A Small World

Stuck In The Closet

The last bell rings. The class leaves except for me. I look up at Mr. Black. "Can you get the cleaning supply from the closet?" Mr. Black look up at me.

"Sure."

"Thanks." I sit my phone on the desk and get up and walk over to the closet of the room. It's like a mini room that can't fit more then two people inside. I turn on the light and look around the room, holding the door open with my right foot since there's no doorknob inside which means I'd get stuck if it closed.

I look around and guess my luck, the supplies are on the highest shelf and I'm short as hell so I can't reach it. "Mr. Black I can't reach the supplies, can you help me?" I call out.

"Yeah shorty," I turn around and glare at him as he starts to laugh.

"It's not my fault I'm short."

"It's fine. Most guys like short girls anyways," he walk into the closet and kind of pushes me forward so he reach the shelf.

"Mr. Black no!" I shout before the door shuts closed.

"Oh Fuck," he mumbles.

"Watch your language," I roll my eyes.

"Hey I'm the adult here. I can say whatever I want."

"You sure don't act like it."

"I think you're forgetting that we're stuck in a closet." My mind clicks back to reality. It's so small in here that I'm pressed up against him. My face is leveled with his chest. Both our hands on clinging to the side of us.

"Oh right."

"Damon, I forgot my phone."

"The one time I sit my phone down," I mumble. I always have my phone, but the one time I really need it, I don't have it with me. That's just great. I look up at him and he looks down at me. I feel my cheeks heat up and his cheeks turn pink. "Why are you so tall?"

"Why are you so short?" For a teacher, he mocks people just as much as I do.

"I can't help it," I look down at my shoes. "I don't like being short. It sucks like hell."

"Why?"

"I can't reach stuff half the time. I don't know if you noticed, but we wouldn't be stuck in here if I could reach the supplies." I see his right hand lift up and slip under my chin, pushing it up so I look at him.

"Don't blame yourself. It was my fault for not holding the door open. You being short is not your fault," I look into his eyes for what seems like forever.

"Are we gonna try to get out of here?" I finally snap out of the little trance I was in.

"I kinda don't want to." His head lowers, but I can still see what seems like regret on his face. "For once I can just think."

"About what?" I lift my hands and put it under his chin and push his head up to look at me.

"I don't know. Can we just talk?" He narrows his eyes.

"Yeah sure. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Tell me about yourself."

"What's there to say? I'm pretty boring."

"Well like just some stuff about your life."

"Oh okay. Well I was born in Las Vegas. I lived with both of my parents until age 7. My best friend is MacKenzie and I met her in first grade when I was being bullied and she helped me."

"What happened to your parents?" I pause, holding my breath. Do I really need to tell him? What's lying going to do?

"My mom went to prison."

"For what?" Nervousness fills his voice.

"She abused me for two years. Really badly that I've broken my wrists, arms, and legs many times." He pulls me into a hug which is kind of suffocating, but it's comfortable because it's him.

"I'm so sorry Ace. No one deserves any of that." I look up at him kind of surprised that he's reacting like this. He looks down at me, straight into my eyes with so much pain.

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Making you feel so bad about all of this Especially for someone like me." He looks at me with sadness. I feel so guilty. He doesn't deserve to feel so down because of me.

"Don't ever say that Ace. You deserve this out of many people."

"Why? I don't deserve much pity."

"Yes you do. You deserve to be happy and loved and held and kissed. And you deserve the world because you're the most beautiful girl in the world and you deserve everything," a tear escapes both of our eyes. He freezes up, just standing there with me in his arms.

"I-" he cuts me off by smashing our lips together. I close my eyes and take it all in. I kiss back without realizing it. He pulls away. I open my eyes to be meet with wide eyes and an open mouth.

"I'm so sorry. You're my student and that was very inappropriate of me to do that and-"

"It's okay, it's okay. I didn't mind it at all. What you said before that kiss... did you really mean it?" A few tears fall from my eyes, but he wipes it.

"Yes I did. All of it. You deserve the world and more. But why are you crying? Did I hurt you?"

"No you didn't. Its because no one has ever said anything as beautiful like that to me," tears pour from my face like a waterfall. He pulls me into his shirt as I cry hard.

"You need to here that everyday because it's all true."

"No it's not," I cry harder.

"Yes it is. All of it is. I wouldn't lie. Ace look, I know you're my student and you're 12 years younger then me, but I can't help myself. Ever since I saw you, I could tell you were different. I fell for you the second you spoke to me. I care for you more then I have any girl I've dated."

"R-really?" I pull away from his shirt and look up at him. He looks down at me and smiles.

"Absolutely. You don't have to feel the same for me, but I wanted you to know."

"I do have feelings towards you, but you're my teacher. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I-" The door opens to reveal the janitor. He looks at us in relief.

"Are you guys okay?" He asks us.

"Yeah, she was just crying because she's afraid of small spaces," Mr. Black pats my back.

"I heard murmurs coming from here. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah we're fine. I'm just gonna go to my dorm," I quickly push past the janitor and sprint to my room. What just happened?