THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RE-WRITTEN/IMPROVED ✅
Smut warning :)
ELLA'S POV:
The date went well.
We kept the conversations light. Well, at least, Luke did. I tried a couple times here and there to ask about his family, or his personal life in general, but was met each time with fidgeting hands and dodged questions.
He's going to be tough one to figure out, that's for sure.
He walked me most of the way home, and despite not getting a real kiss from him yet, I think it'll happen when the time is right. We both want to take things slow.
I'm picking at my spaghetti, avoiding the impending interrogation from dad all dinner.
Dad rambles on about work and I give the occasional nod or "oh yeah?" to make him think I'm interested.
It doesn't take long for him to pick up on my lack of genuine attention. So, he takes it upon himself to change the subject.
"I've been thinking about it all day, and, I don't want you seeing that boy anymore, Ella." There's a suddenly stern tone in his voice that causes my ears to prick up.
"What boy?"
"You know what boy. Luke Hemmings. The kid gives me a bad feeling. I don't trust him." He shoves a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.
I can't help but feel a stab of offence in my chest.
For fucks sake, doesn't even know Luke!
I try to remain calm.
"Dad, he's really nice. I know the lip piercing and the skinny jeans make him look otherwise, but he's a genuine guy. He pulls out my chair, gives me his jacket and all that gentlemen stuff. But he's real, too. We're really alike and he seems to really care about me."
"And you have figured all this out in just one week?" His eyebrows raise in disapproval as I try to restrain myself from getting defensive.
"I'm done with this conversation, and dinner. I'll see you later." I stand up in frustration, place my empty plate in the sink and start walking upstairs.
Dad stands up too and follows in my direction.
"Listen to me, young lady. I didn't move here so you could waste your time with boys like him. Now, I've invited my friend from work and his son over tomorrow night for dinner. Maybe you can connect with him instead of this stupid Hemmings loser." And with that, he storms back into the kitchen and I stomp to my bedroom.
I slam my door and collapse onto my bed.
My dad and I fight a lot.
It could be the fact that I barely see him due to his demanding job, but honestly, we've never really been the same since mum left when I was in sixth grade. He changed the second we came back from the store to find every piece of her gone. Someone who was once sweet, who once hugged me tightly every single time he saw me, who always made me his first priority, threw himself into a new job and barely even bothers to tell me he loves me at all anymore.
THE NEXT MORNING, AT SCHOOL:
I shut my locker and hold my books tightly, keeping my eyes glued to the floor, avoiding any chance of seeing Mr Irwin.
"Ella?" I hear a voice shout from across the hallway.
I look up and am slightly relieved to see a beaming Luke, striding towards me, and putting his arm around my shoulders as we begin walk together.
"Missed you. How was the rest of your weekend?" He asks cheerfully.
"Shitty. My Dad fully flipped out on me because he doesn't 'approve' of my choices in boys, specifically you." I spoke, and watched his face drop entirely by the end of my sentence.
"Wait, your last name is Montgomery, so that means.... Shit." He looks at the floor and rubs his eyes in stress. I can see cogs turning in his head.
"Means what?"
I'm completely perplexed.
"Your Dad is Marvin Montgomery?" He says reluctantly, seemingly hoping that I'll say no.
".... Yeah? Why?"
I'm starting to worry now.
"Fuck." He mumbles.
"Luke, you're freaking me out. What do you know about my dad?" My voice is growing louder with concern.
The bell suddenly rings and Luke walks off, leaving me with a million questions.
I eventually catch up to him, and hear him mumble to himself,
"How could I fucking miss that?! Shit. Idiot."
I want answers and I want them fast, but before I can even ask another question he swerves into the classroom, and I follow close behind.
But, to my surprise, he doesn't sit in his regular seat beside mine. Instead, he sits up the back, next to that blonde girl who dissed me on the first day of school, in front on Mr Irwin. A devilish grin sweeps across her caked face when Luke takes a seat next to her, and she subtly moves her desk closer to him.
Luke puts his head in his hands and I decide it's best not to push him right now.
I make my way over to my usual spot next to Zoe.
"So, Lookie Pookie, how about we re-create old times and get freaky in the girls bathroom later?" I hear her mumble from the back of the room.
I fight the urge to throw up.
Luke chuckles and looks at her with a grin.
As I'm about to say something, I remember I'm not dating Luke. We're just ... hanging out. And even though it feels like more, I'm not going to yell at him for smiling at another girl when I've known him for one week.
She leans across and threads her fingers through his wavy golden hair and bites her lip. I look away, mainly because my stomach can't handle any more.
I knew he had a reputation, but I hadn't been faced with the reality of it until now.
"Welcome back. I trust you all finished your weekend essays on Romeo and Juliet?" Mr Irwin walks along the room, collecting paper after paper, and, as usual, my heart beats faster as he approaches me.
We make no eye contact at all as sheepishly I hand him the paper, not daring to look up from the faded graffiti on my desk.
The rest of the class is a blur, consumed with questions swirling in my head about how Luke could possibly know my dad, and how much I wanna strangle that blonde girl.
"Alright, good job today guys. Have a good lunch." The bell rings as Mr Irwin dismisses us.
I quickly try to shove my books into my bag without looking at Luke.
"Oh, and can I please see Ella Montgomery after class?"
My heart drops to my stomach.
I do not need this right now.
Everyone else exits the room, the girl still glued to Lukes arm.
I hesitantly approach Mr Irwin's desk, continuing to avoid eye contact, as that seems to be the one thing that keeps me from going completely weak at the knees. He drums on his desk with a pen.
"Ella, I read your paper, and I have mixed feelings about it. I think you could've done better."
Confused, I look him in the eye.
This is not where I thought this was going.
I totally expected this to be about what he said at the coffee shop, but it wasn't.
"Excuse me?" I blurt out.
"I just feel like the opening statements of each paragraph could be stronger, and the structure was weak, and-"
"Cut the bullshit."
His eyes widen with shock and he stops drumming.
"Miss Montgomery, we have a policy against cussing at this school." He sits up in his chair and crosses his arms.
"Look, I know what this is about. This isn't about a an essay." I say directly, as I lean onto his desk, almost in an interrogation pose. I don't know where this wave of confidence has come from, but it's about time I used some.
He shuffles in his chair and looks down.
"Ashton, listen, I-"
I instantly flinch and pause at the realisation that I just called him by his first name.
"Mr Irwin to you." His eyes meet mine, and I can tell he is fighting the urge to grin.
"What's going on here? Honestly." I feel my chest tighten, as I wait for his answer.
He takes a long, deep breath and stands up from his chair, walking around to the front of the desk where I am standing. He is less than a foot away from me. I arch my neck.
It's quite the stretch when you're 5 feet tall speaking to a man of his stature.
"I think we both know what's going on." His voice is quiet, yet extremely intimidating at the same time. I feel myself forget to breathe.
I can can clearly smell his cologne, and my hands start to shake in anticipation.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." My voice trembles, and I watch his smirk turn into the kind of stare that could cause any girl to faint instantly.
He moves in closer. Our bodies are practically touching now. I feel his strong hand on the side of my neck, holding it gently.
My breath hitches.
Oh my god.
"I want you, Ella." His pupils dilate as he brings his lips so close to mine I shut my eyes and wait for them to touch.
With his forehead softly pressed against mine, and his lips brushing mine with each word, he whispers,
"I want you right here, right now. On my desk. And I know you want me too."
I do want him. I want him more than I've ever wanted anything.
But I wasn't going to let him know that.
My voice is breathy and desperate, as I reply,
"Y- you're my teacher. We can't do this"
He brings his other hand to the other side of my neck, with his large hands now gently wrapped around most of my neck and jaw.
He brings his lips to my ear.
"We can't..."
He then plants a soft kiss on the side of my neck and traces kisses down along my tanned skin to my collarbone.
"Or we shouldn't?"
I inhale sharply and let out a little gasp as I feel the tip of his tongue on my skin, sending a shiver down my spine and tingles throughout my entire body.
"Fuck it" I exhale, and wrap my arms around his shoulders, pressing my lips against his firmly.
A rush of lust, combined with relief and disbelief runs through my veins.
What am I doing?!
His lips move in perfect synchronism with mine, as if they were made for each other. He takes control, slipping the edge of his tongue between my lips, instantly making my knees buckle.
In one swift motion, he glides his hands down my body to my thighs, where he effortlessly scoops me up. I straddle him briefly, keeping my mouth locked on his.
He sits me on his desk, my legs still wrapped tightly around his waist.
As though they have a mind of their own, his hands begin to slide up my short skirt. They're warm, and I feel myself mentally beg them to take off my underwear.
Teasing me, he places them both back around my neck and holds my head in the perfect position for his tongue to fully enjoy my mouth. I do exactly as his body tells me, becoming more and more desperate for his touch in every moment.
Without thinking twice, I slide my hands along his chest and down to his crotch, where I start unbuckling his belt as quickly as I can.
I can't believe this is happening. This isn't me.
He doesn't stop me, but pulls his lips away from mine for a brief moment, locking eyes with me once again.
He grins possibly the sexiest grin I've ever witnessed. I look up at him with wide, innocent eyes that seem to turn him on even more.
"Fuck, Ella. You make me fucking crazy." He pants, before kissing me passionately and grasping each side of the bottom of my shirt, intending to tear it off as fast as he can.
Just as he is about to pull it over my head, we hear the doorknob start to turn.
Shit.