The Cameras Pull You Right Back Down

Delilah Tesla sat with her legs crossed on the basketball court pavement, enjoying the coolness of the shaded concrete in the middle of a ridiculously hot summer day in Fort Lauderdale.

She wasn't a hundred percent sure how she had ended up a part of it but Delilah had gotten caught in the middle of a game of Truth or Dare that some of the other high school seniors were enjoying. A little fact about high school level ToD, it can go from completely innocent to full blown, over the top sexual in a matter of minutes but then again that's how most high schooler games work nowadays.

It wouldn't take a degree in rocket science for the other people in Delilah's school to figure out that when it came to sexual things Delilah had little to no idea of what she was doing or saying. She could be compared to a lamb thrown into a cage of tigers and the most she could do was play and hope she wasn't asked or dared anything too bad.

The girl had kissed two people in total, that she found to be easy, sloppy but easy although most other things were a definite breach of her well established comfort zone. On the other hand the girls she was sitting with were already daring each other to sleep with some random guy in each other's classes, the most shocking part being that they would actually do it.

Delilah wasn't new to the place, she had been at the school for a couple of months; she had quickly put together that the only people off limits were teachers, or at the very least the ones who had a good chance of blabbing to the principal.

In every school there'd be a couple of girls who'd be willing to do a little more with everyone else, at this place they were known as 'The Perfect Ten" which was a group of senior girls who had slept with over ten guys or girls each. They slutted around at parties and if you were to catch on to a rumor about one of the jocks getting into a threesome, foursome or anysome there was a damn good gamble that you'd hear the name of these girls dropped.

Even if they had nothing to do with it they'd be proud.

This all kind of loops back to Delilah having no idea why she was playing Truth or Dare, she wasn't up to completing any of their challenges despite them probably thinking she knew her way around stranger's bedrooms.

"Truth or Dare?" June asked Abby as she crossed her legs, causing the reveal of what Delilah considered to be way too much of her leg; at the over-showing of bits she looked away before anything else decided to make an unwanted appearance.

"Dare."

"Hmm, I dare you to...fuck Mr. Way." The two started giggling like it was the funniest thing in the world and Delilah couldn't understand why, she knew that every girl in a ten mile radius thought the photography teacher was the hottest thing ever but he was much too responsible to even consider the thought of sleeping with a student.

Of course students liked to fuel a rumor that he'd slept with a pupil while working as a teacher's assistant at another school but Delilah refused to believe it; ever since she'd taken up photography as an elective she had been what could almost be considered friends with the young teacher, Mr Way. She thought he was nice and they got along quite well, to the point of him giving her a spare key to the darkroom in the photo lab so she could spend her afternoons there if she wanted to get away from everyone.

"He's too much of a stick in the mud for something like that. I don't understand why he doesn't take advantage of the girls here, I mean nearly everyone would want to sleep with him," Mr Way was far from being a stick in the mud, he just wasn't the sort to take advantage of a girl in one of those trading sex for a good grade situations. "Do you think he's gay?"

"Probably," Abby sighed. "He's so pretty. It'd just be a waste, how come the guys get all the good looking ones? Even if he swings for the dudes wonder how big he is."

"I heard Jessica in junior saw him at the beach once and she swears she saw something peeking out of his swim trunks." Delilah was not kidding, she genuinely found the conversations that went on in this group to be disturbing, what happened to the good old fashioned giggling about crushes?

"Oh my God, seriously? It's a shame he stopped wearing those tight jeans and switched to trousers, I really enjoyed the show he put on when walking around the halls, he should go back to that." June gave a nod of agreement.

They actually managed to add fashion to a topic of crotches, good for them, Delilah thought.
"Do you reckon I could convince him to play life guard at the swimming carnival? He'd have to wear trunks for that and if I could maybe pretend I was drowning then he'd have to jump in and save me. Wet clothes cling, if we want anything answered something like that would be the moment of truth." Upon hearing this Delilah continued to freak out, they were scheming to see the junk of the photography teacher and she couldn't help but find it absurd; it wasn't as if he was going to be sleeping with the teenagers anytime soon.

Abby and June turned to look at Delilah, seeming to remember that she was still listening to them before smiling like pair of creepy twins from a horror movie. "Delilah, you're close with Mr Way aren't you?"

"I wouldn't say close, we get along," she muttered, everyone at the school considered her to be teacher's pet because they were what might appear as friends with Mr Way. They would have conversations and once in a while he would sit beside her in the school cafeteria but they didn't speak that much otherwise.

"Doesn't matter but I have a question and I want you to tell it to me straight, okay?"

"Um, sure." The girl was worried about what they might ask, it was more than likely going to be very, very inappropriate.

"How big do you think Mr Way's cock is?" Her eyes went big, she didn't want to think about it; she had been listening to them talk about it but going into discussion about the thing was a whole other matter, she didn't want to think about it or comment on it.

"I don't know, I've never thought about it and I don't want to, ever." Delilah's voice was deadly serious and she hoped they got the point and didn't ask her anything else, why would these girls think her to be kind of person you'd want to have a conversation about crotches with?

"Why not?" Abby sounded like she was shocked to hear her answer. "He's a complete dreamboat and you wouldn't see him naked if you got the opportunity?" If she were to be fully honest Delilah would say she felt like a weak animal cornered by them and wanted to run away but she also got the feeling they'd just find a way to hunt her down later on.

"Yes, I mean no, no I don't want to see him naked. Not now, not ever." She would admit to thinking he was attractive but she liked him on an intellectual level, he was smart and well-read and he had an excellent taste in music, he liked the Smashing Pumpkins, Iggy Pop and The Pixies. All the other adults she knew listened to people like Mariah Carey and Beyoncé, pretty basic chart toppers, even the music teacher didn't listen to anything good.

"It's a shame, I would have asked you to take a picture for me," Abby giggled and Delilah instantly thought that she wouldn't waste her camera film on something like that, she preferred to take candid shots of people and not their junk.

"Actually," June said, a grin on her face that she shared with her friend. "I dare you to get a naked photo of Mr. Way." Delilah hadn't officially joined in the game of Truth or Dare and didn't make a selection so in her mind she thought she didn't have to do anything, plus it was an insane dare; she couldn't even imagine how much trouble she could get in if I tried to take a naked photo of her teacher.

"No, I'm not taking a nude photo of him. Why would you even, no." She shook her head as she thought of Mr. Way and how nice he was to her, she knew she didn't ever want to do such a thing, it wasn't a reputation she wanted to have.

"Why are you so uptight, are you a virgin or something? Virgins are always freaked out by what's in a boy's pants, don't know why but you know, what-evs." June shrugged and Delilah moved a slightly away, thinking of how her level of disturbed was increasing and she wanted nothing more than the bell to hurry up and go so she could get to photography and escape the circling lionesses.

"Oh my, you are actually a virgin," Abby gasped when she noticed how Delilah was uncomfortably moving around.

"It's no big deal, lots of girls are virgins," she mumbled, she don't know how but they were managing to make her feel bad about not letting a guy between her legs, she wanted to save something like her virginity for someone special; Delilah didn't want to hand it over to any random guy who thought she was attractive enough, like The Perfect Ten had for example.

"Yeah but what fun do they have? They're prudes, none of you know how to let loose and have a good time. Not to mention judgey, you're all so prejudiced. You people don't do 'life of the party. You're all buzzkills."

I can't believe this, she thought.

"I don't have to listen to you," Delilah said, standing up with a little bit of effort and adjusting her dress so it didn't get tucked into any inappropriate places, she should learn to avoid these kinds of people instead of giving them second chances, that's what's wrong with her, she always want to see the best in everyone so she stuck around them a lot longer than she knew she should.

For example she should have gotten up and walked away when they started talking about junk and things peeking out, she shouldn't have stayed long enough for them to start mocking her.

"Aw, is the stupid little virgin gonna go cry?" Abby teased and Delilah bit down on her lip but otherwise ignored the jab and kept walking, crossing her arms over her chest and tightening her cardigan around her as she thought how her outfit wasn't helping her; she was outfitted as if she were five.

Although the bell was not due to go for another ten minutes or so Delilah went to her locker and got her camera and notebook out before walking to the photo lab; the door was locked so she sat on the floor outside and pulled her knees up to my chest, probably not looking very lady like. She knew her foster parents would be horrified.

Oh yes, she had said foster parents, Ava and David Fisher. They weren't particularly bad, they'd ask her how her day was, keep the refrigerator fully stocked, give her an allowance and buy her almost anything she could ask for; they were more or less the kind of parents you saw in movies except Delilah never felt as if they were her parents. She often compared it to staying over at a friend's house and being left alone in a room with their mother and father.

She wasn't sure what happened to her real parents either, according to what she had been told she was found outside a hospital as a baby then put into the child services system; ever since she had seen her fair share of foster homes but had been at the most recent home for a little over half a year.

When she considered it Delilah couldn't help but think she could grow to like the middle aged couple, she even got along well with their adopted son Shaun, he was older than the girl (twenty) and was away at some Ivy League college. David and Ava had offered to put in a good word for her at the same place when it came time for her to go away to college and she'd gladly taken the offer but doubted she'd have much chance of getting in despite her best attempts for good grades.

Delilah lifted her eyes when she heard the sound of a door opening and saw Mr Way looking down at her, once their gazes had locked his face softened and became a gentle smile that she knew well and had come to love. She hadn't seen him that day and made note of how he had kept up his trend of wearing waistcoats, he even happened to be wearing his beloved black and white striped tie; she would have been lying to herself if she didn't admit she thought he looked handsome.

For the briefest of seconds Delilah thought of the conversation June and Abby had then just as quickly remembered that it was more than inappropriate for her to think of a teacher in such a manner, especially one that had been so kind to her.

"Hi, Mr Way," she mumbled, turning away from him and staring at the lockers in front of her, she didn't want to talk to him that much, he'd done nothing wrong but she was still upset from what the girls had said.

"Delilah, what's the matter?" Mr Way asked, noticing she was being a little quieter than usual. When it came to him Delilah could be very talkative to the point of near babbling so when she was in a bad mood he was able to pick up on it easily.

Delilah shook her head, not wanting to admit to him that she was upset over two idiots who made fun of her being a virgin. It was a dumb thing to get upset about, it's not as if was being beaten up or teased for something serious, it was just some light joking and nothing more.

"If something's happened you can tell me," he said, crouching down and putting his hand comfortingly upon her shoulder, his face changing from a smile to something a little more serious, showing he wanted an actual answer and not a typical teenager shrug.

"It's just some girls I were talking to earlier, they made a comment and it got to me a little more than it should have, see, no big deal." Delilah stood up and Mr Way rose at the same time, standing a good five inches taller than her five foot five and she was forced to tilt her head back to look at him.

"I've got some coffee in a thermos and something I've wanted to show you since this morning, come in and we can have a chat." Mr Way held the classroom door open and with a resigned sigh she walked under his arm and over to his desk that was already set up for today's class with various photographs he'd want the students to look at.

Like he had said his usual black thermos was on the desk, along with an open laptop and Delilah could smell the mouthwatering scent of coffee from across the room. At her foster home coffee was a big no, not unlike the other places she'd stayed at so when she went out she would buy a cup from a cafe or share some with Mr Way on the days he brought it in.

He fetched his thermos and a pile of papers then sat on the floor behind his desk, Delilah took her time but slowly walked over and sat next to him. It wasn't anything unusual for Mr Way and his student to sit on the floor and chat, it was actually a part of their usual routine but it'd probably seem strange to anyone who randomly walked in the room, like they were hiding or something which she secretly felt they were, hiding from the world.

"I found this while picking up a roll of film, I thought it might interest you," Mr Way said, handing her a flyer that she (with some difficulty) perused, curious since it'd have to be something interesting for him to go to the effort of showing her.

It was for a competition at the city's largest art gallery; they were putting up a show of only photographs sent in by entrants. There was to be a first, second and third in winners and 'whoever comes first is to win a fully paid for six months training course in professional photography with a surprise for public vote winner to be announced' Delilah thought it sounded heavenly.

"It's cool, but why are you showing me this?" Delilah asked, looking at Mr Way as he poured some coffee into his favorite mug then handed the thermos to her so she could drink the rest.

He doesn't even realize how much I appreciate that he does this for me, she mused as she took a small drink from the thermos.

"I think you should enter it."

"No, no, I can't do something like that, I'm nowhere near good enough for a show that big. Do you realize how many professionals will enter? Why don't you do it, you're the photography teacher?" Delilah had begun to babble upon vividly imagining the stress she would be under if she were to enter that kind of competition, she wouldn't be able to take it off her mind and she already had enough school work to finish; she would have to choose one or the other and it was homework that needed the most attention.

"You are good enough, I've seen all of your work and it's right up there with the best of them and as for me entering, I might but I won't take it too serious. I prefer to admire pictures than to take them, truth be told I'm not that good when it comes to snapping some shots." The teacher laughed loudly and took the flyer back.

Delilah was about to say 'thank you' when she was cut off by the mind numbing sound of the bell going, telling kids to start getting ready to go to their classes, which meant the conversation she was having with Mr Way was now over, time to get ready for an hour of chatting about film and developing photographs in the dark room, her favorite place in the world.

Knowing they wouldn't have to move for a little longer Delilah and Mr Way continued to sit on the floor and finish off the last of their coffees, neither of them needing to say anything and her not wanting to since the main thing she was thinking about at the moment was the fucking conversation from earlier. In Delilah's mind the harlots had ruined her perspective on a teacher she looked up to and respected, now whenever she saw him it was through a skank filter.

"Are you okay?" Mr Way asked, looking at her and noticing that she was frowning at a wall as if it'd just insulted her.

"Mmm? Yeah, just thinking about that photo comp," she said, feigning enthusiasm and giving him a fake smile. If she pretended what they said never happened then she would forget all about it and carry on with her life as if she hadn't been permanently mentally scarred.

Mr. Way stood and tucked his hair behind his ear, taking the empty thermos from Delilah when she handed it to him before rising to her feet, wishing she'd spent her lunch time with the teacher instead of with those dumb bitchy girls. She'd never had to worry about the quiet photography teacher making a rude or inappropriate comment and he wouldn't suddenly start talking about blowing people, not as far as she knew anyway.

Delilah walked over and sat down at her desk that was right up the front; unlike some kids who attended this class she didn't slack off or spend her entire time obviously ogling the teacher with no shame whatsoever. She wanted to listen, she wanted to be a photographer and she wanted to do everything right, no mistakes or screw ups. But it was the photography class Delilah was best at, she was trying her hardest with the others but wasn't doing as well as she wanted to.

"By the way, you'll be needing this, Miss Tesla." Mr Way smiled at the redheaded girl and put the competition flyer on her desk to make sure she would leave the classroom with it, Delilah knew she wouldn't win so it seemed incredibly pointless but if he wanted her to humor him then humor him she would.

Students began filing into the room, talking loudly and giggling; she ignored them all and instead became taken by the small photographs Mr Way had in hand, they looked old and were in the classic vintage style that one would relate to the earlier days. It took a good ten minutes for everyone to be seated and for the murmuring to quieten down but once it did it was time for the learning to start.

"Okay, today we'll be talking about one of my favorite era of photography, the early nineteen twenties!"

Notes