A Never Event [Teacher/Student]

Chapter Seven - Risk It All

Emerys woke up to her alarm, instantly switching it off. But before she put her phone back down, she saw that last night's text had received a reply.
'What's done is done. It can't continue.' It read.
Before Emerys gave herself a chance to get emotional again, she got up and got dressed. This day, she made no effort to look good.
She wore a simple black tee, skinny jeans and one of her many oversized hoodies, this particular one in burgundy.
She brushed her hair, threw it into a ponytail and wore no makeup, which normally she hated, because she apparently just looked sick to most people, but she didn't care today.
She put on her busted old all-black Converse, grabbed her earphones and threw her bag over her shoulder, making her way downstairs.
"Good morning, sweetie." Her mom smiled, but then took a proper look at her. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night." Emerys mumbled, grabbing a travel cup from the drainer and filling it with coffee, creamer and sugar. "Tell dad I'm walking today. Love you."
"Oh, alright... Love you too."

Emerys walked to school blasting Pantera and was half way there when she felt the urge to do something she hadn't in a while.
She stopped in the gas station and bought a pack of cigarettes.
She grabbed her lucky lighter from her bag and continued her walk, ending up smoking two cigarettes.
She was half way through the second when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She removed an earbud and looked round to see Ruby.
"Hey! I didn't know you smoked." Ruby frowned.
"I quit until about twenty minutes ago." Emerys mumbled, taking another drag.
"What's made you start up again?" Ruby tilted her head like a confused puppy.
"Life..."
"I was going to say you look a little crappy today." Ruby instantly realised what she said. "Uh, I mean... Crappy for you. You always look amazing and still do today, just... Less so. What's up?"
"Nice save... Just shit. Shit is what's up. Life is shit, this town is shit, people are shit, everything is just shit." Emerys growled.
"You said people pretty much last... I'm guessing it's not any of those other things and it's actually one specific person." Ruby smirked. Emerys just huffed. "I'm right, aren't I? Is it a guy? Is it that guy you've been hanging out with on the sly all summer?"
"No offence Ruby, but it's none of your business." Emerys snapped, stopping in her tracks. But she soon regretted speaking to her like that. "I'm sorry..."
"Wow, someone really did a number on you, didn't they?" Ruby gave her a sympathetic look.
"You could say that..." Emerys mumbled, continuing her walk.
"You can tell me about it if you want. But I totally understand if you don't." Ruby smiled, hugging her friend to her side as they walked.

As soon as Killian took his first look at Emerys, his heart sank. She looked so broken. The light had faded from her eyes, she looked tired, she was too busy listening to whatever was playing on her earbuds and drawing in her notebook to notice that he had even entered the room, she had made no effort to put so much as mascara on that day, something she always made sure to do if she was going out in public.
"Right class, I hope you've all chosen your sonnets since you had all of yesterday's class to do that. Today we'll be analysing them. So you get on with that. Emerys Taylor, I'd like to speak with you outside, please." Killian said, holding the classroom door open for her.
Emerys looked totally oblivious and slightly confused as she closed her notebook and walked outside of the classroom, lifting her hood up.
"Yes?" She mumbled, quietly.
"Are you alright?" He asked.
"I'm fine."
"You don't look it." Killian raised an eyebrow, shifting his weight onto one foot.
"Maybe you should look harder. Or not at all." Her voice seemed to get quieter every time she said something.
Killian sighed, folding his arms over his chest.
"I've never seen you like this before and I don't like it." He told her. "This isn't because of us, is it?"
Emerys looked as though he'd just said the most stupid thing in the world which, in all fairness, he pretty much had.
"Are you serious?" She scoffed. "Of course this is about us. I fucked up, Killian. I get it. But I don't remember you asking my age either - which is seventeen, by the way. Perfectly legal in the state of Maine, no matter the impact it may have on your reputation. So don't look at me like I've just ruined your career just because you couldn't be asked to fact check. I didn't know you were going to end up as my teacher any more than you did and, quite frankly, it's killing me because I really fucking like you. We were supposed to see that movie tomorrow night and I was going to suggest going to the docks, where I was going to tell you that I was ready for a damn relationship with you. But since that's never going to happen now, lay off my back and fucking teach me or go to my dad and move me from your class." Her voice had turned to a whisper yell. She was totally done.
Killian just stood there, wide eyed, not knowing what to do or say.
"I'm sorry." Is what he finally came out with.
"Yeah, me too. But I think I've said that more than enough times." She glared. "Haven't you got a class to teach, Mr Jones?"
With that, she stormed back into the classroom and put her earbuds back in, going back to her drawing.

Killian didn't say another word to her the entire class. He simply let her do her own thing. He knew she had her chosen sonnet memorised and analysed perfectly anyhow.
But during his free period, he couldn't get what she'd said out of his head.
He sat at his desk with his fingers tangled in his hair in frustration when the Geography teacher; Mr Watkins, entered.
"Killian? Are you okay?" He asked. "I don't think I've ever seen a teacher stressed on the second day of school."
Killian let out a humourless chuckle. "I'm fine Kristian. Just got some personal shit going on."
The Geography teacher pulled up a chair on the other side of the desk and sat down.
"Would you like to talk about it?" He suggested.
Killian let out a loud and heavy sigh.
"I met this girl over the summer. She's amazing. I've never met anyone like her. But recently, things have become... Complicated. I had to end it for both our sakes. But I can't get her out of my bloody head, Kris. All I've wanted to do these past two days is invite her over, curl up in bed and never let her go. She's driving me crazy."
"It's only been two days?" Kristian wondered, earning a nod from Killian. "Well, it sounds like this girl's got you wrapped round her little finger, my friend. Does she feel the same?"
"I have no idea, mate. I mean, before shit hit the fan, we had this movie date planned out for tomorrow night and she told me earlier that she was going to take me to the spot we first met at to tell me she was ready to make it an official relationship. So maybe? I just don't know what to do..." He released another sigh and his fingers found their way back into his hair.
Kristian chuckled. "If I may put my suggestion in, I think you need to sort your head out and call this girl."
"Even if the consequences could be bad?" Killian raised an eyebrow.
"If you think she's worth it, may the consequences be damned." Kristian shrugged. "Anyway, I gave the seniors a pop quiz yesterday on the stuff they learned last year – I know, I'm the devil – so I need to get to marking those. I hope you make the right choice, Killian. I'll see you later."
The Geography teacher gave him a small smile and got up, leaving swiftly.
"Oh Jesus..." Killian muttered to himself.

Having finished up the day, Killian walked to his car with his phone and keys in hand.
He'd had an awful day of teaching as he simply couldn't get Emerys off his mind.
He got to his car and sat in the driver's seat staring down at his phone.
Eventually, he gave into temptation and went to his text messages.
'Meet me at our spot.' He sent.

At the docks, he parked up and walked to the end of the pier, where he saw her sat with her legs hanging over the edge and a bottle of Whiskey in hand.
"Em." He called out.
She turned to him and gave a nervous smile.
"Hey." She said.
He sat down next to her and gestured for the bottle.
Without a word, she handed it to him.
He took a sip and handed it back, thinking over what he was going to say.
"If we do this, we need to be as discreet as possible." He finally told her. "If you still want to, of course."
She looked at him blankly.
"What made you change your mind?" She asked.
"Mr Watkins gave me some words of wisdom that reminded me that you're worth far more than a stupid job or other people's opinions of me." He chuckled humourlessly.
"Mr Watkins? Jesus, you must've been desperate." Emerys scoffed, nudging his shoulder with hers, playfully.
"Hey, he's a friend. And he gives some damn good pep talks." Killian smiled genuinely for the first time in days. "So what do you say?"
Emerys sighed heavily, looking out to the sunset on the water's horizon.
"Are you sure? Because I don't want you changing your mind in a week's time or whatever. I don't want to be made to feel anything like I have done these past couple of days." She said, taking a gulp of Whiskey.
"Honestly? I don't think I've ever been surer of anything."
Emerys turned to him, placing her free hand on his.
Together, as though it were meant to be, they leaned in, realising that there wasn't a more perfect moment in the entire world for this to happen than right there and right then. With the deep orange glow of the sunset illuminating one side of their faces and the gentle sounds of the waves being the only sound to fill their ears, their lips touched for the first time in almost a week.
Most people would feel that almost a week was nothing. But not to them.
As soon as they made contact, everything felt so right. It was tender, it was meaningful and it was pure.
Killian brought his hand up to cup her cheek, wanting to feel nothing but her in that moment. The taste of Whiskey a welcoming sense, as was the feeling of its slight tingle on their lips.
All too soon, they parted.
Emerys touched her forehead to his, their eyes remaining closed.
"Be mine, Emerys." Killian breathed.
"Of course." She whispered, reconnecting their lips once more.