fantasty kiss, raj say hello [bill gates best books .TXT] 📗

I did, I saw that he had his hand extended out towards me. I took it and he helped me up.
“Yes, that was really smooth, Layla.”
As he pulled me up, another teacher entered the room to see what had caused the commotion. I recognized the man as Mr. Miller from a couple of halls over. His eyes locked on Devin and my hands then the fallen desk.
“Is everything alright in here?” He asked.
Devin released my hand and put them in his pants pockets.
“Yeah,” I said going to fix the fallen desk. “I’m just a klutz. FYI, slick shoes on a slick surface do not go well together.”
I pointed to my shoes after I fixed the desk.
“It’s alright, Layla. No harm done.”
I noticed Mr. Miller look at Devin strangely. There was no doubt in my mind it was about the first name basis thing.
“I should go. But thanks for telling me about the writing club, Ms. Simmons. I had fun.”
“I’ll see you here next week, right?” He asked as I walked towards the door.
Mr. Miller took a step to the right to give me room to get out.
I turned and began to walk backwards slowly. “Maybe. I’ll check with Jack.”
He nodded as I left.

Chapter Four
I had never willed the school day to go by faster in my life. It was Thursday meaning there was only one more day until the weekend. Part of me knew that that wasn’t the only reason I was willing the day to go by faster.
I knew it was wrong to admit but I wanted to see Devin . I wasn’t sure what it was about him that made me feel like the stereotypical giggling Asian school girl but he did.
As the day progressed, I felt myself getting antsy to be in the same room as him. I arrived a couple of minutes late as always and he didn’t punish me for it. There was a pop quiz today and not surprisingly I knew the answers easily.
I was one of the first ones finished so instead of gawking at him the entire time, I figured it was best to busy myself with reading. I took out the book I’d been reading for the past couple of days to busy myself.
Though I had wanted the day to pass by faster, I didn’t want this class to be like the others. I actually liked being in here. But that didn’t stop time from flying. It didn’t seem like ten minutes had passed after we all had submitted our quizzes and began watching clips from the movie Devin had planned, that the bell was ringing. Devin too seemed a bit surprised at the swiftness of class time.
Jack left on the first bell, telling me he had to get something from his locker before he headed to the field. Coach would kill him if he was late to practice again. I didn’t mind, I’d just meet him at the field.
When the second bell rang, I began to leave only to have Devin call me back.
“You do realize you don’t need the approval of your…boyfriend to come to a meeting. Right? You’re not one of those girls who has her whole life centered around one boy are you?”
“No.” I laughed. “Jack knows that I have a life. It’s just that he likes for me to be at his practices. He’s not…controlling. He’s just…he’s fine with it. I just don’t think I like going.”
“But you said you did.”
“I don’t think I like going for the reason you’re thinking, Mr. Simmons.” I blurted then blushed. “I’m just not comfortable around people I don’t know.”
“But…you know me.”
I wasn’t exactly sure why he wanted me there but I just…I didn’t think I’d be able to concentrate on him teaching.
“I think I should, go. But thank you for asking me to come back.”
I left him then to go to the field but instead of watching Jack like I normally did, I put my mp3 player in and looked for my book. When I didn’t find it in its normal spot I cursed myself internally. I had probably left it in Devin’s class. So instead of reading like I had planned I figured I’d write. The classical music drowned out the coaches shouting and let me write in peace. Every once in a while I’d look up to see Jack tackling the snot out of someone. I laughed every time.
At one point, I looked up and nearly had a heart attack. Someone was standing right in front of me, blocking my view of Jack.
I squeaked at the man’s sudden appearance but calmed a bit when I saw it was Devin.
“Crap, man, you scared me,” I said clutching my rapidly rising and falling chest. I pulled the buds from my ears.
“Sorry.” But I could tell by his eyes he wasn’t. He enjoyed watching me squirm and to be honest I rather liked it. “Saw you up here and figured you could use the company.”
I didn’t want his company though. When he was around me, my stomach started turning flips and my heart pounded in my ears. I shouldn’t have been feeling this way, especially since I was seeing Jack.
He sat next to me and I put my notebook and pen back in my bag.
“You okay?” He asked. “You look a bit pale.”
“Yeah.” I croaked out. Why had my throat suddenly gone dry? “I’m fine.”
Jack looked up at me, smiled and waved. I waved back but when he looked over and saw Devin sitting next to me his smile faltered for a fraction of a second.
He quickly turned back and got his head in the game.
Devin and I sat in silence for a moment then he asked, “Why don’t you tell your father?”
I didn’t ask about what because I already knew. He wanted to know why I was lying to my father about seeing Jack. Seeing anyone for that matter.
“You’ve met him.” I told him, not wanting to look his way, but feeling a strange urge to do so. I was sure what I was feeling but it certainly wasn’t normal towards a teacher. Yeah, sometimes I thought they were hot, but I never wanted to taste someone’s bottom lip so much in my life! His mouth was moving but I didn’t hear what was said as I thought about leaning in and actually fulfilling my thoughts, as wrong as they were.
“Hey,” Devin said bringing my attention back to him. “Did you hear me? I said I’ve got to go.” He was looking at his watch. “I’ve got dinner plans.”
I nodded, though didn’t want him to leave. For a moment I thought about the person he had dinner plans with. Was it a woman? She was probably gorgeous; I doubt he went out with anything but. Then I had to push that thought away. He was my teacher for God’s sake. It wasn’t right to be thinking about these things.
“Oh,” he said setting his laptop bag on his lap. “I nearly forgot. This is yours right?”
He pulled out my small book of Shakespearean tales. My mother had gotten me a full set one Christmas and now they were worn. The binding on this one in particular was peeling off and the pages, once straight and stiff, wrinkled and flimsy from use.
“Thank, you. I wasn’t sure if I’d left it in your room or not.”
He nodded. “You don’t want to leave things of such value just lying around. It probably wouldn’t have been there next week. I’ll catch you later, Layla.”
“Bye,” I told him as I put my ear buds back in.
Practice went on longer than I expected and I found myself being late yet again. I didn’t mind though, Jack made me happy and I’d rather be somewhere with him than at home under the watchful eyes of my stepmother.
I entered the house and was immediately stuck by the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread. My stomach growled in protest. I’d only had a small salad at lunch and didn’t even finish it all. Not to mention the work out Murphy gave us today, I was starving.
“Layla?” My father asked tensely as I placed my bag by the door.
“Yeah, I’m home,” I said walking to the living room.
“I’m sorry for my daughters’ tardiness.” I heard Rebecca say.
I rolled my eyes. I hadn’t been in her presence for a whole minute and already she was apologizing for me. It wouldn’t have surprised me if she hadn’t been telling this to whomever she was talking to for a while. I was, after all, expected home nearly two hours ago. For a moment, I wondered who she could be apologizing to.
It didn’t take long to find out. When I entered the living room the scene before me shocked the hell out of me.
Devin sat with Rebecca and my father. For a brief second, I worried about the reason he was here. Had he lied to me? Would he tell my father? My heart ached at the thought of that, though I didn’t understand why.
“It’s alright,” he said smiling at me. Again it was a warm smile that caused my stomach to flip against its will. I chopped the whole stomach-flipping thing up to not have eaten since lunch.
“What are you doing here?” I asked still in a state of shock.
“I invited him, Layla, didn’t we tell you?” Rebecca asked.
”No, but maybe that’s because no one ever tells me anything.” I had mumbled that last part but Devin, being the closest to me, had heard and chuckled a little.
“What did you say?” She asked me.
I shook my head and said as innocently as I could, “Nothing, mother dearest.”
“Girls,” my father sighed. “Not in front of our guest.”
I hadn’t noticed until then how tense he was. His arms were crossed and he sat in a ramrod straight position.
When he saw my stern stare, his posture relaxed a bit and I smiled and nodded with satisfaction. I’d told him repeatedly if he kept being so tense he was going to pop a vein one day, or worse, have a heart attack.
“So, what’s got you coming in so late?” Rebecca asked.
“I was at the library. I needed to study for a test and I guess time slipped away from me.”
Devin was still smiling at me, though this time I knew why. He knew the truth. I also knew he hadn’t told them or the shrew wouldn’t be asking.
My father nodded but Rebecca looked as if she wasn’t buying it.
She looked at Devin and asked, “Devin, you told us you were Layla’s English teacher, right?” My father tensed again. Was that what had him so upset? “Did you see her at the library today?”
“I wasn’t at the school library,” I said before he could answer. “I was at the public.”
“Really?” Rebecca asked, skeptical.
I nodded. “So what’s for dinner?”
“Spaghetti,” my father said standing. Rebecca still looked as if she wanted to press the subject of where I was, but didn’t. She stood with my father and motioned for us to follow to the kitchen.
I followed with Devin behind me.
“What are you staring at?” My father’s voice was tight, making me flinch at its power.
I looked back at Devin who wore a calm face. “She’s got something on her back.” He placed a hand on my shoulder and turned me around. I thought my knees would give out. He released me after a few seconds and I turned to see what he’d pulled from me.
It was small