Resisting the Player -- [Completed - Unedited]

BC #2: Favorite Teacher (1)

I shoot Aaron a look, my eyes narrowing at his smirk, before I let out a sigh. He knows I'm not going to say anything. Bastard. "Nothing, sir. Sorry." Relaxing back into my seat, I feel Aaron's hand come to rest on my thigh, sending a flash of warmth throughout the rest of my body, and I relax even further, a soft smile growing on my lips. Aaron must see it, because he squeezes briefly.

Mr. Griffith's eyes flit between me and Aaron, confused. And then a spark of understanding and mischief enters his look. "Ah." He leans back against his desk, crossing his legs at the ankle and his arms over his chest. "So. Has it finally happened, then?"

My brows furrow and my head tilts to the side, Griffith's sudden understanding resulting in my confusion. "What?"

He chuckles, a smirk appearing on his face, before he shakes his head. "Finish your reflection," he tells me, straightening and moving back behind his desk. Shaking his head again, he takes his seat, looking at a bunch of papers with a red pen in his hand.

I pause, blinking for a few seconds, and turn to Aaron. "What?"

He shoots me an amused look. "And people say I'm the oblivious one."

I scowl at him. "You are. I'm just confused. It's not my fault our teacher is crazy." Aaron's eyes hold a glint of amusement.

"I heard that," Mr. Griffith calls.

Aaron turns his head towards the front. "She didn't mean it," he says, directing his words to Mr. Griffith. "You're her favorite teacher, even if she won't admit it."

"He is not," I say defensively. I don't like to let people know how much I care. Sue me. Turning my head, I tell Mr. Griffith, "You are not my favorite. I just... tolerate you more than other adults."

I turn my head to watch Aaron roll his eyes. "She likes you," he assures Mr. Griffith. He turns back to me with a smile. "I can tell."

"Oh, really?" I snort. "And how is that?"

The smile remains on his face, but it changes. Turns softer. His eyes change alongside his smile. They both went from showcasing his amusement to—

"'Cause I can tell you like me."

My face immediately breaks out into a smile because he's the most adorable person I've ever met. "Sure."

He shrugs and turns back to his paper, his pencil writing something out. I do the same, and his left hand finds its way back to my thigh. The smile is instant.

A knock sounds on the classroom door, and Mr. Griffith stands from his desk to answer it, walking to the door with a slight limp. He told me he'd been in an accident when he was younger, and his right leg never quite healed the way it was supposed to.

He opens the door. "Yes?"

"Um, hi." I know that voice. "I'm here for, um, Cassandra Parker? We need her for the, uh, nominated awards thing?"

Oh. Oh, shit.

The 'awards thing' is an annual awards ceremony, where students—nominated by their teachers—recieve awards for various reasons. Sportsmanship, diligence, role model to their peers. Anything, really.

I never thought I'd be nominated. My teachers had never really liked me, mostly because I talked too much, and I only did the work when I felt like it, and other stuff along those lines.

"Ah, yes, of course." Griffith turns to motion me over. Aaron squeezes my thigh again before removing his hand, and I stand. As I maneuver my way through a maze of desks and pushed our chats, Mr. Griffith shoots me a smile. My eyes catch on Gabby's from where she's standing on the other side of the door. She breaks eye contact almost instantly. "Cass," Griffith says, stopping me from heading out the door. "You're a very good student, and I'm proud to have had you in my class this year. Even if your previous years here could have used some work."

Warmth surges through me. I've never really had the approval of my teachers. Sure, I was smart, and sure, I was a relatively good kid, but they still had an aversion to me.

So it means the world to me that at least one of them likes me.

I swallow and shoot Mr. Griffith a smirk, trying to play it off. "Thanks, Paul. That means a lot to me."

He rolls his eyes. "You know you're not allowed to call me that."

"But I'm still your favorite student, right?"

"Don't push it."

Laughing, I start to make my way out the door again. "I'm your favorite." He doesn't respond, instead pushing a 'hmmph' sound out of his mouth, but I take that as a yes. Because it is one. Turning around, I call back to Aaron, ignoring the annoyed looks I get, "Bring my stuff if I'm not back before the bell."

"Okay, Cassie."

I turn back and around and walk through the door, and it closes behind me. Leaving me with Gabby.

Gabby and I have sort of stopped talking. We don't text anymore, and the group chat is practically non-existent, not to mention the fact that we pass each other in the hallways without a second glance.

She's always hanging out with Tiffany, so I never want to approach her, I'm always with Gracie, so I doubt she wants to approach me.

I really wish we could've worked things out—she was one of my best friends—but... I don't know. I don't trust her anymore. I never would've imagined that she would say the things she did to Gracie, and the fact that she did is mind boggling.

Still, I make an effort to be polite.

"Hi."

She clears her throat, her eyes darting to the ceiling, the floor, the walls. "Hey. Um, I'm supposed to take you to Ms. Richards?" Ms. Richards is an administrator who oversees the whole awards thing. We're not on the best of terms either. "'Cause you're being considered for the thing."

I nod my head. "Right." She fidgets where she stands, and I bounce lightly, my hands twitching at my sides. "Are we gonna go?" I ask after a few seconds of silence.

She shakes herself off. "Yeah, um, of course, sorry. Follow me."

She turns away without saying anything else, and I follow her down the hallway, turning when she does. It's weird. If we were still friends, she probably would've been excited on my behalf, saying how much I deserved it. Now, there's just silence.

I don't like it.

I want my friend back. I haven't realized it until now because I didn't want to think about our lost friendship, but the fill force of the situation hits me.

I genuinely miss her company, her friendship, and I feel guilty for missing it. I feel guilty for missing it because she hurt Gracie—she knowingly and willingly hurt Gracie.

Which means she hurt me, too.

And I, being the petty and grude-holding person that I am, don't think that I can ever forgive her for that.

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Okay, so this kind of got away from me in length, so I cut it short. The second part will be out tomorrow or the day after :)

Anyways: I'm thinking of rewriting the ending. I was going over it, and it just didn't sit right with me. So, I'll be scrapping the current version of chapter 48, publishing a different version and adding a few more chapters after it. Haven't decided how the ending will go, but, I don't know, it needed to change.

Please let me know what you guys think about that development. I don't want to change it if too many people are fine with it.

Thanks for reading, guys!

--Rose