The Senior, Part One
Part One
It wasn’t my fault.
I mean, how could I possibly have known?
It all started a week before the first day of classes. Fresh out of college with an Education degree, I had already managed to land a teaching position at a small suburban high school. Not exactly my dream job, but it was a start. Decent salary, decent benefits, and rent was fairly affordable in the area. The only drawback was that I didn’t know a single person in town. All my former classmates were sticking with the bigger cities. But it was fine. I was a guy who actually kind of liked the idea of the peace and quiet that came with a borderline rural area.
So before jumping into a busy school year with limited free time, I made a point to get out there and at least make myself a familiar face to a few of the locals. That meant coffee shops during the day, and pubs at night. While I didn’t make any fast friends right away, I could usually find someone else at the bar who was open for a game of pool or a short conversation. Taking a page out of my older brother’s book, I made a point to buy a round for myself and whoever I ended up meeting on a given night. It’s all about making a good first impression. Making friends after college is tough; taking the initiative and becoming a ‘regular’ at a few places right away is a good idea.
Anyway, I’m getting side-tracked. English Major problems.
Meeting friends was the plan. Other guys that were into video games, sports, whatever. People I could hang out with after work, or on the weekends. Girls, however, weren’t really on my mind. I literally just moved into town, and would be starting my new job soon. Any kind of relationship was pretty low priority, as it would be a lot to balance before settling in. At least, that was the plan.
Until Jade.
An auburn haired college girl who was sipping a whiskey coke; drinking alone at the bar. I was sitting close enough to watch three separate men make a pass at her. She turned down each of their offers to buy her a drink, and even pulled the ‘lesbian’ card on the third one when he persisted. It was annoying to watch, but obviously my secondary frustration paled in comparison to what she probably went through all the time.
After the third guy finally wandered off, she scooted one seat over, towards me. Getting right to it, she said, “Hey. You’re not trying to hit on me.” And, though she was really attractive, it wasn’t a narcissistic comment about herself. She said it more like a fact, and immediately offered to buy me a drink if she could use me as a buffer against anyone else.
I declined the drink, of course, and even offered to buy her one instead to apologize for my gender. We settled on paying for our own drinks. Solid equality, and independence, or whatever. Still, despite not wanting to be like the other guys, I couldn’t help but notice a few alluring details. Her deep brown eyes, for starters. She wasn’t afraid of eye contact, and all of her casual glances towards me during our conversation made it difficult to focus on anything else. Jade’s white top snugly hugged her chest in an unfair way, and her black skirt showed off her long, slender legs.
Also, ‘Jade’ is a damn sexy name.
Even with a little liquid courage, however, I didn’t go for it. She was just here for a drink or two, and I didn’t want to lump myself in with all the other guys who already tried and failed to get with her. Instead, we just talked. Apparently, she was about to start her senior year, which put us a lot closer in age than everyone else in the bar. Jade was impressed that I already had a career started, as she was more the artistic type. More passion to be found there, for sure, but less job security.
Admittedly, I was a little intimidated by her directness when she first approached me, but Jade ended up really easy to talk to by the end of the night. Maybe it was the drinks, or the lack of pressure that came as being her ‘buffer’ instead of anything more, but we were actually hitting it off more than I expected. She was an awesome girl, and so much more free spirited than the friends I had in college. And yet, I was still too hesitant to make a move.
But she wasn’t.
While I was busy trying to figure out whether or not I had a shot with her, or if she was interpreting the night as more of a friend vibe, Jade eliminated any doubt by being as direct as ever. The moment we got to her car, as I had offered to walk her since it was getting late, she practically pounced on me. Out of nowhere, her lips were crashing into mine and I was pleasantly pinned between her body and the car.
It was amazing. The unexpected passion, the softness and expertise of her lips, whatever faint buzz of alcohol was left after sobering before leaving the bar. After making out with her for a few seconds, one of her hands running through my hair and the other gripping my side, I made a move with my own hands. Maybe just to hold her, maybe to pull her further into me; I hadn’t decided yet. I never got the chance to find out, because things ended as quickly as they began.
Jade broke the kiss and shifted forward so her lips were pressed against my ear. “Call me,” she whispered. Then, just like that, she stepped back and she slipped her fingers into my front pocket for a moment with her lips pursed in a sexy smile.
Before I could even process the simultaneously hot yet frustrating tease, she sauntered around her car to the driver’s side and cracked the door. Not knowing what else to say in my stunned and fleetingly horny state, I just muttered, “Goodnight, Jade.” A little boring, but it’s all I could manage.
Without saying another word, she blew me a kiss and followed it with a flirty wink.
Then she slipped in the car and drove off, leaving me speechless on the side of the road.