The time-ridden hinges of one of the doors loudly squeaked opened and echoed through the large gymnasium as Riley walked in with Mr. Jackson right behind her. She quickly noticed the cart of basketballs nearby and gravitated over to grab one to steadily dribble it.
"I used to play ball back in my day." Mr. Jackson mentioned as she continued to bounce the ball while slowly walking towards the center of the gymnasium, the echo of the compact against the shiny floors jumping off the walls.
Riley sucked her teeth and gave him the side-eye. "Back in your day? You're not even old." She headed over to one of the basketball goals, held up the ball and precisely aimed it into the net. "What are you? Twenty-five?"
"Twenty-seven, actually." He scooped up the ball after it bounced his way and began to dribble it himself. "Why were you and Jay arguing?"
She gritted her teeth as she folded her arms across her chest, watching him toss the ball perfectly into the net as well. "I'm pretty sure you caught the gist of it."
"I still don't understand what happened between you two, though."
Her eyes briefly followed the ball before she eventually looked up into his handsome face. "Petty stuff."
"Describe 'petty stuff'."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say it's petty. My reasoning for being angry was justified." She replied, catching the ball when he tossed it at her. "I really needed to talk to her, but she was too busy with Craig. As always."
"Yeah, I kind of caught that part." He rubbed the back of his neck as he reflected on her choice of words. "Do you remember what I told your class earlier this semester?"
She thought for a moment as she dribbled the ball in place. "About the therapist thing?"
"Yep, you can talk to me about anything." He said, placing his hands on his hips. "For free."
"Are you sure you want to hear me babbling about some dating drama?" She asked, tossing the ball back toward him.
He shrugged and immediately began dribbling the ball once it reached him once more. "If you need someone to vent to or ask for advice, I'm your guy."
She pursed her lips before exhaling loudly, then started pacing a little. "This guy I was talking to was being a complete ass. When I first met him, he was nice and all. But he was so jealous for no reason and sometimes, too hands-on. Some girls may think it's cute or whatever, but it makes my skin crawl."
"Has he tried forcing himself on you?" He asked, a tinge of anger rushing through his veins like a freight train. He was no longer dribbling the basketball.
She shook her head. "No."
Mr. Jackson nodded as his eyes stayed fixated on the ball in his hands. "Good."
"But the jealous thing really bothered me. Like, a guy could just innocently brush past me or make eye contact with me, and he would flip out." She began to rehash the drama that happened at Marviana's. Wrinkles formed on Mr. Jackson's forehead when he deeply furrowed his eyebrows, staring at her appalled. "I felt so bad for this waiter during our date. He wasn't allowed to look at me, talk to me, nothing. His behavior was out of nowhere."
Red flags were going off in Mr. Jackson's mind as he listened. He never heard anything so crazy. "What the hell was his problem?"
She simply shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. I couldn't take any more after that, so I walked home."
"You walked home?" He asked in utter disbelief. "Why didn't you call anybody?"
"Well, I didn't exactly walk home. But like I said, Jay was too busy kissing Craig's ass and I can't depend on my parents. But Michelle was able to pick me up."
He cocked his head to the side, eyebrows still deeply knotted. "What do you mean you can't depend on your parents?"
She chuckled bitterly while looking down at her reflection in the floor. "Another story for another day."
Not wanting to push the issue further, he dropped the subject as he walked closer to her. "I wish I would've known at the time. I could've given you a lift, no matter what time of the day it was."
She softly smiled, taking the ball from his hand. "Thanks, but I was okay. I don't know why I was even interested in him. I didn't even like him that much."
He watched as she tried to spin the ball on the tip of her middle finger. It kept rolling off after at least a second.
"Really? Why not?"
"Because I like someone else." She stopped spinning the ball and tossed it at the net, only for it to hit the rim and bounce off sideways. As she took her time retrieving the rolling ball, Mr. Jackson couldn't hold back the next question that bubbled inside him.
"Well, what's stopping you? Are you too shy?" He turned to look at her as she walked back towards him while attempting to twirl the ball on her finger again.
"That, and our relationship wouldn't be seen as appropriate." Riley said, now throwing the ball in the air and catching it repeatedly. Mr. Jackson watched her closely, his mind trying to convince him that she wasn't talking about him. But his heart said otherwise.
"Are we gonna play or what?" She jested with a smirk, snapping him out of his trance.
"Let's go, then." He returned the smirk, knocked the ball from her grip, then dribbled down the court toward the opposite end. The ball swished directly into the net. He looked back over his shoulder to see Riley walking toward him with a sly smile.
"You caught me off guard, cheater." She giggled before jogging the rest of the way and grabbing the ball before he could.
"You said you were ready to play. I assumed you were game." He shrugged while attempting to steal the ball, but she stepped back from his reach and twisted her body with the ball close to her stomach.
"I am now." She stuck her tongue out, then ran down the opposite end with Mr. Jackson close behind.
He tried cutting her off, but she bounced the ball between his legs and ran around him before grasping it and aiming it perfectly into the net once more.
She turned around and laughed at his slacked jaw. "What?"
"Where did you learn that?" He asked in astonishment.
"My brother." She smiled, grabbing the ball again and tossing it at him. "He taught me a few things. So, what'cha got?"
The consistent bouncing echo of the ball and their laughter traveled throughout the gym as they ran back and forth across the court, attempting to score a point even though they technically weren't keeping track. The playful game between them didn't last longer, as Riley had clumsily tripped over her own feet when running down the court. She nearly fell forward until Mr. Jackson quickly caught her by her waist. She watched as the basketball rolled away from them and bounced against the folded bleachers.
"Geez, Riley, I almost forgot how much of a klutz you can be." He teased, his hands resting on her hips as she straightened up in his arms.
"Shut up." She giggled, starting to turn away until she felt him tug at her shirt and pull her back into his chest. He towered over her as she shyly peered up into his brown eyes before gazing upon his delectable lips, her face warming from the immediate thoughts that swarmed her mind.
"I have one question, Riley." He said in a low tone, delicately caressing her bottom lip with his thumb. Her blush heightened; she was sure he could see the redness in her brown cheeks.
'He's touching my lip; he's touching my lip!' Her inner voice screamed like an ecstatic fangirl.
"W-what is it?" She asked shyly, her eyes unable to look away from his plump inviting lips. His delightful sweet yet spicy cologne was beginning to cloud her jumbled thoughts and had her teetering on the edge of being swept into another world.
"That someone you mentioned earlier that you liked... is it me?" He questioned, successfully causing her to look up at him. His brown eyes stared deeply into hers, patiently awaiting an answer. She briefly broke eye contact and stared at the floor before finally nodding.
"Yes." She quietly confessed, meeting his eyes once more as he gently cupped her face into his warm, large hands with an alluring smile.
"What if I told you," he whispered as her eyes slowly rounded in shock, "that you were worth breaking the rules for?"
Her breathing dramatically slowed when she watched him lean in, her heart thumping erratically as she tried to wrap the surreal moment around her mind. She knew if both Jay and Michelle were witnessing this moment, they would probably be dancing circles around them.
His lips gently brushed against the corner of her mouth, his airy breath softly tickling her skin as a wave of goosebumps rose over every inch of her body. Slowly, his lips glided over hers, and he gently took her bottom lip between his perfect teeth before enclosing his warm lips onto hers for a split second. But that second seemed like a dreamlike moment that lasted forever and a day, and Riley felt as light as a feather, suspended high in the air on cloud nine. She never wanted to come back down.
She shakily exhaled after he pulled away, feeling practically light-headed as she unwillingly came back to her senses. The ethereal sensation of his lips against hers never left. She pinched the flesh of her wrist to see if she was dreaming. After a sharp surge of pain pricked at her nerves, she knew she wasn't asleep. "Did you just- "
"Kiss you? Yes, I did." He dropped his hands from her face to her waist while a small smile sat upon his face. "Did you want me to stop?"
"N-no. I mean," She briefly clamped her eyes shut and scratched her head. She could barely think properly before when they were just standing at close proximity, but now she definitely couldn't gather her thoughts. Especially not after he just kissed her. She placed her hands against her hot cheeks and Mr. Jackson laughed at her flustered acts.
'What the hell is wrong with me?' She blinked as a simple question finally strung itself together in her mind.
"Why me? Out of all the girls and women you could've had here, why me?"
"I don't want them." He simply said with a small shrug, caressing her sides which evoked another wave of goosebumps to rise. "Besides, do you know how many horny chicks roam these halls? I could just blink their way and they'll drop their panties in a heartbeat."
Riley half-smiled while shaking her head. He wasn't wrong, considering all the things she heard about him from several people throughout the school. She figured he would probably run for the hills if he even heard a fraction of what these girls wanted to do to him.
"So, you chose me because I don't easily sleep around?"
"Well, that's one reason, or we wouldn't be standing here right now." He pulled her closer, fully wrapping his arms around her and resting his forehead against hers. "And you know what else?"
She was thankful her knees didn't give out beneath her or else she would've resembled a limp rag doll in his arms. She timidly placed her hands on his shoulders, still in disbelief that this was really happening. "What?"
"No other girl makes my heartbeat faster than you do. They don't make my knees go weak when I'm in their presence. I don't wake up with a smile on my face because of them." He spoke softly as his breath faintly caressed her lips, "You're the cause of all these things, Riley. I haven't felt this way about anyone in a long while."
"I make you feel that way?" She asked skeptically, staring wide-eyed again. "Me?"
He laughed at her shocked look. "Yes you, silly. You think you aren't good for me or something?"
"It's just hard to comprehend that you like me." She was a really hard time believing that her fantasy became a reality. Her eyes quickly swept over the gymnasium to make sure she wasn't being punk'd. "I really can't believe you like me."
"Well, you better start believing, girl." He chuckled, then teasingly brushed his lips against hers. "And you know, you don't have to call me Mr. Jackson when we're alone."
"So, what do I call you then, Jackson?" She smirked, a part of her begging to kiss him once more.
"Well, Smith," he playfully mocked her, "you can call me, Michael."
"Michael, huh?" She slightly leaned back as she bit her lip and studied his handsome features. "It suits you."
"Oh, yeah?" He coyly smiled and she nodded, their anticipating lips brushing against each other again before she slightly stepped back.
She looked down, now biting the corner of her bottom lip and fidgeted with her bracelet, then glanced back up into his face. Looking back on what happened earlier, she couldn't believe that her overwhelming anger had now been extinguished within moments of being in this man's presence. "I'm sorry about what happened in your class, with the cursing and everything."
"What are you apologizing for? Devante shouldn't have opened his mouth." He said while his hands rubbed her sides again, and she deeply blushed from that alone. He then laughed quietly as he thought about the insult she hurled. "The receding hairline got me."
She sucked her lips in and tittered before saying, "It just kind of slipped out. I can get a little reckless with my words when I'm angry. But were you serious about knocking his teeth in?"
"Very." His fingers cupped her chin and his thumb rested by the corner of her mouth after sweeping over her jaw. "I don't tolerate that type of disrespect towards women, especially you."
A soft smile came across her face as she moved her arms up to loosely loop around his neck and pull him forward. He grinned before their lips finally met together again while wrapping his arms tighter around her. She closed her eyes and immediately melted into the kiss like ice cream on a sunny day; her mind became blank in a matter of seconds as her lips meshed flawlessly with his and the beating of their hearts synced as one from their chests being pressed closed together.
Unlike with Javen, everything felt right with Michael as she became fully immersed into the passionate kiss. His lips were softer than she dreamed of, and his kisses were gentle and sweet. The corners of her mouth slowly turned up and a small, delightful shiver traveled down her spine when she felt the first delicate brush of his tongue against hers.
The final dismissal bell suddenly rang throughout the school, startling Michael from the kiss. Outside the gymnasium, chatter from students, slamming lockers, and the squeaking of sneakers seeped under the doorway as Riley cupped his face to pull him back into the kiss. He smiled against her lips and they continued to kiss briefly until the jiggling of the locked door handle from a nearby door intervened.
At the same time, Riley's phone buzzed and she took it out her pocket to show a text from Michelle.
Michelle 🥰
If you need a ride home, I can take you. I just have a meeting with the journalism club in a few mins.
3:15 PM
Okay I can wait. Thanks M.
3:15 PM
Riley finally looked up to meet Michael's eyes and said, "I have a few minutes to spare."
He mischievously bit down on his lip and slipped his hand into hers, then led her the opposite direction of the lingering students and jingling door handle. "Then we can finish this in my office."