Some Kind Of Temptation

Never Having Allowed Yourself

She was sitting at her desk marking when she heard the sharp knock on the door.

"Come in."

Elizabeth Montgomery stalked in, practically slamming the door closed behind her, and slumped into her usual seat without looking at Stephanie.

She leant back in her chair and took off her glasses, placing the arm of one side between her teeth as she regarded the young woman thoughtfully.

Before she had chance to say anything, her classroom door opened again.

"Steph, a couple of us are heading down to get drin- oh," it was Joe Egan, a sweet but shy languages teacher. He'd not been at the school long and Stephanie thought the estrogen was overwhelming him. He seemed terrified of most of the girls, and she was also well aware he had a huge crush on her. "Sorry, I didn't realize you had company, uh, well I think you're the last to leave so um, turn the lights off on your way out, ha! And um, yes, we'll be down at Murdoch's."

He mouthed this last word as though Elizabeth, who was watching the exchange with interest, couldn't lip read. Stephanie smiled politely and raised a hand to wave as he closed the door. She turned once again to Elizabeth, who was grinning.

"What's so funny, Elizabeth?"

"He has a crush on you."

"Yes, thank you. I'm aware."

"You are?"

"Why do teenagers seem to think that they are the first generation to understand human relationships? I've taught teenage girls my whole working life and I'm always amazed that you think the rest of us walk around with our heads in the sand. Just because you have only just discovered your hormones doesn't mean everyone older than you has forgotten about them."

"But isn't it weird? You don't seem bothered by it."

Stephanie stood and started clearing the board behind her.

"Why should I be? It's his problem, not mine. If I allowed myself to be bothered by every person who has had a crush on me I'd be in a fine mess."

Elizabeth paused for a moment, taking this in.

"You said person. Not man. Every person who has had a crush on you."

Stephanie turned to look at her.

"Elizabeth. I teach at a Catholic girls school. I'm not an idiot, I know girls."

She now moved around the classroom, clearing oddments off the desks and floor. Elizabeth watched her, twirling a lock of her black hair around her fingers.

"So if all these people have had crushes on you, why aren't you married?"

Stephanie sighed as she leant against the desk she was clearing.

"Because I have more self respect than to marry someone just because they find me physically attractive. I have to like them too, and that's just in the first place...but we're not here to discuss me."

"Right." Elizabeth reached into her bag and pulled out her English notebook, dropping it on the desk with contempt. "What do you want me to do?"

"Put that away, for a start." She dropped the handfuls of papers, pen lids and discarded candy wrappers into the trash and turned to face her. "We're going to talk."

"Not this again."

"Yes, this again. What is it that's bothering you, Elizabeth? Is it your family being successful? Are you worried about keeping up?"

The girl scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Please, I can run rings around them with my eyes shut."

"And yet it seems to me," Stephanie said, pulling the chair from the next desk to sit closer to her, "that you have had your eyes shut recently, and that got you a D- on my quiz last week."