Unreturned Love

Chapter 2

"Mr Gerald?" Finn looked up from the stack of files he had been arranging, and saw with surprise that it was Kayline. She usually avoided him as much as she avoided the plague, but here she was standing before him, her bag slung casually over a shoulder, with Leeane standing beside her. "We're holding a class party this weekend, at the beach. As I'm the class chairman", Kayline rolled her eyes, showing how much she wanted the position "blah blah blah, I have the utmost honour to invite you to it".

"Class party?" Finn inquired, cocking one brow and leaning against a pile of books. "What's the event?".

"None" Leeane spoke up, shrugging her shoulders. "We just felt like having one, and it just so happens that Kay's birthday is this Saturday, so we thought we might as well hold a party there and invite the whole class along. Then some people suggested inviting the teachers, and before you know it, we'll be inviting half the school population as well as the janitors as well".

Amused now, Finn interlocked his fingers and looked from Leeane to Kayline. Kayline looked slightly bored, while Leeane was patiently awaiting an answer. "Alright. I'll be there". Leeane beamed at him, but Kayline only nodded her head in acknowledgement. Finn could very well understand what she thought of inviting a physics teacher to a party. "And... Kayline?" he called out when both of them turned to leave. Kayline turned back with an impatient glace.

"Yeah?".

"I believe you have yet to hand up the paper I asked you to do yesterday", Finn said, cocking an eyebrow as he watched Kayline wince.

"Ummm... Well, I'm not exactly sure where it is..." Kayline began, but Leeane had already tugged open her bag, and held out a shead of papers to Finn, who took them frowning.

"And why would these papers be in Leeane's possession?" Finn questioned, with just a hint of ice in his blue eyes.

"She left it at my house when she came by yesterday", Leeane replied coolly, never flinching from Finn's sharp gaze. Kayline hurriedly nodded in assent. Finn regarded the two girls standing before, one unperturbed, the other squirming slightly under his penetrating gaze. At least, he gave up, and sighed.

"Alright. But Kayline, I already told you that if you want to do well for physics, asking Leeane to do it for you isn't the way to do it", he held up a hand when Leeane opened her mouth. "Yes, yes I know, you didn't help her. It's just a word of caution if you don't want to flunk your final exam". Kayline gave a half-hearted shrug, and walked off with Leeane. Finn watched them go, his face expressionless and unreadable.

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Saturday arrived, with the perfect weather for a day out. The light blue sky was dotted with white puffy clouds floating by, and below it, the vast sea twinkled and shimmered, waves gently lapping against the rocky shore. Kayline and her friends were dunking each other into the water, splashing themselves wet, while the teachers they invited sat some distance away, preferring to stay dry. Kayline and Leeane had tried several times to sneak up on the teachers to dunk one or more into the water, but so far the teachers had managed to keep themselves more or less dry, much to the disappointment of the students playing drunkenly in the water below.

"Look at them play" Finn murmured, "you'd hardly think they're mature 17 year old students. More like a bunch of 7 year old kids wrecking havoc at the beach".

"Mature?" Maine, and English teacher snorted. "You got that wrecking havoc part right, but if these students are mature, I'll eat my shoes". A few teachers chuckled at the derisiveness at which Maine had said it. "When you're my age, you see more of them than you ever want to again. Finn, why don't you be a sport and join them? You're still young enough to blend in with them" she suggested.

"Thanks, but I think I'll pass. They play rough", he grinned, nodding at Leeane and Kayline, who had taken up a fellow student and was dragging him mercilessly towards the sea, ignoring his protests which ended off with a gurgle.

"Watching them play makes me feel young again" Derek, and elderly biology teacher mused.

"Really?" Maine replied. "They always make me feel like I've aged so much. But look, they're coming back again" She gestured with a careless hand at the crowd of students who emerged dripping from the sea. Finn looked around, and noted that Kayline had also come out of the water together with Leeane, and the pair of them were making their way towards the teachers. Kayline was wearing an oversized t-shirt tossed over her skimpy bikini, and which now clung to her body, showing off her curves. Much as he tried. Finn simply could not tear his eyes away until Derek reached over and tapped him a finger.

"What?" Finn jerked up, startled.

"Let's go over and get more food, lad". Derek gestured to the BBQ pit, where plates of food was heaped. Finn glanced at Derek curiously, somehow feeling intensively that food was not the reason why Derek wanted to walk over there, but Derek only shook his head and gestured for Finn to follow him. Finn shrugged, got to his feet and followed Derek with an easy stride. When they were at the BBQ pit, Derek picked up a plate of chicken wings and stood there for awhile, silently contemplating Finn, who stood there unmeaning, an inquiring expression on his face.

"I'm sure you didn't ask me here just to offer me a chicken wing, Derek" Finn selected one from Derek's plate, one that wasn't as burnt as the others.

"You should try to be less obvious, Finn", Derek said, still holding the plate of wings but not eating any of them.

"What?" Completely baffled, Finn shook his head.

"That girl. She's your student, for heavens sake. You can't get involved with her" Derek said exasperatedly.

"You mean... kayline?" Finn said quietly. "I don't have any feeling for her". But he looked away as he said it.

"Then for your own sake, stop staring at her!". Derek hissed. "You don't know how obvious you have been?" he calmed himself down with a deep breath, then spoke again. "You're a new teacher, Finn, but you're a good one. Don't let a student spoil it. Remember that your position as a teacher, lad. You cannot get involved with her, do you understand?"

"Yes... Of course" Finn mumbled, annoyed with himself for being so transparent, annoyed with Derek for being so observant. "I wasn't planning to do anything, Derek, I really wasn't".

"Good" Derek huffed out. "Keep it that way, then". With that, Derek began to walk towards where his colleagues were seated. Finn remained where he was, staring at the chicken wing, absorbed in his own thoughts. Because of that, he wasn't aware when Kayline and Leeane sneaked up behind him with a pail of seawater and upturned it above his head. Laughing maniacally, the pair of them sprinted off, with a dripping Finn in hot pursuit.

Far behind them, Derek watched silently, his knowledgeable brown eyes darkening slightly as he sighed. 

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Who dislikes Derek huh? Mean old man. He's way too over the top don't you think...

Update soon if I get decent reads.