He remained in a rare good mood throughout class, distracted and daydreaming about her. He was a bit troubled, perhaps, by how easily he had opened up to her and had relied on her for emotional support like he did. But it hadn’t seemed to lessen her opinion of him in any way – actually, quite the contrary. But he almost wondered if he was letting things develop between them a little too quickly – it wasn’t how he had planned it at all. He told himself he needed to take a step back and make her really work for it, to make her desperate for him as planned.
But, god, that hug – it was still messing with his head …
No – despite fantasizing about it all period, he decided that he would remain strong, and stick to the plan no matter what. As the bell rang, he composed himself and prepared for their next meeting.
He stepped through the door to find her already waiting for him, a big smile plastered across her face. He couldn’t help but let her ebullient mood affect him a bit. “What is it?” he asked, showing interest despite himself.
As Michelle took his backpack from him to carry on her shoulder, she explained in a bubbly voice, “It’s all taken care of! Your referrals and detentions are all cleared away.”
“Wait – What!??” Nick’s jaw dropped. “H … How!?”
Michelle giggled and looked around anxiously. “Wait … I don’t want to say yet, not with all these people around … Here, follow me.” She eagerly took his hand again – he still couldn’t get over how easily her hand engulfed his – and led him excitedly to a secluded corner of the hallway.
She let go of his hand and turned to face him. “Well … how did you do it?” Nick asked again, his interest piqued.
“Well …” she whispered, looking about to make sure they were out of earshot. “I may have … flirted with Principal Wilson, just a bit …”
“You did WHAT!?”
She smiled demurely, seeming a bit embarrassed but also pleased with herself. “Well, ya know …” she continued modestly, “I just can’t help it if my body has that effect on guys sometimes …” She batted her eyes and glanced down at Nick, adding with a guilty smirk, “Although … well, in this case I may have given him a bit of extra encouragement …”
Nick gulped involuntarily. Principal Wilson was a bear of a man – almost as tall as Nick was, and also strong and commanding. He was someone that even Nick had held respect for in his own way, seeing some of himself in this man.
So, he was probably the last person Nick would ever have thought would give in to something like that from a student, even for the special case of Michelle. “How …?” he wondered aloud, almost involuntarily.
“How did I persuade him?” Michelle blushed. “It didn’t take much, really …” She leaned in closer, her face hovering tantalizingly close to his, as she told him in a shy but excited voice, “I just, you know … let my hair down … opened up my blouse a little bit …” Her finger lightly traced a line down the since-refastened buttons of her shirt to demonstrate, quickly dragging it farther and farther downwards …
She watched his wide eyes with a smile, and then finished in a low voice, her excitement steadily growing, “… and then I may have said just a few … choice words … things I’ve never dreamed of saying to a guy before …” She was blushing heavily now, and fanning herself with her hand. “I don’t know what came over me; I might have gotten a bit carried away …”
Nick froze, his eyes wide, his breath panting audibly through his open mouth. WHAT HAD SHE SAID TO HIM??? The combination of her closeness, the sexy tone of her voice, her words – his mind began to churn with lewd thoughts of her and what she could have done …
He could no longer hide the almost crazed look of arousal in his eyes. Did she notice?
Of course she did. Her own eyes were hovering just inches away, staring back at him with glimmering eyes, full of excitement …
“You’re not … jealous … are you, Nick??” she asked with a questioning gaze. “Are you disappointed that I did that with him, instead of with you … ??”
Nick was nearly hyperventilating now, frozen in place, too scared, too overwhelmed to reply. There was no possible way that she didn’t see his arousal, and her smile only seemed to widen as a result.
She only removed her gaze when the bell rang a few long seconds later. “Oh, we’re already late!” she said flippantly, bouncing to her full height. “Still need to get to your locker,” she told him casually, spinning around and strutting forward as he watched. “You coming?” she asked coyly, looking back at him and flashing another sexy smile.
“Oh … uh, y-yeah …” he squeaked, his voice cracking unexpectedly as he followed after her.
He had a hard time keeping up, even though she almost seemed to be walking in slow motion, her long legs striding one in front of the other, her hips swaying side to side with each step. There was something irresistibly alluring about the way she was moving – so alive with energy and sexy confidence. He stared all he pleased, and couldn’t look away.
As he trailed several feet behind her, still trying to catch up, he heard her say casually over her shoulder in an innocently sweet voice, “Oh, did I mention … I also met that intern you talked to in the front office. He spoke up when I mentioned your name. He was really nice about everything – we chatted for a little while, and he apologized for giving you a hard time earlier.” She cocked her head to the side and gave a confidently sexy smile. “He also told me – well, practically begged me, I guess – to come back anytime if I needed anything …” She rolled her eyes playfully, adding, “Some guys just don’t have what it takes to handle a girl like me …” She winked sexily back at Nick before sauntering forward. Was that supposed to be a compliment to Nick – or a challenge?
Once they reached his locker, Michelle immediately opened it using the combination she had just learned, and then proceeded to swap out the appropriate books and binders for Nick’s second period. As Nick stood under her, he couldn’t help but stare at her chest and picture how it would look will all those buttons undone …
She shut the locker and smirked down at him, putting one hand on her hip. She might have seen him staring; he couldn’t be sure.
“Who’s your second period teacher?”
“Uh … Ms. Jones.”
Michelle chuckled. “Ah, Ms. Jones … such a frail little lady, isn’t she? Well, if she gives you any crap for being late, just let me know – I’d be happy to take care of it.” She turned and began walking down the hall. “My class is over this way. I’ll see ya later, Nicky …” she said with an intimate wave and a more-than-friendly smile. Nick, as before, kept his eyes on her rear until she was out of sight, and then turned to head to his own class, an erection still lingering in his shorts.
***
Ms. Jones was, of course, more than a bit displeased to find Nick coming in late for her algebra class for the second day in a row. She was a petite middle-aged woman, a spinster in the making; and her quiet and reserved manner had lent her a reputation for being a bit of a pushover. But that didn’t stop her from lighting into Nick that day, scolding him in front of the class for his inconsiderate rudeness and promising a MUCH more drastic punishment this time around, since the detention she had handed out to him the day before obviously hadn’t worked.
Despite her relatively diminutive stature, she still towered over Nick, her threatening pose intended to rattle his composure. But today, all it did was put a sly smile on his face, knowing he was all but invincible now, thanks to Michelle. His smile only infuriated Ms. Jones even more, until she finally ordered him to his seat and sternly told him she would deal with him after class.
He slouched casually in his chair, feeling perfectly at ease. He hadn’t felt so confident since the old days; he looked around the room, taking pleasure in the knowledge that he could get away with things none of his classmates could. He was untouchable …
But then he recalled what had happened to him that morning, as soon as he had left Michelle’s side and ventured out without her … the horrible treatment he had received in so short a time span … and he shuddered to think how wretched and miserable he would be right now if it weren’t for Michelle. None of this new sense of power and confidence he felt would have been possible if she hadn’t taken him under her protection, using her influence to keep him safe from all the bad things that could happen to him …
Wait … NO! He rejected that notion outright. EVERYTHING she had been doing for him today had been done out of desire – her desire for him. He had to remember that fact – the fact that the most influential, most incredibly popular, and most insanely beautiful girl in the whole school actually needed HIM, Nick Avery – and NOT the other way around. Sure, Michelle’s ability to manipulate others to get what she wants was certainly impressive … but he knew that she answered to him and him alone ans was totally willing to let him take advantage of her influence.
Now THAT was real power. He felt invigorated like never before, ready to take on the world knowing he had a powerful new weapon at his disposal – one that only he had the power to control.
He listened in on the lecture occasionally to pass the time. This always had been his most relaxing class. It was ‘Applied Mathematics’, which basically meant they taught the same material from previous math classes – mostly Algebra – but under a different name. It suited Nick perfectly – he had already seen all the material before, some of it multiple times over the years, and he knew he could breeze through it for an easy ‘B’ – hell, he could even manage an ‘A’ if he wanted to.
But, with that in mind, this current lecture struck him as particularly … odd. Meaning, he couldn’t understand what the hell she was talking about or writing on the board! He could usually jump in in the middle of lectures and at least get the gist of what she was covering since he had seen it all before. But, oddly, he couldn’t remember what they had been studying lately – actually, he had no recollection at all. And … what the hell was all this stuff on the board?? She kept using some weird word – ‘parraballa’ or something like that – and then pointed to some curvy lines she had drawn on the board, and then to some ‘x’s bunched together with different numbers written next to and above them, as if they were all supposedly related to each other somehow. In fact, he was quickly getting quickly at how Ms. Jones was talking as if this were common knowledge, basic stuff they’d all seen before. But if that were the case, Nick knew, he would have certainly remembered it.
He was beginning to get a kind of weird headache from all this. It was as if his mind had been overstrained by trying to grapple with this new, overly complicated math she was throwing at him; and now it refused to do any more thinking. He needed to zone out for a while, to give his brain time to recover.
So he stopped paying attention altogether and let his thoughts drift to more pleasant things. He thought about the sexy new outfit he was wearing today – which he really had come to like now, knowing how hot he must look if even a girl like Michelle couldn’t get enough of him in it. He thought about those looks Michelle would give him when wearing it … then he thought about how sexy Michelle herself looked today, and how much sexier it would have been to have seen her in the principal’s office that morning … what she might have said to the principal behind closed doors … how Nick himself might have reacted if he had been in Principal Wilson’s place, being given that kind of attention by Michelle …
Needless to say, he didn’t listen to another word Ms. Jones said from that point on. But, about halfway through class, his attention was drawn to his pocket, when he heard his phone chirp with the sound of an incoming text message.
Ms. Jones turned around angrily, looking for the culprit, but Nick wisely waited until her eyes had returned to the board to pull his phone out. He put it on silent and then looked to see who had sent it.
It was from Michelle.
His heart skipped a beat. He secretively brought the phone to his lap and opened it, making sure his teacher wasn’t looking.
All it said was: “ soooo booored right now … (-_-) “
Nick read it with surprise, then smiled, his heart suddenly beating a bit faster. Michelle was still thinking about him, and just wanted a bit of mindless chit-chat to pass the time until seeing him again. He waited just a minute – not wanting to seem TOO eager – but after a short delay he returned a text which was carefully worded to sound casual and mask his excitement: “ ya me too. ms jones is the worst. riding me for being late “.
She replied hardly two seconds later, “ aww… :( ”
And then, just a few seconds after that: “ so…need me to bail you out again? ;) “
Nick blinked, unsure how to proceed, his mind torn. The fact of the matter was, he really did need her help. At the very least, he would have to endure heavy humiliation and berating from Ms. Jones … but Ms. Jones was really pissed at him, and he had a feeling she wouldn’t drop this lightly and would look to make an example of him. He just knew she would try to get Mrs. Pryce in the front office involved … And though Michelle may have swayed the principal once already, Mrs. Pryce was relentless and wouldn’t stop until she got her way and held Nick back from graduating. Surely Michelle didn’t have that kind of influence on the principal to override that kind of pressure from both Ms. Jones and Mrs. Pryce! Nick really began to worry.
He knew Michelle would help him if he asked, but he just couldn’t think of a way to word it that would keep him in control – that wouldn’t make him sound helpless, needy, too impotent to take matters into his own hands …
He agonized over this for some time – three minutes? Five minutes? He wasn’t sure. But then his phone lit up with another incoming text—from Michelle. He opened it and read the message: “ hehe its ok nick, dont be shy…u can ask me, i dont mind “
Nick’s eyes widened. Merely by delaying his response, he seemed to have revealed all his thoughts to her. Shit …
Feeling a bit exposed and uncomfortable, Nick quickly texted back, his fingers shaking slightly, “dont worry bout it i can handle it“
The moment he pressed ‘send’, though, he began to worry. He needed her help badly …
She texted back immediately: “ k cool…cya soon ”
Shit … he couldn’t go back and ask her now; that would make him seem even more weak and helpless than ever! He spent the remaining twenty minutes of class with sweaty palms, fretting over his situation.
The bell rang. Nick decided to make a run for it, using the towering bodies around him for concealment. He went as fast as he could manage under the weight of his backpack.
“Nicholas, come to the front,” Ms. Jones called out sternly, searching for him with her eyes. She spotted him a second later between a pair of legs. “NICK AVERY!! Come here this instant!!” She started for the door swiftly to cut off his escape.
With renewed urgency, Nick stumbled onward, struggling with his heavy load. She looked like she was about to intercept him … but at the last second her path was blocked by an oblivious student. As she struggled to get through the stream of students – who, by the way, didn’t bother to get out of their little teacher’s way – Nick managed to squeeze through the door and enter the hallway.
He knew he couldn’t make it far – Ms. Pryce may be old, but his legs were much shorter and he couldn’t outrun her. His only hope was … was … Oh no, where was she!?
“Hey, Nicky!” her voice chirped from up above, so sweet to his ears. He spun around to find her emerging through the crowd to stand before him.
He looked up with panic in his eyes, and Michelle noticed immediately. She took one look sideways at his teacher, still trying to push her way through to him with a scowl on her face. A look of understanding crossed Michelle’s eyes. “Wait right here,” she told Nick calmly, giving him a confidence-boosting smile before stepping into the doorway. Nick noticed a small slip of paper held ready in her hands.
Frail Ms. Jones couldn’t manage her way through until the line of students had left before her. But now she stormed forward – only to find the biggest student of all filling the doorway, blocking her path. “Excuse me!” Ms. Jones barked annoyedly, shooing her away with her hand, too focused to look up and see who it was blocking her way.
“Oh, hello there, Ms. Jones,” Michelle said down to her with a wry smile, having to duck her head only slightly to clear the top of the door frame.
Ms. Jones glanced up. “Do I know you, young lady!?” she said, her voice already starting to waver. But she didn’t leave time for Michelle to answer. “Out of my way!!” she yelled again, now actively trying to force her way between Michelle and the doorframe.
But Michelle stood still as if Ms. Jones weren’t even there, effortlessly absorbing the teacher’s feeble attempts to push her aside. “Actually, I have something for you, Ms. Jones.”
“What!?” the little teacher snapped angrily. “Not now. Step aside!!” She started to push insistently at Michelle’s side.
“No. You’re going to look at this right now.”
Ms. Jones froze. Turning her gaze up higher and higher, she took in the sight of this towering student, nearly as tall as the doorframe, who was so easily cutting off her escape – who had just told HER, a teacher, what to do, with such poise and finality in her voice ... and Ms. Jones actually started to become afraid.
Michelle stepped confidently forward, and Ms. Jones backed away instinctively. “Close the door, would you, Nick?” Michelle asked calmly over her shoulder, taking another step forward.
“Sure, Michelle!” Nick squeaked like a mouse, quickly shutting the door and turning to watch the proceedings with fascination.
Ms. Jones stared up at her. “M-Michelle … Newman??” Michelle smiled as a look of recognition crossed her old tenth-grade pre-calculus teacher’s face. She obviously hadn’t seen Michelle since the changes.
“So nice to see you again, Ms. Jones,” Michelle said with a sly smile. She extended the slip of paper to Ms. Jones. “Read this, please.”
“B-But how?? You were as sh-short as … as me! Little Michelle Newman … my nicest, best student …”
Michelle forced the paper into her hands. “Just read the note, Ms. Jones,” she repeated in a patronizing voice.
Ms. Jones blinked and then looked down at the paper in her hands.
“Could you read it out loud, please, Ms. Jones?” Michelle chirped. “I think Nick would like to hear it.”
Ms. Jones looked up at her uncertainly. Michelle was sounding like the sweet girl she had always known – but something told her it would be wise to do what she said.
She held the page in front of her with shaking hands. “Ms. Jones …” she read nervously. “…Please excuse Nick Avery for being late to class today. And please refrain from all punitive actions towards Nick in the future. Also”—this last part was squeezed in at the very bottom, as if added at the last second—“Michelle Newman is allowed to pull him from class at her discretion.” The principal’s signature was hastily scrawled in the bottom corner.
Ms. Jones stared at the paper in shock. “Wh-What is this?? This is unprecedented …”
Michelle reached down and plucked the paper from her hands, saying with a shrug, “Well, that’s what the principal said, so …” She folded the paper neatly and tucked it into the breast pocket of her shirt.
“B-But … I don’t understand ...”
Michelle replied patronizingly, “The directions were clear enough, weren’t they? Need me to read them again?” She began reaching for the paper.
“No!” Ms. Jones replied, fidgeting. “ … It’s just … that young man deserves some sort of punishment, and, well, I was going to AT LEAST write him up for this, and …”
“And now you’re not,” Michelle finished decisively. Ms. Jones stared wide-eyed up at Michelle, struggling to find words.
Michelle stepped forward again, forcing Ms. Jones’ frail little body to back up against the desks behind her. Putting one hand on her hip confidently, Michelle said, “Isn’t that right, Ms. Jones?” The teacher looked silently up at her, trembling noticeably. Michelle added with a confident smile, “I’m sure it is. Because I’m sure you don’t want me coming back here and finding out you haven’t been following orders … I’m SURE you wouldn’t want to get yourself into THAT kind of trouble …”
Ms. Jones was now openly quivering, bending back uncomfortably against the desk behind her to stare up at Michelle as she leaned forward over her. Within seconds, she jerked her head up and down erratically, signifying her acquiescence.
Michelle immediately stepped back, giving an easy, friendly smile. “Great! Thanks, Ms. Jones!” She turned towards Nick, who unquestioningly opened the door for her and averted his eyes almost nervously as she winked down at him.
“Nice to see ya again, Ms. Jones!” Michelle called out as she stepped out of the room, with the light patter of Nick’s feet close behind. Shaken, Ms. Jones sat at her desk and tried her best to collect herself as her next class began filing in.
Nick followed Michelle to his locker and watched her swap his materials for the next class. Something weighed heavily on his mind, and after a pause, he finally spoke up. “Michelle …”
“Yes, Nick?” Her green eyes sparkled down at him.
“Uh … when did you go get that slip signed?” Meaning, was it after he said he’d handle it himself …?
Michelle understood his true meaning immediately. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Nick …” she replied, though she continued to swap folders from his locker as she talked. “I just thought I’d go see Colin—I mean, Principal Wilson—once I found out Ms. Jones was giving you a hard time. You know … just in case you ended up needing help.” She closed his locker and slung his bag over her shoulder, then looked down.
Nick was conflicted, to say the least. “Aww … I hope my little man’s not mad at me??” she said down at him in a playfully cute pouty face – which didn’t fail to be sexy at the same time.
“N-“ he started, beginning to shake his head ‘no’ as he looked up into her endearing eyes. But then he realized, ‘Hold on – No, I am supposed to be mad at her … she did exactly what I told her not to!! She’s starting to get way out of line …’
He set aside his gratitude for her saving him just now, and told her with surprising firmness, “ACTUALLY, it’s not OK, Michelle.” He took a deep breath. “From now on … just do what I tell you. I can take care of myself, thank you very much.” He spun around and marched towards his next class, adrenaline coursing through his veins. It had taken a lot of nerve for him to tell her what to do, especially after watching her so easily taking control of his own teacher moments ago. He shuddered to think that she could just as easily spin him around and force him to obey as well …
But she didn’t. She followed silently behind him as he marched to his class, and, once there, she leaned down to place his backpack into his waiting arms, and then whispered deferentially, “I-I’m sorry, Nick. It won’t happen again.”
He felt goose bumps on his skin as she walked off. There had been no reason for him to fear her – she was so totally under his control. Just one simple order and she was back in line, more submissive than ever …
He clenched his fists victoriously and stepped forward.