Crashing to Fall (Student/Teacher) (ON HOLD)

Chapter 16: Working

I keep having to change this A/N...MY PARENTS SHUT OFF THE WIFI IN THE ENTIRE HOUSE EXCEPT FOR THE FAMILY COMPUTER, SO I'M TYPING THIS AS QUICKLY AS I CAN, IN SHORT LITTLE SPURTS, SO NOBODY CAN READ IT. PRAY FOR ME, PEEPS.

After school, Jesse said he'd drive me to work. That sounded better than another lecture-y lunch, so I agreed and told him he should hang out at the shop with me. He seemed a little bitter; probably because I wasn't going to Homecoming specifically for HIM, but what can I do? He's the one that said yes to the deal...Despite the attitude, he said that it sounded like it would be 'just like the good old days...' Whatever that means.

As four o'clock--and my shift along with it--approached, I bought a croissant from the employee whose shift was before mine. Splitting the beautifully flaky pastry, I giggled at the vast expanse of crumbs spred out on the tabe before me. Usually, I wouldn't be able to stand the mess, but now I just swept the crumbs down onto the flour and handed Jesse his half of the croissant. He stared at me with wide eyes as he accepted it, and said, "So...you're not going to go grab a broom and sweep the hell out of that floor now?"

I shrugged, taking a bite and sending another shower of pastry onto the table as I began to mumble around the bread, "I don't know; it just hasn't been bothering me like it used to. I mean, Stephen and I actually had a food fight in the kitchen last night. I didn't have a single issue with it until I realized how gross I felt." I smiled and swallowed, fighting the frown I felt when I noticed the clench of Jesse's jaw at the mention of Stephen.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, and in order to keep the conversation up, I quietly asked, "So, how's homework been for you? I haven't really gotten around to it..."

He sighed through his nose. "I don't know, it's normal. Does Stephen assign much homework?"

"Psh, he doesn't give me homework at all. In face, the only assignment he's given me is to go to his party tomorrow, and that's optional." I tried to keep it light, but grimaced at the even tighter jaw. I exhaled slowly, gathering my thoughts. "Jesse...Look, I know that you don't really--"

"What, approve? Listen, if this is all you're going to be talking about, I'm not going to be around for it much longer. I swear to God, Les, you're going to get caught, and this guy you've managed to fall in love with over the course of four days is going to get thrown in jail. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it's going to end. You're not going to last an entire year and half until you graduate. I mean, where are you going to go to college? He's not going to let you stay here, and neither am I, or your parents. And when you come back, maybe he'll have matured and gotten married, and I will have moved on, and you won't have anything to come back to but your parents. So you'll just stay out where ever you go, and he will stay here, and it will have been a dark patch in your adolescence and his teaching life. That's it. You can't go on, and you know it."

I stared at him. Did he really just tell me how doomed my relationship was? "What, do you not want me to be happy?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I do, I'm your best friend, but I'd prefer you were with somebody that wouldn't ruin your life if you were seen together. I won't turn you in, despite wanting to as badly as I do. I know that you're happy. I hate why, but at least you are. In other words, I'm not going to support this in the least. I'm just cooperating. Alright? Do you hear me? I'm not going to take you on your little dates, I'm not going to lend you money, I'm just going to be your cover up because I don't think I would be able to bear seeing you cry over some asshole adult that didn't know how to treat you."

I leaned back, staring into the distance as I thought. He didn't care. He thought that, as long as I seemed happy, he didn't have to meddle. He didn't care that I was in love. Probably more like infatuated, but I couldn't realize that. I was in love, to the furthest of my knowledge, and he couldn't seem to realize that.