Page 20 of Unsupervised
“I’m sorry. I’m getting your seat wet.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’ll dry.” Rain comes down in torrential sheets, pushing the visibility to zero and closing us off from the world. Instant isolation.
This thought seems to occur to her too as I pull farther off of the road to wait out the deluge. “Um…you aren’t secretly a serial killer after school hours or anything, are you?”
The corners of her mouth twitch when I chuckle at her question. “No, not last time I checked.”
“That’s exactly what a secret, after hours serial killer would say.”
How did I not notice those eyes before? Clear and blue and inquisitive. Coupled with the pale skin, freckles, and fiery hair, this girl is beautiful. She’s a student, and I’m not supposed to notice, that’s why. I’m probably only seven or eight years older than her, but I’m her teacher which is a bighands off.
“Where do you live?” I ask.
“Also not information to give a potential serial killer.” Humor rings in her voice.
My console creaks as I open it. “Okay, how about if I swear on something that I’m not a serial killer.” Her giggle fills the small space as she sees the handful of Starburst I pull out. “I swear on the always superior pink Starburst that I’m not a crazy murderer.”
Plucking a yellow one from my palm, she turns and leans against the door. “The yellow ones are clearly the best.”
“Wow. A sociopath accusing me of being a serial killer. The irony.”
“Well, I’ve been lured into your truck with candy, so I’m probably not one to judge.” The candy gets popped into her mouth.
“Don’t be ridiculous. You didn’t know I had candy.”
She smacks her forehead. “Yeah, I should ask to see the stranger’s candy first, next time. How stupid of me.”
I’m surprised how different she is when it’s just the two of us. Not as nervous and more talkative. Funny even. “Why didn’t you grab a ride from Mr. Wright, or one of the other students?”
“It wasn’t raining when Owen dropped me off, and I told him I had a ride.” She gestures to her bike getting drenched in the bed of the truck. “Which was technically true. I live on Violet Circle. Do you know how to get there?”
I know where it is. The small loop of government funded apartments are infamous in town for being an epicenter of crazy, but I’ve never been there. I know quite a few students reside there if they can’t afford the dorms or are trying to save money.
“I know where it is.” The rain lets up a bit, and I pull back onto the road.
“Is it very far out of your way? I can give you some gas money.”
“Nah, don’t worry, I pass by there on my way home.” It’s not exactly true, but it isn’t too far out of my way. There’s no way I’m taking money from her when I know she must be struggling, judging by her address.
A comfortable silence falls as she plays around on her phone, only looking up when I pull onto Violet Circle. The rain has stopped, and tendrils of fog filter up from the road. I can’t help but chuckle at the vandalized street sign that has changed Violet Circle to Violent Circle, but for Kelly’s sake, I hope it isn’t true.
“Thanks so much for the ride,” she exclaims, hopping out of the truck when I park in front of her apartment. A woman sits on her steps, watching us as I pull her bike out of the back of the truck.
“You’re welcome.”
A shy smile spreads across her face. “Um…I’ll see you in class, then.”
“Take care, Ms. Bryant.”
She pushes her bike across the yard and leans it against the porch, stopping to chat with the woman who must be a roommate or friend. They both throw a glance in my direction, and her friend waves as I pull away.
It’s just getting dark when I arrive home, and the smell of roasted meat and potatoes greets me when I walk inside. Best invention ever, the slow cooker. Throw everything in it in the morning and come home to dinner. I’ll definitely be including some easy slow cooker recipes for the students when we get to the cooking portion.
Kelly swears she burns everything. The thought makes me smile. I’m not a great cook either but I’ve gotten better and I’m sure she can learn too.
I turn on the TV and leave the news playing just for some background noise while I eat. Maybe Travis is right, and I do need to try dating again. I’m not in a hurry to rush into anything with anyone, and I’ve enjoyed the time I’ve had alone, but I’ll admit, I’d like to have someone to eat dinner with. Someone to talk to other than the guys. And someone to fuck, if I’m going to be completely honest with myself. I have a high sex drive and my hand just isn’t cutting it anymore.
There’s no way I’m letting Dalton set me up with anyone, but maybe I could give one of those dating apps a try. Which one, though? I’m aware that most of them seem to be for one night stands or temporary hookups, but there must be one more for dating in general. Damn it. Dalton would be the one to ask. This is a question better asked by text, so I don’t have to deal with his taunting bullshit.