A Licentious Affair

Disclaimers:

I own the story/characters/everything that's in between. Keep your mittens to yourself.

The rest is my usual.

Again, thank you for the feedback – some comments come from anonymous sources so I would like to take this chance, yet again, to profess my gratitude for all the beautiful and amazingly sweet remarks. I thrive on them! Hope you enjoy this one.

***

The school grounds of Lincoln High were bustling with activity at the beginning of the year. After the long summer break, everyone was busily catching up with friends, making new acquaintances or simply idling near the front entrance, waiting with slight resentment for that first bell to toll. The usual groups gathered in their usual corners while the new kids were trying to find their way in the crowd. The new seniors were finally feeling like the rulers of the land as they waited with bated breath for that sooner than ever taste of freedom. The sophomores were feeling a little in between while the freshmen didn't even know what awaited them. Teachers were slowly ambling their way to the front entrance, elbowing through the thick crowds of over excited teenagers. Some were murmuring underneath their breaths, longing for the summer to continue, and the new ones were simply happy to posses a job. The newest ones were even quite idealistic, having just graduated from university themselves. They considered teaching a sort of calling; a way for them to influence the future by forming and shaping the future generation. The hopeful enthusiasm never lasted too long though, and soon they were joining the older teachers in the soft murmurings and glazed looks.

As the bell rang, students started to slowly make their way to their appropriate classes, marking the first day of school in their calendars, already counting the days till the next break. Walking down the corridors, the students slowly dispersed, but the raucous continued, amplified by the closed spaces of the classrooms.

"Hey Jake, how was your summer?" one of the students aimed the question at a fellow classmate.

The person answering to the name of Jake was a 5'10 teenaged girl with long black hair and piercing grey eyes. She was wearing tight blue jeans, a white tank top and a heavy leather jacket. She looked much like a female James Dean, and walked with the attitude of one too old for this world. Turning around, she glanced at the student that had called her name. His name was Snake and he was a member in her "gang." She had started this gang when she first got to this high school. It all happened quite suddenly and unintentionally; people just started gathering around her and looking at her for guidance. High school was a rough period for many, and they believed she had found the best way to handle it; run it or die trying. There was something about Jake that pulled people to her, made them either fear her, loath her, love her, or all of the above. She basked in the attention, but she also knew well enough not to show it.

With a nonchalant expression she answered, "Good, and yours?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, mine too. Can't wait to get out of school though."

"You just got back," She said with a smirk.

"Yeah, you know what I mean," he chuckled.

"I just hope this year passes smoothly. I heard we'll be having some new teachers." Jake said as she perched herself on the teacher's desk.

"Yeah, they better be cool, or else this is really gonna suck."

"Tell me about it." She snorted and looked around through narrowed eyes. People admired her for who she was, and probably were too scared to go against her if they had any kind of problem. She had a reputation and did everything in her power to uphold it. When she first got to the new school, she soon discovered that people were already talking, making up stories about her. At first, it upset her, then it annoyed her, and then she simply no longer cared, happy that people wouldn't be bothering her. Though it was a public school, she belonged to the "poor" crowd that was often "fondly" called "white trash" and she did her best to steer clear of those who did. Unbeknownst to her, they did the same and they all lived happily ever after.

It wasn't more than a few moments later that the classroom door opened, admitting a small blonde with ocean blue eyes. Her shoulder length hair was a bit ruffled but her gaze was hard and steady. She looked around the class, immediately spotting the now devilishly smirking teenager on the teacher's desk. Raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the cocky look Jake was sporting, the blonde strode purposefully in her direction.

Jake couldn't hide her gaze of appreciation when the blonde stepped inside the classroom. She raked her eyes over the tight body, and smiled sensually. Perching herself further on the teacher's desk, she licked her lips in anticipation when the cute woman drew closer. "Well hello there. And who might you be?" She asked charmingly.

The blonde's lips turned up in a small smile of her own, "I'm Ms. Johnson, and that's my desk you're sitting on. Who might you be?"

Jake's smile quickly disappeared as her leg slipped down onto the floor. Straightening her leather jacket, she stood up casually, looking straight into the woman's eyes, "I'm Jake."

The entire class stared in shocked silence at the unraveling scene. Some were trying to hold a giggle inside, while others couldn't even blink. The new teacher and Jake were seemingly playing a game of tug of war and everyone was more than eager to see who would win.

"Well Jake, I would appreciate it if you took a seat at your own desk and allow me to settle at mine." Ms. Johnson said, not unkindly.

Jake sneered at the slightly condescending tone and at being reproached in front of the entire class, but she swallowed her pride for the moment and vowed to get back at the young looking blonde. Without another glance, she scowled her way back to her seat on the backdrop of slight snickering from her classmates. Shooting an intimidating gaze at all those in her proximity, the entire class immediately quieted down.

"Ok, good morning everyone. As I've said, my name is Ms. Johnson and I'll be your English teacher this year." Sara Johnson was 23 years old, just out of school herself and ready to face the big bad world of snotty teenagers. This was her first time in a real classroom and she was full of idealistic notions about making a difference and shaping the minds of the young ones in her care. She had no idea what to expect but she had a feeling she was about to find out sooner rather than later. Her first encounter with her new class, the class of seniors, didn't go exactly as planned, but she thought she had handled the situation quite well considering. When she noted the angry gaze directed at her from beneath dark bangs, she realized Jake would be a handful. She knew her type; sitting in the back row, acting all angry and pissed off at the world, thinking they were cooler than ice. Yes, she had encountered many of those in her day, but having always been the perfect student, she never really had anything to do with them, so she mostly stayed out of their way. However, being the teacher would prove to be somewhat different. She would have to deal with the surly teenager whether she liked it or not.

The first day of school came to an end much quicker than expected. When the bell rang for the final time that day everyone quickly got to their feet, pulling and pushing chairs out of the way, moving in the direction of the main doors, creating a throng of expectantly buzzing bodies and effectively blocking the exit for quite a while. Sara packed her things and made sure not to leave the classroom before all of her students had already gone. Placing the strap of her purse on her shoulder and taking her briefcase in her hand, she made her way to her car in the teachers' parking lot. While opening the door of her car, she felt someone was watching her. Hearing the lock click open, she gazed around, trying to locate the source. On the other side of the teachers' parking lot, stood the students' parking lot, where she noticed Jake's eyes staring intently at her. When their eyes met, Jake quickly averted her gaze, straddled her motorcycle and put on her helmet, effectively shutting the outside world. Sara shook her head and got into her car. She sat for a moment, trying to come to terms with her first day at work. Her day had gone well; her students, at least most of them, seemed nice enough and she felt it would be a good, albeit somewhat difficult year. That student, Jake, kept plaguing her thoughts. Even when she was a student herself, she knew that students whose names teachers learned on the very first day, did not bode good news. And here she was, on her first day, already learning one student's name. A name she couldn't seem to get out of her mind. The girl intrigued her for some reason.

Shaking her head to clear away the thoughts, she drove home. Home was a few blocks away from the school. A small, tidy apartment which served its purpose perfectly. Recently, her boyfriend of three years, whom she had met at university, moved in with her. Deep down, she knew that wasn't the smartest decision she ever made, but she didn't wish to break up with him either. Her parents, along with his, kept pushing them to marry, but both seemed quite reluctant. Neither ever stopped to ask why that seemed to be the case.

Opening the front door, she grimaced at the sight greeting her. Her boyfriend, Greg, was sprawled out on the couch, snoring, with a six pack of empty beer cans situated on the coffee table in front of him. He wasn't a drinker but much like herself, he was recently out of school and looking for a job. The school Sara applied to had only one teaching position and when both sent out their resumes, she was the one who received the call to come in for an interview. That call, she knew, had driven a wedge between them. She felt, at times, that he resented her getting a job before him, and now he was almost unwilling to go out and search for another.

"Greg, I'm home." She walked into the living room and tapped him on the shoulder, trying to rouse him without startling him.

He grumbled unintelligibly and turned on his side, facing the couch and away from Sara.

"Great. Don't think I'll be cleaning your mess..." Sara grumbled under her breath.

Even though the lack of order bothered her, she was unwilling to set a precedent. Whoever made a mess should clean it.

She went into her bedroom and started undressing. A shower sounded like a great idea. Folding her clothes into a neat pile, she pulled a white t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants out of the closet and prepared for her shower. The water felt incredibly relaxing as it softly pounded her skin. She had her eyes closed and nearly screamed when someone touched her shoulder from behind. Opening her eyes, she looked angrily at Greg who had decided to wake up out of his drunken stupor and join her in the shower. "What do you think you're doing?"

Greg smiled stupidly, his drunken state still quite obvious. "I thought I was gonna join you for a nice shower. Rub away your aches and pains from your day at work..."

"Oh you think so? Look, I'm not in the mood, especially when I see you're clearly not sober. Sober up and I'll think about it."

"Aww, come on, honeybunny, I want to make you feel good..." he slurred and started caressing her back in slow circles. It was clear he was beginning to enjoy himself.

Sara simply grew angrier. "Look, I'm not in the mood for this. I want to relax as I finish my shower...alone."

Greg's face distorted in anger, "Fine! Have your fucking shower alone!"

When he scrambled to leave the tub, in his inebriated state he misjudged the distance between tub and floor and slipped, banging his head against the side of the sink on the way down. Sara screamed and tried to catch him, but it was too late. Blood started pouring out of his forehead and she suddenly felt lightheaded, like she was about to faint herself. Drawing a deep breath, she grabbed a towel and pressed it to his forehead, "hold this and try to press tightly," she said in a voice that sounded frantic even to her own ears. Greg was moaning pitifully, his eyes closed and his breathing somewhat shallow.

"Oh God, oh God... I need to get him to the hospital." She rushed out of the bathroom, grabbing the clean clothes she planned to wear after her shower and dressed. In less than a minute she was back at Greg's side.

"Greg, honey, I need you to try to stand up. Please, I can't carry you..." She pleaded while trying futilely to pull him to his feet. Deciding on a better tactic, she began dragging him out of the bathroom. He slid on the slick floor but once in the bedroom, it was getting harder to pull. He was a big man, almost 6 ft. tall and muscular. Sweaty and growing more worried by the second, Sara took another deep breath and pulled. Inch by inch she managed to get him into the living room and eventually to the front door. She had no idea how she was going to pull him into her car as he seemed to have lost consciousness somewhere along the way. Opening the front door, she scanned the neighborhood, trying to locate one of her neighbors and beg for help. The towel was already almost soaked through and she knew the alcohol in his blood did not help matters. They needed to get to the hospital and fast. The thought of calling an ambulance never even entered her mind.

Just when she was about to start crying uncontrollably, she heard someone calling to her. In her daze and through the rushing adrenaline, she could barely make out the voice.

"Ms. Johnson, do you need any help?"

It was Jake on her motorcycle. She was straddling the bike, looking expectantly at her teacher. Lowering her gaze, her brow rose into her hairline when she saw exactly what her teacher was dragging. When no response was forthcoming, she pushed the stand on her bike and walked over to the blonde. Placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, she was startled at the look of utter desperation in those baby blue eyes. Without any further questions, she gently moved Sara out of the way and went to the burly man sprawled on the floor with a blood soaked towel held to his head. "Alright, dude, up you go." She put her hands under his arms like one would do with a small child and hoisted his heavy body up. When he was semi-standing, she quickly shoved an arm around his waist, making him lean on her body.

Sara couldn't believe her eyes. Suddenly there was her student, the one who seemed to refuse to leave her mind that afternoon, standing on her front lawn, holding onto her unconscious boyfriend as though he was a mere rag doll. She still couldn't wrap her mind around the way Jake had simply pulled him to his feet. Everything must have taken less than five minutes but it all seemed to her as though hours had passed. When that voice called to her again, her boyfriend had been strapped into the passenger seat of her car. "Ms. Johnson, I think it might be better if I drive."

Without saying a word, she handed Jake the car keys and allowed herself to be led into the backseat. Jake took care to fasten her seatbelt before moving to the driver's seat and getting in. The drive to the hospital took no more than a few minutes and Jake took care of everything. She spoke with the doctor who rushed out of the emergency room to look at the incoming patient. She didn't know what had happened and said that the blonde, who was probably the guy's girlfriend, would know and would tell the tale once she snapped out of her shock. The guy taken care of, Jake parked the car and took Sara to the waiting room. "Ms. Johnson, are you okay? Should I ask a doctor to take a look at you as well?"

Sara swallowed and shook her head. Through parched lips, she said, "No, no I'm ok. Oh God... I'm so sorry for being so completely out of it. He fell down and blood started pooling on the ground. So much blood. I was so scared, I didn't know what to do, and then, when I finally got him to the door and I looked at my car, I lost it... I simply started shutting down..." She then looked at her momentary savior like she was seeing her for the very first time. The girl was absolutely beautiful. What a strange thought to have at such a time, the words briefly flashed through her mind before she pushed them down. Probably one of the most beautiful people she'd ever seen. Her eyes were an icy grey, and at that moment, they were looking at her with concern. So different from the angry frown she received back at school.

"Thank you. I don't know what to say. Thank you so much for helping me... us."

The brunette smiled crookedly and shrugged it off. "No problem. Are you sure you're ok?"

Sara smiled, "Yes, yes, I'm fine."

"Maybe you should speak to the nurse and tell her what happened. They asked me but I didn't really know what to say. And she also asked you to fill this out. I'll get us some coffee in the meantime." Jake handed Sara a form and went to search for the vending machines, not waiting for an answer.

Following the girl's advice, Sara got up and went to speak with the nurse. By the time Jake returned, Sara had good news about Greg. "He'll be fine. He lost quite a bit of blood, and if it weren't for you... well anyhow, thank you so much for being there and for helping. I don't know how to thank you enough."

Jake shrugged again and handed her a paper cup filled with vending machine coffee. "No problem. So, umm, when are they going to let him out?" She shoved a hand into her front jean pocket and looked a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden.

"They're going to keep him overnight just to make sure he's ok. He had a mild concussion and they had to stitch him up, but if everything looks ok by tomorrow, he'll be free to go."

"Great, glad to hear." She was about to say something else, but before the words could pass her lips, Sara asked, "I'm going to head home now. You left your bike at my house, so, umm, come with me?" Sara grimaced when what she said registered in her mind. It certainly didn't sound like something that should be coming out of an English teacher's mouth. She assumed she was still in shock over the entire ordeal.

The teenager didn't look any more comfortable. "Yeah, thanks."

They climbed into Sara's car and made most of the way back to her home in silence. Neither knew what to say now that the crisis was over. Parked in her driveway, Sara cut the engine. Thankfully, Jake's bike was still in front of the house. Sara turned to gaze at the brooding brunette and smiled softly. "Thanks again for all you've done. I really appreciate your help." It sounded lame even to her own ears, but didn't know any other way to convey her gratitude, especially since this was one of her students.

"Again, not a problem. So, was that your boyfriend?" Jake asked nonchalantly. She wasn't really sure why she cared but for some reason she wanted to know.

"Yes, Greg."

Jake nodded once and opened the car door. "Thanks for the ride. See you at school." And with that, she walked to her bike, revved the engine loudly enough to scare some nearby birds, and rode away.

Shaking her head, Sara wondered aloud, "That is one strange person." With a sigh, her strength now utterly drained, she entered her house.

The following morning she picked Greg up from the hospital. The night passed smoothly and he was ready to return home. Sara brought him a change of clothes since those from last night were clotted with blood. Thinking he'd be at least somewhat remorseful and contrite at what happened the other day, Sara was surprised by his brusque, nearly hostile manner. He was silent when she came into his room, he was silent when she handed him his clothes and he maintained his silence on the drive home. Finally, Sara couldn't take it anymore and snapped, "What's wrong with you? You could at least say something after what happened. Hey Sara, sorry for being a jerk, I'll go look for a job and stop being a drunken load off, or hey Sara, thanks for carrying my bloody body all through the house, frantically trying to get your bleeding ass to a hospital, or anything of that kind." Sara was angry and getting angrier by the minute. She wasn't the type to yell or snap at people but things have been festering and they were starting to bubble up.