"Everywhere I'm looking now, I'm surrounded by your embrace. Baby, I can see your halo, you know you're my saving grace."

••

As I hasten around the corner of the hallway, I bump into something for the second time in two minutes, only this time it's a person.

Mr. Leon holds me up by my arms to keep me steady as he smiles down at me, his eyes pleasantly mirthful from beneath his thin-rimmed glasses.

"Woah, easy there. No running on the corridors."

I look up into his face. Based on observation, he and the devil are the two most attractive teachers at Camber High. Perhaps the reason is that they are the youngest males of the entire academic staff. Though they both are undoubtedly good-looking, Mr. Todd wins over Mr. Leon when it comes to physical built and facial attributes. While the chemistry teacher has more of a lean figure, Mr. Todd slants more to the muscular side with a softer set of features.

"Sorry." I shake my legs impatiently, looking back to see that Mr. Todd has now entered the building and is moving in our direction.

Mr. Leon needs to move the hell out of my way!

"Shouldn't you be in class?" He cocks his head pryingly, and I hang mine as I shuffle on my feet restlessly, waiting for the opportunity to run off.

Mister, with all due respect, please move the fudge out of my way.

"Yes sir, I am on my way there now." I quickly dash past him as he diverts his curious gaze from me and to Mr. Todd whose eyes are fixed on my retreating back.

"Is she running away from you?" I overhear Mr. Leon asking. His tone is dipped in pure amusement and I shut my eyes in shame. Unfortunately, I am unable to hear Mr. Nikolai's answer because I am already scuttling my way out of sight with a scarlet face of embarrassment.

As I enter my classroom, the inquisitive glares don't go unnoticed. I bet they all think I got suspended or detention after school. None of which is the case; I just got interrogated on what an Anaconda is and a pat on my head for knotting my tie properly. For which, I ran away abruptly like a weirdo.

I ignore the class' scrutiny along with Gabriella's broad smile of triumph as I sit in my seat tiredly. Derrick wastes no time to turn to me in his chair, pushing his slim fingers through his brown hair.

"Mr. Todd is swifter than we thought. Mr. Crooks came here looking for you."

I sit up straighter at the news, panic settling in. "Looking for me? What for?"

His shoulders lift in a shrug. "He says you should see him in his office."

I sigh. It's just shaking ass; I didn't bomb the school up.

But something tells me this has nothing to do with me acting like a pole dancer. Mr. Todd didn't give the impression that he'd snitch on me, but then again, he's a mysterious man. I can never know what he's thinking. One minute he's void and impassive and the next his lips are twitching in a faint smile. He's interesting, and secretly, I'd want to learn more about his reserved personality.

••

I knock on the door of the Principal's office before idly picking away at the chipped pink polish on my thumbnail, waiting for him to allow me access. Failing to receive a response, I knock a little louder, and his hoarse voice flows through the crevices of the door.

"Come in!"

I thrust the transparent door open and enter the room, instantaneously welcomed by the scent of paper and a strong aroma of black coffee. Mr. Crooks isn't present at his desk, however, and I look around with furrowed brows as his voice comes from the adjoined bathroom.

"Give me a second!"

He's probably taking a shit.

Aimlessly glancing around the dense office, I make my way to the plastic chair positioned in front of his desk.

Why do principal offices have one specific look? Old bookshelves with irrelevant books, paintings on the walls... Mr. Crooks couldn't get any more cliche than this. Do something different, dude; get a vending machine in here so I can buy food while I wait for you to release your load.

I slip my palms under the back of my skirt so I can smoothly sit down, but my knee ends up bumping against his table, causing portions of his coffee to splash all over a file on his desk.

I utter a fat curse word before attempting to dry the paper with my hand, only spreading the dark liquid all over the white surface as a result. "Fuck it," I mumble as I pull another file from the bottom and place it over it to hide it.

I didn't do that.

"Oh, good, you're here."

I retreat my hands to my lap as Mr. Crooks exits the lavatory with a broad smile on his lips. "So happy you came quickly, Kelly-Ann."

"Kelly. And yeah, I came as soon as I got the message." I smile a little.

"Nice." He sits in his chair with a groan, hauling it forward to rest his elbows on his desk. "How is school so far, my dear?"

"It's alright." I lean forward a little, dropping my voice dramatically. "Um, am I in trouble?"

He chuckles faintly, his chest vibrating as the croaky sound resonates in the room. "No, you aren't."

"Oh, good." I giggle, and he laughs.

"I just want to tell you about the tutoring program we will be hosting this year for students who need extra assistance. Would you be interested?"

I hate staying back after school, I normally like to arrive home early so that I can binge-watch Korean dramas. But oddly, the words Mr. Todd uttered to me yesterday evening recur to my thoughts.

"If you want to do better this year, you have to work harder."

I am not sure why that motivates me. Seeing that it's from the very same person whose words normally makes me feel the complete opposite.

"Yeah of course." I nod rapidly, and he smiles as he pulls out his desk drawer and retrieves a sheet of paper, extending it toward me. I browse over the sheet bearing the relevant information on the tutoring program.

"The cost is on there. We have a few teachers and students already lined up. But I was thinking, the other day I saw you seeking assistance from Mr. Todd, is it that you feel comfortable with him?"

My heart leaps at his name. Fuck, don't blush. Don't blush, don't blush.

"Um, uh—well..."

Fuck, I can't speak.

"I think you could ask him to tutor you. It would be best if it is a teacher or student that you are familiar with. Mr. Todd is a part of the tutoring committee, and if this would be of any aid, he has degrees in both Math and History and was an honor roll graduate of Harvard University. He is quite specialized in his profession; I think he would make a remarkable tutor."

How will I be able to seek assistance from the man when I can't even look him in the eye? But to be honest, if anyone is more familiar with my attitudes and capabilities, it would be Mr. Todd. He knows me academically a lot more than anyone else, in my opinion. Plus, for some strange reason, I feel more comfortable with him.

"Alright. I'll ask him." I say, and he smiles.

"Good. Ask him, and then I'll make a note of it so that the other students are aware that Mr. Todd is already booked. He's in quite a demand; all the students here want him as their tutor." And Mr. Crooks chuckles.

That is no secret; the older and younger women here swoon over even the breeze he leaves behind when he walks by. One time, I even saw a girl sniffing the air after his departure.

"Okay... I will ask him. Can I be dismissed?" I ask, and he nods.

"Yes, ensure to get back to me by the end of tomorrow and let me know what he says. Okay, have a good day."

As I get up from the chair, he reaches for the file from his desk, and his brows crumple in confusion at the large brown stain on the sheet beneath it.

"How on earth did this happen..." he grumbles, and I make a 'yikes' facial expression as I hastily turn away to leave the room, stifling laughter as I shut the door behind me.

••

Agreeing to what Mr. Crooks had recommended is one thing but going ahead and asking Mr. Todd is another.

I have no idea what his response to the proposal would be, and I am not prepared for the possible rejection that may follow. Why would he want to tutor someone with such a pea brain like me? That would be too tedious and frustrating, and I have already caused him enough annoyance to last a lifetime when he had assisted me with my math assignment.

Patently, I would be disappointed if he chose not to be my tutor. Although his words of chastisement sometimes cut me deeply, I feel a lot more comfortable with him than any other instructor at Camber High. I am accustomed to his words of rebuke, not anyone else's.

I am now standing in front of the staff room, peering in from behind the wooden door sill. Realizing that my history teacher isn't at his desk, I frown in disappointment.

"Looking for someone, dear?"

I turn around to find Ms. Carter standing behind me and I step back, itching the top of my head.

"Yeah. Mr. Todd; I wanted to speak with him." I report and she nods her head curtly, gesturing that I follow her.

I scuttle close to her side as she breaks the corner of the hallway, stopping in her tracks and pointing to a room at the last end of the hall.

"Mr. Todd got a promotion this morning; he's now the head of the History department. His office will now be there."

Mr. Todd got a promotion? Well, nice.

"Oh," I mutter, and she smiles shortly.

"Just knock and enter. He's probably still unpacking his things." And with that she turns away and walks off, leaving me alone to enter the lion's den.

It's alright. It won't be that bad, right? I just need to ask him to be my tutor, and if he says no then that's alright... right?

I slowly tread down to the instructed room, feeling as if I am about to walk through the depths of hell. Inhaling a deep breath, I raise my fist and knock on the door. He doesn't come to get it, so I slowly enclose my fingers around the knob and gently push it open.

"Mr. Todd?" I peep my head from behind the door, expecting to be greeted with the rigid glare of Satan's son, but instead, the room is empty. Pouting my lips, I hesitantly remove the rest of my body from behind the doorway and make my way into the room. I push the door up behind me as I peruse the small, empty office.

It is compact but appears quite comfortable. The sun rays coming through the large window gives the room a bright glow, and it is positioned at a place where the school's playfield can easily be seen from up here. His desk is stationed right beneath the window, a leather chair tucked underneath it.

I start thinking crazy things like how weird it'd be for Mr. Todd to see me from here while I have Physical Education on the fields, wearing the tiny sports skirt the school allotted to us. He'd probably get the laugh of his life due to how ridiculous I look whenever I take part in extracurricular activities. My legs are a bit weighty, so due to this, I am unable to run fast. I tend to feel like a weird elephant whenever I try to.

Flashing the thought from my head, I traverse over to the brown bookshelf in the corner of the room, reaching for a random text from the collection.

I look over the hardback, flipping it over to read the blurb on the opposite side. As I whisper out the words to myself, I begin to hear faint chattering coming from the outside. Snapping my gaze in the direction, I put the book back in its place as I listen keenly.

It's Mr. Todd's voice.

... and Ms. Smith!

I am not sure why, but I feel the need to hide. I quickly put myself behind the shelf as the door opens to reveal the two teachers. Mr. Todd has one hand jammed in his pocket, while the other is holding the door open for the P.D educator to make her entrance.

A girly chuckle erupts from her and spreads around the room, as it seems they had been exchanging jokes. "Yeah, I saw it too. I must admit, it did look hilarious."

Mr. Todd is slightly smiling, not much, as he closes the door after her. He adjusts one of the buttons on his black vest as he moves toward the table, and she sighs loudly as she sits on a small leather couch in the room.

"Congratulations again, Mr. Todd. This must be a dream come true."

He laughs. "Not at all. But it is far better than being in the army. My dad still thinks I should be a soldier."

He shakes his head as he opens a large carton sitting on top of his desk.

He begins to unpack his resources while Ms. Smith gracefully conjures up from her seat. I ogle her from behind the creases of the bookshelf, noticing a shift in her countenance as she seems almost nervous.

"Um, Mr. Todd..." She begins, pursing her lips right after as she interlaces her fingers behind her.

Why is she acting like a darn fourteen-year-old?!

And why are you being touchy, Kelly?

Fuck, good point.

"I was wondering..." She drops her voice to a lower pitch, and I scowl quietly, upset that I am now unable to properly make out her words. Something tells me she's about to say something rather interesting.

"Yeah?" Mr. Todd urges her on as he places a pile of books on his desk.

She looms closer to him from behind then rests a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look around at her.

Pushing myself forward, I try to get as closer as possible. I bite my lip as I press myself firmly against the board, and then the worst thing happens.

The darn shelf goes tumbling down with me, a loud crash echoing through the room as I fall over to the ground, the hardwood piercing into my knees.

The two heads snap in my direction, and I hang my head from shame, hiding behind the loose strands of my hair.

Shit.

"Oh my God, are you alright?" Ms. Smith hurries over to me while Mr. Todd is still in his position, looking at me with a blank face. His reaction is as if he knew I was here. But how?

"Yes... I-I am fine..." I mutter, my voice breaking from the humiliation. I try to get up off the bookshelf, but a sharp pain shoots through my knees, generating a soft moan from me as I still my movements.

My eyes sting with tears. It hurts like a bitch!

"Your knees are red; I think we should take you to the nurse."

"I'll take her, Ms. Smith. Since you have a P.D class right now." Mr. Todd's black trousers appear over my head, and I stare at his shiny shoes. Too mortified to look up at him.

Why do I keep making an ass of myself around him? It's getting too much.

"Okay, it seems she needs some pain-relieving ointment on those blemishes." She stands from her crouched position, offering a tight-lipped smile in my direction before looking over at Mr. Todd, who nods at her as she turns away and leaves the room.

When the door snaps close behind her, he pulls up the knees of his pants before squatting down. A strong breeze transporting his manly scent passing over me.

He sighs. "Can you stand?"

Still staring at his feet, I shake my head. "My knees hurt..."

Another exhale comes from him as he moves closer to me. "I'm going to lift you, alright?"

Wait, what—

I am not given the time to analyze his words since he is already positioning one of his arms behind my back, easily lifting me from the hardboard and into his arms.

He stands up while adjusting me in his hand, and I stare into his spotless face with wide eyes. The view from up here is immaculate. Lord, he's a Roman statue.

His brows are slightly pulled together as he stares at me, the small frown on his face undeniably handsome. His lips... they look so soft and pink.

My head begins to spin in circles; not from the fall, but from how close we are. He's way too handsome, and my heart can't take it.

He fixes me better against him, my breast now pressing into his hard chest. I stiffen at the friction, blood racing to my face as fast as a running pipe. "P-put me down, sir. I-I am fine, I will manage to—"

He sucks his teeth. "Relax against me, Kelly. You weigh a ton."

The butterflies freeze for a minute as I try to hide the bashfulness washing over me. I know I am heavy but why must you point that out? I eat ten times the average person!

The flutters in my stomach awaken again when I realize that his arms are positioned under my bare legs, his fingers sinking into the thick flesh of my thighs. I pray he won't identify the stretch marks on them, and at times like these, I regret not making my skirt longer.

Despite the fact that my entire figure is on the verge of setting us both ablaze, his facial expression is composed and vacant. Apparently, he has no idea what he's doing to me. And I have no idea what is happening to me lately; I keep feeling weird around the man.

My breath is caught in my lungs as he carries me over to the black sofa in his office. He puts me to sit before walking over to the desk and rummaging through the carton sitting on top of it.

I peer down at the red scratches on my knees, using my index finger to trail over the scrape on the left when Mr. Todd uses his forefinger to smack mine away.

"Don't touch it with your dirty hand, girl."

I suck my lips in as he sits in front of me with a mini first aid kit. He grabs a cotton ball and a tube of ointment, that I am guessing is for pain and bruises. He begins to unscrew the cork, staring into my face as he does this, and I squirm under his perusal.

"What?"

He raises his eyelids, and I quickly add: "Sir."

"Why were you snooping around my office?" He dabs some of the white sticky substance onto the furry ball, still gazing into my eyes, and I struggle to keep myself from blushing like an idiot.

Please stop looking into my darn eyes, goddamnit!

"I came to see you." I break eye contact, looking at my knees instead, and he doesn't respond to my answer as he moves closer.

He then holds the side of my left leg unconsciously so that he can apply the ointment, and I almost have a cardiac arrest. His touch feels good. Gently, he pats the medicine onto the blotch, and I jerk my foot from the sting, biting my lip to stifle a moan.

"Don't move your foot." He says heartlessly, and I glare at his head of dark hair. No damn sympathy!

He touches it again and I jolt involuntarily, causing him to shut his eyes.

"Kelly."

"It hurts, okay?"

"Yeah, but maybe you shouldn't have been hiding behind a damn bookshelf in the first place." He snaps, and I press my lips together to avoid throwing him a sassy retort. He's bringing out the inner bitch in me.

"Bite your lip until it bleeds then," he says.

I'll tell you what I'll make bleed. Asshole.