"Do you reckon she's married?" Teagan asked the group as she jogged to catch up with them, having strayed behind to pet a rough looking ginger cat on the pavement.
Even if he had actually tried to, James couldn't suppress his scoff "why do you care, Teagan?"
Taken slightly aback by James's unfamiliar malice towards her, Teagan side eyed him as she moved to stand next to Michelle. He had been like this all day yesterday too. Quite frankly Teagan thought he needed to remove whatever stick was lodged up his arse.
"A woman Like her ... she's not tied to anything" Erin answered Teagan's inquiry, sighing wistfully at her newfound favourite subject. Miss de Brun.
"Yeah," Teagan nodded "she's too independent for a relationship" she presumed. Having based her entire opinion on their new teacher purely on how intriguing and beguiling she was. If Teagan noticed James's deep scowl drop almost instantly to a frown that made him resemble a kicked puppy, she didn't say anything.
"You know, i think she makes me enjoy school!" She proudly admitted, "I showed up ten minutes early this morning" It was a miracle if Teagan even tried in lessons, but now English lessons had her whole attention.
Erin grabbed her arm and dragged her closer. "What did you talk about, did she mention anything about my poem," Erin didn't give her friend time to answer, "well did she? I gave her some of my other works —."
Teagan had enough, not so gently ripping her shoulder away from Erin's reach she scoffed and rolled the limb in attempt to regain the feeling she lost from the girls tight grip. "We didn't talk about anything Erin, Jenny was early too and spent the whole time moaning about how the homework was unfair" Teagan groaned, apparently still harbouring a resentment she wasn't aware of because of Jenny's interruption.
"Do you know she has tiny flecks of gold in her eyes?" Teagan announced, getting distracted and looking off into the distance.
"Who, Jenny?" Michelle chortled. Teagan rolled her eyes and groaned.
"No, Miss De Brun" she protested.
"Right ... and how do you know that?" Michelle raised a brow and Teagan could tell from the tone of her voice that she was scrutinising what her friend had said.
Apparently Teagan had somehow overstepped the line of what was and wasn't acceptable to gush about. Never mind the fact only a few minutes earlier they were all ready to die for their teacher. But noticing how pretty her eyes were was too far apparently.
Teagans mind went into panic mode as she stuttered and flailed to find a suitable
— hetrosexual — answer.
"What?" She asked Michelle again, feigning innocence to bide time.
However, like an angel sent from who or whatever, James quickly spoke up. "She's trying to figure out how she does her eyeliner?" he offered, slightly sounding like he was the one asking Michelle a question.
Teagan took his excuse and gladly ran with it. "Yeah, it's just so ..." she huffed and struggled to stop her hands from fidgeting and shaking at her sides.
Michelle and the others seemed to accept the lie and instantly moved on to discussing how miss De Brun truly must be a wizard with a eyeliner pencil. Teagan, however lagged slightly behind the girls in order to catch up with James, who still wore that unattractive frown on his face. Even ruing his white trainers as he kicked at every pile of rocks he could reach along the road.
Growing annoyed by his attitude, but appreciating him for helping her, Teagan grabbed his hand and intertwined her much smaller fingers around his as she pulled him back to the others. "Thank you for that" she whispered, hitching so she was closer to his ear, "You saved my ass" she breathlessly giggled. Her silent huffs of breath tickling at the thin hairs of his neck sent James wild.
"James?" Teagan quietly asked when he didn't respond. He couldn't help but coyly smile as he tried to keep his eyes forward and appear stoic around the others. Teagan was confused at first why he wasn't responding until she saw him gulp and connected the dots with a grin.
It's was weirdly attractive to her whenever she realised something unintentional she did had a affect on the boy next to her. Not that he would ever say it around the others, but alone he would admit to almost anything. Under duress James had proudly and sheepishly admitted the following things ...
1) every-time Teagan smiles at him he nearly goes into cardiac arrest. 2) the copy of pride and prejudice she carries around is his second favourite thing in the universe. he loved to watch the way her eyebrows bunched up as she read and how she would bite her lip in confusion. 3) his first favourite thing in the universe was her. 4) oh and he thought she had a great ass.
Watching him smile despite his attempts, surrounded by dark houses and only illuminated by the dim light emitting from the streetlights, Teagan allowed a sensation she often felt with James to wash over her.
A self-affection. He made her like herself. With him she was at ease; always one to never feel right in her own body, her skin felt as if it was the right size for once, like she belonged. It seemed so natural, to rest her head against his shoulder and lag behind the others hand in hand as one entity. She had never felt this before, just the peacefulness of not having to worry about anything, only James could bring her to that state.
And despite whatever petty argument they were going through at the moment Teagan knew this was it. Her and James. James and her. Not even Hugh Grant or Miss de Brun would change the way she felt about him. Well ... if Hugh Grant — no, no Teagan wanted James maguire and no one else.
But Teagan couldn't let James win whatever the hell was going on between them so she pulled him ahead to the others. Anxiously awaiting what their adventure to Miss De Bruns house would bring.
1036 words!
THIS IS .... ITS SOMETHING THATS FOR SURE. ITS SO SHORT BUT ALSO I FEEL TOO LONG?? I WAS INITIALLY GOING TO SKIP THIS EPISODE BUT THOUGHT TEAGAN SHOULD GET REVENGE FOR HER BEING JEALOUS ABOUT JAMES AND FATHER PETER
WHICH REMINDS ME!! IVE DECIDED TO WRITE JAMES AS Bi TOO!!
Whenever I try and write cutesy scenes with James and Teagan I feel like they're so awkward and especially the scene I have planned for the next chapter :)
22/7/22