EMMA’s POV:
“I can’t believe Zach cheated on you!” Carrie gasped in anger.
“I can’t believe you had sex with a random guy in the back of a bar,” Tiff followed.
This morning, I woke up sleeping inside my car. I didn’t even remember driving it. I was parked at a Walmart parking lot, I didn’t even know there was a Walmart around.
I checked my phone to find dozens of messages and missed calls from Tiff and Carrie. I called them up and we decided to meet at a diner nearby. Tiff had spent the night with that guy, Steve, and Carrie stayed over the sorority house.
After we met up and I chugged an entire mug of coffee, I was finally able to tell my friends everything that happened last night. Or, the parts that I remembered at least.
“Damn, girl,” Tiff paused for a moment before saying, “Hey, I’m sorry I wasn’t there last night. I didn’t know it was gonna go down like that,”
“It’s okay. It’s not you guys’ fault,”
“How do you feel now?” Carrie asked.
“I don’t know. I’m still processing everything,”
In just the span of one night, I lost my boyfriend and my virginity, in that order. Everything after that glass of gin and tonic was a blur. I only remembered bits and pieces, but I definitely knew I had sex.
For instance, when I woke up today, I wasn’t wearing any underwear. I couldn’t find them anymore. And I was sore, like very sore. My inner thighs were throbbing like mad.
“Who was this guy anyway? What did he look like?”
“Just some random guy I met at the bar. He was tall... Gorgeous…”“What’s his name?”
“I don’t know,”
“You don’t know?”
“Yeah, it never came up…”
“Damn,” Tiff sighed.
“He was probably in Emory. Most of the people in the bar were Emory students,” Carrie said.
“Yeah, maybe,”
“Do you think you’ll see him again?”
“Probably not. But maybe that’s for the best,”
The three of us were quiet for a while. Taking it all in.
“He wore protection though, right?” Tiff asked the inevitable.
“Yes,”
“Was it bad? Do you regret that it happened?” Carrie said finally.
I thought about it for a while and said, “No. To be honest, it wasn’t a bad experience… I’m not too sure, but I think I came, like more than once,”
My two best friends started grinning maniacally, waiting for me to continue talking.
“I thought I was gonna bleed or whatever, but I didn’t. It did hurt for a bit in the beginning, but then it got really good…”
“Yeah, it did,” Tiff said to Carrie and they high fived each other.
“So, what happened next after you guys… did it?” Careri asked.
This was the part that I mostly don’t remember. I remembered that he came, and then he pulled away. He got rid of the condom and adjusted himself back. I remembered my knees were shaking and my thighs were sore. My head was spinning, and I couldn’t make out what he was saying to me.
“I didn’t want a conversation. All I wanted was to lie down on a bed. So, to spare me from the awkwardness, I just ran,” I told them.
“You ran?” they gaped at me.
“Yeah, I didn’t know what else to do. I just said thank you and I bolted,”
“You said thank you?!”
Their eyes were wide and their mouths opened in shock.
“Is that so wrong?” I asked them.
Tiff and Carrie started cracking up and laughing like crazy. They were being so obnoxiously loud, people were staring.
“Guys, come on, I just got my heart broken and you’re all laughing at me,” I scolded them, but they didn’t stop laughing.
“Yeah, but that’s not the only thing that broken in last night,” Tiff winked and Carrie laughed harder.
“Honestly, Em, I didn’t know you had it in you,” Carrie said in between laughs, “but hey, I’m glad you had fun and you kept your manners,”
Tiff and Carrie went on laughing. I just rolled my eyes at them and continued eating my eggs and toast.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We drove back home after we got breakfast. I changed my outfit and wore a snuggly hoodie and sweats that had I brought. Carrie was driving at I slept the entire way. Tiff woke me up one time to tell me that Zach’s been looking for me, he kept calling Tiff’s and Carrie’s phones. I told her to block him and went back to sleep.
Mom and dad were at home when I got back. It was a Saturday, they didn’t have to work. They asked me about last night and I told them everything was fine.
Of course, they didn’t know that we went to Atlanta. I told them I was sleeping over at Carrie’s and that we had a birthday party sleepover. I was eighteen and they believed it, not my fault.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
The next few days went by so fast. I spent my days listening to sad songs and ignoring all calls and texts from Zach. I was in my room most days and cried a lot, because he did hurt me. What he did to me that night was beyond repair. And what I did next closed the chapter on us entirely.
Sometimes I caught myself wondering about what I did with that stranger in the bar. I wondered if I’d ever see him again. I wondered if he’d thought of me the same.
Meanwhile, Tiff and Carrie would try to get me out of the house from time to time. Some days they succeeded, mostly they failed. But it was okay because they understood that I just needed time.
Unfortunately, time was of the essence. School was starting again tomorrow, and sooner or later, I’d have to leave my room.
“At least now I have the car, I don’t have to take the bus anymore,” I said to myself, trying to motivate myself for tomorrow.
Normally, I wouldn’t mind going to school. I actually enjoyed some of the classes, like English, Art, Spanish… even P.E. I was pretty social and I was active. I was part of the swim team and I just found that I made the cheerleading squad this year. I also had two amazing best friends, so the list was endless.
But with everything that happened with Zach, I lost my fighting spirit. Some days I wondered if it was my fault. Maybe I didn’t treat him well enough. Maybe I should have had sex with him early on. But, the more I thought about it, the more it didn’t make sense.
I had loved him with all my heart, but he chose to betray me. That was not my fault.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
“You’re right. It wasn’t your fault,” Carrie stated.
Tiff, Carrie, and I were making our way to homeroom. I was just telling them about what I was feeling last night, and I was glad they confirmed my thoughts.
“He was an asshole. You deserve so much better,” Tiff added.
We made it to homeroom and grabbed our usual seats. I said hi to some people and when they asked how was my summer, I’d just smile and say it was great.
Carrie’s boyfriend, Mark walked in moments later, and he immediately took the seat next to Carrie. They looked at each other with big googly eyes and I couldn’t help but be a little jealous.
“Hey, you,” Mark said to Carrie.
“Hello yourself, Mr. Student Body President,” Carried said to him.
They leaned closer to each other and then they just started making out. Tiff and I waited for a while and finally we shared a look.
“Ehem,” Tiff coughed and the two broke it off, looking slightly embarrassed.
“So, what electives are you guys taking this year?” Mark said to us.
“I’m taking drama class. You know how much I love drama,” Tiff replied.
“Emma and I are both taking AP Studio Art,” Carrie told Mark as I nodded.
“Oh, did you know there’s a new art teacher?” Mark replied.
“What happened to Mr. Dawson?” I asked him.
“Retired. Finally,” he answered.
“Who’s the new teacher?” Carrie asked.
“His name is Mr. Hayes. I saw him earlier in the principal’s office. He looked all right. But he’s also kinda… young,”
“Compared to Mr. Dawson? I sure hope so,” Carrie said as they laughed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I wasn’t paying much attention to homeroom or my next few classes, or even lunch. I barely touched my sandwich. I just didn’t feel like doing anything. By the time Art Class came around, I was relieved.
It was my last class of the day. I couldn’t wait to get this day over with, so I could go home and listen to some more Cigarettes After Sex.
“So, you got cheer practice today?” Carrie asked as we walked inside the art room and took the middle seats.
“I think I’m just gonna bail. I’m not feeling very… cheerful,” I sighed.
The bell rang as more students piled up into the room. Our new teacher wasn’t in yet, so Carrie and I decided to talk some more.
“Em, I know this is tough, but I’m your friend so I’m gonna have to say this. Please don’t throw your life away because of some jerkhead. Isolating yourself in your room all day’s only gonna make you feel worse in the long run. Just talk to me or Tiff. We’re here for you. And don’t let whatever happened cloud the bright future you got ahead of you. You deserve to go out into the world and get happy,”
All that Carrie said was true. It was just harder said than done. So, I just gave her a smile and I hugged her.
“Thanks, I don’t know what I’ll do without you guys,” I said.
“Anytime,” Carrie smiled back as we pulled away.
“Good afternoon everyone,”
Carrie and I turned our heads to the front of the room to find our new art teacher standing there. He had his back to us as he was facing the board. From his back figure, I noted that he was tall and muscular, but lean. He wore a long-sleeved slim-fit shirt that outlined his figure, and some black slacks.
He took a marker and started writing his name on the broad.
IAN HAYES
His right hand was stretched out as he wrote, and I could make out some sort of tattoos hidden behind the shirt’s cuff.
That looked familiar…
“Welcome to AP Studio Art,” he said in a low voice.
I feel like I’ve heard that voice before…
Mr. Hayes turned around to face the class. I gasped instantly as soon as I saw his face. It was the face that haunted me at night. The face that kept popping into my head every time I try to forget about that night. My heart was racing so fast, I was getting hot flashes.
“Damn, he’s hot,” Carrie whispered to me under her breath.
I couldn’t respond. I just kept staring up at him. His eyes glanced around the room until it met mine. It widened instantly as the thought registered to him.
He looked at me with an expression I couldn’t read. Confusion? Happiness? Intrigue?
Whatever it was, he quickly shook his head and pulled his composure. He reached for a piece of paper on his desk and began reading it out loud.
“I will start with the roll call,” he said again.
He began calling out people’s names and they’d answer to him. He looked so calm and nonchalant; it made me wonder if I was imagining things.
“Emma Sinclair,” his voice cut through my thoughts like a knife.
“…Here,” I croaked and lifted my hand just a little bit.
He looked at me and smiled. Actually, he smirked. We stared at each other for a few more seconds before he went back to his list and continued calling other names.
Holy… shit. Times a million.
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To be continued.
EMMA’s POV:“I’m Mr. Hayes and this AP Studio Art. As many of you already know, you’ll be required to submit an art portfolio for the AP exam…”The Bar Guy—I mean, Mr. Hayes, was explaining things about the portfolio we needed to prepare at the end of the school year. Very important stuff. But I couldn’t seem to concentrate. Every time I looked at him, I saw glimpses of that night.How gorgeous he looked as he pinned me against the wall. I was arching my back and I exposed myself to him, shamelessly. How I wanted to feel that feeling again. I wanted to feel full like when his fingers were inside me. He was taking his sweet time, purposefully teasing and torturing me. He would let his tip enter me, but only a little bit, before pulling away. I was squirming in agony and hunger.“Please,” I begged.“Please, I want it now,” I pleaded to him.“You’re not there yet. It’s gonna hurt you,”“I don’t care, just do it,” Whoa!I shook my head quickly to get the image out of my head. My cheeks w
EMMA’s POV:The next day at school, I was avoiding Mr. Hayes at all costs. It was the right thing to do. I just needed to get him out of my system so I could function normally again. A Mr. Hayes detox, I called it.I was doing well since Mr. Hayes mostly stayed in his art studio and I didn’t have that class today. I chose to focus my energies on my friends and studies instead. Tiff, Carrie, Mark, and I were having lunch in the quad. It was still September, so the weather was warm and nice.Mark was telling us gossips he heard from the teachers’ lounge. Something about Ms. Diaz, our Spanish teacher, was being set up on a date with Mr. Hayes. I rolled my eyes as soon as I heard his name. The detox was gonna be harder than I thought.“Why would Mr. Hayes go out with Ms. Diaz?” Tiff asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.“Why not? She’s hot. He’s hot. They’re both single,” Carrie replied.Carrie had a point. Ms. Diaz had the body of Jennifer Lopez and the face of Penelope Cruz. She was
EMMA’s POV:I woke up that morning to a weird sensation coming from under me.I pried my eyes open slightly and I saw that both my hands were stuck inside my underwear. Two of my fingers were still inside of me, the pathetic remains of last night.“Gah, I’m so stupid,” I rolled my eyes and slammed my head against the pillow.It was all just a dream. Of course, it was. What was I thinking? Did I actually believe that Mr. Hayes would find me in my room at night and fuck me senseless?Somehow I wished that he did.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *After pulling myself together for a quick shower and breakfast, I made my way to school. I was walking mindlessly towards my first period Chemistry class when I saw Ryan striding over to me.He smiled real wide as soon as our eyes met. He was wearing his usual red football jacket and I didn’t know why I hadn’t noticed this sooner, but he was low-key kind of cute.“Hey Emma,” he greet
EMMA’s POV:“I don’t think I’m ready for a full-on date yet. I get all nervous just thinking about it,”I groaned into my pillow and threw my head back on the bed. Tiff and Carrie were sitting next to me. It was a typical Thursday night for us girls. We were binge-watching Sex and the City for the gazillionth time when I got a text from Ryan. He was asking if we could go out tomorrow night.“We can all go as a group? Maybe that’ll take your mind off things,” Carrie suggested.“Actually, that’s not a bad idea,” my body shot up in response.If we were all going out as friends, it might even be fun.“And I know just the thing. There’s a party tomorrow night at Madison Davis’ lake house. Everyone will be there. It’ll be perfect,” Tiff made a good point.“That’s a great idea, Tiff. And Em, if the date turns out to be sucky, you can always hang with us,” Carrie added.I nodded at their suggestions. Not wasting any more time, I replied to Ryan’s text, asking him about going to the party at M
IAN’s POV:“I had a really good time tonight,” Erica Diaz purred and batted her eyelashes at me.“Yeah, me too,” I replied shortly.It wasn’t a lie. I was driving her home after our dinner date, she picked this Italian place and the food was decent. Conversation with her was decent too, and she was easy on the eyes. She’s got a nice ass and a nice set of rack, and a pretty face to match.She kept mentioning how she’d been single for the past six months. Clearly, she was hungry for some. If this was me a month ago, I wouldn’t think twice about throwing her sexy ass on the bed and giving her what she wants.But after that night at the bar, that crazy whirlwind night, I couldn’t stop thinking about Emma. She was all I wanted. Anyone else was just… a distraction.I couldn’t forget the way she moved and the way she teased. How warm and wet she was when she was wrapped around me. God, just the thought of her was enough to get me all worked up again like some horny motherfucker.“This is me,
EMMA’s POV:“Emma?”Mr. Hayes’ voice kept ringing in my ears and I was rendered mute. My brain and body were too tired from the party that I thought I was sleepwalking.“Mr. Hayes…?” my small voice croaked as I squinted my eyes to get a better look at him.“What are you doing here?” Mr. Hayes’ tone was serious and demanding.“I’m… walking home,” I replied casually.He looked at me up and down, and somehow he looked pissed off… or worried?“Get in, I’ll give you a ride,” he said in a commanding voice.I was honestly glad that someone was willing to offer me a ride home. After telling Ryan that I needed some time alone, I went back to the party to look for my friends, but they weren’t anywhere to be found. After failing to reach them on their phones, I gave up and decided to walk home. I actually thought six miles was a walk-able distance.But then again, if I got into a car with Mr. Hayes, it would just be super awkward and terribly weird. So I quickly shook my head at him.“No thanks,
EMMA’s POV:Damn you, Mr. Hayes! Damn you and your charming good looks and your piercing brown eyes and your delicious kisses. Damn you!All weekend long I was haunted by thoughts of Mr. Hayes and our car ride together. The worst part was that I couldn’t tell my two best friends about it. If only I could discuss the situation and talk my feelings out with them, I wouldn’t be so tortured.I met up with Tiff and Carrie the day after the party. It was Saturday afternoon and we were getting food at the mall. They were filling me in on things that I missed out on while I was on the second floor master bedroom playing seven minutes in heaven. And then I told them about my make-out sessions with Ryan, and how I wasn’t ready for anything too serious.They thought it was because I haven’t moved on from Zach. But the truth was, I couldn’t move on from Mr. Hayes.I didn’t say anything, though. I let them think what they think. I didn’t want to get Mr. Hayes in trouble and I didn’t want to jinx a
IAN’s POV:I wished I could wrap her in my arms.Emma was so upset that day, barging into my classroom and asking me if I had slept with Erica. She had no care in the world that we were inside the fucking school building.What would have happened if someone had heard us?If we were anywhere else in the world, I would have put her in my arms in a heartbeat. If I was anyone but her teacher, I would have hold her tight, kiss her forehead, and tell her that with Erica it all meant nothing. I only went for Erica because I couldn’t get to her. And the only thing that mattered to me was her.I wished I could stop those tears from falling, but I couldn't.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Several days had passed since then, and Emma could never look at me in the eyes again. Even during art class, she’d always look away and pretend she was listening, but I knew she was trying to tune me out.I could be an asshole and call her out, but I didn’t want to. I k