The Teacher's Pet | Slowburn MJ FanFic

• | Chapter Thirty-Two | •

| Later That Week ~ Friday Evening. . .

The soft squeak of the red marker topped the quietness of Riley's bedroom when she marked another big X on the quote-themed calendar. The beginning of the new semester was only a few more days away, but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment. Her sharp brown eyes focused on the elegant cursive font as her chest heaved a heavy sigh.

𝓞𝓷𝓮 𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓪𝓽 𝓪 𝓽𝓲𝓶𝓮.

The slim marker was compressed in the palm of her hand as she closed her eyes and repeated the phrase in her head. She kept herself busy all day to keep her mind off of what happened days prior and her phone was placed on Do Not Disturb. Only a few select people were able to bypass it.

If she wasn't napping, then she was playing games on her laptop. If she wasn't doing that, then she was channel surfing or scrolling through Twitter for something funny to boost her sullen mood. It was nearing seven at night as she laid in bed staring at the TV; the radiant orange light of the late sunset seeped through the opened blinds of her window and casted a soft glow on her rich brown skin.

Her phone suddenly vibrated twice by the body pillow she cuddled up to. She hesitated to grab it for a moment until she remembered no one could get past the digital barrier unless they were listed on her favorite's list.

Applehead ❤️😘

Good evening, baby girl.
Wear something comfortable and come outside.
6:47 PM

She knotted her eyebrows together as she stared at the text before easing out of bed and rummaging through her drawers. She settled on a pair of blue jeans ripped at the knees with uggs and an off-the-shoulder sweater. Grabbing her clothes, she walked across the hall to freshen up a bit in the bathroom before changing. As fast as her nimble fingers allowed, she unraveled the long, thick twists in her hair and fluffed out her curls. After checking in the mirror to make sure nothing looked out of place, she finally headed downstairs. It was a few minutes after seven when she poked her head out the door and saw Michael had parked his car in the driveway.

"Are you ready for our first official date?" Michael asked as Riley bounded down the steps of her front porch. He sat on the hood of his car, holding a small bouquet of white roses with swirls of red that resembled peppermints. "I wasn't sure what type of flowers you wanted. I should've asked, huh?"

Riley shook her head with a wide smile before looping her arms around his neck and softly planting her lips against his own. He smiled and returned the kiss as he gently brought her closer to him.

She slowly pulled away to say, "They're perfect, thank you."

"Anything for you. I thought you could use a little pick-me-up after that whole situation."

She hugged him tighter. "I really appreciate it. And by the way, I'm more than ready for our first date." She fully stepped back and took the bouquet into her hands as he stood up. The pads of her fingers slowly traced over the velvety petals of the roses. "I'm also excited that it's not a boring dinner date either."

Michael laughed quietly to himself as he led her over to the passenger side door. "Are you just saying that because that one asshole took you out on a bad dinner date?"

"Maybe." She shrugged as he opened the door for her. "Thanks, Michael."

He expressed his welcome with a sweet peck on her cheek before he shut the door, then went to the driver's side. Within moments, they were on the road to Frankie's, the one place he knew that she would genuinely enjoy as a date.