Alpha Girl (14 page)

Jealously bubbled in the pit of my stomach at the very thought. ‘So you didn’t enjoy the view?’ I pressed.

Mr. Stone pretended to gag, and I laughed a little too loud.

‘Absolutely not. I was
mortified
.’

‘She’s eighteen, you know?’

‘Irrelevant,’ he waved a hand.

‘Well, I’m glad you disapproved. Most men would have taken advantage of such a situation.’

‘I am not most men,’ he countered, cocking one eyebrow and giving me a look to die for.

We smiled at each other for several moments, our eye contact lasting far longer than should be allowed for a student and teacher.

‘No, you aren’t,’ I agreed.

‘My taste in women is far better than Sadie Deveraux, I can assure you.’

‘Is it just?’ I asked, my lips curling into a smile. ‘Do tell.’

Mr. Stone’s smile faltered. ‘I like my women to have a mind of their own – to be witty. Like you.’

My throat closed up.
Like me?

‘You’re an amazing girl,’ he said suddenly.

His use of the word
girl
made my stomach twist painfully.

‘Am I?’ I asked.

‘Of course.’

‘A girl?’

He smiled knowingly. ‘An amazing
woman
,’ he corrected himself.

‘No one has ever told me that before,’ I said.

‘I don’t believe that,’ he smiled. ‘You’re clever, and beautiful, and damn witty.’

Mr. Stone’s jaw tensed as he realized what he was saying.

‘Beautiful?’ I asked, the word escaping as nothing more than a whisper.

‘Don’t you know?’ he asked.

My heart thundered as I stared at him.
Oh please
, my mind begged.
Please tell me what is going on in that head of yours.

‘D-don’t I know what?’ I asked.

‘Don’t you know what you’re
doing
to me?’ He said as though I was torturing him.

‘What?’ My skin stung and my head swam with the possibilities.

‘Rose, I-’ He paused to collect his thoughts. ‘I’ve felt this … this pull towards you since day one. I can’t explain it.’

He didn’t need to explain it, because I felt it too. His eyes, his smile and his scent had me drawn in.

I placed a shaking hand over his, which was still on the steering wheel. He looked at our hands for a moment before allowing me to thread my fingers through his. I could feel his pulse in between each of my fingers.

Mr. Stone inhaled deeply. ‘Christ,’ he muttered, shutting his eyes tightly.

‘What’s the matter?’ I breathed.

‘That … that scent. The way you smell-’

I suddenly became very self-conscious. Bullies at school often accused me of smelling like wet dog. I sniffed my shirt, but I smelled perfectly normal.

‘What is it?’ I said defensively. ‘I showered this morning-’

Mr. Stone laughed, and I felt my cheeks burn with embarrassment.

‘No,’ he said with a small smile. ‘You smell
amazing
.’

‘I do?’

‘Absolutely. You always do.’

I never wore perfume, only regular home brand antiperspirant.

‘It makes me dizzy,’ he confessed. ‘It’s intoxicating.’

‘What do I smell like?’ I asked, rather flushed.

Mr. Stone licked his lips like he could taste me in the air. ‘Sweet,’ he said.

My cheeks burned crimson, and I wished he would look at me. I couldn’t believe this was happening.

‘I want to kiss you so very badly, Rose,’ Mr. Stone said under his breath. ‘But I can’t … and it’s killing me.’

My heart hammered so loudly against my ribcage that I was sure Mr. Stone could hear it from where he sat.

Suddenly, I felt powerful. He wanted
me
… and it terrified him.

‘Mr. Stone,’ I breathed, but he still didn’t look at me. ‘Tom.’

A small groan escaped him as though his name leaving my lips was taboo.

‘Look at me,’ I said, my eyes fixated on him.

‘I can’t,’ he said, shaking his head.

Without hesitation I unbuckled my seat belt and leaned towards Mr. Stone, taking his chin in my hand and forcing him to look at me. He flinched, thinking that I was going to slap him. But he couldn’t have been more misguided. 

I kissed him.
Hard
. I didn’t want to give him the opportunity to lean away and prevent it from happening so I pressed my mouth to his forcefully. My first kiss.

He froze, shocked by my sudden action. His hands rem
ained on the steering wheel as he gripped onto his own self-control.

I moved my mouth against his, willing him to kiss me back. It was only when my tongue brushed against his lips that he responded.

Mr. Stone groaned, his hands falling away from the steering wheel and wrapping around my waist. I’d stolen what little restraint he had left.

He gripped me tightly as though I was the last thing in the world. He deepened the kiss, and I opened my mouth to allow him entrance. As our tongues met, chills ran down my spine and fireworks exploded in the pit of my stomach. I forgot whom, and where I was; my skin was on fire.

When I broke away we were panting, and his lips were pink and swollen. His eyes darted across my face, studying each freckle and imperfection.

Suddenly, the realization of what had happened struck Mr. Stone and he leaned away from me, threading his fingers through his hair like he always did when stressed.

‘Shit,’ he muttered under his breath. ‘Shit, shit
shit
.’

I watched him calmly, my eyes following his lips as he spoke.

‘That shouldn’t have happened,’ he said, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. The look on his face was enough to break my heart. He hated himself.

‘I’m sorry,’ I said, even though I wasn’t sorry at all.

Mr. Stone looked at me with wide eyes. ‘Why are
you
sorry?’ he said. ‘I brought you here … I told you I wanted to kiss you. This is
my
fault.’ He thought he was some kind of manipulative predator.

‘Will you kiss me again?’ I asked.

He shook his head, biting his bottom lip. ‘No. No, I can’t. Absolutely not. It’s
wrong
.’

I ignored him and leaned forwards. He hesitated for only a moment before unbuckling his seatbelt with fumbling fingers and meeting me half way.

We held each other tightly; Mr. Stone moaned through the kiss, breathing heavily into my open mouth. I wrapped my arms around his neck and thread my fingers through his hair, gripping tightly. I didn’t want to let go.

‘Incredible,’ he muttered against my lips. My stomach writhed with affection for the man. ‘Absolutely incredible.’

I wasn’t sure how long we kissed for. It could have been seconds, or perhaps several hours. However long, it didn’t seem enough.

Eventually it had to end, and Mr. Stone said he would take me home. I agreed, reluctantly.

Through out the drive he seemed disoriented. I, however, was on top of the world.

My parents would have to drag me out of Halfway.

Friday – 5 days to go

I spent the following morning in a daze of happiness and disbelief.
I kissed Mr. Stone
and he kissed me back.

I couldn’t stop thinking about him; his hands, his lips and the way he groaned into our kiss as though it was all too much for him to bear. I could almost feel his arms around my waist, like his ghost was embracing me. He’d left an imprint on me that I couldn’t forget.

I couldn’t wait for school, and I imagined him watching me longingly from across the playground, or subtly touching my hand or knee during class.

English was just before lunch, so I could hang back in the classroom and maybe steal a kiss or two.

Things don’t always go as planned.

Mr. Stone was not his usual, cheery self that day. He snapped at the students, and shouted when someone talked without raising their hand.

‘So, by the end of this novel, these women are no longer powerless; can anyone tell me why?’ Mr. Stone asked, holding up the book we were currently studying. I’d read it from beginning to end twice to try and impress him.

I threw my hand in the air, eager for his attention.

His eyes glazed over me without so much as a hesitation. No one else put their hand up.

He ignored me completely.

‘They are no longer powerless because they have joined forces and are forging their own lives,’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘Together, these women free each other. And what theme does that represent?’

No one said anything. Once again, my hand shot into the air. A few people looked at me curiously as I was ignored again.

‘Female solidarity,’ Mr. Stone said slowly and clearly. ‘The theme of
independence
, which is what your next assignment will be on.’

I might as well have been invisible.

‘What’s got into him today?’ Sadie whispered to me during the lesson.

I shrugged and frowned. ‘Maybe he’s having a bad day. He’s not usually this grumpy-’

‘Rose,’ snapped Mr. Stone. ‘Stop talking whilst I am.’

I stared at him. ‘I was just-’

‘Don’t talk back,’ he said.

‘I wasn’t, I was only-’

‘
Detention
,’ he said.

‘I … what?’

‘Detention,’ he repeated. ‘See me after class.’

‘You’re joking, right?’ I asked.

‘Absolutely not.’

I shut my mouth at once and spent the rest of the lesson confused. Was the detention an excuse to keep me back after class? Did he want to steal a kiss while no one was around?

The bell rang to signal the beginning of lunch, and Sadie muttered an apology to me before scampering from the room. I stayed in my seat.

Once the room was empty, Mr. Stone turned to me, his face impassive. What had got into him?