In Too Deep

24

Thanksgiving came and went, the mock exams and Christmas passed too, things predictably fizzled out with Chris and Robyn found herself alone again. She knew she would, all her relationships since Sam were the same, she never invested her heart and therefore they had nowhere to go. But this time she knew it was because her heart was somewhere else. It belonged to a biker who hadn't said more than ten words to her in the last two months.

For so long it has lived with Sam, although she didn't look after it, and even after her first love had long left her for another it remained, with her college sweetheart. She mused that it probably lived there until the night Riley asked for permission to fall.

She wondered how long it might be until she got it back, how much damage it would have endured. If it would ever be in a fit state to give again. Victor looked at her like she was crazy.
"Yeah, you're right it's way too much stupid thinking for a Sunday night."

——-

On the other side of town Riley stepped out of a stranger's bed and started putting her clothes back on.

"You're not staying?"

"No, I'm up early." She didn't even look at the questioner. The woman had served her purpose. It was just a hookup, she'd had a number of them over the last month. Boosted her ego, dealt with the physical demands of her flesh but it didn't make her soul feel better.

She was back at school tomorrow. Results and Robyn, she missed the blonde, but things were better this way. It didn't hurt so much if she had less memories to call. If she took the hope away, she'd been an idiot to think that the teacher would ever love her.

She shook her head and left the room, without even looking back at the stranger she'd just shared her body with, ashamed that she'd used her.

——

It was Monday morning before either of the two of them knew it and Riley headed to english her first class of the day. Her hair still damp from her morning swim. She was dreading this class the most. Not only about seeing Robyn again after a few weeks and the hurt that her beauty would bring. But the results this, was the one she feared most. Because she didn't want to let the blonde down. She wanted to say, look I'm not stupid.

"Marshall can you stay behind please." The teacher was awaiting confirmation before she even started the class.

Riley looked at her, she looked good. But she always did. "Yes ma'am."

"Thank you." Robyn sent a smile her way. Even now just taking in the aura that was Riley made her fizz, she couldn't help it. No one had ever set off such a spark within her. Just get on with the class she put her head down and told herself not to keep watching the brunette.

Robyn started handing back the students exam papers. She'd sorted them alphabetically but that meant a lot of walking about. It also meant Jenny who'd just scraped a pass would get hers immediately after her neighbor.

Riley had failed the mock exam. She looked around her as everyone got their papers back. The usual suspects were floating over their A's.

Amy sent a look her way from the front row. Riley shook her head. To which her school friend gave a shrug and a sad smile. The biker didn't really want to stay for the class, she was disappointed in herself. She knew parents' evening was due next week and then her Dad could be disappointed in her too. She zoned out for the rest of the lesson which was mostly going over what the perfect response to the questions should have been. Of course that was Dorethea's 98% paper.

Even Jenny had passed. As Riley looked around the classroom it seemed like she was the only one of the students to fail, what was wrong with her, this was her third attempt and she still could get it right.

The brunette had forgotten she was to wait behind, she just wanted away from the class but as the bell rang to signal the end of the lesson, she heard Robyn's voice calling her back.

"Marshall."

"Yes ma'am. Sorry. I forgot." Riley looked at the floor. Embarrassed that she'd failed, that she'd let the teacher down as well as herself. "I'm sorry I failed."

"I'm sorry I had to fail you, please look at me."

Riley tentatively looked up into the amber gaze of the blonde. It was kind. It was so kind that she didn't know why but it triggered. She found herself crying. It was like all the pressure of the exam failure and avoiding Robyn and feeling so lost all rolled into a ball of outpouring emotion.

Robyn moved forward and embraced the student. "Hey it's okay." She held her tight, she felt Riley's heart beating, her breath from the muffled moans of her sobs. It felt like this was where and who she was meant to be, to be strong for the biker like she'd been a support to her. She caressed the back of Riley's head, pulling her closer, her finger tips tickling the faded shave of the cut, she wanted to move the swimmer's head back and kiss her. Show her how she felt. But instead she just held her, until the student moved back and wiped her eyes.

Both of them missed the warmth of the embrace,

Riley felt nervous about what she felt she had to confess. She looked away from Robyn's eyes. "I'm such a disappointment. I'm sorry you tried to help and I didn't listen. Now I've fucked it all up." Her voice faltered and she felt the emotion rise up again as she stammered.

Robyn knew before class she wanted to offer the student another chance, but until a second ago she thought it was merely about an exam, but as she looked at the distraught student woman in front of her she knew it was more than that. She wanted Riley to be happy and whole and safe and loved, and she wanted to be the person in the bikers life who provided all of those things.

"We can fix this, that's what I wanted to speak to you about." Robyn started, as she leaned down searching for the brunette's blue eyes, they were almost a shade of aqua, changed with the salt water still threatening to fall, "Ry, I want you to re-sit the mock with a scribe. I know from talking to you and reading your paper that you know what you are wanting to answer but you're just not getting it from your head to the paper in a way that I can mark it as a pass."

The brunette looked at her, "I'm sorry I shouldn't have stopped coming to the support. It was childish and stupid and I know that you don't think of me the way I want you too and that I can't be your person. But I should have behaved better."

"I behaved the same, I shouldn't have stopped coming to swimming lessons, so I'm also to blame." She took a deep breath, "truth is, I miss you."

"I miss you too. I'm sorry I said what I did, I had no right to be jealous, it's not as if..."

"Stop. I was jealous too, of what I thought you and Theresa were." She knew she should've stopped the conversation there she'd already said too much, but her brain wasn't in control of this moment. Ms Westland was present in the class, instead Robyn stood and spoke with her heart. "I'm not with Chris anymore..."

"Why?" Riley interrupted.

"Because she wasn't who I wanted."

Riley looked confused for a second, does she mean? She tried to stop herself but every nerve came alive with joy that she hoped she knew what the blonde was saying, smiled so hard, her dimples were as deep as they had ever been. "You want me?" She hoped. She prayed.

"Yeah it turns out I fell too. I love you. I hope that is still what you feel, for me. I know I shouldn't and it's wrong but I just can't deny myself what I want any longer. But we need to be careful, there is just about 5 months left until you graduate. We can do that, can't we? Be careful."

"Yeah, we can do that? Can I kiss you?"

"No.My next class is due in and I'm still your teacher." Robyn raised her eyebrows.

"What does that mean?"

"It means behave yourself in school, now get to class before I have to give you detention." Robyn winked.

She watched as the biker left the class just as her freshman class arrived. She wanted to be the stern teacher they knew and despised. But her heart was singing and nothing was going to bring her back down to earth not at the moment.