The Teacher Next-Door

Chapter Ten

As much as I wanted to show off my new look, I decided not to go to school. Yesterday was definitely enough trauma for me, no need to make it any worse.

After my mom had finished her never-ending rant about what she was going to do to Claire, we picked up my car (with four brand new tires! yay me!) from the shop, then I crawled into bed and watched Legally Blonde for the rest of the day. I didn't even bother opening my laptop and my phone was switched off. Yeah, I was at my breaking point.

Of course, the moment I was slipping into a deep sleep, there were three loud knocks at my door.

"Mary? You have a visitor." My mom announced.

I groaned. "Tell them I'm not home."

"I heard that." A familiar voice commented from outside of the door.

I instantly shot up. "Uh, give me a minute!"

I hurried over to my vanity and grabbed my brush, frantically running it through my disheveled hair. I quickly spritzed Taylor Swift's Incredible Things perfume all over my body and shoved a breath mint in my mouth. I then threw an Abercrombie hoodie on and tied my hair up messily (but in a cute way ya know?). Happy with my appearance, I swiftly opened my door.

Lo and behold, Professor Jackson was standing before me... next to my mom. I really wished the two of them would stop hanging out.

"Professor Jackson? What's up?" I tried to sound as casual as possible.

"Mary, I um," Professor Jackson looked over his shoulder at my mom, who was practically gaping at him. Jesus. "Jenny, could we have a minute?"

She snapped out of her trance and let out a loud, desperate laugh. "Oh! Of course!" She began walking down the hallway. "Just make sure the door stays open!"

I grimaced. That's so awkward.

"Uh, come on in." I stepped aside so he could walk through the door frame.

"Thank you." He strolled into the room, looking around. "I like what you've done with the place."

I laughed. "It's nothing special, but thanks."

It really wasn't anything to rave about. It was very Y2k inspired. There were a lot of pinks, greens, and ambient lighting in my room. I also had a pink canopy above my bed, an LED chandelier, and my flatscreen TV had a custom frame around it that made it look like a painting. I was very proud of my room, but at the end of the day, it was nothing to brag about. I mean, my mom paid for the whole thing.

"No, seriously. It's lovely in here. You should help me design my house." He stated. I stared at him. "Honestly, Mary, I have no idea what I'm doing."

"I'll think about it." I offered him a closed mouth smile. "Well, make yourself at home." I climbed onto my king-sized bed, then muted the TV.

"Thank you." He joined me, but he was sitting at the very edge of the bed, as far away as possible. He glanced at the TV. "Oh, Legally Blonde. Great film."

"Yup." I replied, still waiting for an explanation as to why he was in my bedroom this late.

"So listen, I came to check on you, see how you were doing."

That's what he was here for? Oh, please. "I'm fine." He raised his eyebrows at the lie leaving my mouth. "Was that all?" I questioned.

He sighed. "Mary, you can talk to me. I'm here for you, if you would like for me to be."

Suddenly, my blood began to boil and I no longer wanted to entertain the conversation. I had no desire to engage in any mind games with this man. Yes, he was gorgeous, in the most soul-crushing way possible, but he was displaying so many red flags. He was my teacher (kinda hot not gonna lie), my mom's new "friend" (barf, my mom? seriously?), and he apparently had a girlfriend or fiance, whatever the hell she was (he was a cheating asshole).

I had already been hurt tremendously this year, and it was only the second week of school. As much as it killed me inside, I had to put myself first. I could not let this devastatingly handsome man ruin my life.

However, instead of saying any of this, I decided to shut the conversation down.

"Professor Jackson, I'm fine. If that was all you had to talk to me about, then I think it's for the best if you leave." His face dropped, which stung me a little. "It's getting late and we have school tomorrow."

The last thing I wanted was for him to leave.

He stood up. "Okay, Mary. I apologize if my intentions were misconstrued. I genuinely care about all of my students and just wanted to make sure you were okay. I'll give you your space from now on."

NO! Don't give me space!

"Okay, thank you." I whispered.

"I'll see you tomorrow." He stated, not even giving me a chance to respond before he exited the room.

What the hell just happened...