Her Teacher's Temptation

by Vos, Alexandra

  “I mean, if you think this is a kind of permanent thing with her, like, you wanna be together for a long time, then I don’t know if telling her about something that happened in the first few months is really important, if it’s just going to completely ruin it.” I was having to say this through gritted teeth, but I don’t think Ollie picked up on it. I’d just told him I liked him. Was he really that dense? He probably just meant that he wanted to sleep with me and assumed that’s what I meant too.

  “Maybe,” he agreed, much to my disappointment. “I guess I’ll just see how it goes. I’ll have to just tell her if I start feeling too guilty.” He glanced sideways at me for only a moment to smile before his eyes focused back on the road. “Thanks Maddie.”

  I didn’t bother to show any positive expression considering he couldn’t see it. “It’s fine.” I assured him, deciding to look out the window and the passing fields instead. “I hope it works out for you.” I was far too bitter and selfish to actually want that, but it was worth saying, I supposed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Where have you been all weekend?" I asked Meg when we met at the school gates on Monday morning. I'd tried to get hold of her several times on Sunday to explain what had happened, but her phone had been completely dead.

  "My phone ran out of battery and I've been at Dave's all weekend. It was definitely a good time, though I don't think I've had more than about five hours sleep since Thursday." You could see it in the massive bags she had under her eyes. I wouldn’t be surprised if she fell asleep in at least one lesson today, or just through the whole of lunch.

  I forced out a laugh and told myself that it was just a one off. Meg did do these things every so often with her other friends.

  "But that's not important," she continued. "Tell me all about your romantic getaway with Mr. Wright.” After the last time I'd played this game with her, she was much more open to what might have actually happened.

  I couldn't help but flush at even the memory. "Well..." I trailed off.

  "Maddie!" Meg exclaimed as she pulled out a cigarette after we'd double checked to make sure no one was around. "You really did, didn't you? Oh my God."

  I flushed. "We were drunk again and it just kind of happened," I defended myself. It was actually Ollie who'd instigated it this time, I was pretty sure; it hadn't just been me coming onto him. "But it was good," I informed her smugly. Pretending that I wasn’t an immoral piece of shit was the way to go here. "Maybe even better than the first time." I teased.

  "I can't believe it. What happened after? What did he say?" She demanded, taking a large drag and then passing me her lighter since I'd forgotten mine.

  "That it was a mistake, obviously," I laughed and tried not to show how much that hurt. "The day after was a big mix of kind of awkwardness and flirting. I don't really know how else to describe it."

  "He obviously didn't think it was that much of a mistake then," she replied, watching my reaction carefully. We both knew this meant more to me than I was admitting, but I was glad Meg decided to just joke with me instead of pushing it.

  I rolled my eyes. "He asked me advice on whether to tell his girlfriend or not," I deadpanned. "I think he knew it was a mistake if he was too guilty and confused to even realise how much that hurt."

  Meg sighed. "Yeah, I guess so, but I'm sure that's not all. I mean he must have said something else, right?”

  I bit my lip. “Well, we might have admitted that we liked each other.”

  “Maddie!” Meg exclaimed again. “How could you have even left that detail out?”

  I chuckled slightly. “You know he only meant that he liked me as in he wanted to sleep with me.”

  “But you didn’t just mean that?” She prompted.

  “Oh come on, we both know I like like him.” I admitted, sighing heavily. “But it’s impossible for many reasons, so that’s that. I’ve already been the biggest bitch by seducing him whilst he has a girlfriend.”

  “Right, like it was impossible that you’d sleep with him?” Meg goaded. “What did he decide to do about his girlfriend?”

  “He’s going to try and not tell her.” I was really starting to regret being honest now. “Though he said he would if he got too guilty.”

  “What an idiot,” Meg muttered, shaking her head.

  “Hey guys!” Hannah greeted, though I wasn’t sure how she’d found our smoking spot. I hoped that didn’t mean it was obvious to the teachers, too. Our conversation stopped short since Hannah didn’t even know who ‘Mr. Wright’ actually was to me. “How was the competition?”

  “I came second.” Hearing praise from everyone I’d told did a good job of inflating my ego.

  “Well done!” Hannah chimed whilst we stubbed out our cigarettes and picked our bags back up. “And how was Mr. Wright?” She gave me almost as much of a knowing look as Meg had done.

  “As hot as always,” I teased back, glad I didn’t flush this time.

  “Really starting to regret not taking English. Anyway, I have bad news, guys.” I wasn’t picking up a lot of sadness in her tone.

  I raised a questioning eyebrow, glad to get off the topic of Ollie for a while. “Go on.”

  “I’m thinking about breaking up with Mike,” she revealed, pouting slightly.

  Meg and I shared a look. “You’re kidding, right?” Meg questioned with a slight chuckle. “After all we’ve had to listen to.”

  Hannah laughed. “Yes, I know. It’s just, I don’t know, it’s not as good as I thought it was going to be.”

  I had to grin at that. “Guess we weren’t so cynical after all,” I said to Meg, remembering our conversation in Costa. She was giggling to herself.

  Hannah only grimaced at us. “Seriously, though, what can be so bad? You spent so long wanting to be with him.” We filtered through the people entering the school and towards our classrooms.

  “I don’t know. I just, I really liked the time we spent in summer, where every time we saw each other I was asking myself whether he actually liked me, and he’d do these cute little things and, I don’t know, now it’s just like he definitely does like me and there’s no fun in that.”

  “Hmm.” I supposed I couldn’t really comment. The only two relationships I’d been in had ended because it just turned out we didn’t really have similar interests and the first one we’d just argued constantly. I’d never been bored, so to speak. “How long have you been together now?”

  “Two months.”

  Meg frowned. “Isn’t that kind of soon to be making the decision to break up with him? And I mean, aren’t relationships supposed to be like that. Like, what else would it be like?”

  “I don’t know,” Hannah groaned as we stopped outside Ollie’s classroom to finish our conversation. “I don’t know what to do, but I’m just not wanting to really see him that much.”

  I watched her suddenly sceptical. “Please don’t tell me you’ve already got your eye on someone else.” I was playing hypocrite of the year spectacularly well.

  Hannah’s cheeks flamed.

  “Oh wow, really?” Meg demanded. “That didn’t take long. And who is it? Anyone we know?”

  “Actually, he’s a guy in my physics class. He’s transferred from Scotland. His accent is to die for.”

  I had to admit that I had a thing for accents. “And do you think that if you dumped Mike and got with this Scottish guy that the actual relationship part would be any better?”

  Sighing, Hannah ran a hand through her hair. “I don’t know, but there’s no point in staying in a relationship that I’m not enjoying, right? If I got with the Scottish guy, which I’m not saying there’s even a chance I could, I’d just break up with him and come to the conclusion I’m not a relationship girl.”

  We were saved from giving a response by the classroom door opening and Ollie popping his head out, though. “It would probably be useful if you were actually in my lesson instead of chatting in the doorway,” he commented sarcastically, eyes flashing to mine and
holding them for a second. I had to really concentrate on not letting my cheeks heat up. “The lesson started five minutes ago.”

  “Sorry,” I replied, giving him a small smile. “See you later, Han. And there’s nothing wrong with not being a relationship girl. Just don’t lead anyone on.”

  She gave Ollie a sweet smile that made me want to roll my eyes. I sure hoped I was the only student he’d be sleeping with. “See you later guys!” She called behind her as we entered the classroom and took our normal seats.

  I couldn’t help but pay extra attention to Ollie and wish I’d get to run my fingers through his amazing curls once more, but Meg seemed to have other plans as she poked me in the arm. “Hey, I had something to tell you,” she whispered. “I met a guy at Dave’s.”

  I almost scowled. Since when had my friends had super active love lives whilst I pined after an unavailable guy? Normally we were all in the same boat when it came to that. “You slept with him?” She’d presumably been high and drunk all weekend, which normally equalled sex as far as we were concerned.

  Meg chuckled softly so that Ollie wouldn’t hear. “Surprisingly not. We just talked and I don’t know, I just got on with him really well. And he was really good looking.”

  I didn’t bother to mention the fact that she’d probably only gotten on with him so well because they’d both been completely off their faces and because doing ecstasy made it almost impossible not to get on with someone. I was a bitter bitch and I knew it, but the thoughts plagued me anyway. If she ever talked to him sober then she’d find out whether she actually liked him or not. “I’m happy for you,” was what I settled on.

  If Meg could find someone that made her happy, since I was awful at it, then it could only be positive. She’d done a good job of putting on a brave face this far and I hadn’t had the nerve to ask for any details on her mum, but every so often when she thought no one was looking her face would fall into the expression which told me she was anything but all right.

  “Madeleine, could you read the part of Katherine, please.” He did pretty well at hiding how smug he was when my face flamed, though his eyes gleamed. It rolled off his tongue perfectly and I hadn’t been expecting it at all, which made it even more effective in embarrassing me.

  “Sure,” I muttered, hiding my face behind my hair and trying to find where we were starting from. Of course he’d given me the biggest part, too.

  “Madeleine?” Meg inquired in a whisper.

  I shrugged guiltily. “I may have told him I liked the way it sounded with his accent.”

  Meg chuckled. “I feel sure he like likes you.”

  “Yeah, right,” I rolled my eyes. “He’s just teasing me. It doesn’t mean he likes me.”

  “Sure. Because he should definitely be teasing you and not ignoring you completely after this weekend,” Meg replied with a smirk, only to grimace when Ollie gave her a part.

  “It’s not even a big one. I’m reading the main character, so don’t even bother bitching to me about it.”

  Meg grinned. “But I like winding you up.” I was glad Meg managed to be cheerful when I held a conversation with her. Sometimes I just couldn’t think of anything to say because I knew the pressure was on for me to say something and that just meant my mind went blank. Hannah obviously didn’t know about the situation with her mum. “As does someone else, apparently.” The smirk was back in full force with that comment and I held back a groan as I began to read the excessive amount of lines Ollie had assigned me.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The next two weeks were disappointingly uneventful. Ollie and I hardly spoke out of class and he didn't come into the restaurant at all when I was working. Apart from the occasional Madeleine to make me blush, there was no sign of anything more than a professional relationship between us.

  A familiar face was stood at the school gates when my day ended and it beamed when it saw me approaching. "Maddie!" She exclaimed with a grin. "I suppose I should've expected to see you."

  "Hey, Annabel." I greeted. "I didn't realise you'd meant you were coming to visit so soon. This is Meg," I introduced her. "This is Annabel, Ollie's sister."

  "You know his sister?" Meg demanded, looking offended I'd missed out some information about time I'd spent with Mr. Wright.

  I rolled my eyes. "Annabel goes to uni in Newcastle. I met her at the writing thing."

  "Oh, right."

  "So, what plans have you made with Ollie?" I inquired.

  Annabel pouted, taking into stride the fact Meg apparently knew all about Ollie and me. “I have to go out for dinner with him and Jemma,” she whined. Then her eyes widened with a mischievous sparkle. “You should come too.”

  I snorted. “Yeah, right,” I returned sarcastically. “Me and Jemma will play happy families.”

  “See!” Annabel exclaimed. “It’d be so funny.”

  “Ollie’d never let me come.” I said, more seriously now. “I’d feel kind of mean anyway. It wouldn’t exactly be ideal for him.”

  Our conversation was cut short when the man himself appeared. “Oh, well this can’t be good,” he teased as he approached, giving Annabel a quick hug. “You’re ready to get off? We won’t be eating for a few hours, but I’m guessing you want to just go and hang out before I make you put up with Jemma.”

  Annabel was grinning though. “Can I bring someone with me to dinner?”

  “Maddie isn’t coming to dinner,” Ollie deadpanned.

  “I can get you a discount,” I teased. I assumed they were going to my restaurant, considering it appeared to be Jemma’s favourite with how often she ate there. Or maybe she just had enough money to eat out every night.

  Ollie sighed. “I’m fairly sure it would be an awful idea.”

  I bit my lip. He was actually going to cave. I wasn’t sure if this was for my benefit or Annabel’s and I was quite sure I didn’t want to go. If he offered I’d be unable to resist, though. Getting to experience Jemma in her entirety and make a proper judgment on the woman Ollie was so committed to was too tempting. I’d be annoyed if she turned out to be nice and everyone else was just being judgmental.

  “But it’d be fun,” Annabel tried to assure him. Ollie had no idea that Annabel knew what was going on between us. As far as he was concerned, she just wanted a friend. “I like Maddie. And since I don’t really know Jemma that well it’d be nice to have her there.” I didn’t bother to mention that I’d literally only spoken to Annabel twice, ever.

  “It’s fine, I’m really not expecting you to invite me,” I told Ollie seriously. It would be the most awkward situation for him I could imagine. “Annabel is probably only joking.”

  He shrugged. “You can come if you want,” he finally allowed, though he didn’t look particularly convinced that he’d made the right decision.

  “Sure?” I double checked sceptically.

  “Why not?” I could think of plenty very good reasons, but it would be interesting to see where he was planning on going with this. There had to be some ulterior motive for going to dinner with his girlfriend and the person he’d cheated on her with. “I’ll pick you up at like six. That okay?”

  “Yeah,” I agreed, frown not letting up.

  After they’d left, Meg fixed with me a calculating look. “You’re definitely going to be telling me about this later.”

  ***

  In the restaurant, it was actually less awkward than I’d anticipated; probably just because of how well Annabel and Ollie got on. Their banter made it impossible for there to be a moment too awkward.

  I was sat next to Annabel and opposite Ollie, which I was grateful for. I really didn’t want to have to avoid staring at Jemma all night. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, I was more uncomfortable than I’d thought I’d be having to talk to her normally and stuff. The guilt was weighing on me a lot more than I’d anticipated. She really didn’t deserve this.

  I also felt slightly out of place since I didn’t really have any reason to be here. Annabel didn’t exac
tly know me that well and it was more like Jemma was third-wheeling than Annabel. “Ollie said you came second in the writing competition,” Jemma told me with a small smile. Maybe she felt uncomfortable too. I wonder if she knew that Ollie’s friends didn’t like her. “He was pretty annoyed you didn’t win.”

  I laughed softly. “He just wanted to take all the credit.”

  “What was your piece on?”

  I bit the inside of my cheek. I glanced at Ollie to get some hint as to whether I should lie or not, but I didn’t really see the point, and his face didn’t change. If someone at the university thought it was acceptable, then there was no reason Jemma shouldn’t. “Well the prompt was ‘journey’, so I did mine about tripping on acid,” I explained, taking a quick sip of my drink as her eyes widened.