[Warning Labels] - {A Student/Teacher Romance}

(West) - The Dinner Party

   (West)

   The Dinner Party

    Gwen Carrington; she’s what teachers refer to as a ‘golden girl’, the perfect pupil – I could gone on but why waste the time it would take? In any case, she was a strange one. For such a smart kid she was very well adjusted. Lots of friends, a part of the student work program, outgoing and clever, a good sense for clothing and style. She wasn’t awkward, which was what I had come to expect from students like her.

   This was the third time I’d gone over her file, looking for anything at all that might be wrong with her. So far the only ‘bad’ thing I could find was her parent’s divorce, at which point her mother threw her into counseling, only for her to finish the ‘child of divorce recovery program’ in record time. All in all she was a shoe-in for the yearbook’s most likely to succeed title.

   Alright, enough with the quotations. I’m going to be very blunt about this.

   Gwen Carrington was interesting to me. More than that, she was fascinating. I had an urge (no dirty thoughts, got it?) to find out what made her tick. What were her secrets? Her weaknesses, if she even had any? (It was very possible she didn’t.)

   I sighed, closing her file as I took another bite from my turkey, no-mayo sandwich. Teaching was twice as frustrating as anyone ever told me it was going to be. I wiped my mouth to be rid of any leftover mustard, wrinkling my nose at how awkward my stubble felt against the paper napkin. I needed a shave. Usually I was more clean-cut than this. Lately I’d been working so much, trying to prove myself as a good teacher, I hadn’t even thought about my appearance.

   Now I had this Gwen Carrington problem to deal with. I couldn’t go down as the teacher who ruined the best student at this school. I’d given her, her first grade below an A. The other teachers were already giving me strange looks in the faculty room, and whispering behind my back.

   Maybe I was just being paranoid and insecure? Maybe they really were saying things behind my back? No matter how I looked at it, the only option left to me was to take immediate action. If I stepped cautiously and found the root of the problem, Gwen would be fine and everything would work out in my favor.

   If I couldn’t do that – well, then maybe I wasn’t meant to be a teacher.

   A knock came at my class room door while I was throwing the remnants of my lunch away. Rubbing any crumbs from my hands I answered it, surprised to see it was Gwen. She’d only left two hours ago. “Yes?” I questioned, inviting her in.

   She seemed reluctant to do so then slowly accepted, stepping around me to enter the room. I closed the door before returning to my desk, quickly swiping away any mess left over from lunch. “I spoke with my mother, and she’s invited you to dinner.” I looked carefully at the way her lips pursed, raising an eyebrow.

   “You don’t seem all that happy about it,” I commented lightly, taking in her stiff appearance. She tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear, looking down at her feet nervously.

   “You don’t know my mother,” was her mumbled reply.

   I couldn’t help chuckling at that. “I don’t, but I’m sure it’s not nearly as awful as you think.” She still looked uncomfortable so I quickly moved away from that topic. “When’s this dinner?”

   “Tonight, if that’s enough notice.” She pursed her lips, again seeming unhappy about something. I couldn’t really pinpoint what it might be this time.

   “That’s fine, when?” I nodded, folding my arms over my chest. I’d eaten too much; I was feeling a little bloated.

   “Are you sure? You don’t need to cancel any plans on my account.” She muttered, rocking back on her heels, looking everywhere and anywhere except at me.