Take My Hand

I walked into first period a few minutes before the bell rang, so I kept listening to my iPod, until I felt a presence looking over my left shoulder. I felt someone's hot breath on my neck, right below my ear. I was going to ignore it until a slightly raspy make voice said loudly, "Take those headphones out. You know the rules." It was the new art teacher, and I was caught.

I whipped my head around, nearly smacking him in the face with my long hair, and said, "I do know the rules, which is how I know I have three minutes, which is enough time to finish this song." I was listening to I'm Not OK (I Promise) and he dared interrupt it.

"Actually Laila, the bell rang three minutes ago, while you were blasting that music and probably ruining your hearing." I looked at the clock, hoping he was wrong, but he wasn't. I paused the song, stuffing the apparatus in my pocket, but he held out his hand for it. When I relinquished it he said, "You'll be coming by after school to get this back I'm sure, and while you're there you can also sacrifice your afternoon and spend it in detention."

Gerard's POV

I walked into class, almost late, disappointed at what I saw. She was listening to her headphones again. I couldn't quite remember her name, but it hadn't been very long since I was hired, so I excused myself from feelings of guilt. "Take those headphones out. You know the rules," I said loudly as I bent down next to her so I was sure she'd hear me. She gave me a look of either hatred or disgust, I wasn't sure which, but I know she wasn't happy with me when I took her iPod and gave her detention this afternoon. I had only been hired since the beginning of February, but I was already starting to develops a reputation as the teacher who was really cool, unless you disobeyed the rules.

"Now class, get out the projects you were working on yesterday, and get to work." It was good to be an art teacher again after My Chemical Romance's break up. I was in the band for 12 years, three of which I spent getting my teaching degree, and another six of which I spent in school. The coast three years had been spent back in New Jersey, but it was good to be back in LA. I was only 25 and I knew people here were already watching me in hopes that I did something inappropriate with a student, just because I was young. Pushing those thoughts to the back of my mind, I adjusted my waistcoat and sat down at my desk, picking up the first of many cups of coffee I would drink today. I started thinking without even realizing it, and soon found myself thinking about the girl I had just given detention. Laila, that was her name. She had beautiful long hair, the same raven black that had been mine off and on since middle school, and such a gorgeous figure. "Stop it, Gerard," I scolded myself. "You can't think about her that way. She's a student for fuck's sake. It doesn't natter that she's a senior, and probably already 18, you still can't think that way about her."

I tried to push those thoughts to the back of my mind but I found myself thinking about her even more. She smelled, well, lovely, almost like a mix of vanilla and strawberries, but only faintly. When the bell rang I dragged myself from my distracting thoughts and announced that we would be going on a field trip when we got back from winter break. Everyone seemed to look happy, except Laila, but that made sense considering I took her iPod and gave her detention. The rest of the day dragged on, but soon it was the end of 4th period and I knew Laila would be here any minute. I subconsciously ran a hand through my hair in a halfhearted attempt to look presentable, or even decent. When she walked in I told her to take a seat anywhere and I would return her iPod at the end of the detention. She looked partly disgusted and partly pissed off, which I understood. All the desks face the opposite way as mine, and I'm sure she purposely picked the one the furthest away, just to piss me off. Two could play that game. I didn't speak to her again until there was about ten minutes left of her detention.

Notes