Secrets of a Student

Slušati

Valery rustles her way back to Mr. Millow's as I creep close behind her. She doesn't seem to notice me as I keep my distance, feeling a little like a spy from a movie. I hear her voice as I come to his classroom. I peer into the doorway, finding her positioned leaning against the doorway of his office just feet from me, but I couldn't see Mr. Millow. 

"Alpha." Her voice came out as a whimper. I almost laughed at the silly nickname, what in the world is she talking about? Immediately, my brain jumps to the conclusion they might be a thing, but that doesn't make any sense because she would have told me something like this. 

Right?

"Yes, Valery?" Mr. Millow's voice is muffled, but I can hear the strain in it. He seemed to be okay with the title she gave him, like it was normal to them. He did not chastise her for being inappropriate or disrespectful.  

"Is Venus your-" Valery's voice cut off with a croak, like saying the next word might cause her to collapse. What could she possibly be asking him about me? This is so confusing, if she had a question about me why wouldn't she just ask me? 

"Yeah." Mr. Millow's voice is husky. A moment goes by, and even I had feel the tension in the room. "She is human, right?" This made me turn the my invisible audience because the the hell is this conversation about. 

"Yes, I have known her since we were kids. Before you came home from school, before I came to see you, before you promised me you would tell me when you found her." Her voice raised as she spoke, and by then end she was almost yelling. There was just silence for a moment, after a deep breath Valery began to speak in a calmer, quieter tone. "I understand. She turned eighteen yesterday. You couldn't have known." 

I did not want to hear more of this, whatever it was. I turned and quietly stormed away, I had to make an effort not to stomp like a child. I should not be angry at either of them, but for some reason a small part of me felt betrayed by them both. Which this also makes no sense to me because I had not relationship with Mr. Millow besides being his student, so why did I feel like that. 

I want to be his. Trying to shake the thought from my head, I head for my car to await my traitorous best friend.

I wait beside the car for Valery to come back from Mr. Millow's. She looks flustered with red cheeks and labored breath when she finally comes walking up. It looks like things got messy after I walked away, and my brain again jumped off the cliff of conclusion that they had a sexual moment. 

We both slide into my little car, and for a moment we both look at each other. I can see it in her face that she wants to tell me something, but in the end she just smiles as she plugs her phone into my aux. As if sensing the tension in my mind, she turns on my favorite song and I turn the volume dial all the away up as we exit the parking lot and head to downtown to find dresses for  graduation. 

The little boutiques were not too busy for a Monday afternoon, and Valery and I were dancing around the stores to the loud teeny bops from our parents time in high school. The consignment shop we landed in was cute and it felt nice to have this moment with my bestfriend. 

I am twirling around in my dress when Valery asks, "So what is Homecoming Queen going to say in her speech for Graduation?" I shoot her a glare. The only reason I was HOCO Queen was because everyone saw the black eye my mom gave me the week before. That was after she caught me texting my dad, she said I was telling him the truth but all I was actually trying to do was make him come home. 

"If your not going to tell me what Valery the valedictorian is going to say, then why would I tell you." I smile over at her as she crossed her arms. No one would have looked at how she regards school and say she was the top of the class, but she was actually the most thoughtful and intelligent person I knew. 

"Shut up and zip me." She says as she looks at herself in the wall mirrors. The dress she was in made her skin glow in the light coming from the window and the dandelion color was just perfect. I zipped her up and turn her hand to twirl her around, by the end we were both laughing.  

"Well who are you going with to the after party?" I ask her, I think about the impossibility of her saying Mr. Millow. The thought makes me shake my head with a giggle escaping my lips.

She looks at me with a innocent smile of perfect white teeth and says, "You know you're always my date." Valery begins to flutter her eyelashes and laughter erupts from my lungs. 

My eyes catch a familiar figure move past the window, and my heart stops. When I blink, it's like he just disappears like a hallucination.  

It was him. Mr. Millow followed us to the shop. 

I race out of the store, but as I search the street he is no where in sight. I have officially gone insane, today proves it. I'm now hallucinating and running out of stores leaving my best friend as if I was being chased. 

What am I doing? I walk a few steps away from the store entrance to look around an absurdly large truck, still convinced I am a lunatic. Just as I turn to go back to the store, a hand wraps around my waist and another around my mouth. A muffled scream leaves my throat as terror courses through my whole body. 

Though as soon as the fear came, it disappeared and my body was having a very different reaction. The very opposite feeling clenched inside my core, like my body knew who this was before my brain could catch up.  

I am dragged into the alley beside the shop, my assailant pinned me against the wall as he pressed into my back. "You shouldn't go around smelling like that. Next time I make you soaking wet, change your underwear." I know by that husky voice who this was. At the same time, I wasn't sure if it was a good thing that he could smell my arousal. Could everyone? 

With him pressed so close to me, I feel him take a deep breath. I feel him gently press a kiss the the top of my head, and the heat from his body leave me. I whip around but again he has just disappeared like he was never there to begin with.

I go back into the shop to find Valery spinning around in a halter dress like nothing happened. When she catches the look on my face she stops. "Are you okay?" She comes close and sniffles like she is having allergies. 

Shaking my head, I gather my things from the dressing room. "Did you pick anything?" I say trying to think of anything but what just happened outside the shop. 

Valery holds up the pretty dandelion press with a bright smile that I return.