Don't Stand So Close to Me

So, I think I'm pulling an Anna here. But listening to that song *points to the title* makes me want to write out a scene matching the last verse (or maybe more, depending on how much muse I get). Sooooo. Here goes, I'm writin' like a Nabokov! :D (Can't tell if that's a good thing or not. >>)

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There was no way that it could go on much longer. Emily knew that. But she couldn't stop wanting him, couldn't stop chasing after him. The class talked. They knew about them. Even the staff was catching on to their little affair. Mr. Sumner--no, he was Gordon, always Gordon--would surely lose his job if it went on. But there was no way she could not want him.

The classroom was suddenly silent. She looked around and noticed they were all looking at her. Waiting to see what she'd do. What happened? she wondered, panicked. What am I supposed to be reacting to?

Then she looked down at her desk and noticed a sticky note that must have been stuck there while she was thinking. She pulled it off slowly as she read it, shaking. "Fucking the teacher doesn't make you any better than us," it said. Emily looked around the room spread out in front of her. They had all gone back to business as usual, satisfied that she'd received the note. They didn't need to see her reaction; they already knew that their shot had hit hard. She bit her lip. Whoever had written the note obviously didn't have the best writing skills, but it still hurt. They had assumed what they always did about her and Gordon: That it was just sex. She tried to remember what he'd told her on the way home last night.

"They're just jealous, Em," he'd said, driving carefully through the thunderstorm. She had been waiting at the bus stop after school and Gordon had driven by. He offered to give her a ride, and, because he was Gordon, she accepted. The fact that his car was warm and dry didn't hurt, though. "Just ignore them."

"I can't!" she'd insisted. "If I ignore them, it'll just get worse...I know it! Then the principal will find out and you'll get fired!"

"He won't find out," he had reassured her, patting her leg while keeping his focus on the road. "I promise."

That promise seemed meaningless now, when the whole classroom was turned against her. She stood up and walked out. He was in the teacher's lounge getting something he'd forgotten for the lesson. She needed to see him alone, just for a moment, before dealing with that room of hostility. He just didn't understand children anymore; they were horrible. And being the teacher's pet just wasn't easy.

Getting down to the teacher's lounge was easy enough; if you looked like you knew where you were going, the adults in charge didn't bother you. She was a master at this by now, after sneaking out of lunch and classes to see him. He said he didn't like it much when she did it, but she also knew that he was horrible at lying. That was why she was worried about the other kids bothering her, about the principal finding out. If he DID find out, there was no way Gordon would be able to lie his way out of it. He was horrible at acting. Just being with Emily sometimes made him cry at the hopelessness of their situation right now; she was only fifteen and she knew it. There was no way they could be together right now...but she couldn't stay away, and neither could he.

Emily reached to open the teacher lounge's door when she heard someone talking.

"There's obviously something going on, Gordon," a voice roughened by years of smoking growled. "Half the staff realizes it and so does the entire student body."

She recoiled from the door, stifling a gasp. They'd been found out! No!

"That's ridiculous, sir," Gordon's smooth voice replied calmly. "There is nothing between Emily and me. We're just a teacher and a student: The way it should be."

The words stung, even though she knew he was just saying it to keep them safe. He was obviously talking to the principal; there was no one else he would call "sir". She did wonder, though: When did he get so good at lying? He was absolutely horrible at it around her. It puzzled her to no end, and though she knew her eavesdropping would not help their case if she was caught, she could not move herself from the spot.

Their luck was not great enough to protect them, though, as she soon discovered. The two men did not get any further in their conversation before she was found.

"Miss Porter?" came the voice of the science teacher, Miss Thomas, from behind her. Emily jumped about a foot in the air.

"M-Miss Thomas, hi, I was just looking for G-Mr. Sumner, I thought he was in the teacher's lounge," she supplied quickly.

"Then don't stand out here," the elderly teacher said, opening the door for them both, "just go in and get him."

The opening of the door had caught the attention of both Gordon and the principal. The principal looked confused to see her, but didn't seem to put together that she'd heard them. He didn't even seem to take that this confirmed his accusation.

Or, at least, he didn't until he looked back at Mr. Sumner.

His expression was a mixture of the adoration he had for the young girl and the horror that they'd been found out. If it had not been for the severity of the situation, Emily would have found it absolutely fascinating. Her own expression was one of apology. She hadn't meant to ruin it. That was the whole point of coming here: She would see him, feel better, and things would be okay. She'd be able to deny the kids' claims long enough to get her through this. To get them through this. Gordon began to shake, obviously overcome by everything. He couldn't even speak, let alone try to deny what the principal was already sure of.

There was a long silence while Gordon tried to recompose himself.

"I-I'm...I'm sorry," he said finally, looking at the floor. "She...she just stood too close. She stood too damn close."

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Yeah, I'm not re-reading this right now (or ever, maybe) to proofread...so sorry if something sucks. xD And the ending fails...because...I'm tired and don't wanna write anymore. D: