Omega's Teacher

by Bella Bennet

  Chapter 3

  H arry was almost done with his first day and he still hadn’t seen the new science teacher yet. But that didn’t mean he hadn’t heard about him. His students were allowed to talk before the bell rang. Harry used that time to lean against his desk and listen. He got some of the best gossip that way. Not that he spread it around, but it was good to keep a pulse on the students .

  The news of the day was that the new science teacher, Mr. Short, was stunningly handsome, dressed in a fitted suit and no fun. He was mean, stole a kid’s phone in first period, and told one girl to button up her blouse or she’d get pneumonia. Harry had to stop himself from laughing out loud at that one. He bet he knew who that student was too. She was always trying to land a teacher. Several times Harry had wondered if she was even really a student or a plant by the school district to entrap teachers .

  The craziest thing out of all the gossip about Mr. Short, was that the students were in awe of him. The boys either wanted to have presence like he did or be his omega. Harry rolled his eyes. The way they were talking, it was as if James Bond had started teaching science. Harry was curious if this Mr. Short resembled even a third of the gossip about him. Harry shook his head and stood up. It was time to start his favorite class, British Literature .

  * * *

  T he first day was done. All the foreign language, literature and history teachers, were going out to celebrate at a local restaurant as was their tradition. Harry wondered if they had invited the new wonder teacher Mr. Short. He had never heard the students talk about a new teacher this much. They had to be exaggerating. No teacher could be that no nonsense and still be fawned over by the students .

  Harry continued down the hallway to the main doors. He could have left out the side doors closest to the teacher’s parking lot, but Harry was hoping to get a glance of the new science teacher. If he really was as good looking as the students and several teachers had claimed, then Harry wanted a look. He wasn’t going to get his hopes up for an alpha match. No, he just wanted to see what the fuss was about. Especially since he missed the pre-term meetings where the teacher was introduced. Apparently he charmed the pants off the teachers present .

  Harry nodded to students running to sports practice or other activities like debate. Harry didn’t have any coaching assignments this year. Dr. Stevens had let him take this year off due to Harry’s involvement in so many activities the previous school years. He had helped lead or coach several clubs and activities over the years but Harry needed a break. He had worn himself out .

  This year he had nothing to do but teach and go home. He loved the thought of sitting on the couch and getting caught up with the BBC shows he missed last year. He didn’t think he’d be happy living in England, but he did often wonder about living there during the summer. If he still didn’t find his alpha this year, maybe he’d try it. Rent a cottage somewhere and wander around England .

  His daydreams were interrupted by someone walking out of the principal’s office. The man was turned away, so Harry only got a look at the person’s side and back. He noticed the quality of the suit first. It was an expensive suit. That was obvious with just a glance. It fit the man like a glove. Harry never wore a suit jacket. He actually never wore suit pants either. He wondered if he should start .

  Harry frowned thinking of how frumpy he must look. Usually by the of the day he had wrinkles in his pants, his hair was messed from his hands running through it and chalk dust was sprinkled on the right pant leg .

  Harry looked up from the man’s tie to his face and stopped in his tracks. It was impossible. It had to be someone else. There was no way that entitled snot could be out here in the Midwest teaching at the very same school. It had to be a look alike. The bully that made a year complete hell in middle school. Besides, the universe couldn’t be that unfair to take the bully and turn him into a handsome man .

  Harry nodded his head as he passed the man who could only be the new science teacher. Over lunch he probably should have gone through all his mail that had piled up while he was gone instead of talking in the teacher’s lounge. He’d know the name of the new science teacher by now and could put his fear to rest. It couldn’t possibly be the same person .

  * * *

  I t was the same person. The teachers were having their first day dinner celebration when the man himself walked into the restaurant. Apparently, his nice fellow teachers had invited him. Great. Just when he had found out that the new teacher was from back East, had grown up in the Hamptons and was indeed Alex Short. If he got up and left immediately, it would be rude and look like he had a problem with the new teacher. Which he did. But he didn’t want everyone to know that .

  He faked a smiled at Alex, Mr. Short and dropped it the second he looked away. Just when he thought this would be the perfect year of relaxing and time for a social life, the universe drops Alex Short back into his life. He knew he shouldn’t be so prejudiced towards a school bully, but Alex hadn’t just been a school bully. He had been merciless. Taunting and picking on Harry the entire year he stayed with his cousin while his parents were missionaries. Middle school was no one’s idea of a great time, even more so when an entitled, rich snot ruined your life one day at a time .

  Harry really didn’t know how he would get through this school year. He knew that Alex had probably grown up or he wouldn’t have gotten the job here. Dr. Stevens hired teachers that were skilled in their subject, but also passed a personality test. He couldn’t imagine that Alex had gotten hired without taking one. Alex must not have set off the psychopathic snot warning on the test .

  Harry drank his beer. He needed to get over this. He didn’t want to go to work angry every day, and he especially didn’t want any of his fellow teachers to question him about his dislike of the new teacher. Harry would sound petty holding a grudge over things that happened years ago. For some reason though, he couldn’t get over it. That year should have been the time of his life with his rich cousin in their huge house. Instead it was a nightmare. His only friend was his cousin because Alex bullied everyone into staying away from Harry. Alex never let him forget that his family were poor missionaries. Or that Harry wasn’t athletically blessed. Or that he wasn’t an alpha .

  He looked down the table at the object of his derision. Polished, charming and everyone fawning over him. Harry put his glass down, stood up and left. He’d make up some excuse tomorrow for his abrupt departure. He couldn’t stay there one minute longer .

  * * *

  A lex cleaned the whiteboard and put the classroom back in order. He didn’t have much to do. His students had taken his classroom rules to heart and were doing a good job of putting things back and keeping the room tidy. It wasn’t just because he was a neat freak. Serious accidents can occur in chemistry when things are in the way, you stumble or trip, you can’t get to something in time because three empty beakers are between you and what you need. It’s much safer being clean and tidy .

  He smiled as he walked around the room for a final glance. Things seemed to be working out well here. The first week had the usual bumps, but he settled in much quicker than he did at his previous job. His mouth turned down just thinking about it. He thought he would have that job forever .

  He shoved a stool under the lab stations with more force than necessary. Penny had told him to work through it and get over it, but it’s hard. Hard when he still didn’t know why it happened, or why his many years of solid work as a teacher meant nothing to the school board. He was very interested in knowing who they hired after him. Could that person have planted anything? Started the whole process just to get his job? Alex knew he was running deep into conspiracy territory but without any straight facts he had nothing .

  Alex clenched his jaw. He wanted to fight it. Wanted to take the school to court to prove he had done nothing, hadn’t known kids were making drugs in the school using his classroom equipment. But it was fear that held him back. Gossip among the upper class in the Chicago area is one thing,
hitting newspapers nationally was another. And he was afraid that his story would hit newspapers .

  Alex pursed his lips as he grabbed his briefcase. He had been monitoring all newspapers from the Chicago area, but nothing ever hit the papers. The school either covered up what the students did or the proof they had fell apart. He still thought he should have hired an attorney, but Penny and her boss David, a family law attorney, said not to do it in preliminary meetings with the school. You don’t show that you have a gun unless you’re prepared to use it. Was he prepared to sue? Well, no he hadn’t been .

  Talking to David after each meeting helped Alex reconcile the shit show in a logical, calm, non emotional manner. He was fucked. Even if the school found it was indeed, all made up and there were no kids making drugs or there were kids making drugs but Alex had nothing to do with it, it was too late to save his job at that school. He wouldn’t want to work under the conditions that would be present. People would still believe whatever rumor they had heard, he would always be watched, he’d be always watching his back, thinking people had bad motives for everything. It would have driven him crazy. So he resigned. David had assured him that this would not make the school go to the police because if they really had evidence, they would have done it already. Unless they had evidence and just wanted it all to quietly disappear so it didn’t affect the school’s prestigious status .

  Alex sighed. His good name was mud with that community, his omega had dumped him without talking to him and he was starting over. Again. At least this time he had degrees he had earned on his own and money in the bank. He locked his classroom door and checked the lab’s doors again. He knew he would never have become the person he was without his parent’s drastic actions of cutting him off financially, but he was still angry about it. Having to admit you were wrong, and they were right was a very hard thing to do .

  Alex walked down the hallway nodding and waving to fellow teachers and students. It was nice to be at a school where the principal and school board took such pains to make the environment healthy. He had been surprised at the personality exam during the interview process. Alex wanted to stand up and walk out. But he knew he needed this job, and it was his fear of an employer screwing him over that made him balk. He calmed himself that not everyone was like his past employer, plus there were a lot of things he hadn’t liked with that school either. Things that, looking back on it, should have made him leave. So Alex had taken the personality test and now he was here at Seaport Prep .

  Alex spied the English teacher near the end of the hallway, walking towards him. The gossip in the teacher’s lounge was that Harry had worn himself out last year desperately seeking an alpha and doing far too much at the school. Alex felt a tingle of fear run through him. He pushed it down. He would find his omega. But he wasn’t looking for one now. He needed to do a good job this year and then look this summer. Alex didn’t want to get into too much during his first year at a new teaching position. He had enough on his plate as it was .

  As he drew closer to the English teacher, he realized this was the first time he had gotten a really good look at him. He wasn’t as tall as Alex, but the harried writer look was working for the English teacher. The glasses and plaid tie were adorable on him. Alex was surprised with himself. He hated things not just so, but this teacher hit him just right. That handsome face along with him being an omega, needing someone to look after him, turned him on. Alex sniffed. The scent of an omega rolled through him, it smelled like soft cotton, fresh laundry. It was intoxicating. The scent ran right through him, down his spine, lighting up all his nerve endings, especially the ones in his dick .

  Alex slowed down and threw a big smile at the hot omega. “Hi. I don’t think I’ve met you yet. I’m Alex Short, the new science teacher .”

  Thankfully he hadn’t put a hand out yet. Because the English teacher gave him a cold glance and walked right on by. Alex turned to watch him walk away, speechless. Completely out of his element because he had never, ever had that happen to him. No one had ever ignored Alex. He stood there, watching the English teacher open a classroom door and go inside. Alex was tempted to go down there and ask what the teacher’s issue was, but decided that was far too aggressive for his first month at a new position. Plus, maybe the guy was having a bad day. Or hated blonds. Who knows? Except that Alex was dying to get to know this omega better. A lot better .

  Chapter 4

  H arry swore that Alex was not stalking him, but he kept running into him so often during the school day that Harry wondered. Harry had not even seen him until that day in the hallway, and suddenly Alex was everywhere. In the mailroom, in the teacher’s lounge, in the hallway. How was it possible to not see the guy at all for weeks and then suddenly he was everywhere? If Alex showed up in his neighborhood, he would claim stalking for sure .

  He frowned as he entered the mailroom. If Alex was in here again just hanging around, Harry didn’t know if he could be rational and calm anymore. The guy was getting on his nerves. The pressure of having to be civil and pretend like Alex wasn’t the bully that made his life hell was getting to him .

  Harry grabbed his mail and flipped through it. Teacher workshops, new textbooks, nothing exciting .

  “Harry how have you been? I’ve hardly seen you since school started. That’s not like you!” Harry turned to face the Arts teacher .

  “Oh, I’ve just been really busy. New year you know.” That sounded lame even to his ears. What was he going to say? That he was trying to avoid the new Science teacher like the plague ?

  “Harry. This is me, your friend. Now what’s really going on?” Damn. Now what was he going to do? He stood there, chewing his bottom lip trying to think of what to tell her when the decision was taken out of his hands .

  “Hey Susan, how’s the art world today?” She turned around with her face all lit up like she had just won a free trip to the Louvre .

  “Oh Alex, I didn’t see you this morning in the lounge.” She wrapped her arms around and gave him a hug. What? Since when was Susan close enough to Alex that she hugged him ?

  They pulled apart and Alex looked right at Harry. No escaping now. “I haven’t met you yet, I think you were still on summer vacation when I started. Hi, I’m Alexander Short the new Science teacher.” He reached out his hand for a handshake. Harry couldn’t avoid it. The alpha’s scent wrapped around him, teasing him, but Harry ignored it. He reached out and shook Alex’s hand trying to smile .

  “Hello. I’m Harry Reyes.” It was short, probably was rude considering how much he loved to talk to new people, but hopefully Susan wouldn’t notice. He glanced at her, saw her frown and realized he would have to do more than just be civil or the teachers would be talking. He hadn’t had any problems in all the years teaching, and he wasn’t going to have them now either just because that bully Alex was teaching here now .

  “I teach English.” He knew he needed say more, to be his normal self, but he couldn’t the words out of his mouth .

  “I know. I’ve heard all about you. You’ve done a great job with the English classes, writing club and debate team. You’re a cornerstone of the school from what I hear.” Harry smiled. Not big enough if Susan’s continued frown was anything to go by. Damn it. He was not letting Alex screw up his friendships or his job at the school. He was here first, this was his school .

  “Thank you. I hope you’re settling in well here.” Alex glanced at Susan, who was still frowning at Harry. It looked like he needed to do a better job at pretending he liked the new teacher. Damn Alex for moving here and getting a job at his school. This was all his fault .

  “So, what have you found so far… with your job here? I mean, what do you like so far?” Ok, that was it. He needed to leave. He couldn’t even make up pleasant sounding conversation that sounded believable. Which was why they were both now looking at him like he had spontaneously grown a second head .

  “I’m sorry. I need to go.” Harry walked around Alex and almost ran to his classroom. H
e needed to get a handle on himself. He needed to resolve this animosity fast or it would be his reputation that would suffer. Not Alex’s. Just like the last time. Harry got bullied, Alex never suffered any consequences .

  Harry closed the door to his classroom and threw the mail on his desk. Dammit. He paced around his desk running his hands through his hair. And that would make him look even more messy compared to Alex. Just great. He patted his head, ran his hands back through his hair trying to put it back in some sort of civilized fashion .

  He heard the door open and turned to face it. Alex closed the door. Oh shit. He did not want to deal with this. Not now. Not when he was already so wound up. And did he have to grow up so hot? Why couldn’t bullies grow up to be ugly trolls ?

  Alex wasn’t smiling anymore. Just staring at Harry’s face. Harry glanced away to Alex’s tie. This one was light green with narrow yellow stripes. With a dark gray suit that was again fitted to Alex’s form. His very pleasant form. Dammit. Harry looked away to the wall behind Alex .

  “I was hoping we could have a civil conversation.” Alex didn’t sound angry, but definitely curious as to what was going on with Harry. Harry kept looking at the wall. He didn’t want his traitorous body to give him away to Alex. If he didn’t look at him, his body wouldn’t react. At least that was the plan .

  “Sure. What do you want to talk about?” That was stupid. Now Alex would think he was mocking him. Harry sighed. He hadn’t planned on being confronted by Alex. He thought he’d be able to ignore Alex and he’d give up trying to talk to Harry. Trust the bully to hunt him down and confront him .

  Harry realized that Alex hadn’t answered his question. He glanced at Alex to find him frowning. Even frowning he was still ridiculously good looking. The years had been kind to him. Harry clenched his jaw .

  “I’ve never had a problem with people disliking me before they ever met me. Can you help me understand why you feel that way ?”