If Only

Chapter 3

A/N
🎶50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon🎶

It's lunch time the next day and I am mentally preparing myself to spend the majority of lunch alone with Ms Bradley. Really it's just a series of steps I need to follow. I don't need to think, I just need to follow the list.

I bid Ross and Amy goodbye. They wave back fondly, check.

I then give Jessica daggers from across the room to make sure she remembers who gave her that black eye, check. 

Then I make my feet move and keep my breathing even as I arrive at my English teachers classroom door, check.

However, now, despite my efforts to simplify my thought processes I was annoyed again. I was pissed off at the unfairness of this. Jessica had assaulted my friend and all she got was a months detention. The main character in this situation is sexism.

Ms Bradley was standing wiping the white board as I enter.

"Hi Miss, what do you want me to do?" I say as I set my bag down on the desk in front of her.

She turns to address me and motions to the stack of papers. She's wearing a navy slim pants suit today with heels today. Her body is slightly turned so the suit strains against her toned body. I quickly avert my eyes before I stare too long in one spot.

"I need to grade these papers for the maths class I also teach. I have the marking scheme here. You can help me with that". I nod saying nothing and begin.

Ms Bradley and I work in companionable silence for the first fifteen minutes. However after that I can feel her eyes flick to me often. I lock my jaw and hide behind my hair while I continue to mark the papers.

"Your upset" she states and cuts through the silence.

I breath through my nose. "I am" I reply simply.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Not particularly".

"It's good to talk about things, it could make you feel better" her tone is coaxing now. I look up to see her eyes searching my expression. It disarms me for a moment and I reply without thinking.

"It's best not to rock the hypothetical boat. I rather just do my time and move on" but I can tell she can sense my resolve cracking. She shifts closer scooting her chair closer into the desk as she sits opposite me. She covered my hand with hers that is resting on the table. Again, the electric shock that runs up my body takes me by surprise. I jolt slightly in my seat but Ms Bradley ignores my odd action completely and persists. She nods her head and motions for me to continue.

I sigh accepting defeat. Why am I such a sucker for pretty women? More spacifically, this gorgeous, elegant, intelligent woman who I am wildly, inappropriately crushing on.

"To give you the short PG version, I am annoyed at the blatant sexism that the staff in this school displayed when dealing with what happened. If it was the other way around Ross would have gotten expelled or worse. I don't like the fact that twat has gotten away with roughing up my friend"'. I look away from her stormy grey eyes again trying to gather my thoughts.

Her warm hand squeezed mine in a comforting gesture. My eyes snapped to hers again and I can see the warmth and understanding here. I resisted the urge to run my thumb along her knuckles.

"It's not easy when your see something you know is wrong and your not in a position to change it. For what it's worth I agree with you. She got off too lightly". Her head tilted and her mouth threatened a comforting smile when she took in my expression.