Forbidden (Niam Student/Teacher)

Chapter Eight

And then I realize what he's just said to me.

Rumours. About me and Mr. Payne. Seeing each other. Inside school.

Zayn's already seemed to clock the situation, and talks to me in a hushed, dramatic tone. ''You have to talk to Carys, Niall. She sits next to you in Art, right?'' he whispers near my ear. I nod. ''If the whole fucking school finds out, you'll be sure to be moved. Class, if not school. You can't let this happen, Niall! Do you realise how dangerous this is? For you, and for Mr. Payne?'' he whispers feircely.

I swallow down a hard lump in my throat. ''I think so. When does this period end?'' I look up at the clock, and just at that moment, the alarm bell sounds, signalling us to move class. fith period. Art. Brilliant. I gathed my French jotters and coursenotes and make my way out of class with Zayn by my side, walking fast. ''I'll talk to her as soon as possible. Ask her what she heard.''

''Good,'' is all Zayn says. 

Mr. Payne smiles wryly when he sees me enter his class with Zayn close by my side, and instantly when he sees Zayn so close to me, his smile drops and his face becomes stern.

Ouch. Was I not even allowed to walk with Zayn anymore? Was it against Mr. Payne's guidelines for 'How To Be Your Art Teacher's Boytoy'? 

The moment I slide into my seat next to Carys, I bow low and talk quietly and quickly, ''Carys, what do you think you know about me and Mr. Payne?''

Her eyes stay front and she says icily, ''That... well. Mr. Payne said something about you two banging each other after classes last time I was in here. I only told a few people, but none of them believed me.''

''Carys, it's nothing, me and Mr. Payne are just friends, okay-?''

''LikeI'oing to believe that, Niall,'' she said sourly, glaring at me out the corner of her translucent blue eyes. ''Mr. Payne keeps staring at you as if you're dinner, anyway. It's not hard to tell that you guys are seeing each other,''

By now, I am desperate. ''Carys-I know we don't know each other very well-'' I start off, my tone pathetic and pleading. 

She cuts me off with her most vicious glare yet. ''You want me to keep a secret that could potentially wreck both of your careers?'' she shakes her head firmly at me. ''Niall, this is illegal,''

''I know, I know! But... wait. You think we're seeing each other?'' I say. 

Carys frowns and nods at me. ''Well, yeah. What else would you guys be doing?''

I resist the urge to roll my eyes back at her, but that would just be so stupid, so instead I say, quite flatly, ''Carys, think. He has a claddagh ring on his left hand wedding finger.'' I wait for her reaction, and it's worth it. Her lips part and she looks so horrifed for a split second she seems ready to throw a tantrum. She turns to me, seemingly on the brink of tears. ''Horan Whore,'' I sigh. ''At his service, now,''

Carys glares at me for a few more seconds, then, because what I just said is so cliched, thatshe bursts out laughing, covering her mouth, shaking her head at me. She whacks my arm with the back of her hand. ''You are so stupid, Niall!'' she says, half serious. ''How could you say that kind of thing?''

I hear Mr. Payne cough deliberately. ''If you are quite finished, Carys and Niall!' he bellows across the classroom so loudly, that all of my classmates are silenced in shock. I even get a fright, and Carys's laughter dies down immediately, and we all turn to look at Mr. Payne, flushed and angry, standing with his fists clenched at the front of the classroom.

''Now,'' he says stiffly, his eyes narrowed in fury at me and Carys. ''Now you are all quiet,'' he stressed the word as we'd been violating the laws of the Queen. ''I'll tell you what you're doing today.'' he glared pointedly at me, so aggressively I feel as if I'd just been slapped. ''We'll drop the portraits for this week only, just as to fit in some agenda stuff, so instead, we'll be working on nature. Birds, cut-outs, rodents, big cats, sealife-whatever you want, whether it be wildlife or scenery. Skies, if you like. You know where the equipment is. But all I'm looking for, is the theme of orange. Just quality work. All right? This is going in your portfolio assessments, by the way.''