Jake

 

Class was nearly over, and though I’d drowned out my thoughts and emotions with the rigors of teaching for most of the hour, I grew anxious as the time came for Lauren to arrive for her drawing class. I cleared my throat, forced myself to not stare at the door, and addressed the class. “As you know, portfolios are due in two weeks. If you aren’t satisfied with your grade on anything you turned in, you can submit a new one for the portfolio. Since it is fifty percent of your grade, I suggest you all take advantage of this. Final grades will be posted three weeks from today.”

A guy at one of the front tables raised his hand, “Uh, Mr. Cooper?”

I raised my eyebrows and waited for his question. He just pointed to the door. I looked over and saw Lauren standing there. My eyes swept over her, noting that her hair was now dry and hanging in loose curls around her shoulders. “Sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can wait.”

My brain almost exploded, but I somehow kept myself together. I nodded at her and turned back to my class. “Any questions?”

The girl with blue hair who had flirted with me all semester raised her hand and I nearly groaned.

“So is that your girlfriend?” she asked. “Cuz I’ve seen her in the drawing studio. Are you dating a student?”

Movement at the doorway caught my eye and I glanced over to see Lauren leaving. I tried not to glare at the girl. “I meant are there any questions about your portfolio? No? Then, I expect good things.”

I grabbed my phone and laptop and left, hoping to catch Lauren. She was already in the drawing studio, setting up for class while other students milled around. Rossi wasn’t in there yet, so I walked up to her. “Why did you leave?”

Her big eyes met mine. “I just wanted to see you in action. I had no idea…Jake, why did she ask that?”

I squatted down next to her so we were eye-level, resting my laptop on my knees. I lowered my voice so no one would overhear. “Maybe because I check you out every time I see you. I can tell you’re freaking out. Relax, okay. We’ll talk later.”

“Okay,” she said. But I noticed her hand trembled as she straightened one of the clamps holding her drawing pad.

I walked back to my office and paced for a while before deciding that I had to get out of the building. I didn’t have another class for an hour, so I walked across campus to the Union to get something to eat. Thirty minutes later, as I walked back, I spotted Nick going into the art building with a giant, pink teddy bear in his arms.

Anger swept over me. I stopped, breathing heavy, fighting for control. I could not stop him. I couldn’t confront him at all in there. So, I leaned against a light pole and waited.

Ten minutes later, Nick stormed out with a massive scowl on his face, still holding the teddy bear. Some of the tension inside me loosened as I imagined what Lauren’s reaction must have been like. If he had known her at all, he would have gotten her a new set of oil paints or some watercolors. She would have had a harder time turning those down.

When Nick was only twenty yards away from me, he stopped and glared at the teddy bear. Growling in anger, he pulled his arm back and launched the teddy bear up in the air. It soared up into a tall maple tree, bouncing from branch to branch as it fell again, finally getting lodged upside down between the fork of a sturdy limb.

I couldn’t have restrained my laughter if I’d tried. And I didn’t try.

Nick turned sharply, facing me. With his muscles bunched and his head lowered, he resembled a bull about to charge. Then remembering that Lauren said she knew how to castrate a bull, I laughed even harder. Clearly she did.

Striding toward me, Nick said, “What are you laughing at, dipstick?”

“I take it Lauren didn’t like the bear any better than the roses.”

“How do you know about that?”

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the light pole again. “I was there.”

“What were you doing there?”

“Use your imagination.” I was taunting him, but it relieved all the pent-up pressure inside that screamed at me to deck him and be done with it.

Nick’s fists curled and his nostrils flared. The last thing I needed was to get in a fight with a student. But somehow, I needed to make things absolutely clear to him, so before he could say anything, I said, “It’s time for you to leave her alone.”

“This has nothing to do with you. You aren’t even her boyfriend.”

“Nope. I’m aiming to be a lot more than that.” On these words, I walked away. I doubted that accomplished much, but at least I got it off my chest. No doubt he thought he could charm his way back into her life. She deserved better, though, and I was going to make sure she got it.

I opened the door to go inside and found Lauren on the other side reaching for the handle. I stepped back and held it for her. She glanced nervously around.

“He’s gone,” I assured her.

“You saw him?”

“Yeah. We had a little talk.”

Her eyebrows rose. “How did that go? He was pretty mad.”

“So was I, but don’t worry. We just talked. I told him to leave you alone.”

She crossed her arms. “I told him that too. But I don’t think he will.”

Her eyes swam with tears, and I realized just how shaken she was. “Want to see something?”

“Uh, sure.”

I took her hand, threading her fingers between mine, and led her over to stand under the oak tree. “Look up.”

She tipped up her chin and broke into laughter. “How did it get up there?”

“Nick.”

“That’s awesome.”

Glad to see the change in her mood, I rubbed my thumb over hers. I loved the strength of her hands and the smooth, but slightly calloused feel of her fingers.

“About earlier,” she said, “I’m sorry if I caused you any trouble. I didn’t mean to.”

Putting my free hand on her shoulder, I squeezed it and said, “Forget about that girl. She’s been flirting with me all semester. Her jealousy made her more observant than anyone else would be. And we aren’t doing anything wrong.”

“You’re right. Because we aren’t dating.”

I walked right into that one. “No. Because we are two adults who don’t have a direct teacher/student relationship.”

She smiled at me, but it looked too sad to be sincere. “It’s more complicated than that and you know it.”

I ran my hand down her arm. “Yeah, well, I want it to get a whole lot more complicated. I know you’ve got to get to class. Will I see you later?”

“Probably not. I’ve gotten all my hours in this week, so I won’t be coming back here. And I have a group project due in my Psych class so we’re meeting in the library later.” My opinion of this must have shown on my face because she laughed and said, “Don’t look at me like that. You know what the end of the semester is like. And I’m behind in every class but one, as usual.”

“What about your art classes?” I asked, hearing the stress behind her words.

“Oh, I’m golden in Figure Drawing, but I haven’t turned anything in for Painting yet.”

“You only have two weeks,” I said, feeling stressed out for her.

She let go of my hand and stepped slowly away, walking backwards long enough to say, “Oh, believe me, I know.”

The cold breeze rattled the trees overhead and bounced the teddy bear in his perch. Some of the dying leaves swirled down, drifting through the air like a curtain separating us. Through it, I watched until she was nothing but a speck of red and black plaid against the distant brick buildings across campus.