13 XIII

Alexander David

"YES, TOM I understand fully and completely," I assured, hoping that Thomas would end it at that, which I knew, wasn't going to be the case; Tom was awfully persistent.

"I have been trying to have a one on one with you for almost two weeks, Alexander," he continues to say, as I refrain from a sigh as my portable iPhone rests against my ear, playing a vital part to my listening of Thomas' words.

"Which I apologise for, Sir Bloomsbury," I add, making sure that this thought was kept in Tom's mind as it was incredibly true and I honestly just wanted him to sigh in agreement at last and release me from his bubble of boredom and annoyance.

"Yes, I am aware of that, but that does not change the fact that I need to see you; at some point today," Thomas argues, frustration clear in his tone.

A sigh escapes my lips before I reply to Tom's previous statement. "I am afraid I can not," I speak, trying to sound formal, professional and not annoyed at all. "I do not have a single free period today."

It was almost as though I could hear him smirk through the telephone. "What if I told you that this was about Kimberly, Alexander?"

I jump at the mention of her name. "Why do you want to talk about her?" I speak, unaware of the fact that I was possibly breezing through my words. "We already spoke about her, about a month or two ago."

My heart thumps loudly in a consistent pattern as I await for Tom's response. "Thomas?" I call, waiting for his reply. Removing the mobile off my ear, it indicated that the phone call had already ended.

Slowly yet steadily, I began to attempt to work out Thomas' main goal, which we both knew was to meet me at some point today which had to be important and urgent since he disliked it greatly when meetings were put before lessons, even though a substitute was bound to be there.

He must've knew that I was going to go slightly mad, especially if he mentions Kimberly; how much I care for her is absolutely ridiculous, and almost dangerous.

I ran my hand through my hair. This was just fucking stupid. Why do I have a incessant tendency to overthink things, especially things that don't even seem that imperative?

I wasn't saying that Kimberly wasn't significant; she obviously is, but overthinking small things like why Thomas was calling me in, was. I could easily just go to his office and find out for myself.

Biting my lip whilst fiddling with my silver ring placed on the end of my pinky finger, I decide to finally push all stupid, unnecessary thoughts out of my brain before going to see Thomas myself, which was going to be an end to stress for the two of us.

Flashes of Kimberly appeared in my brain at an utterly vast, rapid pace, rapid enough to stop me in my tracks; was this really going to be about Kimberly?

Not again; I wasn't going to procrastinate the act of seeing Thomas anymore. What needed to be done would happen eventually; yet if I continued to procrastinate, I am very sure it was never going to happen.

Continuing to walk at a normal pace, I greet a few students, asking them how they were and such, whilst I make my way to Thomas' office. I tuck one of my hands in my blazer pocket before twisting the knob of Thomas' door.

"Ah, at last, Alexander has arrived," Thomas beams before asking me to take a seat as he sits down himself. I bite my cheek, mentally preparing myself for what he was to say. It can't be that bad, I try to assure myself.

I still misunderstood as to why he called me Alexander; it was almost as though only Kimberly called me Alex, yet she occasionally called me Al. I could think about her forever, her chapped pink lips against mine, almost as though two incomplete puzzle pieces were joining together. I could think about how shiny and beautiful her golden hair was, always gleaming, never failing to make me awe.

"Thank you for taking the time to see me, Alexander. It was very much needed," Thomas speaks, breaking me away from my thoughts; it was like my thoughts were a book and he shut it.

"How so?" I question immediately. I felt like Kimberly, always curious to know more. No, I tell myself. I couldn't keep thinking about her, especially now.

He rests his arms on his desk before edging slightly closer towards me. "It is about Kimberly, Alex," he emphasises and I'm shocked that he had called me by Alex, but I couldn't care less about that right now; the fact that this was about Kimberly worried me.

I take a deep breath before replying. "What is it?" I say, growing slightly impatient; it seemed as though it was his uncontrollable habit to continuously postpone what he actually wanted to say.

My right leg began to shake uncontrollably at a steady pace; an action that was only done when I was slightly nervous or anxious, no where near the length of Kimberly, though.

"I know you are getting sick of me postponing what I want to say, Al," He speaks, stating the obvious, yet he still continues to postpone what he actually needed to say. "But," he continues, "please know, what I'm going to say, you aren't going to like, honestly."

My eyes widen as my leg begins to shake faster than previously. Something I'm not going to like? What was he talking about, and how could he be so certain of the fact that I wasn't going to like what he was going to say?

I gulp, nodding my head; not bearing the postponing of the truth. As much as I wanted to know, I didn't want to know. That didn't make any sense, but it was true. As much as I wanted to know because of curiosity, I didn't want to know because nobody wants to hear something that they aren't going to like.

"Students are waiting, Tom. As much as I wish to spend forever in this office with you, I much rather teach a class than a substitute."

He nods, and begins to speak. "As you remember, I found about your affair with Kimberly Eve Browne." Eve was her middle name? What a beautiful middle name; it suited her perfectly because the name was beautiful, and so was she.

"I wouldn't class it as an affair," I interject.

"You wouldn't?" He smirks, and I feel a heat arise to my cheeks. Not now, I tell myself. So what if he was discreetly implying that I have had sex with her?

Sex with Kimberly; god, oh god would that be perfect. Her skin soft, her entire body revealed to me and only me.

I could leave marks all over her; not a centimetre left untouched. She would moan, a moan which would almost be a longing whimper for more.

A stir in my pants was a wake up call to stop it right there. I was in my boss' office, and I was thinking about sex with a student? What a world we must live in?

"I haven't slept with her," I reply, trying to brush it off aside as nothing. I couldn't be embarrassed; he had to know that I wouldn't have sex with her now, as much as I wanted to. Only when she was ready would I dare to do anything.

"Nice turtleneck, by the way," he winks and I flush crimson; he obviously knew why I was wearing one today. Kimberly's bittersweet hickeys were planted across my neck.

I felt like Kimberly, constantly being embarrassed and flushing at almost anything, which was in all honesty, the most adorable thing I could think of, and I understood completely as to why Richard did embarrass her nonstop.

I rub my forehead. "So you were saying?" I distract, as the brightness of my cheeks died down.

Thomas clears his throat. "Yes, well. Your relationship with Kimberly isn't as secretive as you may have thought, Alexander."

My relationship with Kimberly wasn't as secretive as I thought? Did someone else apart from Thomas know? "I have two questions. First of all, why are you all right with our relationship? I understand that it wouldn't be classified as rape since she is over the age of consent but-"

"You'll come to find that out later. What was your second question?" He asks, completely declining my first question, which caused me to feel some sort of annoyance.

"Does someone else know about my relationship with Kimberly?" I question rapidly, utterly eager to know his answer.

My eyes wonder to him as my leg shakes, waiting for an answer. The seconds I spent waiting were painfully slow, as curiosity was eating me alive. "Tell me why!" I wanted to scream to him, yet I didn't; I couldn't.

He takes a deep breath which made me wish that there was a remote control in which I could fast forward the incredibly slow seconds that seemed to pass with the length of forever.

"Yes," he pauses and so do I. When I say that I paused, I really did. Every constant action that I previously did just stopped, and it seemed as everything around me did the same all until Thomas broke the pattern of nothingness.

"May I ask whom?" I say, my voice slightly shaky.

"Alexa. Alexa Chung."

Alexa Chung; the girl in my class that always seemed to ask completely unnecessary questions. To this day, I still misunderstood as to why she asked those questions, yet didn't ask in fear of being mistaken as rude.

I tried to think of anything I did in front of Alexa to promote the thought of Kimberly and I being together. Perhaps the time I complimented her before explaining the poetry task? I wasn't sure, because I felt as though only Kimberly and myself was there at that very moment.

I felt a certain urge to speak to her about this. For one, I felt as though it was incredibly rude to intrude in my personal life, as she didn't know the first thing. And she could've clarified with me before taking matters in her own hands and telling Thomas.

"Do not approach her with this, though," Tom says, and another million questions arise as he speaks. Why can't I ask her about this, or 'approach' her? I needed to know what raised the suspicions of this to keep my relationship hidden even better for the future.

"May I at least know what raised the suspicions in the first place?" I request, hoping to get a satisfying answer.

"I'm afraid not. I don't even know those reasons myself," he speaks, and an apologetic look is painted across his face, as he must be aware of the fact that I desperately longed to know that information in particular.

I smile in gratitude of the fact that he was taking my point of view into consideration. I didn't know what to say; it seemed as though Thomas led the conversation since he always called me in, not the other way around.

"Why?" I ask, feeling as though I was bombarding him with questions.

"It's not relevant. You've had your fun, now someone else has to," he says sternly. What? This was not fun at all.

"I have to confess something to you, Alexander," he says, looking at me with a worried expression on his face which already indicates to me that what he was going to tell me wasn't going to be liked; not at all.

This had been a long conversation; from forcing me to come, to teasing me. Questioning my relationship and my sex life, I just wanted to know so things could finally be over instead of questioning everything.

"I am not okay with the fact that you and Kimberly are in a relationship."

I choked on my saliva. Wasn't okay with our relationship? What did this mean for my relationship with Kimberly? My job here in this school? Was I even willing to sacrifice everything I had just for a relationship that wasn't even that serious yet?

I didn't love her for sure, but I cared about her, immensely. Why did he fake all this? Why did he pretend? If he had told me it wasn't okay before, it would've been easier to let her go. Do I have to let her go?

"Why are you telling me this now?" I ask, a hint of confusion clear in my tone, which I'm sure he was able to identify and predict since he must've known that I was going to be confused.

"I couldn't have said that in front of Kimberly," he said and everything begins to click to me. He was treating Kimberly like glass. He had to wait for me to almost fall for Kimberly before he had to tell me that he didn't even approve.

"You had to wait didn't you," I speak, and he opens his mouth to say something but I disrupt in his action before he is able to do so. "You had to wait for when I was an inch away from falling for her," I growl, shaking my head.

"That's not how it is, Al! You know I wouldn't do that," He protests, maintaining eye contact with me.

"Do I?" I retaliate, and wait for his response, which he doesn't have.

"I knew you were going to hurt her, Alex. I thought: 'Maybe, if he falls for her, he won't,' so I waited. It took me some time to realise that you will hurt her, fallen for or not."

I clench my jaw, before inhaling deeply. "You are a fucking scumbag, Thomas. You know I can't leave her, not yet."

"Yet?"

I sigh, rubbing my forehead. "I don't think I will be able to, Tom. Ever."

He places his hand on mine in a reassuring manner. "You have to understand this is for her sake. If you continue to stay with her, you'll hurt her more and make her mental disorders only worse. If you leave now, you'll only hurt her once and her mental disorders will get more severe, but only for a period of time."

I rubbed my lips together, deep in thought of what I should do. Should I go after her? Should I sacrifice everything I have, just for her? "How long do I have?" I whisper.

"A week."

Burying my face in my hands, all I could think about is hurting Kimberly. I don't ever intentionally hurt people, it's just part of my nature. I cared for her too much to hurt her intentionally.

I release my hands from my face, looking at Thomas. "Is that all?" I say blandly, not rude, but then again, not polite.

He nods and I immediately step out of my chair, exiting the room as fast as my legs could carry me. I wanted to see Kimberly, even though I wasn't going to tell her; I wasn't mentally prepared to lose her just yet.

I guess I had to act normally, do the same things, and kiss her the same way. I couldn't act distant, just the same way so no suspicions were raised.

Moving my attention to my wristwatch, I realise that it was now Kimberly's break time. I knew she spent this time with Richard and I wasn't willing to take that away from her. I didn't want to be in a couple where we didn't have anyone but each other.

I wanted us to trust and rely on each other, but not be glued to the hip, because we need our space; we are human beings. Obviously I want to spend all the time I possibly could with her, but I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

I take a deep breath and run my hands through my hair. Taking out my pen and notebook from my pocket, I scribble a little note and tear it out, before sliding it in Kim's locker.

505 at lunchtime, bring a cig or two? –Al x

Walking away from her locker, I make my way towards the staff room and make myself a cuppa. Flicking the kettle on and dunking a teabag into me cup, I turn around and smile at a few of the teachers, trying to give a friendly impression.

Filling the mug with hot water, I use my left hand to support the tea bag and return the kettle to its original place and stir in some milk and sugar before sitting with the other staff members.

I sit myself down in a comfortable, red settee and blow my tea to cool it down before taking a slow, steady sip of it and try to engage within conversation, which was incredibly hard to do.

All I could think about is Kimberly. You know when you type something on to a computer, and some sort of issue occurs which causes the same thing you typed in to splutter all over the screen? That's how it was for me; that was my mind.

They were all incredibly boring, all complaining about the heavy amount of marking that had to be done, and the constant nagging that they had to do to the troublemakers of the school.

These types of things made it almost impossible for me not to roll my eyes; did they not have anything else to talk about? I knew that they were trying to find some sort of common ground with each other, and obviously irritating things about their jobs was something they could all agree on, but was there nothing else to talk about?

"What about you, David?" A man with a baldhead and slightly large frame asks, obviously a little older than me. "Sorry, I don't know your first name."

I clear my throat. "Alex, nice to meet you," I smile and let my hand out for the man to shake, which he does.

"Robert."

I smile once again. "I've always wanted to be a teacher, I think. It takes a lot of confidence to go in front of a large audience and speak, I guess that was what held me back."

"Yet here you are."

I smile widely, beaming. "Here I am," I say and raise my mug as he clinks his mug with mine. Perhaps one of them wasn't as bad as I thought.

I quickly gulp the rest of my mug down before saying goodbye. "Sorry to leave early, but I've got a free period, so I'm going to take advantage of it," I laugh and wave goodbye before cleaning my mug.

"I feel you, mate. Catch you later, yeah?"

"Later it is," I smile and make my way to my own classroom to savour and cling onto the free period that I had.

There she is, waiting for me in the doorway, her hand resting against the wood, in her knee socks and uniform. Coming in through the doorway myself, I collect her hand and move away, shutting the door behind the two of us.

"Why are-" I question her yet get interrupted by her lips on top of mine, cancelling out everything else that was going on in the world. I melt into the kiss as her hands run through my hair and mine resting at the end of her back.

She pulls away, looking flustered as fuck before giving me that beautiful smile of hers that could end world hunger. "I'm sorry," she blushes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ears and the first thing I think about is: don't be. "I don't, I don't know, I wanted to kiss you."

I smile back at her and kiss her forehead, before holding her right hand. "Trust me, I wanted to as well," I sigh, "Fuckin' hell, love. You look stunning," I say, eying her up and down.

She keeps eye contact with the ground as her cheeks flush. "Thank you," she whispers quietly in response.

Using my index finger, I lift her chin, causing her to look at me. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, okay? I just think you look beautiful."

She smiles again, making it impossible for me to stand since I was weak in my knees. "It isn't you, I'm just not used to all these compliments."

I kiss her cheek. "Get used to it, sweets. You deserve every single one."