Narcissus

Chapter Six

A/N - Back from my hiatus. I wrote this in the Dentists, lol. Enjoy.

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"Miss Slater. You're late." Mrs Elderflowers voice rang out in the classroom, somehow lacking it's usual bite. She didn't sound annoyed, didn't sound angry. Just sounded... tired.

"Sorry." I mumbled, stepping into the classroom for the first time since the night at the ballroom two weeks ago. It had been the last day before a half-term holiday, so I hadn't seen her for those two weeks. She had come into the shop once, but it was a day when I wasn't working, and apparently a 'posh' woman had called my manager Gary the day before, specifically asking when my hours were. It wasn't hard to deduce that she was avoiding me.

"Stay behind after class." Mrs Elderflower said reluctantly, clearly opposed to being in a confined space with me once again but also unable to not punish me when the whole class was watching. I spent the whole lesson sat beside Rachel, my beanie pulled down over my ears and my headphones in. Not a lot of work was done, but art was not a favourite subject of mine anyways, and I had regretted picking it so it was not a loss. I always much preferred admiring others' work in galleries than producing my own. It didn't help that I was pretty rubbish at Art. The only way I got such high grades was the standard of my annotations and all my written work.

"See ya at lunch. I'll save you a spot." Rachel flashed me a smile and picked up her bag as the bell rung. Her brown-and-red streaked hair disappeared around the corner along with the rest of the class and soon we were the only ones in the classroom. The art office was empty, as her class was now, and her voice rang out into the silence.

"Emma... we need to talk."

"I hate it when people say that."

"it doesn't distract from the message." Mrs Elderflower sat down heavily in her chair, rubbing the bridge of her nose frustratedly with two soft, pale, perfectly manicured hands, "That night... we both drank too much," she looked up at me now, her eyes seemingly brimming with tears. It was perhaps the most unguarded I had ever seen her - the most broken, and it pained my heart that I was the reason for it. "It shouldn't have happened. At all. I'm in a position of authority, and I took advantage of you."

"I agree." I began steadily, and her eyes flickered with surprise before she schooled her face into more neutral features, "If you're expecting me to stand here and disagree with every word you speak, I won't. I do agree with you, it was highly inappropriate. There are no feelings involved in this," I lied, taking a step towards her and edging myself up onto one of the old mahogany desks, "It was just a lapse of judgement - on both parts, don't expect me to let you think I was the innocent party - influenced by copious amounts of alcohol. I am sorry for putting you in such an uncomfortable position, this conversation should never have even been needed. All we can do is move on and be sure it doesn't happen again. I hope this doesn't affect our working relationship, though - I've found myself looking forward to your lessons recently. I never really enjoyed Art before, but you're a wonderful teacher."

"Oh. Ok." Was her only response. Mrs Elderflower blinked, and for a second I thought perhaps I could see a flash of disappointment in her eyes. How peculiar it was, the way her emotions merely flashed across her face, fleeting, never settling for more than a moment. I had never experienced anything like it, never met someone so difficult to read.

"I was drunk. You were drunk. But please don't think you took advantage of me, because you didn't. We're both at fault." resisting the urge to fidget and pick at a stray thread on my hoodie, I swallowed and continued, "There were no feelings involved, of course, I think it was just... in the moment. You just happened to be there. I'm sure it was the same for you."