Eric’s POV

Marie walked into my class with her friend Allie. Marie completely baffled me; she was unlike any girl I ever knew. She was outgoing and funny, but whenever the topic came up of guys or anything sexual in nature she got the cutest little blush, she got so embarrassed and suddenly became unnaturally shy. I had to mentally shake myself. I couldn’t think that way, not about a student.

Today something was wrong, Marie came in silent and depressed. Ignoring her friend she sat down and put her head on her desk. I immediately was concerned. I went to the front of the class and began instructing my creative writing class. The task was simple; you were supposed to write a poem describing your favorite color without actually using the word of the color you chose.

After I gave the instructions I noticed that Marie didn’t listen to a word I said but listened to her iPod, which was so unlike her. On the way back to my desk in the back of the room I stopped by her desk. Her friend had to nudge her, which was a puncture into my ego.

“Marie will you please come talk to me in the back of the room.”

She did not reply so I just assumed she would follow me back. I increasingly became more concerned. I made my way back to my office in the back and moved my chair so I could observe the class. Marie was still in her seat.

“Marie, NOW!”

She grudgingly got up and made her way back to my office.

“Take a seat Miss. Delorian”

She flopped down in the giant orange couch in the corner of the room and just glared at me.

“Miss. Delorian, Marie, is everything alright? You are acting highly depressed and you were…aren’t paying attention” I noticed the ear buds in her ears. “Marie Delorian! Give me you iPod” as she reluctantly handed it over I noticed the song that was playing, “Bad Touch” by the Bloodhound Gang. Interesting, maybe there is more to this exotic flower than meets the eye.

“Marie, what’s wrong, I’m very concerned”

She looked up at me with all the hurt in the world behind her eyes. A single tear rolled down her cheek as I wanted to just hold her close and comfort her.

“Marie, you know you can tell me.”

She looked me deep in the eyes and took a deep breath, “I just… well… you are kind of new. But I actually really am like this a lot, just extremely medicated. But I'm taking myself off the meds now. I don’t like feeling like I'm acting fake. I just…I don’t know…I just want to feel accepted and loved for me”

All the time she was saying this she was playing with the sleeves of her long sleeve shirt. I noticed the cuts on her arms. I grabbed her arm and lifted her sleeve.

“Marie…what is this?”

She looked at me with complete fear.

“NOTHING…ITS NOTHING”

“Marie, you know I'm supposed to tell”

“Please…please for me, please don’t do this.”

Given the gravity of the situation I was very mad at myself at the slight bulge in my pants formed there by her pleading. Helpless to form words I just nodded, agreeing with her. I would not tell.

Before I knew it I was practically tackled to the ground. Marie jumped across the entire length of the ten my ten foot office and hugged me. Needless to say, I was extremely taken aback.

“Ok ok ok, Marie, you know we aren’t supposed to have physical contact”

“I'm sorry Mr. Schiere, its just…thank you”

“Marie…its fine…just next time, don’t do that…come talk to me, my door is always open, now go back to class and do your work. However I do have to hold onto your iPod until the end of the day. Don’t worry there is only three more periods in the day.”

Marie smiled at me and got up and went make to her seat with an almost inaudible “see you after school.”

My heart was bleeding for this girl, I really wanted to help her. And despite myself I got excited at the idea of seeing her again after school.

I smiled to myself as I returned to my work. I felt guilty feeling so happy when she was so sad.

Marie’s POV

I walked into creative writing with Allie feeling nothing but the blackness of depression ebbing away at my brain. I know normally I am out going, but that’s only my medication, and honestly I am tired of feeling like I am being fake. I felt the tears building up behind my eyes; I would not let them out. I discreetly put on my iPod and put my head down.

Mr. Schiere, the new and extremely attractive creative writing and English teacher, went into the front of class and started talking about…some assignment that we were supposed to do…something with. I honestly wasn’t paying attention; I was listening to my iPod. I was lulling myself into a fake sense of peace with the sounds of Mike Oldfield.

I didn’t even notice he was next to me until Allie discretely nudged me with her knee. I snapped my head up and looked towards Mr. Schiere. He said something; I didn’t hear him I still had my iPod on, by now it changed onto the next song, Bad Touch by the Bloodhound gang. I am normally very shy when it comes to anything that has to do with sex, be when it was just me and my friends I was becoming increasingly open, almost intensely vulgar. Even my favorite sex song wasn’t going to cheer me up today, even when the man who I dedicated this song to was standing less than two feet away from me. I always told my friends that “this is the song I'm going to romp Eric to”, Meaning Eric my creative writing teacher.

I was lost in my thoughts and by the time I pulled myself out of fantasy land I realized that Mr. Schiere walked away. I looked to Allie and started to open my mouth to ask her what he wanted when I heard him yell from the back of the room, “Marie, NOW!”

My question was answered for me; he wanted to talk to me about something in his office. I took a deep breath and tried to physically swallow my emotions, including fear. I slowly stood up and made my way back to his office. When he looked up at me I immediately was reminded that yes God hates me. I looked into his beautiful deep brown eyes and felt my tension slowly start to drain away. “God hates me” I thought, he would continually tempt me with amazing guys I could not have. Dangle them right in my face, and then have me be friends with people like Allie. Allie, who every time I found a guy I liked she swept him away with her mystery and sex.

“Take a seat Miss. Delorian” he slowly said. The look in his eyes way puzzling, it reminded me about how Allie’s ex looked when Allie lied to him about some problem coming and she had to rush off to be with a sick aunt or dying animal or something. She really ran off with the school man-whore, Jake.

While I was pondering my thoughts I crossed his office and flopped down in the giant orange chair in the corner of the room and just glared at Mr. Schiere realizing that he was just going to be like just another teacher today and remind me that I needed to work in class then inform me about the detention I was about to receive. But what he really did shocked me more than anything. He looked at me, took a deep breath and started.

“Miss. Delorian, Marie, is everything alright? You are acting highly depressed and you were…aren’t paying attention” Damn-it, he must have noticed my ear buds still in my ears. “Marie Delorian! Give me you iPod” I reluctantly handed over my iPod with a blush. He was going to see my song and probably would think I was some sort of trollop.

If he noticed the song he didn’t elaborate. Instead he pocketed my life force and continued.

“Marie, what’s wrong, I’m very concerned”

I looked at him with all the strength I could muster. “I mustn’t cry, I mustn’t cry” I repeated to myself. Well I failed. A tear rolled down my cheek as I looked into his eyes. “God Damn It now he knows I'm weak” I thought to myself as he looked at me with what I could only guess was concern. But with teachers you never know.

“Marie, you know you can tell me.”

His response startled me, but what startled me more was the desire to tell him. The feeling that I COULD trust him, and I COULD tell him shook me to my core. This was not like me, I don’t blindly trust like this. I took a deep breath against my own better judgment started my practiced tale of woe.

“I just… well… you are kind of new. But I actually really am like this a lot, just extremely medicated. But I'm taking myself off the meds now. I don’t like feeling like I'm acting fake. I just…I don’t know…I just want to feel accepted and loved for me”

I tried to tell him the practiced lie “I'm just overly stressed” but to my shock the truth just tumbled out of me. And while I burst out the truth I resorted to my old nervous habit, I was playing with the edge of my sleeves. Before I knew it he had my sleeve up over my elbow and my wrist in my hand. There in glaring red on my arms, the cuts from the previous period.

He leaned in close to me and hissed, “Marie…what is this?”

I was stricken by straight up fear. This couldn’t happen, he would tell, I would be sent away. This couldn’t happen again, I wouldn’t let it. I would not start my whole entire life over again because I made a careless mistake and did them on my arms. By the time I got a hold of myself I practically screamed at him.

“NOTHING…ITS NOTHING”

I was shocked at myself, but not shocked at the answer returned to me.

“Marie, you know I'm supposed to tell”

Before I knew it I was begging. I was begging for my life. I was five seconds away from getting down on my knees and begging with all my might.

“Please…please for me, please don’t do this.”

For a moment Mr. Schiere looked almost as scared as I felt. After a minute, after I aged a full one hundred years, he nodded. I knew what he meant, it was his silent consent, he would not tell.

Before I knew it I tackled him with a hug. In less than fifteen seconds I jumped the entire length of his office. Then Mr. Schiere brought me to my senses.

“Ok ok ok, Marie, you know we aren’t supposed to have physical contact”

He eyes were twinkling with suppressed laughter which relieved my fear that he was disgusted by my sudden outburst.

“I'm sorry Mr. Schiere, its just…thank you”

“Marie…its fine…just next time, don’t do that…come talk to me, my door is always open, now go back to class and do your work. However I do have to hold onto your iPod until the end of the day. Don’t worry there is only three more periods in the day.”

I smiled. The first real smile of the day and got up to go back to my work, or more like find out what we were supposed to be doing from Allie. Before I left I whispered “see you after school” my loss of voice surprised me. He was a teacher, sure an object of my lust, but I wasn’t supposed to have feelings involved.

I returned to my seat feeling better than I have felt in a while, I actually felt better than I did even when I was on my medication. I turned to Allie with an un-ignorable giggle in my voice. She looked as shocked as I felt with my sudden elation.

“So, what silly assignment does that adorable goofball have for us today?”