Teacher ✎ Shawn Mendes

✎3✎

*not edited

Talia

I get up from my desk and walk up to Mr. Mendes desk. His eyes meet mine as I stand right in front of him.

"Hi Talia, are you Italian."

"Half from my dad side and my mom's side from Ethiopia." My mother was born here in America but her my grandmother was from Ethiopia.

"That's cool, what else you have two more things to share."

"Let's see...I like to write poems and short stories. And I like music."

"Can I read one of your poems or short stories some time?" He asked quite interested.

"I don't know, they're probably no good."

"Come on It's always to get another person opinion, opens up a new perspective."

"Since you put it that way. Sure, tomorrow during 8th period okay."

"Yeah I have no class then so yeah that will work." He smiles and everything lightens up around him. I start to head back to my seat with a smile and the twins give me a look.

"What?" I say sitting back down.

"You spend quite a long time up there," Rose says.

"We were just talking, he wanted to get to know his students," I state and look up at Shawn who definitely winks at me and calls the next person.

After he finished talking to everyone he wanted us to write a paragraph on the most exciting thing that happened this summer. I wrote about my birthday party. Then he makes an announcement at the end.

"Who has the eighth period off?" I and two others raise their hands: Ezra and a stoner girl Beth.

"Okay can y'all wait one minute after the bell rings." He says and then the bell rings to dismiss the class.

"I'll be waiting outside," Rose says. Once the room was empty except the three of us he explains why we're still here.

"So I'm new here and need some help moving things around and organizing for the next few weeks. Which one of y'all are interested in helping during your off period."

"Nah I like to go home earlier," Beth says getting up and leaving. "I agree with Beth," Ezra says leaving me and Mr. Mendes alone.

"Will I get extra credit if I do?"

"I've seen your previous grades, you don't really need extra credit. But if that's what it takes for you to help then sure."

"Okay, when do you need me."

"Tomorrow, after I read what you bring, is fine. I'd say today but I got some unpacking to do at home and hate to make you stay late on the first day back." I nod.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Mendes."

✵✵✵

I go meet Eli by the tracks as we agreed earlier. I smile when I see him sitting under the bleachers our favorite hangout spot in the whole school.

"Hey beautiful," I smile my cheeks heating up as I sit down next to him.

"Hey, what did you want to talk about?" Please don't be about the kiss. Please don't be about the kiss.

"It's about the kiss." Shit.

"Oh yeah, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable I was really drunk and wasn't thinking."

"The thing is I wasn't uncomfortable at all, I really liked it." I almost faint from his words.

"And I wanted to ask you on a date how's Friday?"