That Stupid Little L-Word:

Chapter Twenty Seven:

Once the bell rings, and Mr. Fisher throws a hissy fit about how late Blue-Eyes and I were for a good ten minutes, we make our way toward my next class. He carries my backpack, and I scramble along on my crutches, like usual. 

And, like usual, we wind up wrapped up within our own bubble as we stop beside the lockers to talk. 

Ms. Henry has some sort of heart attack when she catches us near the door, our lips locked with a furious passion. After she sends Blue-Eyes away, and drags me into the classroom, I slump into one of the empty chairs. Her eyes skewer me dangerously throughout the lesson and I try to focus on my notes, scribbling Blue-Eyes all over my notebook.

When the bell rings, she summons me to her desk.

I grimace. The rest of the students bolt from the room like birds from a cage, and I shuffle toward the desk with my crutches, trying my best to look like a wounded puppy. "You wanted to see me?" I ask as I approach.

Her fingers are steepled in front of her mouth. She stares at me for a few moments, her skin a ghastly pale white. Her eyes flicker over my form, and then pause on my bright pink cast. I quirk a brow. Ms. Henry sighs, and then says, "I heard about your accident. How are you feeling?"

"Terrific. I get to kiss the boy of my dreams as much as I want." 

She flinches, like I've just slapped her. I have no clue why. I feel my eyebrows crinkle and she ignores my expression, nodding slightly. "Sounds like the usual lovesick teenager." 

"You didn't call me up here just to ask about my leg," I point out. 

"I just wanted to warn you." Her eyes find mine, and something unnameable swirls around inside her dull colored orbs. "Or try to, at least. Again. Do you remember what I told you on your first day here? About being careful who you hang out with?"

I glance out the window. I chew on my lower lip and rummage through my memory. The light bulb flashes on above my head, and my gaze shifts back to her face. "You were talking about Seth." 

Ms. Henry nods. "He's not the best of company. He's a bad influence."

"He also saved my life," I swallow back the balloon of anger that swells up within my chest. It threatens to shoot through my mouth and lash out at the old hag in front of me. I feel like I'm being attacked! First Miley, now this teacher. She hardly knows me, and she has no clue what Blue-Eyes has done for me. Who is she to judge who I hang out with, and date? 

The teacher makes a face.

A small knock draws our attention toward the door, and Blue-Eyes waves, a questioning smile on his face. His eyes narrow toward Ms. Henry, and she glares at him. I hear her sigh, "Alright. Just know that I'm here for you if you need someone to talk to, okay?" 

My anger starts to fizzle out. I eye her curiously, "Okay." 

I limp toward the door. Blue-Eyes holds it open for me, and takes my backpack the moment I surface. He flashes me a worried smile, "You okay? What happened?"

"She just wanted to help me catch up," I lie through my teeth. 

He stares at me for a few moments, contemplating my explanation, and then seems to buy it. We talk about our day so far as we trek toward the gym. When we reach the door to the girl's locker room, he presses his lips to mine. I pull back before things get too serious, and smile hesitantly, "See you at lunch?"

The corners of his lips twist up into a crooked smile, "It's a date." 

"Hopefully we won't get hit by a car on this one," I snicker as he holds open the door for me. I hear his agreement beneath the heavy laughter that racks through his body. The second he turns away, the smile fades from my features. I have a funny feeling in my gut. 

Miley meets me near the door and helps me toward the locker. "You have a weird look on your face," she notes, as we stop beside our lockers and I deposit my backpack into the metal fortress of steel. "What's up?"

I twist the lock and lean against the closed door as Miley changes into her gym clothes. I purse my lips, and then ask, "Why is Seth so bad?" 

Her eyebrows crinkle as her eyes flicker toward me. "What do you mean, exactly?" she asks cautiously as she slips her shirt over her head. 

"You weren't happy when I called you and told you that I was dating him, and then last period Ms. Henry pulled me aside to bitch at me about being careful who I hang around." I cross my arms over my chest, and hug my crutches so that they don't fall over. "Right after she caught me making out with him." I stare at her, and then repeat, "Why is he so bad for me? Why is everyone freaking out about this?" 

Miley stares at me for a few moments, her lips pursed. She closes her locker and then leans against it. "Well, I'm not one hundred percent sure." 

"About?"

"Last year there was a rumor going around," Miley glances away, and suddenly she can't look at me. She stares at the ground, at the lockers beside us, and at the students that shuffle past. "About them," she elaborates more, "About Seth and Ms. Henry."

My stomach drops through my feet as my grim feeling evolves into a sickening realization. It puddles around my cast in a gooey mess. "What," I force through my teeth, "Do you mean?"

But I already know what she means. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out. There's only one rumor that travels around, and leaves a lasting impression, that involves a student and a teacher. A sexual one.

Miley watches me like a hawk now. She reads my expression like an English professor reads a book, and nods grimly. "Yeah. There was a pretty big investigation; it was all over the news for a while and she wasn't allowed on campus. Obviously, Ms. Henry was found innocent because she's back now, and there was no concrete evidence for a trial. But it still leaves a lasting impression. Ms. Henry's husband divorced her too, after the whole thing." 

I stare at the ground, "And that's why you weren't happy?" 

"I didn't mean to offend you. I'm happy that you're happy," Miley puts a hand on my shoulder and squeezes tight. "I just don't want him to hurt you. He doesn't have a very good track record." 

I nod slowly, thoughts churning. Our gazes meet and I purse my lips. "I'm going to ask him about it later. I want to see what he says about it. It does explain a few things about Ms. Henry, though." 

"Just be careful," she frowns. 

I wag my eyebrows at her. "Don't worry. If he thinks he can get into these easily," I tug at my belt loop, "He's got another thing coming. He already knows that he'll be waiting for a while." 

We share a laugh and walk into the gym. 

A/N: I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter :l I may end up re-writing it or something. I've just been drained for the last week or so and wanted to update something for you guys. Sorry about the wait!