Hello Again, Sir {s/t - complete}

What About Now?: 24.

                I rapped three times on the door of Chester’s office, wondering why he had sent me an email to come to his office. I had been in the staff room of the English department just fifteen minutes ago and Ted said hi to me, acted normal around the others, didn’t mention Hanna and things were looking up.

                But I was getting exhausted with all of this hassle, and the paranoia, about my personal relationship with Hanna, which had nothing to do with my student-teacher relationship.

                “Come in!” 

                I stepped in the door and came face-to-face with the Headmaster Montgomery himself, standing by his door as he had been looking through a large mahogany cabinet. I pulled the door back quickly, so it didn’t hit him, sliding in as he turned back to the cabinet.

                “Good afternoon, Alexander.” He said, and I wondered, again, (as I had many times) why he didn’t just change the rules and let our students call us by the first name as the teachers did behind closed doors. But then, things were always different behind closed doors anyway, weren’t they? I mean, behind closed doors, Hanna and myself were old friends.

                Maybe I should have told Chester that… when I first arrived, when I first found her in my classroom, I knew her.

                But then, wouldn’t I be fired?

                Just for knowing a student? Could you really get fired for that?

                But then, I don’t just know Hanna, do I? I was in a car accident with her; I went to her father’s funeral; I’ve slept with her. All of that would get me fired. So, I couldn’t tell Chester the truth without telling him that, could I? That would be defeating the purpose.

                Well, telling him I knew Hanna would be defeating the purpose of keeping my job, though, wouldn’t it?

                “Hello, Mr. Clarke?”

                I snapped out of my revere at the sound of my boss’ voice and looked up at him. “Hm?”

                “Are you with us, Alex?”

                “Oh, yes, sorry! Afternoon!”

                “I apologise if I disturbed you from marking, or… stuff.”

                “No, no,” I replied, looking around the room and noticing a woman in here, “I wasn’t…”

                Chester stood up, holding up an empty folder and a few sheets of paper, moving around me to get back to his desk. “Oh, Alex, this is Rebekca.”

                “Hello.”

                I looked at the woman who had just said hello. She had tight blonde curls and was sipping on a cup of tea. By looking at her wrinkle-free face – with the exception of her smile lines – I figured she was in her late twenties, early thirties.

                “Hi.”

                “Rebekca Court is going to be the replacement for you as the college counsellor. You know, just for the nine months.”

                “Oh.” Wow, they had found a replacement for me so quickly. I hadn’t expected the college to find anybody, but then, it was another weight off my shoulders. I wasn’t in trouble because of the Hanna situation; I didn’t have to hear heart breaking stories from students; and I wasn’t here because of the Kodie situation, which was another thing that worried me. Still,  I was feeling much better and I turned to smile at the woman.

                “Rebekca’s going to start Monday. If you don’t mind, Monday morning would you care to show her to the office from reception, pick up any outstanding notes you have and, well, fill her in?”

                “Yeah,” I nodded enthusiastically. “That’s fine.”

                Chester pulled a piece of paper out of the folder he had retrieved from the cabinet and began to write things down. Obviously he was filling out formed to do with Rebekca.

                “Well then, it’s lovely to meet you, Rebekca. Chester, if you don’t mind…”

                “Not at all, we’re just going to fill out these forms…”

                I looked at the blonde woman, and then at Chester, “It’s nice to meet you.” 

                “Bye.”

                “Don’t forget, Alex,” Chester said as I moved forward to put my hand on the door handle, “meet Rebekca in reception on Monday morning.”

                “Sure.”

                “Have a nice day.”

                “And you both.”  I replied, leaving the room quickly. 

                I quickly turned and shut the door behind me, letting out a large breath of air. I raked my hand through my hair and ruffled my unruly curls, before closing my eyes and rubbing my face.

                “Alex?”

                I snapped my head up, my neck cricked and I cringed but that didn’t matter, the pain subsided when I saw Hanna’s face. I sent her a brief smile, before looking away to finally rub my neck.

                I was still close to Chester office and didn’t know how thick his door was, so I moved to the end of the corridor where Hanna’s was standing, clutching her books and folders. At least she was making the effort to go to lessons today.

                “Hey.”

                “Are you okay?” she asked when I was close enough. “You look… distracted.”

                “I’ve just had a lot on my mind.” I admitted. “With everything that’s going on with… you know,” I mumbled, turned away as a blush set on my face and the back of my neck (I know, a grown man blushing, what can I do?) “And Angie and the kids, and k—” I was about to say Kodie’s name, but that would be a touchy subject, “other… stuff.”

                Hanna put her hand on my arm, giving me a reassuring squeeze. “Yeah, sure, I understand.”

                I frowned. Hanna was in a good mood, maybe she was having an up day, who knows, but she hadn’t lashed out at me and she was being supportive. Especially after the cupboard incident.

                “Listen, it’s good to see that you’re containing your anger, but I’m going to be late for class if I don’t get going.”
                “Sure.” I replied, my voice seeping with disappointment as my shoulders sagged. 

                She moved her arm up to my cheek in the disserted corridor and my heart thumped against my chest with paranoia and excitement that we had such close proximity in school hours, standing in the college corridor.

                “I got the book back, so don’t sweat it.” She murmured. Her head moved a fraction towards me before she blinking, took a sharp intake of breath and dropped her hand.

                “Bye.” I mumbled. 

                Hanna began walking down the corridor towards Chester’s office to go left before she turned around and said, “see ya.”

                I watched her go, feeling my face tingle and I subconsciously touched my cheek. Wondering why she had touched me, even if it was just for a brief moment.

                But I’m pretty sure she held it there just a little longer than needed, and I’m pretty sure she moved a fraction closer so she could kiss me.

                And this made me pretty sure that I needed to get her back, that I needed her.

                She was mine, I gave up everything for her and then I couldn’t have her? Screw the rules, if we’d been ratted out, it would have been before now. 

                “Hanna!” I said quickly, turning on the balls of my feet to face the way she’d gone off, my heart beating against my rib cage.

                But she was gone. 

                I ran down the corridor, the light at the end flickering because it needed to be replaced, yet I still couldn’t see her. She wasn’t down the other corridor either, may be she’d walked quickly to her classroom. I sighed and then looked at the window to my right, to a piece of grass garden with a bench, right before the student parking on the right side of the college.

                Then, as I went to turn away, I saw her locks, walking away from the campus. I started down the second corridor, got half way there, and then opened the doors. 

                “Hanna!” I shouted and the girl quickly turned around.

                “Alex?”

                “I thought you said you had class?”

                “I do.” She replied, holding up her philosophy textbooks. “Philosophy is on the other side of campus. I’m going round, it’s quicker.”

                “Oh.”      

                “What’s up?” she asked, closing the distance on us.

                “Oh, um…” I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly, whilst it was the trail of my thought, it seemed a good idea, but now she was standing in front of me, I felt like a shy thirteen year old that was asking out the girl he’d fancied since year two for the first time. Not a good impression.

                Hanna raised a delicately shaped eyebrow.

                “You know, I was wondering…”

                “You’re going to make me late,” she pointed out.

                “Right. I’m sorry.” I replied, adjusting my tie. My palms were beginning to sweat so I tucked on my grey jumper to try and calm down. I was a full grown man; I could make my own decisions. So I should be acting like a man, and not a boy.

                “Alex…” Hanna pressed. 

                “Do you want to go out soon? I don’t know, for dinner, may be?”

                Hanna looked taken back, and her mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she kept it firmly shut, gripping her textbooks closer to her. She breathed in and out and then clicked her tongue. The anticipation was killing me and I bit down on my lip.

                “Sure.” She finally replied.

                I relaxed, not realising I was holding my breath. “Okay, good.”

                “When?”

                “Tomorrow?” I asked, I didn’t have anything planned for tomorrow. Angie’s friend Lola was going to spend the night at Angie’s and look after the kids, teach them for the day, because Angie wasn’t ready yet and Kodie had a surprise for her tonight, so she wasn’t going to be in tomorrow, because tomorrow night she had plans. Plans she didn’t yet know about. 

                “Sure.”

                “Great, I’ll pick you up at seven from your house.”

                “Now I really do have to go to class,” Hanna said warmly. “So I’ll see you tomorrow.”

                “Yeah…”  I replied, watching her walk off. It was only when she was out of my sight that I grinned like a maniac.