Classroom Affair - Chapter 21：Two Knights for the Price of One

The voice made both teacher and student shoot away from each other. Shannon looked up to see two little kids staring at them. “Mommy there are two people making babies over here!”

The clearly tired woman sighed and she grabbed her children’s arms. Speaking in a superior voice, she snuffed at them. “Really, act like adults in a book store. There are children present.”

Mr. Thompson peeked over to Shannon, who looked down quickly.

“My deepest apologies, ma’am. I promise not to corrupt your children’s clearly already perverted minds. But please don’t accuse us of doing something we weren’t.”

He stood and reached out a hand to Shannon. “Shall we, my dear?”

She couldn’t help the small smile which cracked at the woman’s flushed face, as they passed.

Coming out of the book store, she in no way missed how natural it felt to have her hand in his. Those artistic fingers wrapped around hers so beautifully, it made her head spin.

When they turned the corner, a familiar voice rang out, “There they are. Shannon, Mr. Thompson! Look what I got!” Iris yelled running towards them full speed.

Mr. Thompson quickly dropped her hand, which made Shannon’s heart ache. She took a breath and smiled at her friend. “What is it?”

Iris giggled, holding out her shopping bag and removing a spiked pad lock on a chain, “Isn’t it awesome?”

Both Mr. Thompson and Shannon grimaced at the hideous thing. She rolled her eyes. “Obviously you both are lacking in vision. This is a rocking necklace!”

“Iris, that lock is bigger than you. Can your neck even hold it up?”

She grinned and slipped the massive chain around her neck. “Yep, with minimal strain! Fashion has its price.”

Mr. Thompson rolled his eyes. “Where is Maya? Wasn’t she with you?”

Iris looked around, as if she forgot the small girl had followed her, “Oh um… I think she wanted to look at the art store. New paint stuff or something. It was right next to Hot Topic. And I have no idea where the ice queen is.”

“Which ice queen is that?” A sultry voice inquired, as Alexia slinked up from the escalator, checking her reflection in her pocket mirror.

Her golden eyes flicked over Iris’s new padlock. “Ah, getting ready for prison already? Some people plan for their futures, glad to see you’ve accepted that fate.”

Mr. Thompson was about to say something, before Shannon placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. His eyes searched her face, while she smiled. “Don’t worry, Iris’s got something ready to fire.”

Right on cue, Iris smirked. “I could say the same thing about your new line of hooker wear. Do you plan to design for only whores or do strippers fall into your expertise as well?”

Alexia glared at her, tugging on the tight red top, which hugged her chest. “Well I could dress like you, but I prefer not to look like I’ve slept in the gutter. Call me crazy.”

“There are a few things I would love to call you…” Iris grumbled before they both pulled out their phones and started walking ahead of Mr. Thompson and Shannon.

He stared dumbfounded at the exchange. Shannon smirked. “Yeah, they’ve been like that since freshman year. I think Iris likes the challenge.”

Mr. Thompson shook his head. “Do you think they will ever be friends?”

Shannon shrugged. “I think Iris has loyalty to me which makes her attack more than is necessary.”

He nodded, whispering. “You do tend to bring that out in people.”

She looked up to him, a faint blush blossoming on her cheeks.

Soon they had collected Maya and were on their way home, the train trudging along through the darkness. Maya and Iris fell asleep on each other, still sharing the same seat, while Alexia put in her headphones and stared out the window.

Shannon slipped her fingers around the hanging handle, while Mr. Thompson stood close to her. She closed her eyes at the warm which radiated from him like the sun.

Shannon groaned quietly, wondering what was wrong with her. Maybe she was a secret masochist? That would explain why she kept putting herself in the hopeless situation again and again. Wasn’t that the definition of insanity?

While she pondered these things, the train suddenly lurched, sending the young woman flying forward, straight into his arms.

Mr. Thompson caught her quickly, holding her body to his own, waves of her intoxicating scent filling his mind. Her eyes turned up to him, as the adorable blush filled her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

He shook his head and righted her on her feet. “No problem.”

They both stood there awkwardly, neither willing to look at the other one, until they reached their destination.

Shannon woke the sleeping girls and Alexia walked gracefully off on her own. When they made it back to the dorms, Mr. Thompson smiled. “All right girls, remember to be at the music room at 6 am. I don’t know about you, but I’m beat, so I’ll say good night to you now.”

Iris lunged off the steps and squeezed his waist, hitting his leg with her giant padlock. “Thanks for the mall trip. Goodnight!”

Maya waved shyly, while Alexia kept walking.

Shannon turned to look at him and he met her gaze. His eyes sent a message in a language spoken just between them. “We’ll talk later.”

She nodded, receiving the message and following Iris up the stairs to their room.

When they closed the door, Iris dropped her bag and flung her tiny form on the bed holding her arms around herself. “He is soooo hot! And let me tell you, that man is packing some rock-hard abs!”

Shannon’s eyebrow raised, a twinge of jealousy filling her cheeks. “How would you know that?”

Shannon switched her face to a look of indifference. “Well you do like to shock people, Iris.”

The wild pixie took out her many ear piercings and placed them on the night stand. “Well yeah, but I never push the bar to do something illegal. Besides, isn’t he married? You’d have to be pretty messed up to ruin that.”

Shannon felt a sudden spike of anger flush through her, as she straightened out her bed. “I don’t think it’s that simple to make a judgement, Iris.”

Her tone caught the smaller girl, who twisted in her own bed. “I’m sorry, aren’t you the religious one here? I’m pretty sure it says in the Bible that you can’t get it on with another woman’s husband. That’s pretty common knowledge. And what if he has kids or something? That would make it even worse. You’d have to be sick in the head to justify that. I mean, if it were a normal person, they would…”

“Well what if he’s unhappy with her, huh?! What if he didn’t marry because of love or he was forced into it? What then? Is it so black and white then? I don’t think God would care if two people, who really loved each other, found one another a little late. So, don’t act like you know everything!”

Iris’s brown eyes widened and she put up her hands. “Whoa, whoa, no need to freak out about it. It was just my opinion. Why are you so pissy? On your period or something?”

Shannon caught herself and quickly brushed a hand through her hair, smiling. “Nope, just like to keep you on your toes. Sometimes it’s fun to shock people, right?”

Iris watched her carefully, before smiling back. “Yeah, you had me going there. Whew, you’re scary when you act mad.”

Shannon ruffled up Iris’s hair, before turning off the light and settling in her own bed. There was a quiet for a few moments, before Iris’s tiny voice asked the darkness. “Hey Shannon?”

“Yeah?”

“You know you can talk to me about anything right? If anything is ever on your mind. I’ll stand by you. You know that, right?”

Shannon felt her heart ache, when the notion of gushing crossed her mind. “Yeah, the same for you. That’s what best friends are for.”

She waited until the other girl’s breathing changed, before she let out her own. That was way too close. She was losing it.

Even if Iris was her best friend, Shannon wouldn’t be able to take the look on her face if she knew what she was really feeling. No one could know.

~~

“You are so lovely…” Shannon dreamed she was standing on a cliff, looking out on a raging ocean. Her long hair blew violently against the wind, storm clouds crashing in the distance. Her foot was on the edge, but two arms wrapped around her from behind.

A stubbled chin pressed into the curve of her neck, his breath sending warm waves across her pale skin. She smiled and closed her eyes. “Chris.”

“I want you, Shannon.” He whispered, his hands trailing down her ribs and rested on the front of her hips, pulling her into him. His wonderful mouth tasted her neck and kissed down the curve of her shoulder, as she moaned in pleasure.

The ocean roared so loud, that she opened her eyes noticing the sky. “A storm is coming.”

He grabbed her arms and held them tightly, before placing his lips to her ear. “It’s already here.”

With that, he suddenly pushed her away from him and off the edge of the cliff, towards the sharp rocks below.

Shannon awoke with a startled gasp, a cold sweat sticking to her back. Breathing heavily, she peeked over to Iris who still slept soundly, her tiny arm flung over the side of the bed.

Shannon felt a shudder pass through her, as she read the clock. 3:30 am, she could sleep another few hours, if she wanted.

The thought of returning to that dream, unsettled her.

She laid still, listening to Iris snore, before curling her knees up. Why did he make her feel this way? It was so hot and cold, passion and then ice. Why was she drawn to him, if all it did was hurt her?

She heard a faint buzz come from the foot of her bed. Shannon opened her eyes and reached for her black phone, which vibrated in her hand.

When she flipped it open, a digital envelope flashed the name, “Brandon” which made her glance to the clock again. Why would he be up at that time?

She opened the message:

“Hey pretty lady! You need to come home soon! I know you are becoming a diva up there, but it’s lonely without you. I can’t sleep, so if you’re awake, text back?”

Shannon found a faint smile on her face, when she texted. “I’m awake too. What’s on your mind?”

Almost instantly, a message replied. “Totally need you back. English is killing me. Shouldn’t we just get credit for speaking it?”

Shannon snickered, trying not to wake Iris. “In a perfect world, yes. What do you need help with?”

He texted about the homework, which she knew if he actually focused for one moment, wouldn’t be difficult for him.

Before long, she realized they’d been texting for an hour straight, when her phone started to flash a dying battery sign.

She texted. “Have to go, phone going to die.”

To this she received, ” :(, ok, but come home soon. I miss you.”

Shannon shut off her phone and laid back down. Sleep felt like it could come easier. She missed him too.