The Teacher

THREE

"Roxanne," I heard Jenna whisper before she grabbed my arm which thankfully made me break eye contact with the man stood in front of me.

Quickly Jenna led us through the desks in the room, heading towards an empty one in the row second from back. I noticed Brianna glaring at me once again as we walked through the classroom. I rolled my eyes. Of course she'd be in this class too.

"Welcome," the man, still stood at the doorway, grinned. "Well done for surviving thus far on your first day of Senior Year. For those whom I didn't teach last year, my name is Mr Hunter. "

He then strolled slowly but confidently over to his desk and stood behind it, picking up a piece of paper as he did so.

"So let's see who's turned up to class, shall we?" He asked, laughing. "Let's get to know each other. When I call your name, raise your hand and introduce yourself. I'll give you an example."

He walked around and sat on his desk, his legs hanging down as he perched there comfortably. "So," he continued. "I'm Mr Hunter. I'm your Algebra teacher for your senior year. I love to travel and explore new places."

He continued to encourage people to share something like a hobby, past memory or favorite movie. Once he had drummed up enough enthusiasm within the room, which wasn't hard with the female students as he already had their full attention, he began to call people out.

"Anderson, Roxanne."

My heart skipped a beat as I heard my name called first. I cursed my surname beginning with an A. I had wanted some time to compose myself and think about what I could say.

"Here," I said tentatively, slowly raising my hand. The confident charade that I'd tried to have all day almost completely evaporated. I felt Mr Hunter's attention turn to me as I started to speak. I couldn't help but glance up, but as soon as I locked eyes once again with the attractive teacher I blushed and turned around to look at the other students. "So yes, I'm Roxanne. As most of you know I'm new to Red Oak this year. I just want to make the most of it. I may not have wanted to end up here, but here I am, and I'm determined to make an impression."

"Good," Mr Hunter commented, forcing my attention back to him. He was smiling and I just about managed to smile in return. His gaze lingered just a little too long so that it became uncomfortable and I averted my gaze to the table. After I did so, I heard him continue

Somewhat to my frustration I couldn't concentrate while everybody introduced themselves in turn. It could have been useful to hear the facts people gave; it could have helped me assess them all a little more. However, I heard nothing.

The way Mr Hunter's shirt fitted his body so snugly showed clearly that he worked out. On occasion, he adjusted his position on the table and as he did so I could see the muscles in his arms flex slightly, but also with ease, as he shifted his weight. His dark hair was combed neatly to the side and even from near the back of the classroom I caught whiffs of his aftershave. Damn, he smelt good.

He really listened to his class too. As each person spoke they had his full attention, nodding and laughing at what the class were saying. I really wish I could have been focused enough to hear what exactly made him laugh but all I could hear was his actual laugh. It was genuine and he certainly seemed to enjoy being amused.

"Finally," I heard Jenna whisper. I turned just in time to see her sigh. "That was the longest set of introductions ever. Kind of cool because class is nearly over but I couldn't care less about most people in this room."

"Mmm," I nodded in agreement.

"Don't pretend you were paying attention," she continued to whisper, but this time it sounded playful. "I saw you checking out the teacher."