Mind Games.

chapter 17: Akward....

As we all awaited the end of geology, I thought about what Libby had showed me. Why would she show me? How does she know she can trust me? Not that she can't, it's just hard to keep everything from my connections at the FBI. Especially when they monitor my every move.
Before the teacher let us out, she made an announcement.
"Now, for those of you who are not aware, the school's sign up for the new York trip starts today. This year, myself and a few other school assigned chaperones will be taking 50 of you to New York city for three days right before Christmas vacation to see a Broadway play. This years play will be Urinetown. You are all encouraged to sign up. The sheets are posted on all billboards around the campus. Class dismissed."
Many people started running out the door. I took my time to pack up my things. After everything was neatly arranged, I walked calmly outside. Several students crowded around one billboard, signing their names on a sheet of notebook paper.
I shook my head at them. It's not like they live across the country from New York, they can still go there. Some people just have no common sense. But then again, common sense isn't so common anymore.
I started down the hallway to Mr. Marsh's classroom. The rest of the hallway was mostly barren, except for a few students who stopped by their lockers to grab books. They smiled politely and carried on with their business.
I opened the door and stepped inside, setting my bags on the counter. Mr. Marsh was not in the classroom. I decided to pull up the picture of the ground mural while I waited for him to arrive. I sat in the counter top and flipped through my phone's images. I never fully understood why some people had over 300 photos on their phone at one time. I never have more than 10 or 15.
Just then, the door burst open, revealing Norman. He was holding a giant stack of books that towered over his head and blocked my view of him. He was wondering all over the place.
"Why did I volunteer for this!?!"
"Do you need help, Norman?" I asked, jumping off the counter. He was silent for a second, then he laughed nervously and said,
"G-gee, sure Alice. That would be nice." I tried grabbing a stack at the same time he tried to hand me some, causing the huge stack to fall forward and land all over the ground. Norman tried to grab them in mid air as they fell, but he ended up grabbing the collar of my shirt, bringing both of us to the ground.
I ended up landing on top of him, straddling him across the waist. He tried to help me and push me off, but his glasses must have been too messed up, because he groped me.
And then, when it seemed that things couldn't get much worse, the door swung open, revealing not only Mr. Marsh, but that smirking Dragon named Connor. Connor waisted no time in pulling out his phone and snapping a picture of Norman and I. He sprinted down the hall before I could destroy him.
Mr. Marsh had a mixture of emotions on his face. Disgusted, confused, and nautious to name a few.
I pushed Norman's hands off of me and stood up, taking a second to gather my thoughts. I stared at Mr. Marsh with a helpless expression, wishing someone would just put me out of my misery.
Norman stood up, pushing his goggles to the top of his nose.
"M-Mr. Marsh! This isn't what it looks like."
"Norman-"
"I brought in a ton of books and Alice was just trying to-"
"Norman?" He interrupted. I felt my cheeks becomeing more red. Norman looked at him with fear in his eyes.
"Y-yes Mr. Marsh?"
"I understand. But I need you to straighten this mess out. Alice and I have a lesson to start on. Alice, we're going in my office." He walked into his office with a calm stride. I looked at Norman. Norman looked at me and whispered,
"I'm sorry Alice." He looked down at the mess we had made. I smiled and nodded. I grabbed my things and walked into his office. This is going to be akward.
I sat down in my spot across from him. He smiled and asked,
"Alice?"
"Before you ask anything, Mr. Marsh, nothing happened. I swear, I don't even look at Norman that way. He's more like a brother to me." I heard myself explaining as my cheeks got hotter by the second. He chuckled to himself and looked down.
"I know that, Alice. You're not foolish enough to do something like that when Connor is out to get you." He smiled. How can teeth be that white!?
"I suppose you do have a point." I replied. He chuckled again and then sighed.
"Alice, I have a question." He looked at me. I averted eye contact and just looked down at my hands on the desk.
"Go ahead, Mr. Marsh." He stopped then.
"Alice..." He sighed. I blushed some more and said,
"I'm sorry, Simon, what's your question?" I looked up at him. He folded his hands on the desk. His knuckles almost touched mine. I could feel the heat radiating from him. He looked directly into my face, making me look down again.
"Did you do my homework last night?" He asked. I couldn't help but smile a little bit. I nodded, almost afraid to speak. He reached across the desk and lifted my chin with his hand. I felt my heart rate pick up. His action forced me to stare straight into his eyes. Mr. Starry eyes...
"Alice, use your words like a big girl. Did you do my homework last night?" He repeated. I smiled slightly to the side and nodded slightly.
"Yes, Simon. I did."
"Why?" He inquired, still holding my chin. I shrugged and moved my head to the side so he was no longer holding my head.
"I, well...you said you would be fired if it wasn't done. I didn't want that because I think you are a great teacher. So I did it." I replied. He stared at me for an extra second, then he reached forward and held my hands in his. I felt goosebumps crawling up my arms as he firmly gripped them. His hands were soft and warm, filling me with light. It took everything in my power to keep my hands from shaking.
The second he took my hands in his, I looked up at him. He smiled and said,
"Thank you, Alice. I can't even imagine what I would have done if that was not done today. I owe you a favor in return, now."
"Oh, don't worry about that Mr....I mean, Simon" I said, feeling myself blush. He smiled and shook his head,
"No, I mean it, Alice. If there's anything I can do to make your life easier, please don't hesitate to ask me." His hands had krept their way up to my forearms.
It was then that I thought about Dixie. I thought of what Connor would do if he came in to prank me and he found her there...
"Do you like dogs, Simon?" I asked him out of the blue. He frowned and tilted his head slightly.
"Thats an odd question, Alice, but yes, I do like dogs. Why?" He questioned. I bit my lip, then looked down.
"I've been hiding a secret in my dorm room. The night Connor threw eggs at me was the same night that I stumbled onto a bag of basset hounds. There's one puppy still left, but I don't like thinking that one day someone will find her and I'll be kicked out of this college." I finished explainging, looking at him. He seemed to understand, because he nodded his head and smiled.
"And you want her to stay at my home?" He asked. I nodded.
"Yes....if it isn't too much trouble." I stated. He shook his head quickly from side to side.
"No, I don't mind at all. Why don't you bring her to my house after school on Wednesday?" He smiled and sat back. I shrugged and nodded.
"Yes, that would be perfect."
"Good, now, what else is new?" He asked, smiling. The first thing that flashed through my mind was Debbie and her cocaine addiction, but I decided that he didn't need to know that.
Then I remembered the pictures I took of the ground mural, so I flipped out my phone.
"Do you remember what I told you about the ground mural?" I asked. His eyes lost a little color as he nodded slightly.
"Yes, I do recall that."
"I found one of Heather a few days ago."
"Are you serious?" He asked, leaning forward. He looked very interested in what I was going to say.
"Yes, I am. And I took pictures to prove that it was there," I showed him the three pictures I took of it. He took the phone gently from my hands and stared at the screen, amazed.
"Oh my god, it looks just like her." He stated, awed. I nodded and rubbed my temples with my finger tips.
"Yes. At first I thought the ground mural was just a coincidence, but when it happened the second time...I tried to warn her." I felt a single tear sting my eye. Mr. Marsh straightened up and leaned forward a little.
"And she didn't listen?" He asked. I shook my head and sniffled. Oh god, please don't cry. Not here, not in front of him...
But the feminine side of me couldn't help it. I felt a few more tears sting my eyes, and I buried my face deep in the sleeve of my sweatshirt, not wanting him to see me like this.
Mr. Marsh got up from behind the table and came up next to me. He was so tall, that when he squated down, his torso and arms were completely level with mine.
He reached one arm across my chest and rested it on my left shoulder, making me face him more. I sniffled a few more times and then nodded.
"I'm ok, I'm ok."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure." I replied, taking a few deep breaths. He smiled and rubbed my shoulder once before getting back up to sit down in his chair. I re-adjusted my chair and faced him again, rubbing my eyes with my hands.
"I'm sorry, Simon. I didn't mean to cry-"
"It's fine, Alice. Everyone cries."
"I know, but that was no reason to cry. After all, all this isn't about me. It's about finding the man who's doing this to girls on the campus." I stated, sitting back. Mr. Marsh nodded,
"I agree. All the nonesense going on around here has to stop."
"Yeah," I said, looking down again. I could feel him staring at me. He finally piped up and asked,
"Are you going on the New York trip?" I looked at him and shrugged.
"I wasn't planning on it, no."
"You're not even going to try?" He asked. I looked out the tiny window, then to him and said,
"I don't see a reason to take someone else's opportunity away." I smiled and looked back down at my hands. Mr. Marsh frowned and tilted his head.
"It isn't taking someone's opportunity, Alice. It's taking your own."
"I haven't been one for lucky opportunities in my life." I stated. He smiled and leaned forward.
"Well, there's a first for everything." He stared into my eyes. And for a moment, and only a moment, I stared back. The dimming sunlight made his eyes gleam like diamonds.
But then I caught wind of myself and looked down, blushing even more. Mr. Marsh smiled and then stated,
"I'm going on the trip as a chaperone. If you sign up, I'll make sure you go, ok?" He asked. I just nodded and then took out my book bag.
"We should probably get started on the lesson, huh?" I asked. He smiled, his eyes still burning into my soul.
"Probably."

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Hope you liked it, enjoy the next one, bye!(: