The rest of the week went by smoothly. Mr. Gardner acted as if nothing had happened between us. I wasn't sure if he was ignoring it or ashamed of it. Either way, I was glad he hadn't brought it up.
" So, are you ready to go dancing tonight?" Maddie squealed, hopping up and down.
" Yes." I giggled. " It'll be nice to relax after this week."
She smiled as we rounded the corner to Mr. Gardner's classroom. When we entered I was rather shocked to see how unruly he looked. He had dark circles around his eyes, his hair was a mess and he just seemed exhausted overall.
"Someone had a rough night." Maddie whispered to me.
I frowned, it pained me to see him like that. I didn't care what had happened earlier that week anymore. I just wanted to comfort him. Maybe I'd hang back after class and ask if he was okay.
I took my seat next to Maddie. We watched as our remaining classmates filed in and took their seats. Adrian waved at me from the back of the class. I waved before turning back to the front. Mr. Gardner was rolling his eyes as he stood up.
"Alright class. Today we are diving straight into poetry." Mr. Gardner announced. I watched as his face turned into a frown. "Yes, Tracey?"
Everyone turned in their seats to see a pretty blonde girl with her hand up. Instantly I knew this wasn't going to be class related.
"Um, sir. Are you okay?" She questioned. Real concern was absent in her voice.
Mr. Gardner sighed, "Perfectly fine. Now if you'd turn your books to-"
"But sir you don't look okay." Tracey cut him off.
He huffed before turning back to the text book. "Turn to page 30. Now can I begin today's lesson without anymore interruptions from you Miss Lagg."
A few people giggled as they watched Tracey sink back into her seat. She kept her mouth shut for the remainder of the class. Whatever was bothering him, he didn't let it get in the way of his teaching.
As the bell rang, Maddie grabbed her books and jumped up. "I'll meet you back at your place later. I have to run down to the library."
I nodded and watched as everyone filed out behind her. I took my time putting my books away, glancing over at Mr. Gardner as I was doing so. Instantly I noticed he was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands.
Once the last person left the classroom, I got up and slowly made my way to his desk. I hesitantly reached my hand out and touched his arm. He didn't flinch away like I expected, he just looked up at me.
"Alex?" He questioned, almost not believing it was really me.
"Yeah. Are you.. are you okay?" I whispered.
"I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep last night." He paused, trying to smooth his hair down as best he could. "Listen about the other day, I-"
"No, it's fine really. I know you were just looking out for me. I'm sorry I overreacted. It's nice to know someone is looking out for me." I smiled, hoping I at least eased his mind a little.
He let out a sigh of relief. A small smile formed on his lips. "Thanks Alex."
" No problem. Have a good weekend Mr. Gardner." I waved as I turned to leave.
"You too." He called after me.
~*~
" Come on Alex! Just wear it, please? Live a little!" She pleaded with me.
Maddie pushed the dress in my hands, I groaned but complied. It's not exactly something I would have picked out for myself, but it was a stunning dress. It was a beautiful shade of red, with an open back and a halter style neckline. There was a small keyhole opening in the front just below the bust.
" Maddie!" I yelled from the bathroom. " This is too revealing."
Maddie skipped in the hallway, stopping just short of the bathroom. I heard a high pitched whistle and turned towards the door as she walked in.
" Damn girl, you look sexy!" Maddie gushed.
I turned and saw Maddie in a beautiful blue dress. It had a deep v-neck and a low open back. It was a lot more revealing then mine.
" I take it back, yours is too revealing. " I laughed. " You look gorgeous Madds!"
" Why thank you." She chirped, spinning in a circle so I could see the full dress. " You look great Alex. It's not too revealing."
I grumbled, " Maddie I'm not looking to hook up with anyone. Why can't I just wear my jeans?"
" You don't have to hook up with anyone Alex. You're allowed to dress sexy to go dancing. Stop overthinking it." Maddie scolded me.
I sighed in frustration, I knew there was no reasoning with her. In a way she was right, I was allowed to dress up to make myself feel attractive. But this was a little much for me. Thankfully, I managed to reason with her when it came to shoes. She knew I hated heels, so settled on a pair of flats.
I followed Maddie to the kitchen, watching as she took two shot glasses from the cupboard. She poured an amber colored liquid into the glasses and handed me one.
" Bottoms up!" She grinned as she threw back her shot.
I followed suit, knowing she'd hound me otherwise. The liquid burned going down my throat. I recognized the taste of tequila instantly.
" Couldn't find anything stronger?" I joked.
Maddie glared at me playfully as she refilled both of our glasses. After another 3 shots, our cab had arrived to bring us to the club. The drive took around 10 minutes, Maddie bobbed along to the music on the radio. A strange feeling rolled over in my stomach, but I knew it was just my nerves. I hadn't gone clubbing in well over a year now.
" Thanks!" Maddie beamed, paying the cab drive as we got out.
Thankfully there wasn't much of a line. The girl at the door stamped our hands as we entered, signifying we'd paid the cover charge. We could hear the loud music before we even entered.
We made our way through the crowd to the bar. We ordered a few drinks and found a booth to sit in while we waited. I looked around the dance floor, people were dancing and grinding against each other. Some were laughing, others were singing, everyone looked like they were having a good time.
" Alex?" I heard someone call out over the music. I turned around to see Adrian's smiling face.
" Adrian? Hey!" I called, moving over so he could sit with us. " What are you doing here?"
" A few of my friends dragged me out. I wasn't expecting to see you here." He paused looking me over, " You look gorgeous!"
I blushed, " Thanks."
A few girls Maddie recognized came over and pulled her out on the dance floor. I giggled as I watched her squeal with glee.
" You want to dance?" Adrian asked, pointing to the dance floor.
I nodded, he offered his hand to me as I got out of the booth. Leading me onto the dance floor we started to sway to the music. Thankfully he was respectful. He didn't put his hands on me, like alot of the people dancing together. I was appreciative for that.
As the night went on and drinks were consumed, I was starting to feel pretty buzzed. I went to the bar to look for Maddie. The bartender handed me a drink.
" I didn't order this." I told him politely.
He nodded his head to the right, " It's from him."
I looked over and saw a man raising his glass to me. I squinted and swore it was Mr. Gardner. I waved to him, and decided to go over and see if it was really him.
" Mr. Gardner?" I laughed, " What are you doing here?"
He smiled warmly, " You can call me Xavier, Alexandra. We're not in class right now."
I smiled, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear.
" Are you here by yourself?" He called out over the music.
I shook my head, " No, I was with Maddie. But I can't seem to find her."
Mr. Gardner frowned, " I thought I saw her leave a half an hour ago. She was with some guy."
I pulled my phone out of my purse and checked my messages. Sure enough there was one from Maddie. She had left almost 45 minutes ago now with a guy she met. I sighed.
" You're right." I told him, showing him the message from her. " She ditched me."
He nodded, a small smile formed on his lips. " So, would yo-"
" Alex! There you are!" Adrian called, cutting Mr. Gardner off.
He wrapped his arm around me and kissed my cheek. He was completely drunk by now.
" Hey teach!" He laughed, " Didn't know you were here." Adrian looked from him to me, pulling me tighter to his side. " Isn't she beautiful?" He slurred, placing another kiss on my cheek.
Mr. Gardner's eyes narrowed, " I think you've had enough to drink Adrian. Maybe it's time you call it a night."
He began laughing obnoxiously, " The nights only young teach! Come on Alex, let's dance." He said pulling me behind him.
I looked back to Mr. Gardner apologetically and waved. He had an odd look in his eye as we walked away, was that jealousy? I shook it off and tried my best to keep up with Adrian. When we finally stopped he pulled me tightly to him, squeezing my hips as he did so.
"Um, Adrian? Can you back off a little?" I said as politely as I could.
His eyes darkened as he moved closer to me. Before I could open my mouth to ask again, he slammed his lips into mine. His kiss was rough and sloppy, I started to feel sick. I need to leave.
I pushed as hard as I could against Adrian's chest. He looked at me dumbfounded. I shook my head at him and stormed off towards the bathrooms. Thankfully it was empty when I opened the door. I turned on the tap and splashed some cold water on my face. I wasn't about to let this go any further then it had. I didn't want a drunken one night stand, I didn't want a relationship at all!
Maybe I could sneak out the back door without him noticing. He was drunk enough that he'd probably just find someone else to bother.
I opened the door quietly, peeking out to make sure the hallway was empty. The music was still blaring inside the club, so it wasn't exactly necessary. I began making my way down the hall. Just before I reached the door I felt a large hand cover my mouth. I was pulled inside a dark room, I thought for sure this was Adrian. I started to struggle against him as hard as I could. Then a familiar voice spoke.
"Shh, he's looking for you."
Was that really Mr. Gardner?
I relaxed slightly and looked out the tiny window in the door. I watched as Adrian walked past the door, then back towards the club. The hand was then removed from my mouth.
I turned around quickly, "Mr. Ga- I mean, Xavier?"
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
I could feel tears begin to sting the corners of my eyes. I wrapped my arms around him and began to sob. He frozen up for a minute before slowly placing his arms around me.
"You were right." I cried, "He..he was going t-to.." I cried harder.
Xavier was rubbing soothing circles on my back as he tried to calm me down. I knew deep down this was beyond wrong. He was my teacher, but he practically saved me from getting raped.
"Come on, I'll take you home." He said stepped back from me and opening the door.
I wiped at my eyes and nodded. I don't know if he could actually see me through the dark or not.
He lead me outside to his car and opened the passenger door for me. Once he joined me inside I gave him my address. I looked out the window as we drove, I don't remember if we talked. All I remember is half way home, I fell asleep.
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Hello dear readers! I'm sorry this chapter was delayed by a few days. I've been getting over the flu. I hope you enjoy this part! The next one will be out this Sunday. Thanks for reading!
Don't forget to like, comment and/or rate! I'd love to hear from you! :)