“Okay, class, put everything away-there’s a surprise test!” the anatomy teacher exclaims, sending everyone into a panic. I try not to laugh when I see Emily’s horrified expression.
“I don’t know a thing,” she whispers frantically, and I stifle a laugh.
“I do know something. Alex helped me study,” I shrug, putting my things away.
“Alright, perfect. Remember, if the answer is ‘A,’ touch your earring. If it’s ‘B,’ touch your mouth. If it’s ‘C,’ your eyebrow, and if it’s ‘D,’ do the magic fingers,” she explains, demonstrating the last gesture. I nod, saluting her in mock seriousness.
As I take out my pencil, Emily crosses herself. “God, I know I’ve made many mistakes, but please, I beg you, don’t let this test be open-ended,” she prays.
I raise an eyebrow at her. She continues, “If I fail this test, my mom will kill me, and I won’t be able to go to the movies with Niall on Saturday. Please, God, let it be multiple choice. Amen.” She ends with a sigh, and I laugh quietly, shaking my head.
The teacher begins handing out the tests. Students in the front row take one, passing the rest to the people behind them.
“You have ten minutes!” the teacher announces.
I look down at the test, my eyes widening at the open-ended questions. I hear Emily’s head thud against the desk, and she wince sympathetically. I quickly focus on my own test, finishing it within a few minutes.
**Flashback**
“I don’t understand how you can memorize a five-page contract and remember every paragraph, but when it comes to literature, you draw a blank,” Alex teases, shaking his head.
I laugh. “Are you trying to make me suffer on purpose?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
“What? No!” he exclaims, rolling his eyes playfully. I sigh, leaning back.
“My brain works in strange ways. I hate literature. I really do. And because I hate it, my mind just doesn’t focus. I can’t finish a single sentence without wanting to scream,” I explain, exasperated. “But when I read something I don’t understand, or if I know it’ll help me in some way, I can focus.”
“And good grades aren’t good results?” he asks, confused. I scoff.
“Good grades don’t motivate me. But taking a weight off my shoulders and having a reward? Now that works for me.” I shrug. He grins, clearly entertained.
“But believe me, in your final year of high school, the last thing you think about is grades. Surviving the year is the goal,” I add. He nods, smirking.
“And Professor Winston-ugh, he’s like a thorn in my side. If a teacher stresses me out, the whole subject becomes unbearable.” I groan, watching Alex’s amused smile grow wider.
“You’re not so bad at teaching, though. I actually like it when you explain things to me-it makes sense,” I admit, smiling softly.
Alex bites his lip. “Although,” I add, smirking, “you being in boxers can be a bit distracting.” I lick my lips teasingly, and he brushes a strand of my hair behind my ear.
“You’ve studied a lot of literature,” he murmurs, his thumb tracing my hand.
I kiss his fingertip and look him in the eye. “We could study something else-like anatomy,” I suggest, raising an eyebrow. He smiles slyly, and I straddle him, leaning in closer.
“Alright, let’s go over regions and cavities,” I whisper. He raises an eyebrow, intrigued.
“This is the head,” I murmur, cradling his face in my hands. “It’s divided into the skull and the face.” I plant soft kisses on his face as he wrinkles his nose playfully. “And it connects to the trunk through the neck,” I add, trailing kisses down his neck. He groans softly when I suck gently on his skin.
“This is the trunk,” I whisper, running my hands down his torso. “It’s divided into the thorax,” I say, kissing his chest, “the abdomen,” I continue, planting a kiss lower, “and the pelvis,” I finish in a near-whisper, pressing a kiss to the bulge in his boxers.
Enough! Alex growls, gripping my waist firmly. I gasp in surprise.
“Alright, you’ve got everything down,” he says, his voice rough. “Time for a break-by which I mean time for sex.”
**End Flashback**
I bite my lip at the memory, feeling a flutter of excitement. Suddenly, something hits my head. Startled, I glance up to see Emily pointing at her test.
I pass her a few answers discreetly, knowing it’ll help her scrape by. We didn’t have enough time to get through the entire test, but I’m confident she’ll at least score seven out of ten.
When lunchtime arrives, I join my friends-Luke, Emily, and James-at our usual table, along with some new friends we’d made at a recent party and their girlfriends.
It was strange returning to school the Monday after that party and hearing compliments from the popular kids. Apparently, I’d made quite the impression, and they’d started inviting me to all their parties.
What amused me most was how everyone kept saying how much fun I was, despite the fact that I barely remembered interacting with half of them.
“Do you think Professor Gray will show up?” Noah, a boy with dark skin and light eyes, asks me suddenly. I raise my eyebrows.
“His name is Alex,” I correct him for what feels like the hundredth time. The others laugh.
“Sorry! It’s just… finding out one of the hottest girls in school is dating a former teacher is kind of wild!” Noah chuckles.
I roll my eyes. “It’s the twenty-first century. People are more open-minded these days.”
“Relax honey, we’re not judging,” Noah says, grinning. “Honestly, it’s awesome. But you do realize you told the entire party about it when you were high, right?”
My face heats up. “I did what?”
“Yeah,” he says, laughing. “You announced to everyone, ‘Former teacher Alexander Gray is my boyfriend!’ to everyone.”
The whole school knows now, and everyone has reacted differently. Honestly, those who have responded negatively can deal with it however they want-it doesn’t bother me.