Trouble

As the day neared its end, my nerves were on edge. The incident in Jayce’s class shouldn’t have been a big deal, but it felt like one. Jayce seemed pretty ticked off by my lack of fucks given in class today.

And the thought of going near his office was daunting.

~How did he even notice I wasn’t paying attention?~ I pondered. ~The class is huge, easily fifty students.~

With a sigh, I gathered my things as my math class wrapped up for the day. Then, I trudged downstairs to Jayce’s office.

I knocked on the door and waited.

“Come in,” his voice echoed from inside. I slowly pushed the door open and closed it behind me.

“You can sit if you want,” Jayce suggested.

“I’m good,” I muttered. “Let’s just get this over with. Am I in trouble or something?”

He cleared his throat, “Well, a bit. If you don’t want to pay attention in class, Tuli, that’s your call. I don’t mind if you want to daydream.”

His disappointed expression told me he was fibbing.

“But,” he went on, “try not to distract the other students, or me.”

That stung a little.

“I was distracting?” I asked, surprised.

A smile tugged at his lips. “Let’s see…You were tapping your pencil on the desk, and humming. Quite loudly, I might add.”

I could feel my cheeks burning. I slapped my forehead. “Ugh, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay. Just try to keep the noise down next time.”

“Alright, is that all?”

Jayce nodded, though he seemed hesitant. I didn’t press him.

~He probably just doesn’t want to admit he regrets what happened between us~, I thought glumly.

I turned to leave, hoping he’d at least say goodbye. But all I got was silence.

***

I got home not long after leaving school, my face streaked with dried tears.

I didn’t know why I was crying.

Maybe it was the realization that I liked him as more than a fuckbuddy, but he wouldn’t feel the same. And then, he regretted it, and called me out twice in class.

Humiliating.

The sound of the TV greeted me before I even opened the door.

~That’s odd, Megan’s usually not home now.~

I could also hear soft moans.

~Oh, for the love of God.~

Praying for the speed of the Flash, I darted past the naked bodies on the couch and into my room, slamming the door behind me.

A muffled “shit” came from the other side. Then a knock on my door.

“Buzz off, Daniel! Let me wallow in my embarrassment!”

“Don’t be so melodramatic,” he retorted, and the door handle started to turn.

“Danny, I have a heavy jar candle, and I’m not afraid to use it,” I warned. “Go away.”

The door opened anyway. I squeezed my eyes shut and pictured him fully dressed as I moved to my bed and sat down. My brother laughed. Jerk.

“I’m wearing jeans, you don’t have to worry about your eyes being scarred.”

I opened my eyes to look at him. He was indeed wearing pants, though he was barefoot and shirtless.

But his state of undress should have been the least of my worries, because when I opened my eyes, his face was filled with concern, and maybe a hint of anger.

“You’ve been crying.”

~Damn~. I rubbed my eyes, hoping to lessen the redness. It only made them sting more. I ignored the sensation and said, “I just had something in them. Dust, you know.”

“Tuli, don’t bother lying to me. I know when you’ve been crying, and I know when you’re lying.

“What’s going on?” Megan joined us, thankfully fully dressed.

Daniel shook his head. “Tuli. My little sister. Can you please tell me what happened?”

“Honestly, nothing,” I sighed, “I was just a bit emotional today.”

“I know it’s not nothing. Something clearly happened. Was it that professor?”

I looked down, confirming his suspicions.

“I’m gonna kick his ass,” he muttered.

“No, don’t,” I said quickly, “He didn’t do anything. I’m just…”

“What?”

“I like him, and I know he can’t feel the same. This relationship we just ended would be stupid to continue. But that doesn't make it any less hard on me.”

I felt Megan come over and wrap her arms around me.

“I wish you had talked to me about this before,” she said softly. “You need to express your feelings to get over it.”

“I wanted to ignore my feelings,” I mumbled, “I thought they would just disappear. They’re just silly, little butterfly feelings.”

“You say that now,” Megan replied, “but if you keep bottling them up they’ll consume you. I’m glad you two ended things when you did. I don’t want some jerk to break your heart.”

I sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I just feel stupid right now. The way he looked at me made me feel like he regretted even knowing me.”

Daniel chimed in again, “He should regret knowing you; he’s going to regret crossing me when I confront him.”

Megan shot him a glare. “You realize you could potentially expose your sister to the school? Who knows what the fallout will be if everyone finds out that Tuli had an affair with her teacher.”

The truth dawned on me. “Dad would have a fit if he knew!” I blurted out, aghast. “He’s the one footing my college bills.”

“Exactly,” Megan chimed in, shooting Daniel a meaningful glance. “So maybe it’s not the best idea to go around beating up professors.”

I collapsed back onto the bed. “I’m feeling better, but I could really use a nap.”

“Of course you could,” Megan replied, her voice dripping with sweetness. “Your brother here has graciously volunteered to whip up dinner tonight.”

“Since when?”

“Daniel,” we both groaned in unison.

“Alright, alright. I’ll make my signature cilantro lemon chicken and rice. And you better eat the kiwi I sliced up,” he grumbled.

“Not a problem. I’m famished,” I mumbled.

“I can also bring you some Ben and Jerry’s later if you want,” Megan suggested.

“Phish Food?”

“Phish Food it is,” she confirmed, rising to her feet. “Okay, we apologize for the awkward encounter. Next time we’ll take it to your brother’s couch and annoy his roommate.”

I crinkled my nose. “I’d rather not see or hear about it, thank you.”

They both burst into laughter, then exited the room.

Finally alone, I grabbed my teddy bear, Theodore, and nestled into the pillows. I was out like a light in no time.