“Nothing, go back to your boyfriend.” He looked down at me, clenching his jaw.
“Jake, you’re the one who left, remember. Now you all hot headed over me and Heath, what the fuck, dude!”
“It doesn’t matter Reese. It’s my fault anyway. Just enjoy your happiness with him, it’s much better than my complications.”
“No, you don’t get to choose that for me, and you don’t walk away from me. I leave you! I! Me! Not you. Yes, I am with Heath, and I have loved every minute of it. It certainly is better than your so-called ‘complications’.” I gave him a once over and then went back into Tang. He hung his head for a moment until his phone began to ring, then left.
Jake walked briskly towards the parking lot of the school as he looked at an incoming call from Joey and answered it. “Joe, what’s up?” He clenched his jaw as his eyes darted around at the other students walking past him. He strolled towards his car, trying to get privacy. He placed his briefcase atop his car trunk and scratched his head. “What’d Kai say?”
“He’s in Mexico ‘til next week. I didn’t really wanna divulge too much detail over the phone, but I told him I’d update him when he comes to Pasadena.
“Thanks man. She’s with him, now.” He bent his head, propping his hand against the roof of his car.
“Who?”
“Reese, Reese is with her best friend.” He whispered, looking over his shoulders, ensuring no one was around him as he spoke.
“Damn. Jake, I’m sorry man. Why don’t you just tell her, before this gets any worse?”
“I can’t, Joseph. You know this.”
“Alright man, I’m sorry. As soon as Kai returns, I’ll have him call you.”
“Thanks man.” Jake replied and hung up, staring off into the direction ahead of him.
I moseyed back to Heath inside of Tang. As I neared our table, he looked up at me disappointingly. “Reese?” He mouthed.
“Look, Heath. I’m sorry, just had some things I needed to get off my chest.” I looked at him pleadingly, dreading his response.
“It’s okay, just don’t do that again. Okay?”
“I won’t.” I gave him a small, reassuring smile.
“Good.” He smiled and pulled me into him, pressing his lips against mine, slowly unravelling his tongue until we were in a full blown make out session.
“Heath.” I flushed against his mouth and pulled away. I looked around, feeling embarrassed at our public display of affection. “Let’s get to Mr. Cavanaugh’s class.” I grinned and bit on my bottom lip.
“After you madam.” He teased.
During Jake’s class, he placed us into groups of four, pulling me apart from Heath and placing me with Mimi Saunders; a blonde haired, blue eyed Barbie doll, Laine Fields; a dark haired, dark eyed semi-goth chick that wore heavy eyeliner, black clothes and a lip ring, and Jessica Palmer; a red haired, green eyed bombshell with porcelain skin and a petite body. I found them to be quite irritating at times but we were supposed to come together and pitch a short film idea within a half hour.
Jake padded up to us, hands in his pants pocket, giving us a once over. “So girls, everything okay?” He smirked and winked at me when I looked up at him. I just rolled my eyes and bent my head. Is he schizophrenic?
“Oh, everything is fine Mr. Cavanaugh.” Mimi bit on her lip with a faint smile, twirling the end of her hair.
“Nice.” He smiled with an intense seductive stare. He placed his palm on Mimi’s shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Well girls, do look forward to hearing your pitch.” He looked up at all of us, pushed his hand back into his pocket and strode off. What the fuck is he trying to get me jealous? As he walked off, Mimi began blushing. “Holy shit, he is so effing hot!” Her eyes brightened.
“You can say that again.” Jessica glanced back at him as he was talking to another group. “Hottest teacher ever. Could you all imagine what the sex is like?”
“A girl can only dream.” I deadpanned and shot out of my chair. I stomped up to Jake and shot him a hard stare.
“Ms. Singh?” He raised a questionable brow, stepping away from the group that he was talking to.
“Don’t do that.” I whispered angrily.
“I’m not following.”
“Flirting, with those girls… you know damn well they’re into you.”
“I assure you Ms. Singh, those were not my intentions.”
“Spare me, really. I’d like to be excused from the rest of this class.” He looked down at me, jaw clenching in anger.
“Be my guest, Reese.” He spat and walked off. I bolted out of the room and Heath looked up at me as I did. He glanced over at Jake and then ran behind me in the hallway. He grabbed onto my elbow and spun me toward him.
“What!” I shouted and calmed down when I realised it was him. “Oh, Heath.” I bent my head, pinching the bridge of my nose in frustration.
“What happened in there?”
“I wish I knew.” I replied with a sarcastic smile.
“Come here.” He pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me as I buried my face into his chest, crying uncontrollably. “It gets easier with time.” He rubbed my back, trying his best to console me. “If he doesn’t know how great you are, then he doesn’t deserve you.” Oh the irony of him saying basically the same thing Jake did about him. I looked up at him and wiped away my tears. “Thank you.” I mouthed.
“Anytime, Pieces.” He kissed me on the forehead, then held me at an arm’s length. “Do you want me to take you home?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll go back in.” He gave me a worried look and I assured him that I was alright. He then led me back into the classroom. Jake was seated behind his desk reading from a paper and looked up at me through heavy lashes, his eyes following me as Heath and I made our way to our respective seats.
“Reese, you okay?” Mimi asked as I sat back down.
“Yeah, I’m fine.” I bent my head, reading the ideas we all had written down, trying to think of a proper direction to take, something ‘Mr. Cavanaugh’ would like.
“So, you and Heath dating now?” Laine smirked as she gnawed on a piece of chewing gum.
“Pretty much.”
“He’s cute.” Laine said coolly. “I always kinda had a thing from him.”
“Not as cute as him though.” Jessica intervened nonchalantly as she stared at Jake behind his desk reading.
“Mr. Cavanaugh?” Laine raised a brow.
“Duh.” She replied
“That’s true, he is a God amongst men with that perfect bone structure. His jawline and cheekbones are life.” Mimi yammered and the other girls chimed in. I rolled my eyes and threw my head back as I tried to ignore their annoying school-girl-like fantasies of Jake.
“Girls!” I almost screamed. They all stopped and faced me. “We have ten more minutes left, if you really wanna impress Jake, we have to pitch an amazing idea, okay.” They all paused and watched me strangely. “What?” I spat.
“You just called him Jake.” Laine raised a suspicious brow.
“Slip of the tongue.” I scoffed. The girls eyeballed around at each other.
“Okay, well Reese, what do you have in mind?” Mimi smiled. I began explaining my ideas to them and thank heavens they began pitching in ideas as well. By the time the ten minutes were up, Jake called out the first group; Heath’s group, and as usual he was extremely impressive. Our group was last, so I pitched our idea for a drama based on a douchebag who broke a girl’s heart, driving her into the arms of her best friend. Of course, it was based on my life story, only, no one knew this except Jake and Heath.
Both Jake and Heath passed unsettling glances at each other, then back at me. Jake looked awkward, totally caught off guard, and unable to speak. “Mr. Cavanaugh?” Mimi raised a brow. He cleared his throat.
“Um, interesting. Who came up with the idea?” He flashed a faux-smile.
“Reese did.” Mimi looked at him admiringly.
“Should have
guessed.” He murmured and I shot him a nasty stare.
“But we all pitched in different perspectives, ideas…” Jessica inputted elatedly.
“It’s a fantastic idea.” He nodded, staring at me callously.
After school, Heath and I decided to head down to Kings Mall to get some ice-cream and possibly catch a movie. He held onto my hand as we walked through the entrance doors from the parking lot, and strode up to the escalator. It wasn’t as active as it usually is, I’m guessing due to it being a Monday.
We sat in our usual spot on the balcony at Haagen-Dazs, eating our usual Berries and Cream flavour, chatting away as Dreamers by Hopium ft. Phoebe Lou played over the radio. “Interesting presentation today, Pieces.” Heath raised a brow.
“I know, I know. God, I couldn’t concentrate with those girls blabbing about how hot Jake is. We only had ten minutes left and it was the quickest storyline I could come up with.”
“Well, you owe me.” He smirked.
“I do, huh?” I answered coquettishly. “And how do I ever repay you.” I inched my face closer to his with a wicked grin across my lips.
“I could think of a few ways.” He whispered, his lips almost on mine.
“Well then…” I replied and with that our lips touched, then our tongues, everything and everyone around us slowly fading away as our tongues danced.
Just then, Caroline walked in with her younger cousin, Sadie, shopping bags in hand and leaned against the counter as Sadie scanned the menu. Caroline pushed her shades on top of her and scrolled through her phone, giggling to herself. She looked down at Sadie. “Uh, hello…today please. I don’t have all day, FYI.”
“Jeesh, Carr, I’m deciding.” Sadie responded, her red-orange hair swept into two ponytails, dangling down the sides of her shoulders.
“Well decide quicker, Sadie!” She growled. She then craned her back to the outside of the balcony as Sadie made her order. Caroline’s jaw dropped and eyes widened. “I’ll be back, Sadie.” She said through gritted teeth. “Hold these.” She shoved the shopping bags at her and stomped through the glass doors and onto the balcony, standing in front of us with folded arms. She cleared her throat. We then faced her, simultaneously. Her lip tightly pressed together. “This is what you do behind Jake’s back, slut? Makes me wonder if this was going on when you were with me, Heath.” She was almost red with anger.
“If you must know, Caroline, even though it’s none of your business, Jake and Reese are no long together.” Heath grimaced.
“So… you two are together now?” She scoffed. “That’s what you left me for? This whoring bitch.”
“Says the fucktard that tried baiting my ex-boyfriend into having sex with her.” I rolled my eyes.
“Fuck you, Reese!”
“Heath’s already doing a fantastic job, but thanks for the offer.” I retorted. She then growled and tried to attack me but Heath held her back just as I shot up from my seat. “Not me, bitch!” My breath coarse.
“Carr, get lost! No one wants you.” Heath shouted and a security guard came running towards us.
“Is everything okay here?” He questioned as Caroline and I stared directly at each other callously. “Miss?” He directed at Caroline and she yanked her arm away from Heath’s hold.
“Fine!” The security officer was about to escort her when she turned back. “You better watch your back, bitch.” She hissed at me and stomped away. Heath and I glanced at each other and then burst out into laughter. “Let’s get out of here.” He kissed me on my forehead and we both left with the ice-creams in our hands.
The next day, as I entered Jake’s class, the dean, Charles Greyman, walked in. He was a slender Caucasian man, as tall as Jake, with white hair that looked naturally slicked back. His grey suit gave him a very prim and proper impression and he had the face of a no non-sense kind of guy.
He looked over the classroom, acknowledging us all and then had what appeared to be a stern conversation with Jake. I held my breath as they exchanged words, my fingers gripping the edge of my desk. I glanced over at Heath and just as I affixed my attention to the front of the classroom, Dean Greyman looked over to me. “Miss Singh.” Oh fuck! He called out and I inhaled deeply, feeling suffocated, I looked over to Heath. Oh God, no! We exchanged glances as I made my way down towards the dean. “Miss Singh.” He nodded when I arrived. “You and Mr. Cavanaugh. My office – now!” I looked up at Jake whose head was bent. I tried to meet his eyes, for some sort of silent explanation, but he wouldn’t hold my gaze.
We made our way down the seemingly endless corridor, my legs deceiving me and my vision blurring as my heart rate increased. My palms sweaty. Anxiety coursing through me. One thing we were warned about in the Code of Conduct was student-teacher affairs. Dean Greyman and the School Board had a no tolerance for such.
We finally stood in front of the large brown door near the auditorium. A gold plated sign with the words ‘Dean Greyman” inscribed hung at the top of it. Dean Greyman then turned the gold doorknob and entered the room, Jake and I following closely behind. I don’t think I’ve ever been in here, at least, not for something like this. At least I think this was concerning Jake and me. I really hoped that wasn’t the case.
Jake and I sat on the two leather chairs that stood before Dean Greyman’s large mahogany desk. My eyes darted around the room, the shelf of school awards slightly to the back of me, the pictures of graduates on the other side and the framed certificates all lined up neatly behind Dean Greyman’s desk. I felt cold, the temperature was significantly lower in his office. As if he was the ice King. He certainly had the look.
He sat on his black leather office chair, picked up a pen and opened a file. He pushed his spectacles further up his nose bridge and looked up at me, then Jake. He then placed his pen inside the file and reclined into his chair. “It has come to my attention, that you two are sharing a much more intimate relationship. Is this true?”
“No.” Jake and I chorused. Dean raised his brows, his face grim and a look of disappointment evident. Shit! Oh God, I knew it. Oh my God. I felt the pressure rush to my ears.
“Really? Mr. Cavanaugh, it would be a shame if you lied to me, because we could resolve this issue quietly and move on, if not, there would be serious repercussions. You would be fired from this school effective immediately and Ms. Singh would be suspended, perhaps even expelled considering the fact that she is an adult in this situation as well. Affairs like these tend to taint the image of the school and I do not want that, neither does the board. Plus, students have complained of nepotism in past cases of such. So… I’ll ask you again, what is the nature of your relationship?”
“It’s strictly platonic, Charles.” Jake informed him.
“Is this true, Ms. Singh?” He asked looking at me grimly. His barely-there lips set in a firm line.
“Yes, the only time we see each other outside of school are for the indie films.” I bent my head and knitted my fingers together. His forehead creased as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He took off his spectacles and tossed it onto the desk, then leaned forward and opened the file. “So, are you saying these are not of the both of you at another setting, away from school or curricular activities?” He asked and stood up as he placed pictures of Jake and me on the desk before us. I looked down at them, my heart beating a hundred beats per second. Jake inched closer towards the pictures. He glanced slightly at me and I wondered for a minute who would have these pictures, and furthermore send them in. That’s when I realised it was that stupid bitch, Caroline. “Well?” He raised a brow.
“This is nothing!” I stated. Jake stood there motionless.
“Ms. Singh, you are treading and very choppy waters here.” He clenched his jaw. “I don’t want to have to fire Mr. Cavanaugh because he is a great asset to this school, but… if you continue to test my patience with these boldfaced lies when clearly evidence states otherwise, I would have no other choice!” He shouted.
“I am telling you the truth!” I
shot out of my seat. “Look, I have a boyfriend, Heath Andrews is my boyfriend, not Mr. Cavanaugh!” I gagged.
“And these pictures?” Think, Reese, think!
“The girl that sent these pictures in was my friend Caroline Gilmore. She and Mr. Cavanaugh were together, not me. And, well, she tried to get with Heath, and I cut her off. Mr. Cavanaugh dumped her and he is, well, whoever he is with, so she is mad. She saw Heath and me together yesterday and threatened me. So basically, this is her way of getting back at us both. These pictures are from our double date on my birthday. As you can see, we were just having fun, there is nothing even remotely suggestive in these pics and that’s why Heath is in most of them.”
Dean Greyman stood there for moment, as if processing all the information. “This true?” He turned to Jake.
“Yes sir. Thanks for covering most of that Ms. Singh, although I could have explained it to him myself. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.” Jake answered.
“Can Mr. Andrews attest to this?” Dean Greyman asked.
“Yes he can.” I replied.
“Bring him in then.” I went back to the classroom and got Heath, explained everything to him as we walked towards the office, and he told Dean Greyman the same story that I told him. Dean Greyman accepted our version of events and let us all go.
“Well…” I broke the silence amongst three of us as we walked back to class.
“Well what?” Jake asked, craning his neck back at me.
“That bitch is fucked up! She nearly fucked up our lives. How come she didn’t attack you?” I asked Heath.
“Because Mr. Cavanaugh tattled on her to me and you are with me now. You both contributed to our break up.”
“Still, you’re the one that ‘broke’ her heart – if she even has one!” I stopped in my tracks. Jake paused and turned back at me.
“Thanks for being so quick with that excuse, Reese. You saved my job and yourself.” I looked up into his cold eyes and for a moment I swore I saw something there – that once soft glow in his eyes.
“Sure, no problem.” I whispered, unable to release myself from his gaze, just captivated by his crystal blue eyes.
In The Spur of Heath (The Spur Series Book 1) Page 16