Following the Teacher

Chapter 2

"Um Mr. Tanner I'll do the problem." Isby raised her hand behind me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"And where did this this new surge of energy for chemistry come from?" He asked Isby. I put my head in my hands. Isby isn't one for going up to the board and being active in these kind of things. She only raised her hand to save me from embarrassment.

I heard Isby laugh nervously and I shook my head. "I'll go up Mr. Tanner." I said quietly and stood up. I felt Isby's sympathetic gaze shoot into the back of my head and I began biting my lips from being nervous. I'm usually never nervous when it comes to solving problems on the board but because of the awkwardness between me and Mr. Tanner, I felt like running away somewhere. I felt like my relationship (I don't know what else to call it) with Mr. Tanner was stuck in some limbo between friend, student, and lover. Well...lover is a bit too exaggerated but I mean we made out, that has to mean something.

I stood up next to the board. Mr. Tanner's hand brushed mine as he handed me the marker and butterflies immediately began flying in my stomach. I began writing on the board, answering the question he wrote on it earlier. Next to me, he faced the class as he continued lecturing about the different units. He smelled like axe, the same axe that I first smelled in the car. And the same smell that made a nest of my nose when we first kissed.

Could we possibly date? We could keep it secret...

"Ms. Carter, are you done?" His question broke me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I absentmindedly asked. I turned around to see the whole class laughing and Isby face palming.

"Making jokes is a serious offense that disrupts the learning process. Do it again and I may have to contact the principal." Mr. Tanner began. I just stood there staring at him like "are you stupid?". Kinda mean to do that to a teacher but he's always so laid back and cool, why would he be scolding me for being confused? "Do you have something to say Ms. Carter?" He asked responding to my look.

You see, I'm the kind of person who'll argue about something if I know I'm right. So the next thing I did was probably one of the downside effects of my personality.

"Yeah I do." I put the marker on the marker holder thing that's connected to the board and folded my arms. "I didn't do anything. I was just confused and all I wanted to do in the first place was get a piece of gum from my bag." Okay that last part was a lie but no one needs to know that. "So excuse me for being the innocent student I am and being confused when asked a question." I began walking back to my desk. "I have better things to do than be the victim of a severe ranting by a teacher who doesn't even know how to button up his shirt the whole way." I muttered that last part...but apparently it was loud enough for Mr. Tanner and some kids around me to hear.

The kids all began oohing and some gasping as I shook my head and sighed. I sat down and looked at the ground in front of my desk. I could feel Mr. Tanner's violent gaze tearing a gash through my wall of hidden emotions.

"We will talk after class." He stated with a firm voice.

I could feel stares digging into my skull from classmates around me as Mr. Tanner went back to teaching on the board. I took my ipod out and plugged my headphones in, listening to random songs that came on with shuffle. This looks really rude of me but I honestly had no intention of listening to the man talk. He embarrassed me in front of the whole stinking class and for what reason? I have no idea.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and a note skimming the top of my shoulder. I grabbed it and opened it as discreetly as I could.

What's wrong with you and hottie 101? Of course she'd use hottie.