For the past year, 18 year old Camille has been getting away with four hours of sleep, a nine hour school day and an eight hour work day overnight. That is until her three teachers and a mystery guy walk into her diner one night.
NOTE: THIS IS A 'W...
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"Everyone on the bus."
I climb onto the coach, finding the last empty row, which is near the front.. I just want to curl up against the window and go to sleep.
Who schedules to leave for a school trip at 5am?
The drive is a few hours, so I opted for a pink tracksuit to keep me warm and comfy for the journey. I put my hair in two braids so that it would be nice and wavy for the trip.
As I sit on the seat, I lift my legs up onto the one next to me so I can stretch comfortably without anyone trying to sit next to me.
I close my eyes, cleaning my head against the window as Mr Hart and Mr Whitlock do the final headcount.
I had tried not to stare at them when we were in the parking lot but they made it so hard with their outfit choices. They are both wearing their glasses, which makes them look sexy as hell. Mr Hart is wearing black sweatpants and a grey hoodie whilst Mr Whitlock is wearing a white V-neck shirt and black jeans.
They look so effortlessly hot, but they're still my teachers.
No matter what Mr Lockwood said.
I hear the bus engine rumble, signalling we are setting off. The window rattles slightly next to my head at the vibrations. I keep my eyes closed and try to drift off but my arm decides that now is the time to hurt.
I wince and open my eyes, only to see the two teachers sitting in the row opposite me, talking amongst themselves.
Luckily they don't see me staring so I try to block out their presence and rustle around in my tote bag for some Advil.
I sigh and sit back in defeat when I realise it's not in my bag.
You'd think I'd be used to this whole broken arm pain thing by now.
"What do you need?" Mr Whitlock looks at me with kind eyes.
"Advil," I mumble, trying not to blush as they both stare at me.
Mr Whitlock stands up and reaches for his bag above the seat, whilst Mr Hart keeps staring at me.
"Your arm?" Mr Hart asks, indicating to my pink cast. I nod my head, embarrassed that I forgot pain relief again.
"Here," Mr Whitlock passes me a box of Advil and I pick out two of the pills from the pack. He passes me some water and I gulp them down.
"Better?" he asks, taking his seat next to Mr Hart again.
"Yeah, thanks," I say quietly as I lean against the window again and shut my eyes, trying to sleep. I hear them mumbling amongst themselves but I don't try to listen. Tiredness hits me as soon as the pain subsides and I find myself falling asleep.
...
"Mom left?" I ask, tears in my eyes.
My dad nods and I let the tears fall.
"It's okay, Camille," he strokes my hair, "I'll look after you and the boys."
...
"Camille, wake up."
Someone shakes my leg and I open my ear. My cheeks feel wet and I touch them, feeling tears. I look to see who is touching me and see Mr Whitlock and Mr Hart staring at me.
"Move your legs, Camille," Mr Whitlock says softly and I move them to the floor. He takes the seat next to me and I fight the urge to shrink away.
I feel so conflicted. My body yearns to touch him and seek comfort from him but my mind won't let me. He's my teacher.
"What were you dreaming about, little one," he whispers as I wipe away a tear.
"My mom," I barely manage to get it out, "and my dad saying he would look after us...but I guess he lied."
I feel his hand brush against mine. Tingles rush through my body and I blush at the sudden contact. He takes me not moving away as a sign and grabs onto my hand, holding it firmly.
We don't say anything.
We don't need to.
The rest of the bus seems to fall away as I feel the connection between us. I rest my head on his shoulder, after I make sure no one can see.
I look up at him, allowing myself to be vulnerable and see him staring down at me, smiling.
Remembering Mr Hart is watching us, I look to him to see him almost smiling.
A rare sight.
My eyelids feel heavy as I lie on his firm shoulder and I feel myself drifting off to sleep.
I wake up to Mellissa sitting next to me, shaking me awake. I open my eyes, looking around frantically to see an empty bus.
"Come on, babe, let's go," she says before grabbing my hand and dragging me off the bus.
I rub my eyes, feeling relaxed after that deep sleep.
I haven't slept that good in a long time.
As we pile off the bus, Mr Hart winks at me as he faces away from everyone and I look down, trying to hide my blush.
This is a dangerous game.
Mellissa and I talk about cheer whilst the keys to our hotel rooms are passed around.
It turns out we are sharing a room together, which we both seem happy about. We walk up the stairs to the fourth floor and down a long plain hallway.
We reach our room, 402, and I unlock the white painted wooden door. It opens to show two single beds, with white sheets and a big window on the right wall. There is another door leading to a basic ensuite.
The room doesn't have much life in it, other than a pop art painting above the bedside table.
"Mine," Mellissa runs in and jumps on the bed next to the window. I laugh at her as I look down the corridor but stop silent when I see Mr Whitlock and Mr Hart a couple door down, going into separate rooms.
Shit.
I walk into our room and slam the door shut, before sitting on my bed which is nearest to the door.
"I wonder if the minibar has any alcohol in it," Mellissa jokes and I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Probably not. They know we're high school students," I groan and lie down on the bed.
We stay silent for a second. I sit up and turn to her.
"Let's go explore."
She nods and we scramble out of the room, excited to go see the other parts of the hotel.
