Little Lexi || DDLG

Chapter 8

A/N: updated as of 5/28/2020

I wake up to Declan nudging my shoulder gently. "Wake up, Lexi," he whispers in my ear. I groan and cover my head with a blanket, still half asleep and wanting to remain asleep. I hear Declan sigh and poke me again. "Lexi, you have fifteen minutes until you need to be at school."

At this, I bolt upright and throw the blankets off, looking around my room bathed in faint early-morning light. "How the hell did I sleep through my alarm?!" I cry in shock.

Declan raises an eyebrow. "Because you didn't set it." I shake my head and slide off the bed to take a shower and get dressed.

"What are your plans for today?" I ask Declan, who's dressing in my room, while I put away my makeup in the bathroom.

"I told you, I'm coming with you," he calls back, followed by a small thump and several curses. "I fucking stubbed my goddamn toe on your piece-of-shit dresser!"

"That's the universe's way of warning you against coming with us," I say righteously. Honestly, I don't want him meeting James. That's it. That's why I don't want him to come to school with me. I'm worried they won't like each other and I want to avoid that whole mess.

A minute later, Declan emerges from my room and we head to school. He grumbles the entire way about his sore toe, and I grumble about how he's going to get me in trouble. But when we get inside the school, he insists on following me around the entire day until I suggest that he should stick with Rachel because he slept over at my house and Rachel misses him and hey, Rachel and I have some classes in common and we can reunite. One reason I didn't tell him is that I plan to spend first period checking out the DDLG tag on Tumblr again. It's become something that I'm actively looking forward to and know I can enjoy, strangely enough, considering how I was "introduced" to it in the first place. However, my first-period teacher makes us help her clean out her classroom, so I spend a fun-filled 80 minutes taking posters off walls and rubbing half the classroom down with Lysol wipes.

Thankfully, I get to James's classroom before anyone else arrives and slide into my seat beside his desk, excited to see him again. But what I don't expect is the prominent frown on his face. "Lexi, why didn't you answer my texts last night?" he asks, sounding disappointed.

I swallow. "My phone was off most of the time, I'm so sorry," I say truthfully. James sighs and clenches his jaw, looking away from me.

"I wasn't sure if something had happened to you and I was worried," he admits. A wave of shame and guilt washes over me, and I want to sink into the floor.

"I'm so sorry," I repeat meekly, looking down at my lap. "I'll respond quickly next time, I promise." James nods and gives me a small smile, making me think I'm forgiven until he says, "You're up to ten now."

"What?" I ask confusedly. "Ten what?"

James leans across our desks until his lips are very close to my ear. "Spanks, Lexi," he murmurs, his hot breath making me tremble. "Five for swearing, and five for not responding." He keeps his face close to mine until he's sure I understand, and then withdraws behind his desk again. I bow my head in submission, knowing that I deserve the punishment.

As students file into the classroom, James keeps his eyes fixed on me, gauging my reaction to his words. It isn't until Rachel and Declan take seats next to me that he turns his attention away.

"Who are you and what are you doing in this class?" James bluntly asks Declan, clearly realizing that he doesn't belong here. Declan gives him a lazy smile and puts an arm around my shoulders.

"I'm Declan and Mr. Croft said I could be here," Declan replies, dropping the principal's name. I'm guessing he stopped by Student Services or somewhere to get the ID sticker now displayed on his flannel shirt. James nods once, probably realizing that his authority as a substitute teacher only goes so far, and narrows his eyes slightly as he sees Declan so casually touching me.

"Declan, please take your hand off of Miss Barrington," James says sharply. "Keep your limbs to yourself." Looking slightly put out, Declan complies as Rachel tries to cover a snigger.

"Today we'll be watching October Sky, on orders from Mrs. Benfield," James announces, and walks over to the projector to set it up. With his back to me, I can freely admire how perfect his butt is.

"Hey, is that asshole Blair Hancock still here?" Declan whispers to me. I point to where she's sitting on the other side of the room, surrounded by a gaggle of admirers eager to use her popularity to boost their own.

"Yeah, and she's still a bitch," I whisper back. Just then, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and pull it out. One new message from James, the screen displays.

From: James

Message: Fifteen.

I close my eyes and let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. It would seem that I didn't notice James return to his desk, from which he'd be able to clearly hear everything that Rachel, Declan, and I say. I text him back in shame.

To: James

Message: I'm sorry, but she deserves it tho.

From: James

Message: That's twenty.

To: James

Message: What?! Why????

From: James

Message: It doesn't matter whether or not she deserved it, Lexi. What you said doesn't make you sound like the polite little girl you should be, now does it?

My heart beats quickly and my palms start to sweat. He called me a little girl! I can feel my heartbeat elevate; right now I want nothing more than to jump into his lap and apologize for being naughty, but I settle for a text instead.

To: James

Message: I'm sorry. I'll be a polite little girl from now on :(

From: James

Message: That's right. My good little girl.

I blink slowly and try to keep my breathing steady. Out of the corner of my eye, I can see James staring at me intently, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly. The rest of the class is watching the movie intently, unaware of what's passing between us. I decide to intensify the situation with a risky text.

To: James

Message: Your good little girl...Daddy.

I take a deep breath after I send the message, and glance at James out of the corner of my eye. He looks down at his phone, and his eyes widen slightly before an adorable satisfied smile appears on his pillowy lips. He looks up at me and nods twice, as if to say Now you're getting it. I slide my phone back into my pocket and turn my gaze to the movie playing on the SmartBoard, but my thoughts stay on James and next week.

A/N: weLL THIS CHAPTER GAVE ME ALL THE FEELS HBU I just ugh I've had v bad writer's block and I feel like im stalling for time until their last of week of school is over but whatever um volleyball still sucks imo but im slowly getting less terrible. our homecoming is like two weeks away and I cant go because I have a v important thing to go to but the guy I (v lowkey) have a crush on hasn't asked me and Im sad???? but my alpha crush is in England rn for school and getting majorly drunk because he's over the drinking age there and he keeps sending me drunk snapchats he's so cuteeee aND DOCTOR WHO IS TONIGHT IM SCREAMING im so sorry for rambling um please vote and comment!!!!1!!!!!!1!!!! bye