The Teacher

The Teacher: Part I Unchained, Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

I WAS SO PUZZLED...WHAT KIND of band, how did the band come together so quickly, and was it promoting some cause—his cause? I realized I knew enough about Holden's gifts that I should be able to answer all my own questions.

For someone who could turn 10K into a mil in three months of manipulating stocks—for someone who could single-handedly take his hockey team to a state championship—for someone who had the power to bend the will of anyone he cared to compromise, for someone who doesn't need to sleep, why couldn't he form a band if that was in his gunsights to accomplish.

First things first—to go I needed a date for the prom. I was a junior, so I wasn't really planning on attending, but Blaire and Lydia, also juniors, were both dating seniors, so they had their prom dates set and their dresses already picked out. While waiting for Blaire to show for our study session, I finally decided I wanted to be there as well.

When she came, we settled into our favorite table looking out over a harbor guarded by a quaint red-brick lighthouse, the point leading out into the often rough open waters of Lake Michigan.

"Before we get started, I really want to see Holden's band, so can you have your boy-toy find me a guy who'd take me to the prom?" I pressed, just not up for what it would take to hunt down some senior schmuck when I knew I'd never feel anything for him.

"Fallon, seeing as it's you, with your rep, I don't know...it's a tall order, but sure I'll have Sam take care of it. Should be some night alright! I'm glad you're going to be there with us," Blaire remarked.

"So, if we get done here early, let's check out the mall and look at some prom dresses!"

"Sure...but right now I need your help with these math problems. I'm so aggravated. When am I ever going to need to know how to figure out the area under a squiggly line?"

"In this case you just..."

It was material I was up on, so we finished early, went to the mall and I picked out the first dress I tried on. I didn't want to look too good and give the poor guy on my arm the wrong impression, and although I might have wanted to impress Holden, I knew he was beyond being vulnerable to any feminine wiles I might try to woo him with.

I understood what he wanted from me, and it wasn't sex. He was getting that from any number of mesmerized Manistique Mustang mares. No, he wanted something beyond the physical, something deeper—something too deep, too fundamentally important to give up unless I was certain it was the right thing to do. For the moment, thankfully, I had other things to worry about.

THIS WAS THE TIME OF THE school year for completing major projects and preparing for finals. Although many seniors were heavy into their traditional slump, us juniors had to buckle down at the end of the year, at least those of us headed for college and needing a solid grade point and decent SATs. Just after Easter break Mr. Kostos assigned our last big English assignment.

"To complete our study of Shakespeare I want you to pair up and write a short 1-act play for two principal characters in the Shakespearean style, but make it your own, use a worthy theme and modern language. It should take you about ten minutes to perform your play for the class and your grade will be based on your script and acting. All right, partner up and get to work!"

With that, two-by-two everyone quickly paired off leaving me and Holden sitting alone. I looked at him...he looked at me.

"Well, let's go," Mr. Kostos ordered, waving us together, completely unaware that there was any complicated history between us.