Tear Down These Walls (7 page)

“Oh, what are you the manners police?” Trent quips back.

“Yes,” Teagan declares dramatically. “You don’t want to see my bad side.”

Chuckling, Trent inquires, “And what is your bad side?”

“I get demonic, and my head spins around,” Teagan says, with a grin.

There is a pause, and then Trent replies, “So, you are like every other
girl?” Teagan’s jaw drops, and Trent bursts out laughing. “Told you I had a
smart mouth.”

“I see that,” Teagan snorts.

“You mean you hear that,” Trent laughs some more. “You can’t see my
words.”

Teagan’s smile goes away. “Wow, you have a smart mouth
and
are a
jerk.”

Trent puts his hands up. “I’m sorry.” Teagan glares at him. He thrusts
his hands out.  “I said sorry!”

She bursts out into giggles and yells, “Got ya!”

“Now who’s the jerk?” Trent snips with a grin.

Pointing to herself, Teagan answers, “Oh yeah, that would be me.” They
laugh and stare at each other. Teagan exhales happily and says, “You’re fun.”

Trent’s smile falters. “I don’t hear that a lot.”

“Why?” Teagan asks. “You’re a riot.”

He gives her a thoughtful look. “I have to be professional all day, every
day. That overflows into every part of my life, except when I am with my family.”

“You should show this side of yourself more often,” Teagan suggests.
“It’s awesome.”

“I don’t really open up to people,” Trent murmurs, looking down.

“Well, I think you’re funny,” Teagan declares. “So, put that in your pipe
and smoke it.”

The corner of Trent’s mouth turns up. “I have never smoked.”

“I did for a short bit in high school. I thought it made me cool,” Teagan
sighs. “Just trying to fit in.”

“What were you like in high school?” Trent asks.

“You really want to know?” Teagan inquires. Trent nods. She exhales and
says, “Are you ready for this?” With a quizzical look, Trent nods again.
Grimacing, Teagan says, “I was the captain of the cheerleading squad.”

Trent’s eyebrows rise. “Seriously?”

“Yup, and my dipshit ex was the captain of the football team,” Teagan
groans. “We were
that
couple.”

A huge grin crawls across Trent’s face. “I would never have guessed
that.”

“Oh yeah,” Teagan replies. “I thought I was the shit.” Trent laughs
loudly. “Shut up,” Teagan snaps playfully.

He smiles, “Do you still have the outfits?”

“My uniforms?” Teagan asks. “Yeah, why?”

“If you come work for me, will you wear them?” Trent inquires, narrowing
his eyes.

“Am I the slutty secretary now?” Teagan murmurs back, giving him a heated
look.

“Oh yeah,” Trent replies with an even bigger smile.

Teagan crosses her arms. “Well, maybe I will show up in my uniform at
your class.”

His smile disappears, “No, there you need to be serious.”

“I can be serious in my uniform,” Teagan smiles, trying to break Kellen’s
stern look.

“I can’t take you seriously if you show up in that,” Trent declares
severely.

“Or is it that you couldn’t concentrate with me like that.” Teagan
counters, narrowing her eyes at him this time.

They sit there staring at each other. Finally, he sits back. “You have a
very strong personality.”

Teagan falters. “That’s a bad thing?”

“No, not at all,” Trent replies. “I’m just not used to strong women who
aren’t bitches.”

Snapping her fingers, Teagan cocks her head. “Oh PULEEZE, I can be a
bitch.”

“Really?”

“No, not really,” Teagan sighs. “My bitch side only comes out when
protecting other people. I kind of let myself get walked on all the time.”

“You shouldn’t,” Trent says. “No one should let themselves get walked
on.”

“I used to not be that way, but after my boyfriend, I kind of lost a lot
of confidence,” Teagan whispers, fiddling with her napkin. “It’s hard to get
back.”

“What happened?” Trent asks.

She shakes her head. “I don’t want to talk about it. I just….never felt
the same about myself afterwards.”

“You shouldn’t let a guy bring you down so far,” Trent states. “You’re a
beautiful, witty woman.”

With a heavy heart, Teagan doesn’t look at him. “He is an asshole. He tore
me apart, and now he’s trying to get back into my life.” She finally looks up
at him. “Why? Why would someone who did something so cruel want to be back with
the person they hurt?”

“What exactly happened? Maybe I can shed some light on what he is thinking,”
Trent suggests.

Teagan thinks for a second. She has never really told a lot of people,
but for whatever reason she starts, “We were seniors in high school. We had
been dating for two and a half years. He was my first kiss, my first love. I
thought he was everything. We lived the perfect life. We were both good in
school and were held in high regard with our classmates. Since we were seniors,
we started to party more, and Justin started to act funny.  He became
harsh and would say cruel things to me. I didn’t understand what I was doing
wrong. He was constantly putting me down. Said I was getting fatter and I
needed to dress more seductively like the other girls. His biggest complaint
was that I wouldn’t sleep with him. He said that I was the only virgin left in
our group of friends. I had told him I wanted to wait, at least until I was
older. He kept pushing and pushing, growing more distant every time I said no.
Finally……..”  She pauses. “One day I walked in on him and his friends.
They were doing coke. I was shocked. I yelled at him and told him he was
ruining his life! His friends all left, and I was the only one there with him.
He started to rebound saying I was a loser and didn’t understand. I would
always be a loser, a prissy frigid girl. He said I was lucky to have him. What
guy would want a girl like me? I obviously had problems because I didn’t want
to have sex. He said that I had issues with myself. I argued that I didn’t. He
kept laying into me over and over again.  I cried…..gosh I cried so much.
I loved him, and I didn’t understand what was going on. So finally, I said I
would do it. I said I would have sex, to prove to him that I wasn’t what he was
saying I was. I loved him and wanted to show him.  So…………..we did it.”

“Dear god, Teagan,” Trent whispers.

A single tear rolls down her cheek, and she brushes it away. “It gets
worse,” she barely breathes out. “He videotaped the whole thing. So, a few days
later, it was all over the Internet. I found out later that he had been
sleeping with other members of the cheerleading squad. The girls who I thought
were my friends. This was the tail end of our senior year. He broke up with me.
Of course, I didn’t even know what to do. I loved him, but hated him. He wrote
horrible things about me. Telling people my secrets, things I had told him. I
was devastated and have never been the same. Meeting Victoria and Emily helped.
Being at a different school in a different city helped. I got my strength back,
but when it comes to guys, well………..I’m scared shitless.”

“AND THAT’S THE BASTARD I TALKED TO ON THE PHONE!?” Trent yells. His eyes
dart around as if he suddenly remembers they are in a public place, and they
are not alone. He looks at her with pain in his eyes. “Sorry, that was loud.”

Awkwardly, Teagan nods. “Yeah, he started calling me again. Apologized,
said it was the drugs. He kept going on that he loved me; he had always loved
me. He just fell into a dark hole. I didn’t….or don’t know what to say. What do
you say to something like that? Anyway, I told him time and time again to leave
me alone. I had been doing so much better. My old friends contacted me freshman
year of college. They apologized and said they realized what a loser he was.
What he did to me was wrong. I felt stronger, that they were siding with me. We
were all getting older and wiser. We were college kids, you know? I became
really good friends with some people we both knew. I am actually standing up in
one of my friend’s weddings in a month.”

“Is he going to be there?” Trent asks hotly.

“Probably,” Teagan sighs. “I can stay away from him hopefully. I mean, I
am not going to miss my friend’s wedding because of his sorry ass.”

“Just remember, he can’t talk to you. You told him no.”

She gives him a look. “Seriously Trent, how am I supposed to stop him?
It’s a wedding.”

Trent clenches his jaw and looks at her. “I will offer my services for
free while you are there.”

Teagan chokes on the coffee. “Excuse me?”

“Do you have a date, are you going with someone?” Trent asks.

“No,” Teagan replies, shaking her head. “But, what? You are going to pose
as my boyfriend?”

“If need be.”

Bursting out laughing, Teagan shakes her head incredulously. “I had to
almost beg you to come out to lunch with me, and you are willingly going to
spend a weekend with me in Michigan?”

With a curt nod, Trent replies, “Yes, that douche bag will not have any
contact with you.”

A small smile passes over Teagan’s face. “I appreciate the offer, but I
don’t want to lie to my friends. And they would think I was nuts if I brought
my own security.”

“Who cares!?” Trent retorts. “That jerk doesn’t deserve to talk to you.”

“So, what do you suggest?” Teagan inquires, folding her hands.

“I will go as your date,” Trent states. “I don’t have to be your
boyfriend, but I can be a date.”

She smiles really big. “Trent, I appreciate it, but you even said you
don’t
fraternize
with your students.”

“I can spend the weekend with you. We can stay in separate hotel rooms.”

“I’m staying with my parents,” Teagan laughs. “They will think it is
weird that my date’s staying somewhere else. We have more than enough room for
you to stay there, too.”        

“All right,” Trent agrees, his face a mask of seriousness. She really
can’t believe him. He went from laughing and joking to hardcore security guard
in no time flat. How did he do it? How can he switch back and forth that
quickly?

Teagan laughs. “I can’t believe you are doing this. You don’t even know
me!”

“True, but I know a lot about you, and what I know, I like,” Trent
replies, quietly looking down. He pauses. “Someone needs to look out for you.”

“I can’t do it myself?” Teagan asks, trying not to smile.

Trent looks up at her. “Once I am done with you, you will be more able to
protect yourself.”

“But until then….you are going to be my hero?”

He looks at her tenderly and then shakes his head. “If you don’t want me
to, then I won’t.”

“I don’t know,” Teagan mutters. “Can I get back to you?”

“Thinking you might come up with a date?” Trent replies.

Laughing, Teagan says, “No. Have we talked about my guy issues?”

With a shrug, Trent replies, “I’m a guy.”

“You’re a man, there is a difference. The GUYS that I have dated are not
men. They are juvenile.”

There is a pause as he raises his eyebrow. “You think I am too old for
you?”

“What!?” Teagan exclaims. “No! Gosh no! I would love to date an older
guy. I think that’s what I was getting at.”

“You were doing a horrible job.”

“Obviously!” Teagan laughs. Trent smirks at her and Teagan smiles. “No,
you’re not too old. I would happily date a man that knew what he was doing in
life.”

“Well, I definitely know that,” Trent states, nodding his head. They sit
there, staring at each other. Trent narrows his eyes. “So, we just established
that you would date me.”

“I guess,” Teagan sighs dramatically. “Too bad you don’t
fraternize
with students.”

The corner of Trent’s mouth twitches. “No, I don’t date my students.”

“Do they hit on you a lot, or is it all old women, and then do the old
women hit on you?” Teagan asks with a huge grin.

Trent rolls his eyes and exhales. “Yes, they don’t literally hit on me,
but the giggling and girly looks, I get it all the time.”

“Doesn’t do it for you?”

He shakes his head. “No, not at all.”

“Interesting,” Teagan draws out. “So, if I bat my eye lashes and lean
over to show cleavage, that won’t do it for you?”

“Okay, the cleavage would,” Trent flashes a devilish smile.

Teagan looks down. “I have very nice cleavage, BUT you won’t be seeing
it.”

“Are you sure?” Trent replies. “I will pay for breakfast.”

“Ha, ha, ha, very funny,” Teagan says sarcastically. “No boob shots,
sorry.”

“But you have such nice breasts,” Trent declares. Teagan’s mouth drops
open. Trent instantly has a shocked look on his face. He stammers, “Oh…oh my
god…I am so sorry. I have no idea why I just said that. Usually I have complete
control over my mouth. I apologize tremendously.”

With a snort, Teagan bursts into hysterical laughter. She leans over and
laughs until tears well up in her eyes. “Well,” she starts. “I am glad that you
like my rack.”

Putting his face in his hands, Trent says, “I cannot believe I said
that.”

“I think it’s funny,” Teagan states. “I have a hard time believing that
you aren’t like this all the time. It seems so natural for you.”

Trent takes a deep breath and gets a very serious look on his face. “No, it
is wrong, and I am going to stop. Please forgive me for my rude behavior.”

“Oh stop,” Teagan replies. “I’m having fun.”

He shakes his head. “No, I need to remain professional in front of a
student.”

“Stop, first, I’m the girl you saved.
Then
I’m your student.
Anyway, if that’s your thought process, I will just skip your classes.”

“No you will not!” Trent exclaims. “It is important that you come to
those classes.”

Teagan leans back and crosses her arms. “Well then, I guess you have
spoken.”

“Ugh,” Trent groans, putting his face in his hands. “This is ridiculous.
Miss Murphy, we need to keep our distance and not be so candid with each
other.”