Tasting the Forbidden

Sometimes, I couldn’t believe my own recklessness.

It was only the first day of senior year, and I already managed to land myself in trouble somehow. I couldn’t say I was surprised though… I always did land myself in trouble.

Billy, my best friend, had told me all about the new teacher. If the rumors were true, he was drop dead gorgeous. I didn’t know what he was here to teach, or even what he looked like – not that I cared much about him. I was after all in love with Jake, my boyfriend of two years, a warrior who acknowledged me as a worthy opponent when we trained. 

Admittedly, Billy didn’t like Jake all that much, and thought of him as a snake.  

Trouble came seeking me on its own when, upon rushing through the hallways of Black Fang High, my gaze zeroed in on my boyfriend, his tongue down some cheerleader’s throat. 

I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my lips, “Jake!” 

The douchebag had the decency to stop kissing Sandra. He turned to look at me, looking like a deer caught in headlights. My heart stung, and tears began to stream down my cheeks uncontrollably, the sight far too saddening for me to think coherently.  

“Melissa,” he let out, looking conflicted, his eyes not meeting mine. “I can explain.” 

Sandra, on the other hand, didn’t look flustered in the least. On the contrary, she offered me a smug smirk, her eyes full of something akin to disdain and malice. 

“I’m sure you can,” I scoffed, angrily wiping away my errand tears… but to no avail.  

And because I wanted to hurt him the same way he had just hurt me, I did the first thing that came to my mind. I kissed a total stranger, a guy who was just passing by, uncaring of the drama which was unfolding in front of him. 

I just grabbed him, got on my tiptoes and planted my lips on his.

The surprise was barely noticeable, and the guy allowed me to kiss him for a total of 5 seconds, before he pushed me away, rather gently might I add. He looked at me with a raised eyebrow before shaking his head in disapproval wordlessly. He then went on his nonchalant way. 

What have I done? I inwardly shrieked as I held my head and ran out of there. I just gave away my first kiss to a total stranger.

** ** ** ** ** **

I had a good cry in the restroom, where there was no one. I cried for my lost love — if one may call it that — and my shattered trust. I cried because I truly thought that Jake was It for me. I shouldn’t have been so eager to trust him, when even my dad eyed us through narrowed eyes, each time we went on a date. I trusted him with my heart, and he paid me back with a good old-fashioned betrayal with the cheerleader of our high school.

I would bet everything I owned that Sandra did it to spite me. She never liked me, and often made fun of me for being wolfless. I just knew she didn’t care about Jake that way… He wasn’t the usual type she went after.

I rinced my face one last time, and then left the restroom before I could start crying again.

And because old habits die hard, I went into Class B, which had been my class last year — Only I was in class A this year. I saw the guy I had just kissed in the hallways standing proudly as he taught the class, and I paled at once.

Could it be that he was actually the new teacher Billy had told me so much about?

“Sorry,” I was quick to apologize, my eyes not meeting his. “Wrong class. I will be on my way.”

“No,” he shook his head negatively before I even had the chance to step back out of the class. “You’re not leaving, not unless I allow you, miss…”

“Parkers,” I blushed to the roots of my hair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole.

"Miss Parkers," he repeated, his voice smooth and authoritative, and I almost felt it could be assimilated to honey.

Focus, girl. This is not the time to swoon over your new teacher! I chided myself, even I stood stiffly there, looking anywhere but his face. 

"Take a seat," he instructed dismissively. 

I hesitated, my eyes darting around the classroom, feeling rather uncomfortable. Every student was staring at me, some with curiosity, others with barely concealed amusement. I could feel my cheeks burning hotter each passing second.

"But sir, I'm not in this class," I protested weakly, wishing he would listen to reason and let me go.

He raised an eyebrow, the same way he had after our unexpected kiss, and I felt breathless. "That may be so, but I believe we have some unfinished business to discuss… after class." 

The way he spoke ominously almost had the knack to make me flinch. My breath hitched in my throat and my stomach dropped. There was no way out of this. It felt useless to keep protesting. 

Reluctantly, I slid into an empty desk at the back of the classroom, trying to make myself as small as possible — even though I was the beta’s daughter.

I was the kind to take shit from nobody, and wasn’t one to relent so easily. But I felt like he had the upper hand. He could ruin my reputation if he so wanted… the kiss I had given him might have just sealed my fate.

The new teacher — I still didn't know his name — continued his lesson as if nothing had happened. But I couldn't focus on a single word he was saying.

“Miss Parkers,” he iced out after a moment. “Would it kill you to feign interest?”

“But I…” I didn’t even know what to say to that, and the students snickered at me at once. “I am sorry.”

I didn’t even know what I was apologizing for, but he definitely didn’t make this easy on me.

His eyes lingered on me, and I wondered what he saw — a teenager desperate for attention, or just some broken-hearted girl.

The teacher was undeniably hot — Billy had that right about him. With his broad shoulders, strong arms, and steely gray eyes, any she-wolf would be more than willing to be vulnerable around him. 

Hell, I didn’t even see a mark on his shoulder. So, not only was he hot but also free as a bird?

What are you thinking, Melissa? I chided myself.

I soon learnt that his name was Blackwood. I could also tell that he wasn’t to be messed with. There was this aura about him that made me feel like running for the hills… But I was nothing if not persistant and stubborn. 

Dare I hope I could get out of the mess the kiss had brought on me?

The rest of the class dragged on. I tried to pay attention. I really did, but my mind kept drifting back to Jake, to Sandra, and to the impulsive kiss I'd planted on this infuriatingly handsome teacher’s lips.

What had I been thinking?

When the bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, my heart started racing. The other students filed out, some of them casting curious glances my way before they finally left.

I remained rooted to my seat, my palms sweaty, as I waited for whatever was coming next.

Mr. Blackwood leaned against his desk, arms folded across his chest as he regarded me with those steely gray eyes of his, "Care to explain yourself, Miss Parkers?"

I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to say, and thought that an apology and the truth might be a good start, "I... I'm sorry about earlier. It was a mistake. I wasn't thinking."

He raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you weren’t.”

Douchebag! I thought to myself, feeling cornered by this man who wasn’t allowing me to even express myself properly.

“My boyfriend cheated on me. I acted recklessly. I am sorry once again,” I apologized again, as sincerely as I could.

He let out a noncommittal sound in the back of his throat, which I couldn’t figure out, and then he said the words I had long been waiting for, “You’re dismissed. No more kissing random strangers though!”

“Yes, Mr Blackwood,” I nodded at him gravely.

It was a mistake. I knew it, he knew it, and he clearly wasn’t pleased too… But somehow, the feeling of his lips haunted me all day.