Page 23 of Surrender
Colbie felt him kiss her forehead before she heard footsteps retreating as she slipped back into blissful sleep.
7
Colbie sat at her desk, finishing up the grading sheet she planned to use for the history projects she had assigned a few weeks ago. They were due this coming Friday, and she wanted to ensure she had her grading rubric done. She was also waiting on Max. She told him after class that she needed to speak with him after school. She had just finished the rubric when her classroom door opened, and Max walked in.
“Hey, Ms. Morris. You wanted to see me?” he questioned, coming over and stopping in front of her desk.
“Yes, I wanted to talk to you about your grades.”
“What about them?”
Colbie placed the progress report she had pulled in front of him. “You’ve failed the last six assignments and made a D on your last three tests. You’re barely sitting at a D average right now, and that’s just because I give participation points for coming to class. If you continue like this, you won’t be able to play basketball this season.”
“I’ve already made the team, Ms. Morris.”
“That doesn’t matter, Max. You won’t be allowed to play if you have a failing grade in any of your classes.”
“That isn’t fair. Can’t you just like, grade on a curve or something?”
Colbie raised a perfectly manicured brow, wondering if he was serious. She shouldn’t have been surprised, though. Most teenagers would rather have the grade given to them instead of working for it. Still, she was shocked that he had asked that.
“No. You’re going to have to study harder. I can get you a tutor or tutor you myself,” she offered.
Max sighed. “Fine.”
Colbie nodded at him. “Good. I’ll make a schedule for you and get it to you before the end of the week. If you need help with your history project, let me know. They’re due on Friday, and it’ll really help your grade.” Max nodded at her before turning and leaving out of the classroom.
She leaned back in her chair, looking up at the ceiling. Today had been a trying day for her. She hadn’t been able to take her mind off of Dallis and his magical tongue. It didn’t help that while he had been in her class, he kept licking his lips before his eyes would travel down below her waist.
Sighing, Colbie began to pack her stuff up. Slinging her satchel over her shoulder, she checked that everything was locked up before leaving her classroom. She walked down the school’s front steps and headed to her car.
Slipping inside, she was just about to pull out of the parking lot when she saw Dallis standing against his car. A girl was standing there talking to him, and they seemed to be in a heated discussion. At least the girl did.
Colbie’s first instinct was to stop her car, go over there and ask what was happening. However, she knew she couldn’t do that. As a teacher, she could make sure that everything was okay, but she wasn’t sure if she would be able to leave it at that. She decided that if it were important, he would tell her about it. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Dallis. So, she was going to leave it alone.
Pulling out onto the street, she decided to head to the bookstore. She had run out of books to read and figured she would make a stop since she didn’t have any papers to grade that night.
Ten minutes later, she pulled up toAll on the Same Page. It was a small, locally owned bookstore. She knew she could have gone to theBooks-a-Million, which was a bit closer to her house, but Colbie always liked to support smaller, locally owned businesses.
Walking into the store, she waved to Robin, the owner, as she made her way to the featured section. She perused the selections before settling on several different books by an independent author she’d come to favor, picking up her newest series. That was another reason she preferred Robin’s bookstore. She carried a large variety of indie authors.
Going to the register, Colbie spoke with Robin as she checked her out. After the books were bagged, she stayed and talked to the older woman for a few more minutes.
She took her books and placed them on the bookshelf when she arrived home. She had just placed her bag down when her phone rang. Looking at the caller id, she smiled when she saw the name.
“Hey, Lawrence.”
“Hey, honey. How are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m excellent. I just finished a big project, so I’m excited about that. How are things with your little young thing?”
Colbie laughed at that. “They’re...actually really good. This will sound crazy, but sometimes I forget he’s my student outside of class. He’s far more mature than his age or hell, men twice his age, and he’s bold, too.”
“Oooh, doll. I like some boldness. So, I wanted to tell you I’m going to Thanksgiving at your mother’s house since my mom will be out of the country.”
“Seriously?!” Colbie questioned excitedly.
