Teacher's Pet

24

[ Morganton ]

"Help me!" Maure started approaching me early in the morning in school while I was walking around the hallway. She was bringing a lot of bags, which looked so funny.
 
"Why do you have so many things to bring here?" I helped her carry them until we reached her locker.
 
"Caius told me to do so! She said we are going somewhere." She explained while putting things inside her locker.
 
"Hm, y'all working it out already?" I smirked playfully while staring at her face, who looked in denial.
 
"Friends! We are F R I E N D S. Friends!" She even spelt the word defensively, which made me laugh hard. 
 
"Stop laughing, you dumbass lover girl!" She was angry now that her eyebrows were raised at me.
 
"Whatever, I'll go. Soraya's there already." I started walking away and even heard gossip that looked like it was about me from other students. Most of them had their eyes on me while I was walking. But, oh well, I acted not bothered. 
 
When I finally sat down next to Soraya, she was really surprised. And she even closed her book, turning her whole body and face just to face me. Like she was so thrilled to inform me about something.
 
"Have you heard?!"
 
"What?" I asked, feeling bored.
 
"I think most of the students on this campus have seen Professor Alvarez’s story, which was you!" 
 
My mind went blank.
 
"And someone took a screenshot then did spread it, actually. Everyone's been making rumours about y'all since earlier, like since there's a lot of students who got here." She was yapping continuously, worrying.
 
"They think Professor Alvarez is one of the reasons why you achieved such a grade from her subject. Damn... Those shitheads." She reacted dramatically.
 
"Hm? Okay? And?" I wasn't totally shocked about it. I was staring at her, curious to hear more.
 
"Okay?! And?! Girl! I think everyone's talking about you and Professor already!" She was so dramatic. It made our atmosphere not just about worrying. 
 
We stopped when Adeline came in; everyone got their senses back and turned their attention to her. We all greeted each other each other in return and sat down nicely. 
 
She smiled and had her eyes on me. I gave her an assuring smile back, which made her look happier throughout the class. 
 
And we ended our day with our usual dismissal. It was surprisingly 7:00 p.m. already, and I was just standing in front of my locker after arranging my stuff inside it.
 
A message notified me again...

Professor Alvarez: See me at my office.
 
Morganton: are you hungry?
 
Professor Alvarez: I'm all good. Just come here; I only need your presence.
 
Morganton: okay :)
 
I made my way there as fast as I could. When I reached her office, I opened the door smoothly and saw her working on her laptop. 
 
"You busy?" I closed the door, trying to not make any sounds, and walked closer towards her.
 
"I'm finishing a file." She was wearing her eyeglasses this time. And the fact that she looked so intelligent in it.
 
"The rumours—"
 
"I've heard, that's why I asked you to come here, so we can talk about it." She closed her laptop and looked at me, smiling a little.
 
"I mean, the main rumour is not totally a rumour from our point of view because we are for real dating... Some of them are just getting below the belt," she added.
 
"And the fact that they know you're married, not knowing it's a forced marriage, makes it look ridiculous from their eyes, Adeline." She paused when I said that.
 
"We should... we should just deny everything, and I'll do my best to tell everyone that we are just... friends." I sighed heavily.
 
"You think that's the best thing to do?"
 
"What else to do so we can fix it?" I looked at her; my eyes were dead serious.
 
"We will just keep hiding... Until it gets draining and we are done with each other." I was saying words harshly to her because I wanted to accept the upcoming reality she told me about. 
 
"Okay," she gave up, looking down.
 
Knowing that she couldn't do anything, and we were kind of fully aware of what's about to happen, we had to accept it from the beginning slowly.
 
"Let's eat dinner." She gave me the sweetest smile she could ever make, covering our painful conversation earlier.
 
"Okay, let's go." I started cleaning her table while she was just standing there, exhausted.
 
"In my condo, I'll cook dinner for us." She gave me a smooth kiss on my cheek and passed by to get her bag that was on the sofa.
 
I smiled, blushing when she just did that.
 
A few minutes later, we already reached her condominium using my car. When we got there, she immediately started preparing the ingredients she needed while I was playing games on my phone.
 
After that, we started eating on the dining table and decided to do our usual deep talking together whenever we are just alone.
 
It was one of our ways to know more about each other.
 
"Do you think you can take the risk for me?" I opened up that question I've been always thinking about.
 
It took so long for her to answer.
 
"What if I can't? Are we going to end this?"
 
"No... I can settle for you." I gave her a small smile, waiting for her exact moreover words.
 
"I can't, honestly. Maybe... soon." She was smiling painfully. "But what we are doing right now means a lot to me, Morganton."
 
"You don't have to assure me. I'm ready to face those consequences." I was already trying to comfort myself.
 
I knew nothing was sure. 
 
But the moments and "I love yous" we shared were enough for me to stay. 
 
"You're so brave for being with me," she stated, staring straight into my eyes.
 
"And do you mind telling me why?"
 
"You don't know how huge the risk is, Morganton." She paused. "It's like... the world is against us rather. But... you are just there for me. Even those times I pushed you away."
 
"Why? I mean... I've asked you this before."
 
"Because I love you for being you, Adeline... It's not just sex or casual moments I had with you." I smiled genuinely. "And I know there's a deeper reason why you're doing this. Every time, I'm trying to understand and consider your feelings and the situations you have to go through."
 
"My dad was a criminal," she randomly uttered, looking down.
 
"Huh?"
 
"He was a criminal who committed heinous crimes just to be wealthy." She chuckled sarcastically. "He killed my own mother with his own hands."
 
I was speechless.
 
I've never been this speechless before.
 
"My mother, she was the mistress of my fake husband's father... and I grew up in such a hell house."
 
I was just quiet, listening to her and giving her more time to process her mind if she should continue.
 
"My dad accidentally did a crime to my fake husband's name... And he was about to be reported and be locked up behind iron bars, which I was really happy about."
 
"But I was wrong. Really wrong." It looked like she was about to cry hard. "I was in college, 3rd year... and he told my fake husband that he would do anything; he shouldn't just get locked up and our family's reputation will be ruined."
 
"I was the price," she sarcastically uttered. "My fake husband told him that he wanted to marry me. He wanted to live with me and have a family with me. So, he will not expose anything in the media and the court."
 
"I did it... because I wanted to protect him even if he was that cruel to me." She was starting to tear up. "And my family's name; I never wanted it to get dirty."

"I couldn't... I couldn't fight back, Morgan." She was already crying little by little, which made me stand up and sit down next to her.
 
"You don't know how powerful he is. You don't know what he is capable of." She was still trying to explain more even when crying harder already on my shoulder. I embraced her warmly, trying to make her feel that she was safe with me.
 
Because she is safe with me.
 
Always.
 
"Shush, it's fine. It's fine; you don't have to tell me." I kissed the side of her forehead. "I know it's hard to narrate everything and bring back those memories."
 
"Morgan, I can't... I can't go back to his arms again and be forced to do things I never wanted to do." She was crying harder and harder, which made me start tearing up hearing her this way.
 
"And I don't want to drag you in this. I never wanted to—"
 
"Shush, I sincerely decided for this, okay? You should never blame yourself about it. It's just me, Adeline... Me." 
 
"And you will still choose to continue this kind of situation with me even if I didn't grab the pills you asked me to surely take it?" She looked at me; her eyes were full of tears flowing out like those couldn't be stopped.
 
"What do you mean, Adeline?"