" You're thirty minutes late," was the scalding statement that greeted me once my school-exhausted body strolled inside the empty classroom.

" My apologies, Amanda," I gave her my best fake regal head bow , my voice intoned with heavy sarcasm and indifference.

" I might decide to keep you in here until seven pm ," Her arms crossed over her chest, as she regarded me with displeasure .Seeing her winter skied eyes morphed into the darkest of the darkest shades of blue, a glaring evidence of her unspoken wrath, I knew I'd gotten under her skin, just as I had planned.

"If it makes you happy, I will stay until seven or eight pm, it's not like I have anything better to do at home anyways," A satisfied sigh pushed past my lungs once Amanda clenched her fists into tight balls. Her anger was my reward.

A bulging vein cut through her forehead, depicting the volatile anger bubbling under her skin my bothersome personality wrecking havoc inside her inner peace. I tried not to push her buttons any further than that as I briefly located a seat where I'd cozy myself up until detention was over.

My tired eyes swept across the quietened room, the emptied seats gazing at my subdued expression awaiting for me to engage in one of them. The atmosphere was coated with an unwelcomed absurdity, this room that usually bustled with a beehive activity reduced to walls of complete stillness.

I believe the term that would perfectly suffice the ambience would be kenopsia. The foreign word I'd learned when I was thumbing through the pages of Charlie's poetry journal. That was prior to my execution of drawing an inappropriate diagram inside one of the empty pages that nuzzled between the poorly decorated tattered covers.

My eyes immediately fell in love with a seat on the very back corner of the class, overlooking the orange horizon through the window,a place that promised comfort and tranquility,my feet complied as they carried me to the lovely seat. However, my journey toward said seat was cut abruptly once Amanda called me back.

" Have this," What lied inside her hand's grasp was a chisel, it's stainless silvery surface glimmering under the fiery sunset that sneaked past the unshielded classroom windows.

" And what is that for?" I gave a derisive laugh ,  eyebrows raised quizzically.

" You are going to scrape every gum under each one of these desks as a punishment," A sadistic smirk crawled onto her glistening lips.

I tried to confine my mocking laughter inside my voice box but to no avail. It just spilled out, like vomit. I hoped she was joking. Who scrapes gums under desks during detention ? That was certainly unheard of and I should know that since I'm a regular customer when it comes to after-school detentions.I honestly thought she'd ask me to sit in a corner and 'think about what you've done ' or that sorta thing that grown ups usually regard as a suitable punishment for adolescent kids. But scraping gum? That caught me unawares.

"When you're done laughing, pick up the chisel and get down to business," she commanded amidst my recovery from the prolonged laughter. My sides were starting to ache from its aftermath. " The back seats are notoriously invaded with gum and some other sticky substance that would best be described as mucus."

I gagged.

" Are you seriously punishing me by making me scrape gum and....mucus!" Another gag squeezed past my throat.

" Do you have a problem?" Plopping her butt at the edge of her desk, Amanda watched as I squirmed at her punishment. It was as though she'd formed a bow against me and I was the target of her arrow.

"You can't be serious Amanda," I rationalized but my lamentations fell on deaf ears.

"Maybe that'll teach you not to hit on me in front of my class," she gave a grim response. " And for the last time, it's Mrs.Dawson ."

"Oh really?" There was a hint of amusement dancing inside my voice. " You never seem to mind it when I address you as Amanda when I visit your house. "

"That's because we are not in school grounds ," she spoke with conviction. "Plus my son is usually around and believe it or not but I somewhat consider you as my son too."

An amused smirk crawled its way to my lips like a malicious serpent against a crooked tree branch. " So you do prefer me calling you Amanda in the comfort of your house,yes?"

Narrowing her eyes into a sliver, Amanda shifted against the desk she was currently seated on, crossing her legs elegantly as she regarded me with a judicial stare.

" I don't prefer much when it comes to your delinquent ass but for my son, I'm willing to put on a good face for his best friend," Her response though it felt like a harsh criticism, I still cherished it. " And if I may, do you call your mother by her first name?"

I pretended to think about it, chin titled up, eyes morphing into a false thoughtful gaze as I stroked my chin before," yeah, I do call her by her first name. It is her name anyway. "

Amanda looked me in a critical stare, eyes narrowed dangerously as my words sunk deep inside her conscience.

" Well, I'm glad I'm not your mother because I would've whooped your ass if you ever addressed me by my first name,"

That resurrected a bout of laughter. What's so disrespectful about calling parents by their first name. I used to think my mom's name was Mom and my dad's name was Dad....the day I learned that my parents have actual first names as opposed to the usual titles of Mom and Dad, I was mind blown, like some sort of a nuclear explosion inside the sutures of my skull. It was like the most vital information a kid learns. Suddenly Mom's name is Jennifer and dad's name is Steven.

And Zac's mom is Amanda. The preternaturally beautiful Amanda.

" Violence is never the answer, Amanda," I winked at her . That only seemed to annoy her further. "Isn't that what Gandhi said?"

" I'm surprised you even know who Gandhi is because if you asked me , your mental capacity is similar to that of a gold fish," She sneered.

" I don't think your son will appreciate your snarky comments on his best friend," dropping my bag on the ground, I made my way to the back of the room, sleeves rolled up in my elbow before dropping down on my knees in readiness for scraping whatever abomination that resided underneath these extremely neglected desks.

The sight was gruesome I wished for a bucket to empty the contents inside my stomach at the disgusting scene.
The first three lockers was like a horrible detour inside the pits of hell but after holding in my puke, I was starting to get acquainted with the task at hand. Amanda sat behind her desk, occasionally peaking behind the thick book she was reading to confirm if I was conforming with the task at hand and would soon dive back into the book she was reading.

Multivariable Calculus With Applications. The title of the book read. What was it with smart girls and excessive reading?

I got up from kneeling, my joints complaining with a slight crack which snatched Amanda's attention back to me.

" Are you okay? Because you sound like a poorly oiled machine,"

" Haha ,very funny, Amanda, " I put extra emphasis on her name which seemed to piss her as her jaw ticked at it.

With a clear plastic bag filled with all different sizes and colors of gums, I set it down on the desk I had just finished scraping before plopping down on the seat next to it, an exhausted sigh escaping my slightly parted lips.

"What do you think you're doing?" Pushing her seat back, a screeching sound emanating from the action , Amanda approached me in a commanding attitude. The kind of attitude Military commanders embrace when recruiting new army members.

Pretty soon she is standing one feet away from me and her murderous stare made my heart pump intensely against my chest. It was a bit of a turn on for me. Her anger made me feel things I couldn't explain. I mean words couldn't describe how sexy she looked when angry, especially when that particular anger was directed towards me . I just loved it when she scowled me, or bossed me around, or punished me.

" You have about 9 more desks to scrape," she mentioned the obvious but my body seemed to protest with every aching joint in my body, a sore back and my knees were begging to be soaked in a warm soothing bubble bath as a tonic to relieve me the agonizing pain.

" I'm just taking a little break,my back is killing me," I whined.

" Oh is it now?" She smirked before crossing her arms over her chest. " Well you should've thought about that before hitting on me in front of my class."

" I didn't think there'd be consequences, " I breathed out. " Come on, it was a joke and I promise to behave next time."

She considered,her eyes scrutinizing me .

" I don't believe you,"

" Oh come on, Amanda!"

" How many times do I have to warn you about calling me by my first name? Would it kill you to show me a little bit of respect?"

" It would,"

" I am increasing your punishment,"

"What?!" I exclaimed, jerking from my seat so quick it toppled down behind me in a loud crash.

"That's right," She looked happy as though my pain and agony brought her a special kind of joy. " After you're done scraping the gum under the desks, I want you to wash my car. "

" That doesn't seem very fair," I argued back.

" I don't seem like much fun now, do I?"

That's when reality sunk deep inside the contours of my brain. She was trying to get me to hate her or so I thought. Nothing she does will make me hate her. Nothing at all. If she wants me to scrub all the dirt from every nook and cranny of her twilight fog Subaru Crosstrek, I shall happily oblige .

Her wish is my command..

" I get it, Amanda," I feigned remorse giving her an understanding look. " you're being tough on me because you believe in me."

" Is that what you're thinking?" She couldn't hide the perturbed expression that crossed her face that radiated with eternal youth and beauty.

" Yes," I nodded. " I suppose I am your favorite student. I mean how can you explain why you decided to give me detention even though there's tens of students who break the rules on a regular basis. "

"I'm sorry-"

"Shhhh...." Without rational thought, I found my spindly index finger pressing against those plump lips to shush her which she responded with an even more confused expression. I could feel the stickiness of the lip gloss she'd applied, its delicate texture gliding through my callous fingers in a rather enticing manner. I prophesied the scent of strawberry that would cling onto said finger before I get the courage to wash it off.

"Urgh!" The way she ripped my hand away from her mouth made me yelp in pain at the harsh yanking. " What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"

" We were bonding!" I joked lightly but she wasn't in a laughy mood.

" You know what, just go home," That took me by surprise blinking in confusion.

" And what about the rest of the desks?"

" Just go before I lose my temper!" Her thunderous voice brought the cowardice side of me as I stambled back a few steps, creating a huge distance between our bodies.

Amanda was mad at me for going to far. I didn't know why but it's brought some kind of thrill and excitement in me as the conflicting feelings collided inside my skull.

" Sure thing," nonetheless I decided to give her some space for the tension between us to simmer down. Her anger to dissipate so that I can disturb her again tomorrow. And then tomorrow and so on and so forth.

Retiring back to her desk, Amanda immediately buried her attention inside the pages of that thick book. My body refused to move as I gazed at her.

Damn, there's something alluring about bespectacled women that keeps me panting. There's beauty behind that specific imperfection , poor eyesight to be more specific. Big black framed,thick lensed glasses....

I wish all girls had bad eyesight so that they can all be bespectacled. I know it sounds selfish but come on , aren't all bespectacled women attractive? Smart, quiet, independent, authoritative-

" Didn't I just tell you to leave my presence?" I snapped back from my miserable reverie trying to collect my scattered, disoriented mind. Without giving it a second thought, I reached for my worn out bag , threw it over my shoulder before scampering away in hopes that Amanda didn't catch a glimpse of my tented crotch.

****************