Chapter Twelve
A/N: Thanks so much for all the encouraging reviews! They make me want to write :-) I welcome any comments about errors I have made in this story so that I can fix them the next time around, but please remember to leave a good comment before pointing out the bad. Anyway, here's the chapter….
"Ty? Are you okay?"
He ignored her question. "Is that you outside my house?"
"Yes, love. I'm sorry—I know I shouldn't have—"
"I'm glad you came, carissima." He sighed wearily. "I might be sacked."
Christina took the turn slowly, watching for other cars. "It's all my fault," she whispered. "If I hadn't pressed you… I'm so sorry, Ty."
His vehemence startled her. "No! Don't blame yourself, love. I don't regret a minute of it." He paused, and for a moment she thought she had lost the call. When he spoke, he sounded like Atlas, bearing the world on his shoulders. "If you want to tell the truth, I won't be angry at you, Christina. I'll understand."
She slammed on the brakes, coming to a stop in the middle of the road. "Tyler Iann MacCrimmon! Don't you dare pull that shit with me." She took a deep breath, then said more softly, "I love you. We're getting out of this mess, and we're sticking together. I'm sticking to the story. We never had sex." She set the car rolling again. "I looked up the laws a few weeks ago, though, Ty. I'm sticking to the story, but as far as I can tell, there isn't any law on the books prohibiting teacher/student relationships. I'm over the age of consent. They can't do anything." (1)
"I love you, Christina."
"I love you too, Ty."
"Baby, I need to go, but I'll call you back at this number when I can. We probably shouldn't talk too much in school."
Christina's face fell, but she nodded. Then, realizing he couldn't see her anymore, she said softly, "I understand," before a thought struck her. "Are you going to be there giving us our exam tomorrow?"
She heard him swallow. "I'm not sure, baby. I hope so."
(1) Laws are about to be changed for students under 18, according to news dated 5/30/2008