literature

A Teacher's Fear

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ElaineRose's avatar
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Literature Text

A single phrase was all it took to cause Lily's entire mind to entirely shift focus on a Sunday afternoon spent mowing her front lawn…

"Hey, Miss Wilson!"

And suddenly, she wasn't Lily anymore. Suddenly, the burden of knee-length skirts and professionalism and filtering her speech was upon her shoulders. She was hyper-aware of the layered tank tops that potentially didn't hide the tiny blue butterfly resting on her right shoulder blade, of old jeans with various compliments on her butt markered into the waistband, of the fact that teachers do not wear thongs even though this was the most comfortable thing she had to mow the lawn in and merciful God let it not be showing let it not be showing let it not be showing

"Boys—what," and the filter took the fuck out, "are you doing here?" She didn't let the bar on her lawnmower down because it was quite frankly a bitch to start, and she was not about to suffer that twice in one afternoon.

Three students from her Juniors English class were on the street in front of her house, grinning like they're discovered Area 51.

"Turns out Josè lives down the street from you," the tallest among them (with the most problematic skin) yelled over the sound of the mower. Lily did a quick mental check and accounted for a single Hispanic family on the street, far enough down that there was no change for Josè to be watching her windows with any method of binoculars or Army Surplus night vision goggles.

"We thought we'd come over for a visit," added the middle boy, one who had average grades (the best of the pack) and the one Lily trusted least. "Maybe some private lessons."

Please dear God let the thong not be showing please if there is any mercy in you let it not be showing I'm sorry I'm sorry it's just so damn comfortable to mow the lawn in and please God just let it not be showing over the waistband of my pants…

"I think not on that," she answered in her teacher-voice over the sound of the lawnmower and her own thoughts.

"So what does a teacher do in her free time?" the middle one asked, undeterred.

"Undeterred is dumb, don't use undeterred—find something else because undeterred is so overused," I tell my students. I won't describe my students as "undeterred." I can sure as fuck deter them. Just crank up the bitch factor. I mean, hell! They're invading my space and my time outside class, and I'm freaking agoraphobic and introverted! None of this is cool, so I'm not going to put up with it!

"Mainly work from school and enjoy not being at school. Speaking of, I know you have long projects for me due next month," she began, and repositioned the mower so that it was behind her and they could hear her more clearly. "And I can actually always tell when you guys half-ass it at the last minute, so please don't choose for your work to suck this time around, kay? I know you guys can do better than you have when you're not wasting your time stalking teachers after school hours."

The actual answer was "obsessively replay Phoenix Wright games, carefully manage my finances so I can have my Smirnoff – Sushi – Gelato Saturday night, and then working out on Sunday so that I can pretend Saturday didn't happen," but those were details for her friends and the blog no student ever needed to know existed.

They made some following comments of argument and possible useless flirtation, Lily made further fervent prayers that her jeans had not slipped and that her shirt had not risen to show salmon-pink thong straps, because screw all of you thongs are comfortable but please God let them not be showing, and then the students left and once they were reasonably far away and Lily had turned her mower for the next row of uncut grass, Lily jerked her short down.

Her hand brushed her hip as she did.

The straps were showing.
Random details from life/friends/supposed future bundled together for an idea that came to me, and turned out with much less cursing than it had at the initial concept. I like this better.
© 2012 - 2024 ElaineRose
Comments3
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ninjababy's avatar
Hehe, teachers are people too. Nice job!