My Straight Teacher? [Discontinued]

24-"I'm okay."

Ajax-

Coward.

The word echoed in my head.

Coward.

Coward.

Coward.

And the voice inside my head was right. I felt sparks fly when Ste—Mr. Grand connected our lips. A smile formed on my lips for the first time in days.

And I ran.

Not only did I run, but I cried.

I was afraid.

I was afraid about my future. Because in my time without St—Mr. Grand, I realized how little I had in my life. I had my friends, my sister, good grades... but, none of it seemed to matter without him.

If I got accepted into the college I wanted, I'd be leaving for London. That would mean no Mr. Grand.

So, for the worst months of my life, I avoided Mr. Grand. All the way to early-December. I needed to find my way. I needed to find my place.

I spent my time practicing my photography, and anxiously waiting for my letter, telling me whether or not I got into UAL London.

I spent lots of time working on my photography. I entered competitions, galleries, and so many shows that I was almost famous.

But it still felt empty.

I was bringing Addy, Echo, and Grace along on one of my photography journeys. I was entering a show that was centered around the color blue. I forced Addy to put on a dark blue shirt and some jeans, Echo put on a sky colored dress with a matching bow in her black hair, and Grace was wearing a navy blue bikini, though as we walked she wore a white shirt and black shorts over it.

"But," Addy argues for the hundredth time, "you're going to lose the bet!"

I sighed, dropping my camera back on my side and letting it hang from the strap around my shoulder. "I don't care, Addy! You should be happy! You're getting 50 bucks."

Addy groaned. "C'mon, Ajax. Coach Grand made you happy!"

I shrugged. "How much longer?" Grace complained.

I chuckled. "Well, we've only been outside for five minutes. I've only taken a picture of some blue cardinals." Everybody else joined in on my laughter. "But, probably not too long. First we'll do Echo, then Addy and you."

She groaned again, but continued walking.

"Addy is right," Echo added. "You and Grand became something more than a bet."

I shrugged, causing the camera to bounce. "I need some space."

Grace opened her mouth to contribute, but I stopped her. "We're here," I told them. "Ek, you're up."

She nodded. I instructed her on where to stand and how to pose. She was staring up at the sky, her dress flowing. I got down on my knees, taking a shot that included both her and the sky.

Then I continued walking.

I was taking Addy and Grace's photos at the dock, as much as I didn't want to go near there. It was the same dock that I visited with Mr. Grand so many times.

Honestly, it was a miracle that it wasn't snowing. Though, it would have brought back even more memories.

I took a photo of Addy with her hand on her hip and a sassy scowl on her lips. It portrayed the stereotypical female teen quite well. The sky was clear and the sun reflected off the water, increasing the light on Addy.

Grace's photo portrayed her sitting on the dock, feet kicking over the edge. She was wearing black sunglasses, too—her idea. It showed her back, and her hair all swayed to the left, the same way her head was tilted.

We ended up eating lunch on the dock. It was mid-afternoon on December 7th, but it was surprisingly warm. Addy had packed us a picnic to eat, filled with sandwiches and fruits.

As we ate, we talked. "So," Grace said as she ate her BLT, "Are you giving up dating in general? Or just the bet?"

I sighed. Swallowing my watermelon, I thought of an answer. "I'm not giving up dating, per say, just... taking a break."

Echo rolled her eyes. "You're giving it up," she stared simply.

"I'm not!"

Addy nodded. "Yeah, he's not."

"Thank you."

"Well, not permanently. He's giving it up for a limited time."

I groaned. "There's no way I can win this, is there?"

They all shook their heads, causing us to fall into a pit of laughter.

Behind us on Pier 5, people played soccer. There were three fields for it, though I never was good. They all started cheering, and I turned around to see why.

And there he was.

I saw S—Mr. Grand with no shirt, getting hugged and tackled my a bunch of other shirtless guys.

"What's going on?" Addy asked as she realized that I had stopped moving. She turned around to see when I was staring at, and immediately sighed in recognition.

I tried to rip my eyes away from the sight. I tried to turn around and say something along the lines of, "They're happy." Or even just, "I'm fine." I tried to resume the conversation and act like he wasn't there.

But, he was.

My heart pounded as his brown eyes met mine. My breath left as his focus was completely devoted to me. It was as if nobody else was there.

And suddenly I didn't want to look away.

A smile formed on his lips, causing one to form on mine. I felt the urge to run up and kiss him, just as I felt in his class—especially in gym, when he wore tang-tops, or tight athletic shirts.

Echo coughed, pulling me out of my day dreaming. I resisted the urge to groan, and turned my body back towards my friends. "I'm okay," I managed to say.

Addy rubbed my back, as if she didn't believe me, but didn't want to bring anything up.

After some awkward silence and stillness, Grace decided it was time to talk again. "So," She said, "these sandwiches, am I right?"

Addy chuckled slightly. "Thanks, G."

Grace shrugged. "No problem."

There was some more silence.

"So, has anybody heard from their colleges yet?" Echo finally said.

All of us shook our heads. We had all applied to one early. I applied to UAL London, Addy applied to Stanford, Grace to USC, and Echo to Duke.

"Nope," I said in a gruff and distracted voice. I coughed, shaking my head. I had to snap out of it. "Nope," I repeated, popping the 'p'.

We were soon able to continue a stable conversation, but I couldn't help glancing over my shoulder occasionally. Eventually, we walked back home. Mr. Grand gave me a sad smile and a wave.

Finally home, I tried to get my teacher out of my head.