Unconditional (Student/Teacher Romance)

The Silent Treatment

The Silent Treatment.

When Emily sat in English, full with trepidation and anxiousness, she twiddled her fingers and thumbs. Ruby often elbowed her in the ribs, indicating for her to join in with her gossiping, but Emily never. Emily waited, and waited for Mr. Radcliffe to show, but he never.

An elderly man walked into her classroom, and the students laughed, and made fun of the way he dressed. To Emily, he spoke rather politely and was a patient, understanding old man. His glasses were over-sized and almost slid down his pinched nose. His white stubble, pale complexion, white eyebrows and white hair gave him the effect of him having been in parchment.

"Hello guys.... Eh, right, will you all listen up please. I'm your substitute for today, you don't know me and I don't know you and unfortunately can't keep it that way." He laughed nervously, but nobody else joined in. They just gawked, adding to the tension. "I'm Mr. Waxton; you may find my rules strict but reasonably fair. I own a tight ship, not a shite tip! At the beginning and the end of each lesson you will line up at the door in single file and wait for my presence. Ten minutes before the end of each lesson I will allow you to talk amongst your fellow students, and if I've been issued a permanent place here, then DVD day will be on Wednesday. Fair?" Mr. Waxton nodded his head in agreement. Already the students around him were grunting and chanting for Mr. Radcliffe's return. "Oh and to those who fail to hand in homework on time, will spend their lunchtimes with the headmaster in room 2E."

Emily sat during the entire lesson in silence. Mr. Waxton often disturbed her, rather concerned about the way she gawked at him as if she wanted to scratch his eyes out. Mr. Waxton was apprehensive about this, but he tried to ignore her and in the end, he stopped asking Emily to return to her task. When everybody left for lunch, including Mr. Waxton, who had an unreliable bladder, Emily remained to sit in her chair-staring. Is this it? She wondered. Does this mean he was gone, forever? WHAT! No, Emily thought... She sighed, frowning at herself as her tears began to brim over her glossy, eye lids.

To Emily, it was nothing apart from mere REJECTION!

The next few weeks were the longest weeks of Emily's life. Mr. Radcliffe still never showed up to his lessons. A part of Emily, which was a very large part of her, felt missing. Incomplete, lost. She kept thinking that Mr. Radcliffe had taken her heart with him, too. Wherever he be may.

It was terrible. Ruby Anderson knew exactly why her best friend was acting strange those past few weeks. It was because of Mr. Radcliffe's unexpected disappearance. But surely, Ruby thought to herself, Emily never thought he'd look twice at her? Yes, she was pretty, but... he was a teacher. Surely this all couldn't be real for her, too?

"What's wrong, Emmy?" Ruby asked, already knowing the answer. Emily, from intensive staring, blinked and turned to her.

Mr. Waxton cursed under his breath, expressing his evident annoyance and catching each students attention.

"Damn drawer!"

They were in English again. It was a Wednesday now; three and a half weeks since Mr. Radcliffe disappeared. It was DVD day.

"Nothing " Emily lied. The two best friends stared quizzically at each other.

Ruby, feeling apologetic for her best friend, touched her shoulder, before saying, tenderly, "You know he'll come back, don't you...?"

"I know that but it's nothing to do with him anyway!" Emily snapped. "I'm just exhausted and detest the thought of having to endure another DVD day, last period, about Anne Frank."

"I suppose so." Ruby said, shaking her head and turning back to the DVD.

When the bell rang, Emily made her way out the classroom and followed Ruby to the cafeteria. After Emily nibbled on her sandwich, drank her soup, and gave the dinner lady her tray, she strolled down the malty coloured corridors of her school. The maths' hall was green, the English hall blue, History orange, and so and so forth.