Classroom Affair

He seemed too young to be an actual teacher; she would have pegged him as a college student at best. He didn't have the grey hairs from student mischief, or the dark circles of stress, the rest of the staff did.

With a perfect grin of white teeth, he stood and gave a small wave to the group of curious students.

Shannon's eyes widened to take in the full scope of the man before her, who seemed like a teenager compared to the rest of the faculty.

It was hard to tell from her towering seat, but she believed him six foot, with a lean, yet toned body. He had full raven black hair and eyes, which even from across the room, were a captivating electric blue.

He stepped up to the microphone and pushed up his glasses, clearing his throat. "Good morning, as Mrs. Luknee so kindly introduced, I'm Mr. Thompson and I'll be your new music teacher. I understand my predecessor was quite beloved, but I'll try my best to meet your expectations. Thank you."

"Oh, I think he'll meet my expectations just fine." Iris said nudging Shannon once more.

She felt her cheeks going red, her heart pounded in her ears. It felt like she would faint if she stared at him any longer.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" She suddenly announced, stepping over Iris and nearly tumbling down the stairs to do so.

The principal's droning voice went numb in Shannon's ears, as she made her way through the aisles of students. She rushed to the sanctuary of the girl's bathroom, where tears, secrets and bad behavior were always tolerated.

Dropping her bag, she turned on the water in the sink and splashed it on her face like a Neutrogena commercial, though she was certain she didn't look nearly as cheerful.

Shannon panted and glanced up to her reflection. "Wow...."

After taking a few more controlled breaths, she studied her face in the mirror and scoffed. "What's wrong with me? I'm acting like an idiot. He's just a good-looking guy. It's not like I've never seen a man before."

She grabbed a paper towel and yanked it a bit too hard, dabbing at her face.

Despite what she said out loud, the voice in her head replied. Even if that guy has the most perfect cheek bones and blue eyes I've ever seen.

The florescent light made the single diamond in her cross necklace shine, as she scooted the paper towel over the wet floor and grabbed her bag at the sound of the bell.

"Okay, you washed your face. Now take a deep breath and try not to embarrass yourself any further."

Following her own advice, Shannon inhaled a cleansing breath and pushed the swinging door open, bumping right into the person standing in front of it.

"Oh! Excuse me, I'm so sor..."

The words caught in her throat.

An amused smile greeted her. "That's okay, my fault for walking so close to the door."

Shannon stared blankly at the man in front of her, who adjusted his glasses and bent down to pick up the bag she dropped. The large book always in her possession, slid out and rested at his feet.

The sunlight from the courtyard window blossomed before them, lighting up the tapioca colored-hallway and shinning on his face as he smiled. "Oops, this yours?"

The words took a moment before they finally clicked that he was asking her a question. "Ye...yeah."

He held her bag in one hand and weighed the book in the other. "That's some heavy reading. Impressive."

"I've read it about twenty times. I love John and how he sees the world in this child-like way even though everyone else is cruel and... well...it's...it's one of my favorites."

She felt her cheeks flush bright red, when she realized she was babbling. She always babbled when she was nervous and for some reason, he made her very, very nervous.

Mr. Thompson smiled at her and it sent an electric charge down her body. "Cool. It's one of mine too. Well, here you go. Better get to class, I wouldn't want to be late for my first day of teaching. Doesn't look very professional, does it?"

He suddenly closed the distance between them and his whisper was light and playful. "Don't tell on me, okay? This stays between us?"

Her voice came out breathier, than she had expected. "Okay."

He smiled that dazzling grin and brushed past her.

She caught the scent of his cologne; though she didn't know how to describe it. It was manly, different from what her dad wore or what the guys coming of the gym did. It wasn't harsh nor it didn't assault her senses. It was subtle, some kind of spice that drove her crazy trying to identify it.

She waited until he was down the hall, before breaking her trance and walking the other way.

Her face felt hot.

She raised a hand to her cheek and marveled at the warmth there.

Shannon looked down and studied the cover of her novel, holding it tightly to her chest, grinning at the spinning feeling in her stomach.

This was a new feeling. Something light and dizzy, but in a good way. It felt like when she jumped off the rocks into Loon Lake, where they camped every summer.

It wasn't until someone was tugging on her arm, that she came out of her reverie. "Helloooooooo? Space monkey.... you in there? Were you in the bathroom all that time? You missed Johnson's borderline racist rap about school excellence."

Iris snapped her back to reality and she nearly dropped her bag again. "Yeah. We should go. Don't want to be late."