How to Get Caught Sleeping With Your Teacher

Chapter 3 - Ares

The frigid air pricked at me with every step down the staircase at the front of the building. My body screamed at me to fall over in the snow and stop moving, but that obviously wasn't an option. "Maybe the weather man wasn't so wrong after all." I muttered to myself.

I peeked down at the zipper on my jacket to see that it was pulled to it's peak. The jacket wasn't mine, it was my cousin Mikhail's jacket. I'd lived with Mikhail for the past two years of my life. Mikhail wasn't my legal guardian, but everything was off record with my family. Mikhail had turned twenty five a couple months back. Everyone said we looked almost exactly alike each other, and whenever we went out together everyone assumed we were twins, or at least siblings. It was strange, because he was on my father's side of the family, and I looked nothing like my father. Nonetheless, Mikhail and I had been very close originating from childhood, despite our near ten years of age difference. Mikhail looked out for me whenever he could, and was very protective of me.

It was about four thirty and most of the students had departed by now. I'd stayed after to be tutored by a teacher I was friendly with, Mrs. Pavia. Mrs. Pavia and I had been friends since I saw her spill a large stack of books she was carrying in a crowded hallway about a year ago and instantly offered to help her pick them up. She was one of the Spanish teachers at the school, and offered to stay after school once a week to teach me the basics of Spanish. I'd always had a love for foreign language, no matter what it was. I was already taking French, and I wanted to take Spanish as well, but the school wouldn't let me because I needed to take an athletic elective.

All of whom remained at the school were teachers and janitors. Even they were seldom left, as the news had called for a very thick torrent of snow around five o'clock, and no one wanted to hang around to see it come. I could feel my toes slowly going numb even through both layers of socks and my boots. My jeans were snug on my skin and kept the heat of my body close to me. I observed my feet carefully, as I knew how well ice could hide in the thinnest dusting of snow. Now on the sidewalk, I shuffled my feet close together, until I heard a noise coming from the right parking lot. I looked up to see none other than Alex-- I mean, Gillian, putting a laptop bag in his back seat. He didn't notice me, so I kept walking.

About five minutes later, I was walking on the side of the road. I'm sure I looked like somewhat of a homeless person, the way my hood was pulled over my probably tangled hair. My attention was averted up from my feet when a silver 2006 Chrysler 300 pulled over next to me. I picked up my pace, almost to a run but not quite, feeling threatened. I knew I probably wouldn't be able to outrun whoever it was in this weather, but I figured it couldn't hurt to get a head start. The figure was just now opening their door, while I was about fifty feet ahead of them.

"Nikita?" The familiar voice called out from behind me. I turned around alarmed, and was more than surprised to see Mr. Gillian squinting at me with a worried look on his face. As soon as he confirmed it was me, he lightly jogged up to where I was standing. I, still dumbfounded, could muster out nothing but a simple hello.

"Uh, hi." I said sheepishly.

"What are you doing out here? It's..." He paused looking down at his watch. "Eighteen degrees in the middle of January." He questioned.

"I mean, to be fair, it's only January 6th, so it's not quite the middle of January." I rebutted.

"Are you walking home?" He asked, ignoring my sarcastic and deflective comment.

"Yeah." I admitted.

"Do you mind if I ask why?" He responded.

"I stayed after school for something." I revealed.

Gillian paused. "Don't you have someone who can pick you up?" He asked.

"Do you think I'd be walking home if I did?" I snapped back at him without meaning it fully.