Teaching Mr. Cooper

Chapter 27

Speechless, Jezzy looks down at her hands. Daniel's fingers are laced around hers, his thumb gently stroking the hers, sending shivers all the way up her arm.

"I can't stay away from you anymore." Daniel says, his voice low and husky, sending shivers up her spine. "I don't want to."

"You're delirious," she breathes. A familiar feeling was bubbling up inside her. Forgetting to breath, her mind raced. The man she was crushing on, that she's liked for the last two months, was confessing his feelings and all she could do was panic. It seemed so impossible, so unattainable and now... and now she needed air. "I-I should go." She got up, almost spilling his tray with soup.

"Jezzy wait-"

"No, you're sick. You're clearly not thinking straight." Jezzy faces Daniel, her eyes pleading. "Tomorrow, you'll change your mind, you'll wish you hadn't said that. And," Jezzy's voice cracked, Damn it, why does she always have to get so emotional around him. "And you'll only end up hurting me." Jezzy flees, feeling foolish for acting like a child, but technically that's what she is, at least according to the law. Outside, the wind whips at her face. It's late October and the air is chilly. Jezzy doesn't know whether she she go back to school or go home. It's probably only a 15 minute walk home. But there's nothing at home but silence and her thoughts to drive her mad. At school, well hopefully it will keep her distracted, until she is calm enough to think things over.

The rest of the school day was a blur. Jezzy zoned in and out of her zombie-like state. Her friends asked if everything was OK, but she just shook her head and changed the subject. After a while, they decided to give Jezzy her space and maybe she would want to talk about it later.

After the final period, Nate cornered Jezzy by her locker. "Jezzy, look I know you haven't wanted to talk about whatever happened at lunch." Nate stepped a little closer so his voice wouldn't be heard by someone walking by. "It's fine if you don't want to talk. But I just want to know if you're OK. I mean, nobody hurt you... did they?" He eyes showed genuine concern and it touched her. Jezzy almost wished she could confide in him. Almost, but she didn't know what he would say about all this and by the protective vibe he was sending out right now, she wasn't sure he wouldn't overreact. Hell, she was already doing enough of that.

Jezzy gave him a reassuring smile. "No. No, nothing like that. I'm fine, Nate. Really, I'm just going through something, overwhelmed at the moment. I promise. But thank you."

Jezzy had planned to check in on Mr. Cooper after school, but now she wasn't sure she could face him. She had overreacted. How could he ever look at her like a mature adult if she acted like a skiddish girl. Catching the bus home, she dropped her bag next to the door the moment she entered her apartment. Heading straight to her bedroom, Jezzy crashed onto her bed, exhausted from the mental laps her brain had been doing all afternoon.

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The next thing Jezzy knows, someone is knocking on her door. Sitting upright, she looks around and sees her tangled sheets and realizes she was dreaming. She didn't even remember falling asleep. Feeling her way to the bathroom, she washes the sleep from her eyes. In the mirror stands a wrinkled, unkempt version of herself. Still wearing the clothes from yesterday, she tugs at her shirt to smooth out some of the worst creases.

Again, she hears a knocking sound, this time it isn't her dream. Going to the door, she looks through the peephole. Mr. Cooper is standing in the hall, running his fingers through his hair. Taking a deep breath, Jezzy opens the door.

"You're ok," he says looking relieved. Daniel walks right into her apartment. Jezzy is so stunned and confused, she just steps out of his way.