The Teacher Next-Door

Chapter Two

I was peacefully asleep on this lovely Saturday. Then, all hell broke loose.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP!"

You would think that was an alarm, but no, it was actually my mother.

"Mom, stop!" I groaned, covering my ears with my pillow.

"Morning! Get your ass out of bed, girly."

I squinted at her, noticing that she was in full glam. "It's Saturday."

"Okay? I invited the new neighbor over for breakfast so get ready."

I immediately sat up, then regretted it because I became extremely light headed. "Damn it," I sighed. My mom laughed and shook her head, but I ignored her. "When is he supposed to be coming?"

She glanced down at her watch. "Uh, twenty minutes?" I jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. "That's my girl." I heard her say from the doorway. "I'll be in the kitchen!"

In a panic, I shoved my toothbrush in my mouth while I got the bathroom ready so I could shower. Hopefully I wasn't the only one who absolutely could not take a shower without laying out every product I use before/after showering.

Anyway, yeah, I was rushing big time. I didn't even move this quickly when I knew that I was going to be late for school. It may seem shallow that I cared this much about someone that casually owned a Rolls Royce, but hey, I could potentially become best friends with them...  or their hot son. Who knows?

Faster than the furious, I stripped myself of my Victoria Secret pajamas, threw my hair into a messy bun, and hopped in the scalding shower. I scrubbed my body and my face like my life depended on it as I blasted Taylor Swift's newest album, 1989. After I finished burning my body under the tiny beads of water, I quickly did my skincare routine and sprayed a shit-ton of dry shampoo in my hair. After I finished with that task, I plugged in my straightener and stepped into my room. I dropped my towel and rummaged through my closet, quickly trying to throw a cute outfit together.

As if I wasn't already stressed out, I heard the doorbell ring, and soon after there was an inaudible voice coming from the foyer.

"Shit!"

I finally decided on high waisted blue jeans and a black cropped top, since it was still warm this early in September. "Style" was now blaring through my portable speaker as I frantically climbed into my outfit.

I paired the outfit with some black Vans before jogging into my bathroom and straightening my shoulder-length dark hair. The last step was to put on a touch of makeup. Not too much, but just enough for a natural look.

"Mary!" My mom called from downstairs.

I turned my speaker off and grabbed my phone. "Coming!"

I gracefully walked down the large flight of stairs, my heart about to explode in my chest. God, I hoped whoever was down there was a man. How cool would it be to marry a rich person or their hot son? I was really hoping they had a son.

The smell of McDonald's wafted through the kitchen and I could feel my face fall. Don't get me wrong, I loved me some McDonald's, but seriously? How was I supposed to impress this person when I'm shoving a Big Mac down my throat?

When I walked into the dining room, I was stunned to see Professor Jackson and my mom sitting across from each other, drinking Starbucks coffee. They both had Starbucks meals in front of them, whereas my spot at the table was the only one with a greasy McDonald's bag.

What the hell, Mom?

Also, PROFESSOR JACKSON WAS MY NEIGHBOR?!

My chances of marrying rich had just gone down the drain. The man was my teacher, so it was never going to happen.

"Mary?" He laughed. "What a small world."

I nodded, still in shock that he was the wealthy neighbor. "Clearly." I forced a smile. My mom cleared her throat. "Oh, Mom... this is my English 102 professor, Professor Jackson."

How much more awkward could this get?

She laughed excitedly. "Wow! That is absolutely crazy!"

I silently took a seat and reached into the McDonald's bag, secretly hating myself for being ecstatic that she got me a quarter-pounder with some fries.

"It certainly is." Professor Jackson chuckled, sipping from his Starbucks cup.

I watched as he sipped his coffee, then I copied him, sipping my McDonald's Mocha Frappe. Damn, it was really good.

"So, Michael," Mom started. "What brings you to Beach Haven?"

Michael. What a perfect name for a perfect human.

"Well, to make a long story short, when I was eighteen I used to be a producer at my father's recording company, Jackson Studios, but I decided that I had a passion for teaching and just wanted to live a different life." I could feel my jaw drop. "I left the company and enrolled myself in school so I could teach literature. This happens to be my very first job as a professor."

"So, how old are you?" My mom wasted no time asking, followed by her loud laugh.

He laughed along with her. "Twenty-two."

Both my mom and I's eyes widened. Professor Jackson was so successful at such a young age. It would take people years to be in the position he was in. It was so hot that he was a twenty-two-year-old professor.

"Oh goodness, now I feel bad about myself." She joked.

He put his hand on her arm and smiled that million dollar smile of his. "You have a beautiful home and clearly are a successful woman, so there's nothing to feel bad about, Jennifer."

Ew! Was he really flirting with my mom? And why was she blushing?

As they continued drooling over each other like animals, I quickly scarfed down my food and picked up my Frappe.

"This was really nice, but I'm going out by the pool for a little." I said, not so nonchalantly.

"Okay, sweetie." My mom's left eye twitched as she forced a smile, clearly wanting me to leave so that she could put him under her cougar spell.

I cringed as I walked out onto the patio, thinking of the fact that my teacher and mother were really flirting with each other... right in front of my innocent eyes.

Wanting to ease my mind of whatever the hell I just witnessed, I sat in a lounge chair, sipping on my coffee, and checked my phone. It was only ten in the morning, but I felt like I had seen enough today that I could honestly just go to bed and start over again tomorrow.

Suddenly I got a few notifications that immediately put a smile on my face. Claire's boyfriend Gavin, AKA the guy I had feelings for when I first moved here last year, had liked a bunch of my pictures I posted last night.

Gavin and I totally had a thing before Claire hung out with him at a party and seduced him. Yeah, I watched her ruin our potential relationship and acted okay with it, but I learned to get over it. Kind of. Not really.

"Hey, Mary?"

I turned around and Professor Jackson was standing on the patio.

I could feel myself blushing as he made his way over to me. He was wearing a black fitted T-shirt, some khakis, his hair was pulled back in his signature low-bun, and Ray Ban sunglasses sat perfectly on his gorgeous face. He looked real good.

"What's up, Professor?"

He smiled as he took a seat two chairs away from me. "Your mom sent me out here to see if you wanted a fresh cup of coffee."

I laughed, looking down at my Frappe. "My mom sent you out here?"

He giggled and scratched the back of his neck. "Okay, guilty. You caught me."

Wait... was he flirting with me now? What in the Game of Thrones...

I faked a smile faker than my mom's breast implants. "I'm good, Professor Jackson. Thank you, though." He stood up and walked back towards the patio. "My mom's a beautiful woman, isn't she?" I called out to him.

He smiled. "Nice talking to you, Mary."