"Long night?" Lucy stood by the kettle, preparing herself a cup of coffee, when I walked into the kitchen. Jade had left by the time I woke up. It was a little past 7 a.m., and I wasn't very enthusiastic about talking about the events that had transpired after we got back from the bar last night.
"Yeah, sort of," I responded, opening the cupboard next to her and reaching for a cup. I avoided looking at her, the guilt from last night tearing away at my insides. Instead, I sat down at the kitchen counter, burying my head in my hands.
"I see," was all she said. I heard her pour hot water into her cup. "Want me to prepare you a cup as well?" she asked. Her voice sounded cheerful, a far cry from the judgement I'd been prepared to face. I looked up to find her grinning.
"Yeah, I'd appreciate that, thanks."
"There you go." Lucy set my cup down in front of me and pulled out a kitchen stool. Taking a seat, she put a hand on my shoulder. "Everything alright?"
I grunted in response. "Considering I have approximately two hours to get rid of this terrible hangover, the short answer is no," I said through the gaps between my fingers.
"Come on, drink up. It'll make you feel better, promise."
Joe walked into the kitchen, yawning and rubbing his eyes.
"Morning," Lucy and I said in unison.
He startled, like he hadn't realised we were in the room.
"Oh, mornin'." He stretched his arms over his head and yawned for the third time. "Is there any more of that delicious coffee left?" he asked Lucy.
She cackled, jumping off her stool. "I'd hardly call it delicious, but I'll fix you a cup too."
"Thanks, Luce." Joe sat down next to me and clapped me on the shoulder. "Busy night, ey?" he whispered.
I pretended not to know what he was talking about. "I need to take a shower," I said to no one in particular. "I should be leaving in the next hour. Now that I can't even drive, I've got to get the bloody bus."
"Aw, the absolute nerve of your father for cutting you off. It must be such torture to live a regular life just like the rest of us," Lucy said sarcastically, placing Joe's coffee cup on the table and offering me a wink. Joe was the only one who laughed.
Not too many people were aware that my father had cut me off, let alone that he was one of Britain's wealthiest men, and, despite Lucy and Joe's knowledge of this, they treated me like they treated all their other friends. While I didn't have much of a choice, considering the flat we lived in was the cleanest I could find on my budget, it was one of the reasons why I hadn't regretted my decision to occupy the third room in the flat.
"Very funny." I slipped off my stool and walked over to the sink, depositing my empty cup into it. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way," I called over my shoulder as I walked out of the kitchen.
"See you later, mate," Joe called after me.
"Yeah, see you later."
Tiny knots formed in my stomach as I replayed the night before over and over in my head on the bus ride to work. The gravity of things was beginning to dawn on me. If I were dealing with a student with something to gain from our night together, she could easily use this as an opportunity to blackmail me, or worse, if someone else happened to find out, I would be screwed. Either way, things were not looking great for me.
A few whistles came from students on the college grounds the moment I stepped onto it. If it hadn't happened before, I would have been paranoid about it, thinking they had found out about my dirty little secret.
"Hi, Mr. Weston," a group of girls called in unison as I passed them.
"Hi, girls." I flashed them a grin and carried on walking.
"Gosh, he is so gorgeous," I overheard someone say, their remark accompanied by agreement and a set of squeals. I smiled to myself, assured that this was just an ordinary day.
If people knew about last night, I probably would have been met with whispers as soon as I set foot on the college's premises. The girls who had just greeted me would have served me cold, judgemental looks rather than a flirty greeting. I convinced myself I was safe as I passed the college's threshold and entered the large stone building.
I was a few inches from my desk when a voice called behind me, "Oh, there you are, Mr. Weston. Good morning! Mind if I have a few quick words with you before your class?" My heart hammered against my ribcage at the sound of Mrs. Hill's voice. She'd been in charge of helping me become familiar with the way things were professionally run at Grimwald College, and now I was afraid she was here to tell me I'd been fired after just one day. The fact that I'd slept with one of my students after just one day was just as bizarre now that I thought about it. I put on a fake smile as I turned around to acknowledge her.
"Morning, Mrs. Hill. Sure," I replied, following behind her as she walked us into an empty classroom. Closing the door behind her, she faced me with an unreadable expression. My heart, which had been hammering ferociously, dropped into my stomach. She knew. She had to know.
Mrs. Hill motioned to an empty chair. "Please, have a seat." I sat almost immediately, folding my hands together on the desk in front of me to avoid fidgeting. She took the seat opposite me and scooted closer.
"It's quite soon, but …" Blood rushed to my ears, drowning out her voice as I began to think about what would happen after our meeting. They would, without a single doubt, ask me to pack up immediately and leave. There was no excuse for sleeping with a student, not even when you were quite close in age. I tried to keep my breathing as levelled as possible, but my chest felt tighter.
She paused. I noticed she was trying to gauge my reaction. "What are your thoughts on that?"
"My thoughts on what, sorry?" I unclasped my hands and sat up. "I didn't catch the last part."
Mrs. Hill cleared her throat, an obvious look of concern painting her features.
"I would like to know if you're willing to offer evening tutoring classes to students interested. It pays quite handsomely and would look great on your CV. It's also a chance for you to ensure most of your students pass their exams with flying colours."
I relaxed my shoulders, relief washing over me. There hadn't been a single time when I'd felt as nervous as I'd felt just a few moments ago, when I'd thought my entire world was about to come crashing down. When I failed to respond, she said, "I know this is very sudden, given that the initial agreement was that you teach during the daytime. However, if it's something you're willing to consider, you know where to find me." She stood, and I followed suit.
We walked out of the classroom and into the wide hall that went off in several different directions. "Right." Mrs. Hill straightened her grey suit jacket. "I look forward to hearing what you decide." She presented me with half a smile before disappearing down the hallway.
When I was sure she was gone, I leaned forward, placing both hands on my knees and letting out a loud exhale. If I wanted to experience somewhat normal days in the coming few weeks, I'd have to shed the fear that people would find out about what I'd done. I walked into the teacher's, gathered the folders I needed for my next class and stopped in my tracks when I noticed a familiar face talking to Mr. Johnson, the headteacher. Flipping her hair and looking at me with her brown doe eyes was Bianca. She waved and served me the most innocent smile.
"Hi, pie." I cringed hearing a nickname I hadn't heard in years. "What are you doing here?"
If the moments leading up to my conversation with Mrs. Hill hadn't been enough, a meeting with my ex of all people was all it took to convince me I was being punished for yesterday's sins.