Teaching Mr. Graham

Chapter Fifty-Five

    Aubrey did what any fine, upstanding man would do if he was caught with two half-naked female students in his condo by a self-proclaimed pervert, regardless of whether or not that self-proclaimed pervert was one of his oldest friends: he drove Tatiana, Kenya, and Eric back to their dorms. Kissing Tatiana goodbye when he'd rather be holding her while singing her to sleep was one of the hardest things he'd had to do, especially considering the intimate moments they'd had...but OB had no chill button. Keeping the students at his place with OB around had the potential to be dangerous.

    When he returned to the condo, OB was pacing in the living room. "The party had to end just because I showed up?" OB demanded. "What kind of bullshit is that?"

    "It wasn't a party," Aubrey insisted, tossing his keys on the kitchen counter and proceeding into the living room.

    "Then what the hell was it?"

    "It was..." Aubrey didn't even know how to explain what it was. "It was...a double-date."

    OB threw his head back and chortled.

    "I'm glad you're finding this amusing."

    "A date?" OB repeated. "Aren't you the one who told me that you're only interested in dating grandmas or some shit?"

    "You're exaggerating," Aubrey said, pointing an index finger at him.

    "You said that if anyone should teach college students, it's you," OB said, dropping down onto the couch and spreading his arms along the backrest. "Why? Because you're not someone who would be even remotely interested in girls that young. And I walk in on what? The start of a student/teacher orgy, smack-dab in the middle of your crib."

    "It was nothing like that, and you're starting to annoy me," Aubrey said.

    "You want to have college girls running around your place in what looks like a scene from one of the Barely Legal movies, who am I to judge, right?" OB held both hands up. "I'm just...surprised, that's all. Don't I have the right to be surprised? Damn near flabbergasted at this shit? Because you thought that if I came along, I would be the trouble maker, when lo and behold-"

    Aubrey glared at him.

    OB cut his sentence short. "Shit. Damn. Fine. I won't say shit."

    Aubrey sighed and ran a hand over his head. "Look...I love her, all right?"

    "You-" OB stopped himself. "You what?"

    "I love her."

    OB nodded. "You love her. I mean...of course you do. You're Drake. Right?" He smacked himself in the forehead.

    "She and I tried to stay away from each other, but...she's an amazing girl. And I feel amazing whenever I'm with her. We both know that it's technically wrong."

    "But it feels so right?" OB said mockingly.

    Aubrey broke eye contact and turned his back to his friend.

    "This can't end well," OB told him. "You know that, right? I mean...you've seen enough movies to know that?"

    Aubrey didn't respond.

    "Because this is a Lifetime movie just...waiting to happen. You know that, right?"

    "I tried to stay away from her. I can't."

    "Shit. Try harder!" OB sat up straight. "Do you know what a scandal like this could do to the empire you've built?"

    "Do you really think that it would be that big of a scandal?" Aubrey asked. "She's in college. It's not like she's a high school student or something."

    OB stroked his jaw. "Tell me something: is she in any of your classes?"

    Aubrey turned his head and gave him a look.

    OB whooped with laughter. "Of course she is. Of course she's in one of your fucking classes. So do I think this would be a big deal? Uh, der. Yes. Yes, I do. There's the question of ethics. Authorities and school officials could question every single grade you've ever given her. Other students could argue that you showed her favoritism. And that's just the beginning. Who knows? Shit." When Aubrey remained silent, he continued. "All it takes is one student to notice something's off. Or one person who doesn't like you. Then bam - everything you've worked for is down the fucking drain. Because something like this would overshadow the music you put out. It would follow you for the rest of your fucking life."

    Deciding not to tell OB that Tatiana's parents knew they were together, Aubrey guessed, "You think I should leave her alone."

    "I'm fucking twisted and I know it," OB said. "The whole world does. But you? You've built your entire image on being this...quasi-good guy."

    Aubrey laughed. "Quasi?"

    "I mean...you've done some douchey shit and admitted to it in your music. You know this." OB slid a hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out a blunt and a lighter. "Something like this though? Something like this could potentially ruin you."

    "Do you know how disturbing it is to hear all of this coming from someone like you?"

    OB lit the blunt and took a puff. With squinted eyes, he responded, "It has to be pretty damned disturbing."

                                                                                 ~~~~~~~~~~~

    Tatiana stared up at the ceiling while holding her pillow.

    "What are you thinking about?" Kenya asked.

    "I am thinking about..." How Aubrey's hands felt on me just a little while ago...how it felt to have him on top of me. Her cheeks grew hot.

    "Him."

    That's the easiest way and most PG-13 way to put it. "Yeah."

    "His friend is pretty crude."

    Tatiana cracked up. "Crude?"

    "It's the only word I could think of," Kenya said, stifling a yawn. "Vulgar. Profane?"

    "Gross," Tatiana surmised.

    Kenya laughed. "I try to use big, writer words and the writer in the room goes with 'gross.'"

    "He's funny though," Tatiana admitted.

    "Yeah, he is funny."

    Tatiana's mind went right back to Aubrey, and she smiled in the dark.

    "So...what happened in that room? You and Aubrey were both, um..."

    Tatiana sucked in her breath.

    "I mean, you didn't...you wouldn't have...so you probably only just...kissed and stuff. Right?"

    "Umm..." Tatiana chewed her bottom lip.

    Kenya rose up on one elbow. "Right, Tati?"

    "See, what had happened was..." Tatiana started.

    Kenya squealed and launched the closest pillow at her friend. "You didn't! You didn't! I mean I thought that maybe...but then I thought, No definitely not...but you had nothing but the sheets on so I should've...oh my God. You fucked Drake. Oh my God."

    "Will you calm down?" Tatiana tugged her covers up to her chest.

    "Calm down? How, Sway?"

    "Figure it out."

    "Bitch, I know you don't think you're about to go to sleep without telling me every single little detail about what went on in that there bedroom."

    "Maybe tomorrow."

    "Maybe tom- bitch, don't make me turn on this light and blind your ass," Kenya threatened.

    Tatiana laughed in the dark.

    "What kind of friendship is this?" Kenya grumbled, turningover in bed. "This is some grade-A bullshit."