"Beautiful angel. Love your imperfections, every angle."—Bazzi ft. Camilla Cabello.

It feels as though time has stopped, yet several moments have passed with just the distant sound of the clock ticking in the background.

Mr. Todd has now resumed his previous distance but is still sitting on top of the desk, patiently waiting for an answer to his 'rhetorical' question.

I am fucked.

I should have known that nothing misses the eyes and ears of this vigilant creature, or that he never loses out on a moment to get my insides twisting into a knot.

And then that thrown together excuse about me wanting to get the umbrella. I mean, did I honestly think that that slapdash of a justification would suffice? No. Not with this man who reads between every single line, missing no possible loopholes or defect.

I truly am fucked.

I press my palms over my face to hide my redness, but my muffled voice tells him all he needs to know.

"I am sorry..."

There is a lapse, a gap of silence, and it's torturous. He needs to say something fast.

"What are you sorry for?"

His voice is calm, madly confident, always possessing an aura as though he is a hundred years wiser than you could ever be. I loathe the way I quiver around him, yet he effortlessly looks me in the eyes without signs of discomfort.

"For trying to...do that." I remove my hands but don't lift my head. Keeping my embarrassed stare on the third button securing his dress shirt. "I-I just got confused for a second."

"What confused you?"

"Sir?" I am not sure if that was just a placeholder, a time-buyer, or I genuinely didn't understand the question.

"What confused you? You can look at me when we're talking, Kelly. It aids better with communication."

Dude, I can't look you in the eye! Can't you see that?!

I raise my eyes, and the strong power in his almost forces me to look away.

"The moment..." My answer is delayed, but it's an answer nonetheless.

"Mm. You mean the rain and the fact that I hugged you?"

"I-I guess...something like that."

Fuck, make this conversation end! Someone burst through that door, or the sky needs to fall or something! Anything to get me away from here! I am dying!

"Oh." He nods calculatingly, dragging his pink bottom lip between his teeth—thinking. "I understand. Situations like that can easily create...tensions. You're a growing female, hormones and things like that..."

Oh please don't.

"I won't speak of it. So, don't worry about it."

For some bizarre reason, there is a little prick in my chest. Something close to the feeling I got when Peter Carson embarrassed me in front of half the student body. The only difference is, this one hurts a lot more, and I don't know why.

It's not that I would want him to speak of it. It's just that...it feels as though to him, it was nothing.

It was not a mistake. I genuinely wanted to kiss him, to feel the little bristles above his cherry lips brushing against my skin, to experience what it would be like to lock lips with a man. I have never kissed someone, but my impulse was not driven by my curiosity, but more by the weird emotions, I have been getting toward him lately.

Deep down, I wanted to do it.

But in his eyes, I am probably just a kid with unsettled hormones, who'd hump anything to satisfy her adolescent desires. That's not the case.

I pull at my lip, breaking eye contact again. Unable to look at him with this uncanny emotion sparking within my eyes. I have already given him enough misunderstandings. I wouldn't want to worsen it. Nothing slips his perception.

"I am sorry. I won't do it again." I feel the need to apologize. Or perhaps that's my way of indicating that I want this conversation to stop.

Maybe he has gotten the message since he accepts the indirect request.

"You don't have to apologize. I won't speak of it." He points a finger between us. "We don't have to speak of it."

What is he expecting from me after that unwanted reassurance? Should I be happy? Because I am not. I am embarrassed, troubled...but happy? Happy is far from the equation.

"Anyway, on the other side. Didn't I tell you not to involve yourself in matters that don't concern you?" His voice has taken on a higher tone as he steeples his fingers on his knee.

"I just wanted to—"

"Well done. Helping Mia was thoughtful, and that was very smart of you."

My heart stops. The world stops. The entire solar system stops. And now instead of the clock filling the silence, it's the hard pumping of my heart as it reclaims its responsibility.

"Hurry and finish up. So we can go through the paper." He eases up from the desk, taking with him the scent of his perfume.

••

"Kelly, look here." Mr. Todd gestures me over with his forefinger, and I pull my chair closer to his. My knee brushes against his leg, and I discreetly move it away, an odd feeling racing through me.

My hormones are off the roof!

"When you're starting new subjects, use a new paragraph. All this jumbling here." He waves his palm over my test with several red lines now decorating it. "Looks messy and untidy. It looks confusing. So next time, don't chunk all your information in one paragraph. Alright?"

I nod my head, and he takes his pen to the top of the page to swiftly write down my score, drawing a big circle around it.

"75." He says and hands it to me. "Not bad."

But that is only because he indirectly told me half of the answers; otherwise, I would have probably been looking at a fat 30 or something.

"The past mark for this one is 70. The History Department is hosting a Field Trip in the next two weeks, and because the school will not be able to adequately fund for every student, my partner implemented that we give you guys a pop quiz; therefore, only those with a score of 70 and above will be able to attend. I'm gonna need back the paper when you're through looking at it."

"Okay." I nod my head, and he gets up from his chair and begins to move to the coffee machine in the room. Since his back is turned to me, I slip my cellphone from my pocket and take a quick snap of the test paper, wanting to send it to Derrick when I get home. He'll know what to expect and ace it.

I drop the sleek device into my top pocket as he turns around with his coffee. He sits in his chair, and I hand him the sheet. He places it under a book and takes a small sip of the hot liquid.

"You can leave now, Kelly; we'll pick up our tutoring on Monday. Have a great weekend." He says, and disappointment snakes it's way into my jumbled emotions.

"Okay, you too." I rise from my seat and grab my bag, making my way toward his door.

"Oh, and Kelly?"

I stop in my tracks and turn to him.

"Snapping photos of test papers to send to your boyfriend is actually very illegal."

My jaws drop as I swing my head in the opposite direction. Fuck, he's a psychic. "Noted, sir." I squeak out, quickly slipping out of the room before the disgrace eats me alive.

••

My eyes are burning.

Why are they burning?

Is it because he said he wouldn't speak of the attempted kiss?

Why would I feel bad about that?

What the hell's wrong with me?

Oh God, I need help.

The dejectedness doesn't leave me as I clamber into my mother's car, unable to hide my sullenness as I tug my backpack off.

"Good evening, Kelly." She beams. "Everything alright?"

I nod. "Mm." I choose not to look in her direction. My mother is an expert when it comes to reading facial expressions, and I am not up for her counseling sessions right now. The first diagnosis she would list is 'boy-trouble,' and I don't know how to bring across the truth that I have been feeling strange emotions toward my history teacher—who is, by the way, seven years my senior.

"Are you sure?" She presses, snapping her seatbelt. "You seem down today."

"I'm alright. Maybe it's PMS. My time is due soon..." I mumble.

I turn my face to my window, witnessing as Mr. Todd exits the school with his duffel bag in hand. I sit upright in my seat, but my body sinks again when I perceive that he isn't alone.

Ms. Smith is right next to him, her shiny, dark hair flurrying behind her in the evening breeze. She's saying something to him while smiling dazzlingly, and I unknowingly glower at her perfect figure.

Today she's wearing a tight green pencil skirt with a white baggy blouse tucked into its waists. Long pearl earrings and a pair of nude flats complete her attire, and her thick lips are coated with bright red lipstick.

While my mom begins to propel out of the lot, I strain my neck to look back at them, watching as she elegantly gets into the front seat of his car.

And then I feel it again. That damn weird prick. This time, more intense than ever before. I need to see a doctor.

I press my palm against my chest, resting my head against the window as I close my eyes. Please go away, you odd feeling. Just go the fuck away.

But I know it won't. I've slept, I've eaten food, I've done everything to get rid of it. But it just won't leave.

••

"Mm. Yeah, I got a 75. But if you use the question sheet I sent you, you'll get a hundred." I smile, lying onto my back while sticking my feet in the air, drawing patterns with my toes.

It's Saturday, a cloudless and vibrant Saturday, and I am talking with Derek on the phone, filling him in on the crime I committed on his behalf.

"Yes, alright! How did you get it by the way?"

"I waited until he turned his back."

"Sweet! Thank you so much. I love you; you know that, right?" He professes, and I roll my eyes.

"Shut up, dude."

"Kelly!" My mom's voice comes from downstairs, and I sit up.

"Derrick, I'll call you back later. My mom's calling."

"Alright. Later, love you."

"Shut up." I hang up, cringing at his words. Doesn't he know how uncomfortable that makes me? Hell's wrong with him?

I scamper my way downstairs, finding Kevin at the kitchen island eating eggs and sausages while my mom is standing next to him, violently tapping on her cellphone.

"Good morning!" I chirp, pressing my palms on my brother's shoulders and peering down into his plate. I reach my hand over and take one of his sausages, causing him to flash me a glare with a mouthful of food.

"What the hell, go get your own food, Kelly."

I laugh as I walk over to my mom, wrapping my arms around her and laying my head against her chest, snuggling my cheek against her.

She trails a hand down my hair, her vision still trained on the mobile phone embedded in the other. "Caroline will be here soon. I will need you to accompany her to the mall. To get some things for the baby and the house, okay?"

I move away. "So what about Kevin? He drives; he could do it."

Kevin looks around to argue, but my mom answers first. "Kevin is having a game day with his friends today."

"Tell her again." He chuckles, and I frown.

"The mall is not far away, sweetheart. Don't be childish."

A horn sounds from outside and I look through the transparent glass, noticing that my dad is behind the wheels. I can easily make out his irritated appearance through the tinted glass.

"Your father is waiting. We have to be at work now. The baby is asleep upstairs. Kevin will monitor her until you and Caroline get back, alright?"

I nod unwillingly.

She kisses my cheeks as she grabs her bag off the counter and walks away.

Kevin looks over at me and grins, his packed mouth oily with grease. I gag and jerk him a middle finger before returning to my room upstairs.

I decided to take a shower, singing under the faucet while scrubbing my skin. When I am through, I wrap a towel around myself and get dressed in a large T-shirt with a whole combination of anime characters on the front, white shorts, and peach sneakers. It is hot out today, so I opt for my white hat. Admittedly, the weather is only an excuse. The real reason I am wearing a cap is that my hair is a mess, and I am much too lazy to comb it right now.

"Kelly! Kel!" Kevin bellows my name from the living room, and I roll my eyes.

"What?!" I scream, walking out of my room and pressing my hands against the railing, looking down at where he's seated on the couch with his two friends.

He grins up at me. "Give me one tiny second."

"Dude—"

"Just one tiny second. One." He lifts a finger, and I gnash my teeth. This better be something important.

I stomp downstairs, the sound of the loud game system threatening to give me a massive headache.

"Turn this down. Kayla is asleep, Kevin." I frown, and one of his friends—Mike, smiles up at me, his amber eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Wanna play some games too, Kel?"

"No, no. She's too good at this. She'll put you two idiots to shame." Kevin laughs.

I shrug. "Mm. True."

"Anyway. I need you to do something very important, my dear sister." He drops his voice to a serious pitch, and I cross my arms.

"No. I won't be doing your laundry, Kevin."

Noah laughs—the completion of the trio who's the quietest of the batch and who's currently absorbed with the combat game.

"It's not that. We have some drinks here, so please...get some glasses with some ice for us, please." Kevin cocks his head, and his companions chuckle.

I droop my eyelids. Can I murder him and stuff his body somewhere in the backyard? "Do you think I have time to waste?"

"Please?" He pouts his lips. "That's all I ask. I won't bother you again after this."

Ugh!

I curl my lips in derision as I walk away to the kitchen. Grabbing three glasses, I reach for the ice tray from the fridge. I put four cubes in two of the cups, then drop a single one in my brother's before returning to the living room. I hand one to Mike, then Noah, and give my brother the last.

He peers down into the glass, and his brows snap together in displeasure. "Why do I get only one cube?"

I smile sweetly. "Well, why didn't you go get it yourself?"

Deep pitches of laughter explode from his friends, and he squints his eyes to slits, about to give a comeback when the door to our house opens as Caroline enters the room.

"Good morning everyone!"

Caroline is nineteen, with a brown pixie cut and tiny freckles gently dusted across her tanned cheeks. She's a bit tall and slender but has hands and feet almost as small as mine. She became Kayla's babysitter when my mom placed an ad in the newspaper. Work didn't allow her the time to take care of a baby.

Caroline is supposed to be in college now, but her parents were unable to work up the funds, and so she won't be attending until next year. My parents did offer to assist her with the tuition, but she insisted that she prefers working for it. I admire her independence and always wish to possess that quality. I hate how reliant I am.

"Damn, who's that?" Mike greedily grabs Kevin's bicep, and he shoves his hand away.

"My sister's babysitter, dude."

Ignoring my brother's thirsty friends, Caroline sends me a radiant beam. "Ready to go, Kelly?"

I grin. "Yes. Anything to get away from here. Watch the baby until we are back, Kev!"

She throws an arm around me as we walk out of the house.

••

"And now, for the diapers!" I stand a far off, tipping on my toes and sailing the pack of baby sanitary into the trolley, pumping a fist in the air when it falls in perfectly. "And she scores!"

Caroline laughs at my antics as she pushes the carrier down the aisle, looking down at the list she's holding in her hand. "Let's see, baby wipes, fabric softener..."

I bob my head to the Ed Sheeran single that is softly playing in the background of the store. It's hard to make out which song it is above beeping machines and indistinct chatter from shoppers roaming the aisles.

"We got everything now. I'm going over by the clothes section."

I nod. "Okay."

I follow her to the clothing wing of the store, where different varieties of garments and apparels are hanging on display.

I stop by an area checking out some biker shorts and recollecting when Mr. Todd had seen my underwear—twice in a row. The memories make me cringe, and I inwardly vow not to leave one of these tights behind ever again.

"Kelly, come here," Caroline calls me over, and I put back the green shorts into place before joining her.

Grinning exuberantly, she lifts a pair of skimpy black lingerie. The bra matches the panties, and they are both lace and looks extremely exotic.

My cheeks blush. "Caroline, Jesus."

She laughs. "This is sexy. Do you have a boyfriend, Kelly?"

"God, no." I look around in discomfort. My inexperience makes me a bit uncomfortable when it comes to sex and intimacy. And Caroline holding a pair of seductive underwear in her hands is pulling unwanted attention to us.

"You should buy this. I think it would look great."

She's kidding, right? My body is not ideal for something like that. I shake my head. "Nah. It's not for me."

"Why not? Come on, Kelly. It would look so great on you." She crosses her arms against her chest. "In the future, when you do get a boyfriend, would you want him to see you wearing cotton panties?"

I redden further, smacking her arm and causing her to chuckle amusedly.

"Let's buy two sets. I will buy the red, and you buy black." She insists, and I twist my lips skeptically.

"I just feel like..." I trail my index finger against the iron clothes-rail, bashfully. "My legs aren't cut out for that..."

She gasps in disbelief. "What? Kelly, you have a very nice body. I would kill to have your shape. Look at you."

"I do. Every morning."

"Kelly, please!" She begs, desperately clasping her hands beneath her chin. "Just look at how hot it is—" She lifts it again, and I grab it fast, looking around.

"Fine. Fine. I will buy it. But I can't promise you that I will ever wear it, though." I point at her, and she smiles.

"Yes! Let's go cash them."

••

We approach the young cashier, a brunette whose hair is sleeked back into a ponytail, her emerald eyes huge and vibrant. Caroline seems to know her as she greets her by name. "Hey, Stacie. Whip us up."

"Sure." She smiles pleasantly as she works on cashing the items in our trolley first. When she's through, we hand her the two sets of lingerie, and her face pipes up.

I feel embarrassed, like I would crawl out of my skin if I could.

"Woah, nice choice, girls. What's the occasion?" She winks, and Caroline giggles.

"Well, I am introducing Kelly here to the world of seduction."