Ellie-chan (COMPLETED)

Eighteen - My Ride Home

As I was walking around the entertainment street in Kyoto, I saw two familiar figures from not so far away. I walked towards them. I have a feeling they're both in my class. I was right. It was Naoki and Hiroki.

When the boys saw me, they attempted to walk to the opposite direction but I yelled at them. I thought they would just ignore me but they actually stopped and looked back.

"Shinpai shinai de, Errie-sensei.  Ima kaerimasu yo.  (Don't worry, Ms. Ellie. We are going home now)"

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" I asked them.

"Nothing," Hiroki replied and grabbed his twin by the shoulder and they walked away.

A few minutes later, Hiromi-sensei called me up to tell me that six boys from the 2-C class were caught by Kyōtō-sensei (principal) as they were getting inside a game center. They were immediately apprehended by the teachers assigned in that area. Since their class adviser was also there, they were  scolded, too. Then, their parents were called up to pick them up.

Telling their parents about this sort of thing was always hated by the kids. They often beg us not to report them. But, in most instances, we have no choice. Their parents must know what they were up to, or else, we might be blamed if things get messy.

When I saw Maeda-sensei and Sanae-sensei moving to my area, I waved at them and told them that I will go to where Hiromi-sensei was assigned. As I was making my way to the next street, I saw the twins again. They were with the other kids from the 3-B class. They were heading towards a Karaoke pub.  I called Hiromi-sensei for back up before I went to where the boys were heading. As soon as she was with me, we went towards the boys. They were surprised to see us. Some were thinking of running away but Hiromi-sensei immediatley cornered and confronted them.

While my partner was scolding the other kids, I faced the twins and glared at them. Hiroki bowed his head in embarrassment. So did Naoki.

"I told you to go home, right? You said, you were going home," I said angrily. They did not respond. "I'm going to call your brother."

"No, please don't," Hiroki stopped me.

"No. You had a chance to go home quietly a while ago but what did you do?"

Hiroki tried to stop me from calling his big brother. He said Hayato will surely ground them again for a week or he will not give them their weekly allowance. But I did not listen to him. I still called their brother. His phone rang. One ring. Hiroki moved back and forth in front of me, begging me to drop the call. Second ring. Hiroki was almost on his knees. Third ring. Naoki touched my arm and looked at me with his sad eyes. I felt guilty. Fourth ring. I thought, oh well. Let the boys be. I'll just make sure that they go straight to their house. As I was about to cancel the call, I heard a sexy drawl, "Moshi, moshi."

My heart automatically beat faster. I felt the burning of my cheeks. I stuttered. "Oh, uhm..."

The boys looked at me with their pleading eyes. It touched my heart. So I said, "Oh, s-sorry. I m-meant to c-call s-someone. Bye," and I hung up.

The twins smiled at me. "Doumo arigatou gozaimashita, Ellie-sensei. Jaa mata ne. Oyasuminasai.  (Thank you very much, Ms. Ellie. See you. Good night.)" and they started to walk away. 

Hiromi-sensei stood in front of them, blocking their way. "Not so fast, boys," and she reprimanded them. But Hiroki knew my partner's weakness. He winked and flirted with her. Good-looking that he is, Hiromi-sensei started to blush and feel excited. I went towards her and asked her in a low tone, "What do you think you're doing?  Let them go before you embarrass yourself."

She looked at me with disappointment in her eyes. She reluctantly said, "Okay."

"I will call your home phone in an hour guys. I hope that you are both home by then," I warned them but actually I have no intention of doing it. I don't think I have the guts to talk to Hayato again. Now that I know I am deeply attracted to him, I always feel stupid around him. I don't even know how to talk to him  without making a fool of myself.

After making sure that none of our students are in the entertainment area, we decided to call it a night. I managed to catch the last bus ride to Kyoto station but when I got there, there was no more train, anymore. The last trip left a few minutes before I arrive.

It was then that I got a phone call from Hiroki.

"Ellie-sensei, zank yu ne (Thank you - just pronounced the Japanese way).  Ima doko? Mou kaerimashita ka? (Where are you now?  Did you go home already?)"

Although, I appreciated his concern, I felt like strangling him. If not for them, I would have been already home by now. They were such a pain in the a*s. But of course, I have to be cool and polite to the kid.

"I'm still at the station. I guess, I will have to wait for the first train in the morning," I answered.

"Oh no! Gomen ne. (Sorry). Take a taxi. Boku (I) - me, pay.  Raishuu no getsuyoubi ni oharau yo. (I will pay you next Monday.)"

I smiled at his show of concern. My irritation towards them disappeared. Then, I heard somebody asking him about something. There was a long silence so I thought he hung up on me. I was about to end the call when he returned and said, "Ki o tsukete, Ellie-sensei.  Oyasuminasai. (Take care, Ms. Ellie and goodnight.)" and he hung up.

 A few minutes later, a familiar figure went towards me. I froze. My gosh! It was Hayato.

"I heard you missed the last trip to Osaka. Come, I'll give you a ride home," and he motioned for me to follow him to his car.

I felt like turning him down because I don't feel comfortable around him but at the same time I don't want to spend the whole night in the station. I had no choice but to follow him.

When I was already inside his car, he thanked me for taking good care of his brothers. He told me that the twins told him I did something for them again. They did not elaborate but it sounds a big deal to them, he said. So as a token of gratitude, he is offering himself to be my driver for the night.

I thought about the twins and smiled.

"You really have a great smile," he said before starting the car.

I blushed. He smiled.

A/N:  Paramdam naman po kayo. Any feedback will be appreciated.