The Teacher's Mate

Part 5

Audrey did not enjoy The Great Gatsby. It wasn't as bad as Alice in Wonderland, which was just a bad acid trip and complete waste of time to read. Moby Dick had been worse. The book just didn't interest her. No book did really, but put a new car magazine in front of her and she would read that baby in one sitting. That wasn't the only reason she couldn't keep her thoughts on her assigned reading though, there had been so much tension between her and Mr. Newman. She had caught him staring at her several times already and she knew even some of the new students, werewolves, she reminded herself, caught on even if Missy hadn't. And that wasn't the only thing today and yesterday had given her to mull over. Missy moving in Christmas break, that didn't need much thought, she had already hashed that out in her mind. A new pack? Now that might be something to worry over. She didn't remember the pack she was born in very well but what she did remember outside of her mother was the reason she had anxiety when thinking about social situations.

Mr. Newman walked past her table, his hand brushing the table top yanking her out of her thoughts. Get a grip, Audrey, she thought to herself. You can't be daydreaming in class, you need to pay attention so you can pass.

"Can someone tell me some of the themes of the book?" Mr. Newman asked the class.

Missy sighed, "unrequited love." Of course that's what she would pick up on, the hopeless romantic, Audrey smiled at the thought.

"Yes, Ms. Carter. But can you elaborate on that a little?"

"Well, the Gatsby loved Daisy but she didn't love him as much as she loved money." Missy said. And there it was folks, Audrey thought as she glared at one the girls she called featherheads who had rolled her eyes, she may seem empty-headed and sometimes connect things in weird ways but she always comes up with a good answer that most of the time you didn't see coming.

"Yes, Ms. Carter. That actually brings us into a major theme of the book." Here he paused and allowed his gaze to linger over Audrey. Dear Moon Goddess, those brown eyes could swallow him up. He took a breath, trying to calm down. "One of the major themes is excess. This story is a great example of the 'roaring twenties'. The parties and love of money. One of the major differences between 'old' and 'new' money was the tendency to excess." He continued his lecture of the major themes of the book. The class seemed to have a good grasp on the story. He wondered how much Audrey had enjoyed it. She was in her typical spot in the back, seeming to not pay very much attention.

She must have felt his eyes on her as she lifted her head to meet them in her typical challenge, demanding he look away first. That gaze was probably the very reason she had no friends other than Melissa sitting next to her.

He informed the students about their new writing assignment. A simple one page paper about what they got out of the book, he wondered what Audrey got out of it. Even though she sat in the back of the classroom, Audrey was the first out of the door. Was she just trying to escape him? He hoped not.

"Shit." Drake cursed as the car refused to start. Even though he knew it was useless, as he knew nothing about cars except how to pay someone to fix it, he still popped the hood and looked down at the useless piece of junk he called a car. Drake sighed and rested his head against the tip of the hood.

Tired crunched on gravel and a door slammed, "Need a jump?" Her voice sounded like music in his ears the same time it filled him with a sense of remorse. This was not how he wanted to be seen by his mate, he should be the one rescuing her, not the other way around.

"Yeah, the damn thing won't start."

"Missy! Can you grab the cables in the trunk?" she asked the figure in the passenger's seat. "I can give you a jump but you probably need to have your battery and your alternator tested and replace whichever one is bad." She walked back over to her car and bent over to pop the hood on her Marquis.

Missy brought the cables and with a quick "thank you," to her, Audrey got to work, hooking up the two car's batteries with the cables. In that moment, Drake saw through her disguise. She normally looked bored and relaxed in school but seeing her moving around the vehicles he now knew that was only a ruse. This was her truly relaxed, quick and efficient, and he wished he could see more of her like this instead of the almost arrogant portrayal of herself and the challenge in her eyes that told people to piss off.

Unfortunately for Drake, his car started quickly, and once it was running, she stowed away the cables and with a quick goodbye and directions to her dad's shop, she left. He sat in the running car for a few minutes before driving back to the pack. He would have to take her up on going to her dad's shop if it meant he could see her like that again.