Illicit Adoration

Where it All Began

Callie walked gracefully into Mr. Jett's empty classroom. She was always early, so she could take her favorite seat. The one behind the desk that Mr. Jett sits on when he teaches.

Callie loved to be able to look up at him as he taught his favorite subject. She adored seeing the passion that shone from his ocean blue eyes as he spoke. He was the epitome of handsome, every aspect of him not a bit shy of perfect. Every facial feature symmetrical. Every part of his body toned, and tanned to the perfect shade. Derek Jett, was by far the most popular teacher in Southstreet High. He was gorgeous.

"Good morning, Callie. Early per usual," Mr. Jett said through his deep, enchanting voice. The sound of him talking could make flowers grow.

"Good morning, Mr. Jett. As always," Callie responded, placing her purse under the desk and promptly turning to the page written on the board.

The rest of the class filed in slowly. It was obviously a Monday morning. Almost everyone who entered the room looked as if they could drop over from exhaustion. But, Mr. Jett per usual, was as ready to make the best of the day.

"Okay, class. Everyone up here," Mr. Jett silenced the minimal talking, and rolled up his lavender sleeves. Damn, did he make that color look good. "Today we're starting a project. It will be your final, since there are only three weeks left until you're eternally free from coming back here. You may choose a partner, but both of you must complete the essay portion. Collaboration is okay, as long as it is approved by myself or Mrs. Pierra. References are on my webpage under the World History folder. This time is yours, use it wisely."

Mr. Jett returned to his desk, and went back to whatever he had been working on. Callie looked around, seeing everyone conversing and trying to agree on who was who's partner. No one in the class really appealed to her, mostly because they were slackers, and knowingly, the project would never get done. She was content working on her own, knowing that she could do everything how she wanted. So, she decided to take on the task by herself.

Mr. Jett asked everyone who their partners were, so he could record it for the grade book.

"Callie Morgan, partner?" He looked at her with a raised brow. You would think he was shocked to see her working alone, but Callie was independent and liked to do things her way.

"On my own," she responded, without looking up at her ever-so-handsome instructor. To her surprise, he was standing above her within only a few seconds, his hands on his hips.

"You must have a partner for this project, Callie," Mr. Jett demanded. His tone was strict. Businesslike. He looked down at his blushing student, a smirk on his stubble ridden face.

"Everyone already has a partner. I'd rather be the oddball out this time anyways, so I can totally slam this." Callie gave Jett her casual sass. And it worked, as Mr. Jett returned to the board and listed Callie as a single worker.

Mr. Jett watched Callie as she filled an entire piece of notebook paper with notes from her textbook. He was more than proud of the effort that she put into his class, that granted her the straight A's she received on her assignments. Not only did her hard work make him look good for the school's administrators, but it also made him happy to know that someone actually was completely dedicated to completing the work that he assigned. It made him feel like he was doing things right, in his first year of teaching.

"Mr. Jett!" The class brat, Nicole, yelled in the middle of class. This wasn't unusual, but it was definitely getting old. And that was confirmed by the exasperated sigh that Mr. Jett let out as he made his way to her desk. Callie listened in, hearing them talk about some outlandish conspiracy theory relating to the Holocaust, and how it apparently didn't actually happen, and how all the evidence of it was false. This is why, the future generations are completely, and utterly screwed.

The bell rang rather soon, to Callie at least. She had been engulfed in her work. Nothing less than a solid A on this project was acceptable to her. She'd already taken four sheets of notes, and was just getting started.

"Miss Morgan, please stick around for a minute? I need to talk to you," Mr. Jett called out. Callie put her things back down on the desk, and looked over at him. He smiled at her, revealing his perfectly straight, snow white teeth. How attractive.

"I just wanted to let you know, there's a field trip going on next week over the holiday for the history club. I was thinking you might like to attend. We'll be heading to the art museum here in Philly," his smile grew. He knew how much she loved art.

"I'll have to ask about that. Can I let you know tomorrow?" Callie was ecstatic. She had the opportunity to go see her favorite thing, with her favorite guy.

"Of course. By the way, I can't wait to see your final show up everyone else's. Keep up the hard work," he winked at her. He WINKED at her. She blushed even harder.

"Thank you. Well, I better go. See you tomorrow," she smiled at her oh-so-beautiful teacher, and left the room. The smile on her face seemed permanent.

Callie returned home to the empty apartment. She lived with her sister. The girls' parents had left to pursue a business career in Europe, when Callie was seventeen. The occasional visit over long holidays was all Callie saw of her parents, aside from a few video chats. You would think their children were first priority, but this business had completely taken away their lives. Callie and her sister, Jess, no longer cared. If their parents  thought money was more important, okay. They were devoted to making the best of their lives, parents or no parents. It just was, what it was.

Jess came home from work around five. Callie had dinner ready. She made Jess' favorite; vegetable stir fry. 

"Something smells like love in here," Jess said curiously, sniffing like a rabbit. Callie giggled,  and set a plate of food on the table for Jess.

"It's your favorite!" Callie smiled, as her sister's tired face lit up at the sight of the meal. 

"You're the best little sister ever,"  Jess laughed and dug into her food immediately.

Callie sat quiet, thinking about the field trip. She knew her sister wouldn't mind, but what she was really thinking of was if she would be with Mr. Jett or not. Oh, she hoped so. She daydreamed of telling him all about the different pieces, and what they meant. How she aspired to one day have her art on the museum walls. And just how he was a work of art, much more captivating in her eyes than the art on the wall. Oh, if only. 

"Jess?" Callie interrupted her sisters binge.

"Hm?" Jess looked at her little sister, and she could tell what was coming. Well, at least she thought so "You're going on a date aren't you?" Jess stared at Callie with an overprotective look on her tired face.

"No! Gosh, Jess," Callie sighed and rolled her eyes. "I was just going to ask if I could go on a field trip to the art museum with the history club next Friday."

"Oh! Yeah, sure. I won't be in town though, so you'll have to find a ride home or take a cab," Jess smiled, most likely relieved about the "big question," being a field trip. Jess wasn't ready whatsoever to deal with Callie dating. Yeah, she was eighteen and it was in a way time for her to start doing things like that. But Callie wasn't one to date. She only ever had one boyfriend. And that was perfectly okay. 

After dinner, Jess left for an interview, and Callie decided to head out into Philly. She pulled on her leather coat, and made her way to South Street. Dark clouds hindered what evening sunlight was left. Sirens sounded in the distance, and a chilling breeze carried pieces of litter down the streets. Everything seemed so gloomy. 

Just as Callie got to the Bean Cafe for her coffee, rain started to pour down. Thunder crashed, and the lightning flashes lit up skyscrapers. She ordered her usual, a mocha latte, and went to sit. As soon as Callie turned to head to her usual spot, her stomach dropped. The cup of coffee almost fell from her hands. And her heart, felt as if it were running a marathon.