Page 15 of Between Hope & Tragedy

I wasn't used to ‘I love yous’ and genuine heart-felt emotion. I was used to twenty minute phone calls home to Grandpa Frances and nothing more. And even though he would end every phone call with an ‘I love you, Zay’, I never had it said to me the way that Garrett was saying it. I knew it was in a completely different way than Grandpa had always meant it, and somehow, it held almost as much meaning.

But I didn't have time for love. I didn't have time for much of anything these days that involved other people. I took a deep breath, slid down onto my back again and closed my eyes. I wasn't tired, but I needed a moment to detach myself from the feelings that were starting to grow inside of me for Garrett.

So as I laid there I did my best to crush the seed that was threatening to grow. I pushed it into the dark place that my parents had spent years in. I would refuse to let it blossom, and because of it, I would be a better person.

Garrett

I was sitting in the middle seat of the three-row-center on the 747. I never cared for flying because of this very reason, but I wasn't going to make a fuss about it. I was already nervous enough with what I was doing and I didn't need to think about anything else. My focus was on Scott and Zaydee possibly having a phone conversation at the very least, but she seemed as stubborn as she was the day she first walked into my classroom.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. I hated thinking about that first time because it always made me hard, and it shouldn’t. Something like that shouldn’t excite me.

I waited until the sign giving the okay to remove our seat belts flashed and I excused myself from where I was sitting. The people on either side of me sighed as I got up, but I paid themno mind. The only thing I could think about was my first time with Zaydee, and I was going to need some privacy.

I walked to the back of the airplane and opened one of the bathroom doors. Putting my hands on either side of the aluminum sink, I looked at myself in the mirror.What the fuck was wrong with me? Why couldn’t I ever shake the memory?No matter how hard I tried, no matter what I did, nothing would ever quell it.

I turned around, unzipped my jeans, and pulled out my hard cock. I spit in my palm and closed my eyes, gripping it firmly in my hand as the memory flooded my mind again.

I sighed as I graded Matt’s paper. I couldn’t understand how some of my brightest students did so horribly on their homework.

The sudden sound of someone popping bubblegum made me raise my eyes from my desk. It was Zaydee Lansing and she had finally decided to grace me with her presence.

“Even for detention you’re late?” I asked sternly, glancing at the wall clock above the door.

She rolled her eyes and sighed loudly.

“Where do you want me to sit?”

“Your usual chair will do just fine,” I remarked, shaking my head.

I waited until she was seated before I went back to grading my papers. I had already decided that her late appearance and less than stellar attitude had earned her another afternoon in that chair.

There was only five minutes of actual silence before she started fidgeting around at her desk, chair scraping on the tile floor. I rubbed my forehead irritably with my forefinger and thumb.

“Problem, Ms. Lansing?” I asked.

“No. Well. Yeah. Can I ask you something?” she said, leaning her arms onto her desk.

“What’s on your mind?” I asked, dropping my pen and leaning back in my chair.

“What made you want to become a teacher?” she inquired curiously.

I raised an eyebrow at her. I wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know or if she was just making conversation, but I decided to answer her anyway.

“I liked the idea of helping people. When I went to college, I looked at my options and still felt my love of history swelling in me, so that’s why I chose that path. I guess it was just the notion of helping people better themselves,” I replied thoughtfully.

“Oh.”

“So, if you don’t mind, I still have a stack of papers to grade,” I said, pointing down at my desk.

“Sorry. I just hate it when it’s quiet. I always feel so lonely,” she replied softly.

I groaned inwardly. I’d just have to take these papers home and finish them there.

“Why were you late to class today, Zaydee?” I asked.

She shifted uncomfortably in her chair. I could tell she didn’t want to tell me, but I just wanted to know if she had a valid excuse and I could let her go home early.

“After gym class, I was in the showers and Marnie and her friends decided it would be funny to grab my bra and yell out the size to everyone. I was so embarrassed that I waited in the shower until all of the girls left. I’m sorry,” she said quietly.

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