It was a warm late September day. It wasnât yet time for Will and I to go back to school but my brother had already started his senior year at the local high school. That afternoon was a boring one. We liked to lie by the pool but it wasnât quite warm enough for that. Of course there was nothing on TV worth watching. It was about time for school to let out. I wouldnât normally have done it but I decided to go pick Aaron up. Will used him for his own fantasies all summer. I felt bad but never stopped it. I hadnât said a word the whole time to my abused brother and I wanted to talk to him. That and I thought it would be nice to see my old school again.
As I neared the school the memories came flooding back. I was a different person now than I was back then, even though it had only been a year and a half since I graduated. My most vivid memory came back to me. It was during my junior year. I had already come to the conclusion that I liked guys more than girls and there wasnât a damn thing I could do about it. I was still scared by it and kept it to myself. Then on the first day of Biology class my world was turned upside down. Instead of the old teacher that had been there for many years, I saw a younger man sitting at the teacherâs desk. For this story I will call him Mr. Mercer. After we were all seated he introduced himself. He explained that this was his first year teaching on his own. He was about 5â10 with a slim, slightly muscular build. His hair was a light golden brown and his eyes were deep blue. He told us he was 25 years old. I was taken instantly, as were most of the girls in my class. While the girls made it almost obvious, I did my best to make sure no one so much as slightly suspected. I found it very difficult to concentrate that year and found my grades slipping. I still saw him during my senior year and thoughts would flood my mind and block out everything else.
Before I knew it I was parked in the school parking lot. I got out and went into the lobby to wait for Aaron. I took the chance to look around a little. Not much had changed. Just then I saw Mr. Mercer walk into the office! He was as handsome as he ever was. My knees instantly began to shake and my heart pounded. The door opened again and he stepped out. He saw me and mustâve recognized me because he came over to where I was standing. âHi James,â he said. âWhat brings you back here?â
âNothing much. I just got bored and thought I would come get my brother and take him to do something.â
âOh Aaron. That sounds nice. I must ask you if thereâs anything going on at home. When I had him he was always so distant and he usually has a bruise or two. I talked to the other teachers and they tell me heâs always been like that.â
âThings have always been a little rough at home but nothing to worry about,â I lied.
âOkay, well how are you doing?â
âIâm doing pretty good. Iâll soon start my sophomore year at college. My dad has me studying Business Management. Itâs not exactly what I wanted, but itâs not bad and I made some good friends.â
âI bet you get good grades too. Other teachers also told me that you were always a good student. That leaves the mystery of why your grades were as low as they were in my class.â
I just nervously smiled not knowing what else to do. He just stared at me for a moment. I felt his gaze burn through me. Then he said âWould you like to walk out to my car with me?â
Completely forgetting about Aaron I agreed. I knew he had me hooked all over again. I followed him to the parking lot like a lovesick puppy. For some reason I glanced down to see if he was wearing a wedding ring. Just as luck would have it he wasnât. But since some men just donât wear rings I asked him if he was married. He said that he was just casually seeing someone.