To Get an 'A'

DEUX

****

Levi sat alone in his classroom grading papers while eating lunch. He was about to take a break to get a soda when the name on the next sheet caught his eye. 'Ellory Crane' was written in curvy letters at the top, turning his mind to the nasty things he wanted to do with the curves of her body.

"She's a student," he mumbled to himself. As he began grading her work, he noticed that she still wasn't comprehending the material well. He went through with a pencil to fix a few unnoticable mistakes which brought her grade up quite a bit, but it wasn't like he would be able to do shit like that when finals came around.

Levi had discussed Ellory with a few of her old teachers at a faculty meeting on Monday. They agreed that her grades this semester were not reflecting the brilliant girl they had come to know over the last three and a half years, which worried him more than he would like to admit.

The bell ending fourth lunch rang, causing Levi to shove the last bit of sandwich into his mouth.

Hoping to catch her before class, he stood outside the door, greeting students as they came in. He noticed Ellory come down the hall holding the hand of a guy whom Levi assumed to be her boyfriend. His attention was focused on Ellory as they laughed and teased each other. Her smile made his stomach flutter like a love-sick teenager. Though she was incredibly beautiful, he had one problem with that gorgeous smile: it wasn't directed at him.

At 1:57, the three minute warning bell rang and the boy kissed Ellory right on her lips. A wave of jealously and queasiness hit Levi hard in his gut. It wasn't until he saw Ellory's look of distaste once the kid turned away that he felt better.

****

'Does he always stand there?' Ellory asked herself. She hadn't noticed him doing so the last couple days, and with that face, she was sure she would've. He stopped her on her way into the room.

"Ms. Crane?"

"Yes?"

"May I speak to you after class?"

Ellory nodded, "Sure."

She spent the entirety of class thinking about the lecture he was about to give her. It didn't take a genius to know that he was unhappy with her grades.

Mr. Caverly glanced at her once the final bell rang to confirm that she was staying put while all the other students left to go home. After everyone was gone, Levi sat down in what was usually Sawyer's seat, next to Ellory. For a moment, it was silent between them.

"Mr. Caverly, I know this is about my grades," she stated quietly.

He glanced at her, watching as she stared down at her hands, twisting the ring that rested around her left thumb.

"I just wanted to make sure everything is alright with you, Ellory. I spoke with some of your previous teachers and they confirmed that your grades this semester aren't what they should be."

Ellory ran a hand through her hair in frustration, knowing she may have to tell him or he would write her off as a complete bitch.

"I know. I'll eventually get the hang of it."

His gray eyes bore into the tendrils of dark hair that were covering most of her face, "Ellory, it's the third Wednesday of the semester and you're already failing."

"I lost my Mom a couple months back," she admitted with a huff, "In all honesty she pushed me to do well in school and it's been hard for me to actually give a damn. No offense or anything, I'm just not sure what to do with myself now that she's gone."

He knew exactly the feeling she was describing and before he could stop himself, he was telling her about his own experience, "My parents were in an accident when I was eleven. My brother, Leo, was with them and ended up in a coma for an entire six months. But neither of my parents made it," he paused to take a breath in order to calm himself, "What I'm getting at, Ellory, is that I've been where you are. I know shit like that changes everything around you in a way that only someone who's suffered the same way can understand. But if you're Mom really cared about you and you're education like you say, then she wouldn't want you to throw that to hell because she died."

Willing her tears to dissapear, Ellory nodded. She knew he was right and moving on was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever have to do, but her Mom would want her to get on with the rest of her life and not look back.

"If you ever need anything at all, my door is always open. I know teachers seem to say that a lot and it usually gets an eyeroll or two, but I really mean it, Ellory."

She sniffed, "Thanks, Mr. Caverly."

Her teary, bloodshot, blue eyes met his as he gave a nod that said, 'Anytime.'

****

With her hip-hop class done, Ellory took a cleansing breath. It felt good to do what she did best: teach dance classes. Everyone in hop-hop was happy to see her and the people within her tango class were no different when they arrived. Many greeted her with smiles and hugs, telling her how wonderful it was to have her back.

At seven o'clock on the dot, she began teaching the first steps. She was care-free and relaxed as she went about helping and showing them how to do the easy stuff. It was the first time in months that she felt like herself.

"Okay, guys, why don't we-"

She was interuppted by the bell above the front door as someone entered the studio.

"Sorry I'm late."

Ellory nearly gasped out loud as she was greeted by stormy gray eyes.