Teachers Pet

two

The sun glared in through the window, casting a parallel shadow on the opposite wall. Flo and I had given up on decorating the walls as it was already four in the morning by the time we unpacked our clothes. I sat up, stretching, allowing my back to pop. 

"You ready?" Flo asked, walking from the bathroom. My brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"

She stopped, slipping her earrings on. "We're going to lunch." My mind drew a blank. Flo groaned, "Today we planned to go to lunch with Scarlett and your brother." Suddenly the plans popped into my head. "Oh yeah!" I jumped up, shooting out of bed and to my dresser. 

"God, what would you do without me?" Florence smiled, fixing her pink lace top in the mirror. I laughed, "I have no idea." Pulling an outfit from my drawer, I placed it on my now-made bed. A simple brown sweater, tan almost-white khakis, with a brown belt. 

Florence pulled her skirt up slightly. "You know you'll never get a man if you keep dressing like a 1800s' scholar." I rolled my eyes, folding up a matching cardigan. "Maybe I don't want a man, Flo." She raised her eyebrows, watching me walk into the bathroom. I grabbed two towels, setting them beside the tub. I was happy the extra three hundred we spent allowed us to get a private shower. No way I was sharing with girls I didn't even know. 

"Oh really? And who do you want?"

"Maybe I want a woman." I faced her, holding the door halfway open. "Or maybe I want to be by myself." Her hopeful expression faded to an annoyed one. "Come on!" I laughed, slamming the door in her face. I heard her shouting through the door but chose to ignore it as the faucet water drowned out her words. 

_

I had finally changed, dressing in the outfit I had picked out before. We were on our way downstairs when I saw my brother turning a corner. "Aaron!!" I shouted, running until our bodies collided. "Hey, little devil." I rolled my eyes at the nickname, hugging my brother tighter. We were close as kids. Always getting into trouble together and getting out of it too. Well, it was mostly Aaron getting into it. I always just along for the ride. Even though we were five years apart, he felt like my twin. That's why it hurt so much when he moved all the way across the country. 

It felt like I lost my other half. Along with Flo. 

"I told you to stop calling me that!" I argued, pulling back and punching his arm. He shrugged, "Old habits die hard." Flo walked up beside me, "Aaron."

"Florence." They had hated each other since we were all little. Either Aaron was picking on Flo or she was hitting him with anything she could find near her. The hatred dulled out over time. Yet apparently hadn't been extinguished totally. 

"So!" I exclaimed, breaking the silence. "Where are we going to eat?" 

"I know this cafe in the city," Aaron said, walking towards his car. Even with moving forty-four hours away, he still kept the same car. I begged him to let me have it after he graduated but he never would. I always told him he kept it just to spite me. 

"Scarlett's meeting us there." He opened the driver's side as we all slipped in. Aaron and I in the front, Florence in the back. 

"And why are you talking to my sister?" Florence asked, crossing her arms over her chest. Aaron looked over his shoulder, pulling into traffic. "Because the teacher lounge is a thing and I texted her earlier to let her know where we were going." 

"Oh, right." Florence dropped her arms, annoyed with Aaron already. 

This was going to be a long ride. 

_

Getting out of the car, we saw Scarlet waving us down. "Hey!!" She smiled, pulling Florence into a hug. "How are you? Was your flight okay? Did the taxi service I sent give you any trouble?" I laughed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It was perfect, thank you." She grinned, pulling me into a hug. Scarlet had basically been like an older sister to me when I only had one brother. I got to visit Ohio once a year to see Flo. After going back and forth for years, Scarlet was always there. 

We finally pulled apart as we all sat down. "So have you guys seen your class schedule yet?" Scarlet asked, thanking the waiter as he brought her iced coffee. I nodded, "I saw it on my student portal." 

Flo hummed, "Yeah. At least you don't have your sister for science." Scarlet laughed, "You have me?" Flo nodded, "Don't even get me started." Scarlet held her hands up in defense, turning her attention to me. "And you?" 

"Well, I don't have Aaron-"

"Thank god." He breathed out, placing a hand on his chest. "I already have enough book nerds in my class. I don't need one more." 

"Anyways..." I dismissed his insult. "I have Mr. Stan for first block. Mr. Downey for second, then Mr. Ruffalo for science, Mr. Mackie for literary science, and my last hour is Professor Hiddleston."

Scarlett lifted her finger, "He's really good with his students. One of his kids went on to write a whole novel series." I took another sip of my water, trying to remember where I had heard his name before. I hadn't met him before. Yet his name seemed so...

"Scarlett! Aaron!" I turned my head to the familiar voice. And there he was. the man who saved me from being a bug on a windshield. Professor...

"Tom!" Scarlett waved, "We were just talking about you!" I felt his presence behind me as I turned slowly, looking up at him. 

"Ah.." He looked down at me, "The J-walker." I laughed, taking another drink. 

"J-walker?" Aaron asked, "Are you trying to get killed?"

Flo pulled on my jacket, "So this is the 'stud of a man who saved you from being hit by a car?" I shushed her, smacking her leg under the table. 

"I wasn't J-walking. I got knocked into the street on accident." 

Tom hummed, hearing his name being called by the waitress. He grabbed his coffee from the countertop, "You're in my class, right?" I nodded, "Yes. Fifth block English." 

I could see the way his eyes lingered on me, walking up and down my body before he smiled again. "Then I'll see you Monday Miss...."

"Johnson." Tom nodded, "See you then Miss Johnson." he waved to my brother and Scarlett. "See you guys on Monday as well." The two returned his gesture. I could feel Aaron's glare on me. "What?" I whispered, looking over the menu. 

"Don't 'what' me." He shook his head. "This isn't small-town Oregan. Cars will hit you and keep going. You can't just walk across." I groaned, "Aaron I didn-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" I shut up. "Mom and Dad aren't here. Which means I have to make sure you don't fail or you know, die!" I could feel the tension between us. I'm sure Flo and Scarlett could too. 

"Alright!" Florence broke the silence. "What are we all getting to eat?"