2

“No! Shut up! You joking right?” lying flat on my stomach plopping on a pillow with my fuzzy socks covered feet swinging randomly in the air. I laugh at Bailey who didn’t find the situation funny as she went on about how she was this close to make a move on Mr. Fredrick after school and Kim ruined her moment by walking in to ask for his assistance.

“I’m serious here. She definitely has an eye for my man, TWO EYES for my man with her stupid cheerleading short uniform strutting all around him in that annoying high pitch off key voice.” I burst out laughing when she started to mimic her voice telling Mr. Fredrick to tutor her in math privately. “Stop.” She whines. “It’s not funny. My man is at stake here.” She pouts cutely I couldn’t help the chuckles that escape my lips.

“First, Mr. Fredrick is not your man. Secondly, do you know how many girls are dying to seduce him? Like I heard someone in my chemistry class say how they can be the missing ‘X’ to his ‘Y’ in that assignment he gave us. So let’s just say you are not the only one who has eyes for him.” Like I get it, no I do. He’s tall, sexy, brown skin chocolate goodness, pink pouty lips, cute dreads and he always dress to impress, well not me. Hell our math class is populated with 80% girls and 20% boys all because of him which never happens in our school before, ever.

“I know right, perfect for me. We’re meant to be together. Even the fates deems it possible”. She Muse dreamily.

I roll my eyes smiling to her face on my laptop screen. “I think you girls keep forgetting one itty bitty serious info.” I use my index and thumb to emphasize. “He’s our teacher! A college student that’s our substitute teacher and he’s like what? Twenty something and you are going to get him in serious trouble.” I exclaimed.

“Oh please, he’s twenty-one.” She waves me off, my mouth fell open. Like how did she know that? “No one will know and besides I just need to get those leeches off my man.” I slap my fore head groaning loud.

“I give up on you, officially.” I sit up sitting Indian style with a playful frown on my face.

“I just need to keep up with our after school tutoring and hopefully get him to notice me as a woman and not his student.” She says this wiggling her fingers down her body and flipping her hair. Yup, you guessed right. I roll my eyes…again.

“He does notice you alright.” I muse sarcastically.

“Hey! No room for sarcasm here. This is serious babe, help me out.”

She moans into her pillow.  “You really like him don’t you?” She nods frantically before her big doe eyes looks at me hopefully. I groan. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but your happiness is my happiness. I’ll help you.” Her eyes shines and a smile grace her lips beautifully.

“Ugh, please wipe that smile off your face. It’s sickening.” I place my laptop on my thigh hearing her giggles as she says thank you and I love you. I guess love comes in different ways that you never expect and hers is disturbingly our substitute teacher. I smile at her. Snatching my phone from the night stand, I look at the time. 8:57pm.

“It’s time huh?” She says with a sly smile.

“Time for?” I look at her innocently blinking. She laughs amusedly.

“Oh my god! You so cute when you do that. Do it again.” She laughs again. I puff out air exasperatedly waiting for her to calm down with a bored look on my face.

“You done.” I say waiting for her to sober up.

“Maybe.” She replies now in her stupid annoying grin looking at me.

I shake my head folding my arms across my chest waiting for her to stop. “You know taking a little peep won’t kill you or ruin your good girl record.” She sits up.

“I love my privacy and I have to respect others privacy also.” She boohooed at me.

“So you don’t want to see him in his Calvin or best, his towel. Maybe luckily for you it may fall off and you get to see a D.I.C.K.” she whisper spells.

That’s right, Austin the star quarterback and my crush is also my neighbor. Like window to window neighbor. A neighbor who he doesn’t even know or will spare a glance at me.

“I’m not going to pervert on the poor soul Bailey.” But seriously what if I put on my big girl panties and take a look.

“Why not?!” She screams.

“Uhm, things are not done that way.” I say pointedly.

“Come on, just take a look for me please. Just this one time." Her hand join in prayer sign, I sigh muttering a fine, my eyes going to my window.

A light came on in his room, I see him walk in as if exhausted. I can see him clearly but not fully from this view as he sat on his bed, just then a little girl comes in with all smiles making his face lit up. He picks her up tossing her in the air as her squeals fill the room. She kisses him all over his face and he does the same making her giggles louder, their head look to the door, he nods. I’m guessing it’s their mom; he looks back at his sister saying something which she hugs him before running out of the room. His smile is still prominent on his face looking pass his door, he talks to the other person behind the door before a hand close the door. Immediately his smile disappeared and all I wish for is to rush over and pull him in a comforting hug or probably call them back so he can smile again. He looks so distraught that you’ll never believe few seconds ago he was all smiles with his family. I frown.

“What’s wrong?”

Bailey’s voice snaps me back to the screen. “Uhm nothing.” I smile assuring but her brows quirk up holding a skeptical look. Quickly she changed the topic which I’m grateful for because I can’t seem to know the answer to that question.

“What’s he doing now?” I’ve seen enough feeling bad I disturbed his privacy.

“I’m not looking again.” I say meaning it.

“Oh come on! Don’t you want to see him take off his…?” I cut her short before she could finish.

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence? You know what? Bye, goodnight, love you.” I say quickly hanging up.

I fell back on my bed breathing a much needed air I didn’t know I held back. Looking at the ceiling, I groan loudly, I could hear Bailey’s taunting voice telling me how sexy he’ll look in his Calvin or in a towel.

“Ugh! I can’t believe I’m about to do this.” Groaning, I muse. Well if I’m going to do this, I better not get caught at least. I slide to the edge of my bed, my fuzzy socks land on the soft carpet, I quickly tiptoe to my window hiding behind the curtain.  Five seconds in, five seconds out, I count chanting three times trying to calm my hyper nerves.

“You can do this Mary-Vienne. Just one look. A quick glance to show you’re not a wimp.” I say in whispers with my back to the wall.

Slowly and cautiously, I held the curtain in place moving my head just a little bit to see him and I tell you, this view is better than the last. Bailey was right, he had on a white towel wrapped loosely round his lean waist, and his body glistened with water telling me he just came out of the shower. I bit my lower lip in hope to keep any stupid sound that will definitely blow my cover. He types furiously on his phone with his right hand as the other held his towel in place. His wet hair cling to his face dripping down his body, to his abs. My god, he’s beautiful.

“Fuck!”

He mutters as he got closer to his window, his left hand releases his towel now typing with both hands. Suddenly his towel fell loose right before my eyes, a loud gasp escaping me which I quickly covered my mouth losing a footing in the process, falling and not before his eyes meets mine.

“Oh shit!”