address, license plate number... but since the car wasn't under my name I couldn't do anything. I had to wait until next month when my parents got home from Denmark.

"it's going to be okay.." Mr.Mayer said, in his calming voice.
"You're right... I should just chill."
"you know... I used to go down drives along the ocean with my mom."
"Yeah, mine too... When she was home."
"Are your parents gone a lot?"
"Yeah, if not for work.. for vacation."

We sat In silence for the rest of the ride, we stopped at Channel Islands Beach, which is a 30 minute drive from Newbury Park. The only people that really go here are tourists.

30 minutes alone in a car with the most beautiful human being was heaven for me. Silence or not.

But, he was my teacher and nothing could happen between us. Even if we both wanted it, which was unlikely because I'm sure Mr.Mayer didn't feel the same way. In another life maybe we could be together, the same age... Maybe we would meet in college and get married In his parents back yard or something. But that wasn't going to happen.

We got out at the beach, it was dark and the air was still damp from the rain this afternoon. The sound of the tranquil waves made me dizzy.

"So your in college?" I asked, he wasn't our actual teacher yet, he was in training to be.

"Yeah."

"So you're... what? 23?"

"25." he corrected me.

"Oh, well I guess it's all the same thing once you're 21."
"yeah... I guess so" he chuckled.
We continued down the beach, sand getting in my Vans.
"So Mr.Mayer... Don't you have somewhere to be on a Monday night? You know, grading papers or something?"

"Yeah I guess so, you can call me Josh,though."
We sat down at a bench along the beach.
"So...Josh, you let all of your students call you that?"
"No" he said, he squinted his eyes.
"You said your parents are gone for work a lot, I can relate to that... My wife works in Finland."

Wife?

"You're married." I wasn't asking him.. I was just stating it.

"yes."

"Well I guess you not wearing a ring is a little misleading."

"Yeah? Well, I just don't like wearing it I guess."

I looked at my phone, I could see that tears were building up in my eyes. Of course he's married.

"I have to go, you know school in the morning."

"Well, I'll take you home, it's no problem."

"no, I'll get a cab."

"what? why? I can drive you-"
"I know you can, I don't want you to. just stay, I'm leaving" I said as I walked away, I heard Mr.May- Josh yelling my name, but I didn't care... I kept walking.