lasagna from scratch.
And stay the fuck away from Danny Alexander. I mean it.
M
Fucker.
But I smile. Even though he creeps me out, he does it in all the right ways. And even though he’s a teacher and he’s fucking me on the side, he’s still putting me first by making me work. And even though he wants me to do that work naked and my reward for success is sex, I can’t help but trust him.
I’ll probably regret that soon. I usually do.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, Daydreams!” Sunday calls from across Lincoln Avenue as I wait at the light to cross. He’s wearing a Distillers t-shirt and some faded jeans with holes in all the right places. I can see a patch of bare skin on one of his thighs.
I walk across the street smiling big at him and when I get close enough so I don’t have to shout over traffic, I say, “I know for a fact you didn’t see The Distillers in concert to get that shirt because the last time they toured the US was more than ten years ago.”
“Hey.” He laughs and beams that dangerous grin at me. Jesus, Danny Alexander is fuck hot. “You caught me. But they stopped here in Anaheim on that last tour and Phil went. I stole it from him.”
“Hmm,” I say, pretending to think this over as we walk onto campus. “I guess second-hand concert shirts still count as authentic.”
“Whew,” he says, making a big deal of wiping his brow. “I thought I lost street cred with you for a second.”
“Were you waiting for me?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Mmmm, well, usually you park your car and start your little bromance with the boys in the lot. But today you are standing at the corner where I cross the street to school.”
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“Pretty obvious, yeah.”
“Well, it’s Thursday, so I wanted to see if that ex of yours is an ex yet. And if so, maybe we can hang out tomorrow night?”
“Ah,” I say. “He’s still around. And I’m not going anywhere. I babysit my niece on Friday nights.”
“Too bad. I know of a good party.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. And I’m not much of a party girl these days anyway. I’d just slow you down.”
“I’d slow down for you, Shannon.”
I stop to look at him, taking a deep breath as I do it. “Are you hitting on me?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, I—”
“Hey.” He stops me with hands in the air. “I’m not making a move for real until you say you’re ready, so don’t worry about that. But I’m gonna wait it out, if that’s OK with you. And I’m gonna keep asking. I have staying power, Daydreams.” And then he gives me this little salute and turns and walks off.
I stare at his ass for a few seconds before turning in the opposite direction. Damn. Why is it that I have no one interested for a whole month, then on the same day I meet two guys who want to take me for a spin? It’s not fair. Why couldn’t Danny appear after I was done with night school with Mateo?
Maybe that’s what I should do? Just get that work done as fast as possible and put night school behind me? I know I can get that science credit in a couple weeks tops. There’s only like twelve tests. I might be able to knock out most of them over the weekend. Then I’d only have trig. There’s a lot more of those tests because it’s a full year’s worth of work. But I could take two a week and be done pretty fast.
I don’t know what to do about Mateo. I just don’t think I have the power it will take to stop this now. I’m caught in a web, right? The more I struggle against him, the harder he’ll try. And the harder he tries, the weaker I’ll become.
I can see it coming.
Yeah, I need to just get the fuck out of night school. Then he won’t have anything to hold over me and I won’t have to see him anymore.
I walk into design class a few seconds after the bell rings and the teacher, Mrs. Sheridan, is handing out laptops from giant plastic tubs.
“Everyone,” she says. “Shannon”—she singles me out because I’m
And stay the fuck away from Danny Alexander. I mean it.
M
Fucker.
But I smile. Even though he creeps me out, he does it in all the right ways. And even though he’s a teacher and he’s fucking me on the side, he’s still putting me first by making me work. And even though he wants me to do that work naked and my reward for success is sex, I can’t help but trust him.
I’ll probably regret that soon. I usually do.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey, Daydreams!” Sunday calls from across Lincoln Avenue as I wait at the light to cross. He’s wearing a Distillers t-shirt and some faded jeans with holes in all the right places. I can see a patch of bare skin on one of his thighs.
I walk across the street smiling big at him and when I get close enough so I don’t have to shout over traffic, I say, “I know for a fact you didn’t see The Distillers in concert to get that shirt because the last time they toured the US was more than ten years ago.”
“Hey.” He laughs and beams that dangerous grin at me. Jesus, Danny Alexander is fuck hot. “You caught me. But they stopped here in Anaheim on that last tour and Phil went. I stole it from him.”
“Hmm,” I say, pretending to think this over as we walk onto campus. “I guess second-hand concert shirts still count as authentic.”
“Whew,” he says, making a big deal of wiping his brow. “I thought I lost street cred with you for a second.”
“Were you waiting for me?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Mmmm, well, usually you park your car and start your little bromance with the boys in the lot. But today you are standing at the corner where I cross the street to school.”
“It’s that obvious, huh?”
“Pretty obvious, yeah.”
“Well, it’s Thursday, so I wanted to see if that ex of yours is an ex yet. And if so, maybe we can hang out tomorrow night?”
“Ah,” I say. “He’s still around. And I’m not going anywhere. I babysit my niece on Friday nights.”
“Too bad. I know of a good party.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. And I’m not much of a party girl these days anyway. I’d just slow you down.”
“I’d slow down for you, Shannon.”
I stop to look at him, taking a deep breath as I do it. “Are you hitting on me?”
“Yeah.”
“Look, I—”
“Hey.” He stops me with hands in the air. “I’m not making a move for real until you say you’re ready, so don’t worry about that. But I’m gonna wait it out, if that’s OK with you. And I’m gonna keep asking. I have staying power, Daydreams.” And then he gives me this little salute and turns and walks off.
I stare at his ass for a few seconds before turning in the opposite direction. Damn. Why is it that I have no one interested for a whole month, then on the same day I meet two guys who want to take me for a spin? It’s not fair. Why couldn’t Danny appear after I was done with night school with Mateo?
Maybe that’s what I should do? Just get that work done as fast as possible and put night school behind me? I know I can get that science credit in a couple weeks tops. There’s only like twelve tests. I might be able to knock out most of them over the weekend. Then I’d only have trig. There’s a lot more of those tests because it’s a full year’s worth of work. But I could take two a week and be done pretty fast.
I don’t know what to do about Mateo. I just don’t think I have the power it will take to stop this now. I’m caught in a web, right? The more I struggle against him, the harder he’ll try. And the harder he tries, the weaker I’ll become.
I can see it coming.
Yeah, I need to just get the fuck out of night school. Then he won’t have anything to hold over me and I won’t have to see him anymore.
I walk into design class a few seconds after the bell rings and the teacher, Mrs. Sheridan, is handing out laptops from giant plastic tubs.
“Everyone,” she says. “Shannon”—she singles me out because I’m
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