Teaching Jenny (student/teacher)

Chapter 25

Chapter 25





Gulping I walked up the stone steps and entered the school building. I had explained everything that had happened yesterday to Maggie who was currently sticking to my side like glue. Charlie was on my other, completely oblivious to everything.

I was worried that when Callie saw me the reality would hit her and she would change her mind. She would report us. She didn't have any proof but she also didn't have a reason to lie.

My eyes locked with Ben's as he left his office. Sending a small smile in my direction he crossed the corridor to his classroom. I carried on walking to our lockers where Charlie left us for his form room and Maggie and I went to ours.

Walking in I froze when I saw Callie sitting on Ben's desk while he leant against the whiteboard, chatting easily to her. As we entered both of them looked up. My eyes flickered between the two of them before I smiled nervously and made my way to the back of the classroom.

"Do you think she's changed her mind?" I whispered to Maggie as I slumped back in my normal chair. My heart was pounding. However, Ben didn't look worried or angry. He looked at complete ease.

"He's probably just explaining how everything works here," Maggie said with a shrug. My heartbeat started to slow as I tried to convince myself Maggie was right. Then Ben laughed at something Callie had said and I felt the tension leave my body. He wouldn't be laughing if their conversation was bad I told myself.

Soon the other students began to file into the classroom and Callie left with one last glance in my direction.

Leaving the classroom and heading towards my first lesson I noticed Callie waiting by the door. Avoiding eye contact I turned in the other direction and started to amble to class. Maggie had gone in the other direction. The sound of a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Jenny," her voice was soft and friendly but that didn't stop my heart from freezing, my blood turning cold. She had changed her mind. I knew she would. She, like everyone else would, judged us. She thought what we had done was sick and twisted. She didn't take the time to think that maybe what we had was real, that age sometimes didn't matter. You can't help who you fall in love with and I had fallen for Ben before I had even known the truth. I had done everything to deny it, and try an get rid of my feelings but it was impossible.

Tuning round to face her slowly, I lifted my eyes from the ground to meet hers. Holding my breath I waited for her to continue. This was it. After all this time, one short half term before I left school forever we had been caught. Everything would come out and Ben would be sent to prison and I wouldn't be able to see him. After everything we had been through, it was over. Tears stung my eyes as I waited for what felt like hours for her to speak. Dread built in my stomach as she opened her mouth. My eyes hit the floor, no longer able to look into the eyes of the person who was about to ruin it all.

"I just wanted to tell you that I know, and I'm not going to say anything. Ben explained everything to me, how the two of you didn't know and I just wanted to let you know that I would never report it." My mouth dropped open at her words. She wasn't going to tell on us. My body drained of all my emotions before relief started to bubble up inside of me. "I didn't want you to worry that's all. You looked a little shocked when you saw me this morning," Callie finished with a smile. Soon mirroring her smile, I felt like an idiot for jumping to conclusions.

"Thanks. I just wasn't sure if you knew everything when I saw you this morning." I continued to fake shock as to her being here. If we stuck to the story Ben had told her, Ben and I were no longer together, meaning we no longer had contact. "The years nearly over and I just want it to finish without anymore misunderstandings so I can forget this all," I said feigning innocence. I would never be able to forget this, and didn't want to. There was nothing to regret, Ben was everything and more than I could ever ask for.

"He explained it all to me when he found out that I would be working here," Callie said with an easy smile as if we were talking about the weather not the fact I had an illegal relationship with my teacher. I knew this whole situation would be different if she knew we were still together.

"Thank you so much," I said again. Ben's family were some of the nicest people I had ever met, they were so easy to get along with and understanding. After everything had happened I never expected them to forgive me or treat me the same, but they had. Callie reminded me of what an understanding family he had.

With one last smile I left Callie in the corridor and walked to my next lesson. A feeling or relief quickly washing away my previous nerves.





That afternoon I had geography so made my way with Charlie to Ben's classroom. After a quick recap on the conflict topic we had been studying Ben dived into the revision lesson he had planned. As we were so close to exams now most lessons consisted of revising material we had already covered.

A knock on the door half way through the lesson caused Ben to turn around and look at the door which was slowly being pushed open. Callie's head popped through the crack. Smiling as she saw Ben she spoke.

"Hey Ben," she paused when her eyes met those of the students who were looking at her curiously. "I mean Mr Jones can I talk to you for a sec?" Not a single person in the class was focused on the work in front of them. All attention was on the exchange going on at the front of the classroom.

With a nod of his head, Ben turned back to the class. "Everyone continue with the questions on the sheet and I will be back in a minute," he said before strolling out the classroom.

As soon as the door closed behind him people started to spin round in their chairs to chat to their friends. The silence soon turning into a quiet babble of voices. Following the actions of my peers I turned to face Charlie, ignoring the questions on the page in front of me.

If this had happened this morning, before Callie had talked to me I would have been filled with nerves. I would have been sure that Callie was telling Ben that she had changed her mind, like I had felt this morning. However, our talk this morning had out me completely at ease.

As soon as the door started to open the class fell into silence again. Ben chuckled like he knew that we had been talking while he was away and took a seat at his desk where he started to mark some papers.

"So Mr Jones?" A girl sitting in the front row started as she began to twirl her hair round her finger. Ben looked up from his desk and nodded for her to continue. A few people looked up to see what she was going to ask while others continued to scribble furiously on the pages in front of them.

"I was just wondering," she paused, seeming to decide whether she should ask the question. "How long have you and Mrs Jones been married?" She finished. I honestly had to throw my hand across my mouth to stop myself from laughing. Ben had a similar expression to me. His lip was caught tightly between his teeth as her stared dumbfounded at the girl in front of him.

It wasn't a completely ridiculous question I guess. When I had first seem them together I had assumed they were together too, but now I just couldn't imagine it. If you looked close enough, their were some similarities in appearance, but Callie looked much more like Laura and Georgia than Ben.

With one glance in my direction Ben couldn't help but burst out laughing. The whole class stared at him confused as he laughed from the front of the classroom. I tried to keep my expression neutral as I kept my eyes on the page on my desk. I knew if I so much as looked at Ben I would be gone.

"We're not married," Ben managed to stutter between laughter. He was now sitting back in his chair, his arms behind his head as he looked out at the class, clearly very amused.

"Then why does she have the same surname?" The same girl asked, confusion still clear on her face.

"She's my cousin," Ben finally explained once he was able to stop laughing. My eyes were still firmly stuck to my sheet. My lip was trapped by bottom teeth, bitting back the laugh that was so close to escaping.

"So you're single then?" The girl asked raising an eyebrow flirtatiously as hope built in her eyes. Ben's expression of amusement soon turned to a much more professional one. His hands dropped down to his desk as he shifted position in his seat.

"No, I'm in a relationship," Ben said as a smile slipped onto his lips. For a split second his eyes flickered to me and soon enough my smile matched his.

A few aws escaped a couple of the girls lips who were dotted around the classroom. "How long?" Another girl asked. Even the boys were paying attention now but I think that was because they were happy to not have to work.

"Coming up to a year," Ben grinned, clearly forgetting that he was meant to be teaching a lesson. I felt my cheeks darken as he talked about me. However, I couldn't take my eyes from him. Like normal, my eyes were glued to his.

"Do you love her?" The first girl asked. Ben blushed slightly as he smile grew even more. His hand moved to the back of his hair as a sheepish expression appeared on his face.

"Yeah, more than anything," he admitted. "She is honestly the best thing that has ever happened to me," he continued causing a few guys to imitate the sound of whips which Ben just shook his head to with a shrug. "One day," was all he said before he returned to the lesson.

However, he was quickly interrupted again by another girl from the middle of the classroom. "Do you want to marry her?" She asked. It was funny how much they were interested in Ben's life, he was just their teacher after all.

"Definitely," he said without a moments hesitation. My heart went into overdrive as his words sunk in. I hadn't even realised that Ben thought about things like this. I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this amazing boy, but I didn't think he thought about our future.

"Why haven't you?" The original girl jumped in. Every single girl in the class was gazing, some practically drooling, at Ben. Things like this used to make me jealous when Ben and I weren't together. Back then I thought he loved the attention of all the girls, but now I completely trusted him.

I could sense Ben feeling slightly uncomfortable now. However, I wanted to know what his answer was. Had he thought about proposing to me before? Did he already know how he was going to do it?

"Look, that's enough about me. You guys need to get back to work so we can go through the answers before the end of the lesson," Ben said as he clapped his hands together signalling that the conversation was over. A couple of boys groaned as they picked up their pens, while the girls continued to stare longingly at Ben a little while longer.

I couldn't hide the smile that pulled across my lips as I gazed at the most incredible man ever standing before me. Thoughts of him proposing filling my mind. He was my everything and that would never change.



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AN:

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