The Senior, Part Sixteen
Part Sixteen
The next day, I had absolutely no idea what to expect.
Jade and I hadn’t texted each other. Even though I had her number, that kind of communication felt questionable now that I knew she was one of my students. However, there wasn’t a particularly good way to talk with her. Meeting at my place was obviously a bad idea, and going somewhere public risked another student seeing us. Yet as I had experienced yesterday, a conversation at the school itself had its own complications. There wasn’t enough time between classes, nor did it look great for her to be lingering in my room at the end of the day.
I tried to remind myself that I was only overthinking it due to what we had done together, and what Jade had expressed she was still interested in doing. If any other senior swung by my classroom after the final bell, I probably wouldn’t think twice about sticking around to answer whatever questions they had.
Tempting as Jade was, I knew that I couldn’t actually act on any of the impulses that came with what she was suggesting. Though she was eighteen, she was ultimately one of my students. I briefly entertained the idea of splitting the difference by having her transfer to a different teacher, if that was even a possibility, but it didn’t matter. Mature as she was, and as much as I initially enjoyed her company, rules were rules. Which meant I had to be more clear with her this time around that nothing like that could ever happen again.
Well, not until she graduated. I wouldn’t actually say that to her, nor would I be waiting around until May to reach out again; the general thought had just crossed my mind along the way.
My second day teaching was a solid distraction. Since it was a real lesson, I had to focus on each class all morning as I officially started my year. Between the material itself, the nuances of each class, and working on names along the way, lunch arrived before I knew it. I had already ‘done my time’ in the teachers’ lounge on my first day; an hour of socializing after a full morning sounded exhausting. Instead, I grabbed the bag I packed for myself earlier and headed outside for some fresh air.
As someone who went to a public school myself, I still believed that so many student rules were absurd. Like how backpacks weren’t allowed, but large purses and messenger bags were perfectly acceptable. Or how there were a bunch of picnic tables outside, but everyone had to eat lunch in the cafeteria. I always figured that if students were going to skip school or leave the premises halfway through the day, nothing was stopping them. A side door was perfectly effective.
The silver lining was, I could enjoy lunch outside as a teacher, which I probably wouldn’t be doing if the area was packed with students doing the same. But I would sacrifice that ability in a heartbeat if it meant everyone else could use the tables for more than just hanging out before and after school.
Choosing a spot at random and pulling out the sandwich that I made for myself earlier, I got through a single bite before my phone buzzed. Getting a text in the middle of the day wasn’t that big of a deal, until I glanced at the screen and saw that it was from Jade.
‘Hey. Enjoying the sunshine?’
Stalker. Not actually. As I glanced towards the building, I saw a dozen windows that she could be behind. Thanks to the sun she was referencing, I really couldn’t see anything from my perspective. For all I knew, she could be in the cafeteria on her own lunch break, texting me during class, or even in the stairwell that was pretty much all glass.
We hadn’t actually specified anything about not texting each other. When she didn’t reach out or show up after school yesterday, I assumed that meant we were going to wait until our next interaction in person before communicating with each other again outside of that. Apparently she hadn’t interpreted things the same way, or perhaps catching a glimpse of me outside sparked the idea to send me a message.
One way or another, it wasn’t as if I could just ignore her. If she was casually checking me out from whatever window, I had undeniably checked my phone because of her message. Blatantly ignoring her wasn’t a particularly mature approach, and I was supposed to be the more mature one between us.
The fact that her eyes were on me added a bit of pressure regardless. I couldn’t remember the last time I had agonized over a text, either. Though I was still hoping that Jade wouldn’t tell anybody about this, I couldn’t help but be wary of a potential paper trail. There were only two messages between us so far, including the one she had just sent; the first was a lot more damning, with my coffee order and home address.
It would be stupid to insist that she delete anything via text, as that would only further incriminate me should she choose to show anybody the back and forth. This was exactly why the reality was so much more complicated than the fantasy.
Keeping things simple and in line with the original ‘plan,’ if it could be called that, I merely typed out, ‘Talk later, okay?’
By comparison, her response didn’t take nearly as long. ‘Talk now? Meet backstage in the auditorium!’
Where was that, again? I only remembered so much from the tour during my interview, and it wasn’t as if I needed to go anywhere near the theatre department on my first day.
I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not. Aside from the flirting, Jade had mostly been mature about all this. If she knew somewhere private we could talk, it wouldn’t be the worst thing. Provided that was her intention.
Before I could reply, she sent a follow-up, ‘On my way. See you in a minute!’