Can't Hold Me Back

Chapter 1: Without You

     It wasn't worth it. It wasn't worth the good grades. It wasn't worth the confidence boost. Pearl had actually slept with her teacher, and she was in trouble.

     Her mother had been pressuring Pearl day after day about her grades. She had gotten mostly Bs and a few As, which was unusual for the pale teenager. Usually, she was a straight-A student. But, a few Bs weren't a problem. It wasn't until she saw a D in math when Pearl had started questioning why she wasn't doing as well as she once did. When she showed her mother her report card, disappointed was an understatement. She had to do something about this fall in her marks fast. 

     So, Pearl did something bad; really bad. She had come on to her math teacher, Mr. Dewey. To her surprise, he had obliged. It all felt disgusting, maybe because of the morning sickness; or maybe because of the memories of having sex with a man. 

     "Alright, have a good weekend. Please make your way out of my classroom!" Mr. Dewey exclaimed, making sure his voice was heard above the herd of chattering teenagers.

     Pearl shot her hand up as the rest of her classmates scurried out of the room. "Mr. Dewey, may I talk to you after class?"

     His head shot toward his fling. "Of course."

     She wiped the non-existent dust and dirt off of her plaid skirt and looked down uncomfortably. Once the rest of the kids finished packing up their things and walking out of the class, the teacher danced over to his student.

     He looked around the room once more, before wrapping his arms around her waist. "What's going on?" His musty cigarette and alcohol filled breath caressed Pearl's cold face, who was internally cringing.

     Her body turned to look around the classroom once more. She fiddled with her fingers nervously. "Are you sure there's no one around?"

     The teacher cocked an eyebrow, tilting his head, before a devilish smirk plastered across his face. "Oh, I know what you want.." He grabbed her hips again, playing with the seams of her skirt. 

     Pearl put her palm to his face, pushing him away. "Bill, no!" She said through gritted teeth.

     He smacked his lips and rubbed his hand together. "So you're playing hard to get are you?" Pearl was mortified. What did I do?

     "Bill, I'm pregnant." Pearl whispered, backing away from him. Bill stopped in his tracks, silence filled the room.

     "Y-you're-you-"

     "I'm pregnant, and it's yours." She murmured firmly, looking him in the eyes.

     "That's not possible. It's not mine." Bill responded, crossing his arms and shaking his head.

     She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Yes, it is, Bill! You are the only person I've slept with."

     "You weren't on birth control!?" He exclaimed. Pearl bit her bottom lip angrily. 

     "You weren't wearing a condom." She shrugged. 

     Bill paced around in a circle, refusing to look at his student. "What do you think I'm supposed to do about this, huh? What would my wife say if she found out?! I can't believe I let you seduce me."

     Pearl snapped her head upwards. That was the last straw. "You shouldn't have slept with a student!"

     The man sighed in defeat. "Well, how much do you need from me?" Pearl saw him pull out a checkbook.