Take Note: I haven't gotten the transition from mutual dislike to love for Edward and Alison exactly right so the flow seems a bit awkward for that part. Will edit after Nanowrimo. There might also be some errors in the timing because I changed parts of it For any other mistakes, please inform me via the comments section.

***

Although Alison wanted to throw a sickie (and Angela offered to cover up for her), she knew that it was better that she got this Spanish lesson over and done with.

 Knock. Knock.

 “Yes?” A soft musical voice sounded out and Alison frowned, all hopes of the Terror having left already dashed. “Erm, Mr Kingston?” she called out tentatively.

The door flew open instantly and Alison blinked. Edward Kingston had changed into a new blue shirt and jeans and she was just as awestruck by his appearance as she had the first time she saw him outside of school. “I thought you wouldn’t come.” Relief flooded his voice.

 Alison stared ahead coldly and trudged into the room. To her surprise, she found Jessica, of all people, sitting at one desk. “What is she doing here?” Alison growled and jabbed a finger in her direction.

“She came up to me and wanted some Spanish tuition as well when she heard that I had offered an extra class for you,” Edward Kingston smoothly said.

 Alison’s eyes narrowed and she took a seat, the one furthest away from that foul stinking girl. She still couldn’t forget Carrie’s betrayal and her negligence and seeing that girl so near her, she just wanted to pull her stinking blonde hair out.

 Hang on. Was she acting too American? Alison shook of that thought. It was not possible. She had lived in Japan for 12 years. How can she act like an American within such a short span of time?

 “So firstly, we’ve moved on from the alphabets and numbers, so I hope we can start with basic greetings.” Edward Kingston’s eyes were on both of them and Jessica leant forward eagerly, as if she wanted to devour him. It’s no surprise to Alison. Obviously she would want to hook up with one of Cornwall’s most eligible beaus. Too bad, he’s taken. She realized this with a stinging sensation in her chest. Again, she questioned herself : Why did she care about that anyway?

 He handed out a worksheet with basic vocabulary in them and Alison read it uninterestedly.

“So, we will move on to conversing using these basic sentences? Would you like to do it with each other or…” He paused.

 Alison snarled and turned her head towards Jessica, as if daring her to actually come over and engage her in a polite conversation using Spanish. She didn’t know any Spanish words or expletives but she sure know some Japanese and of course, English, swear words which wasn’t going to be entirely pleasant from her.

 “No thanks, Edward.” Jessica flicked a strand of hair and said huskily, “I would prefer if we can do it with you individualyl. ” Her eyes drew a line from him to her short and revealing shirt. Edward Kingston had the grace to actually look uncomfortable. “So, we would start with-” he began and turned to Alison with a hopeful look.

“No, me, me!” Jessica said in a shrill voice. Alison shrugged and nodded understandingly. She wasn’t interested in doing this conversation thing herself and she could tell Jessica was dying to lay her hands on him. Might as well let her have the chance. Edward Kingston looked pained as he shifted his chair over to Jessica’s seat. Well, serve him right. She thought.

 Folding her arms around her, the sudden buzzing of the phone distracted her attention. “Hello?” Alison picked it up. “Alison, have you seen your sister?” It was her father. Alison felt her body stiffen and she whispered, “No Father, I haven’t seen her today.” She frowned. She hated telling lies to people- especially to her parents-  and she knew what the consequences were.

 “Where are you now?” Her father’s cold, authoritative voice made her flinch. “I’m in school, having extra Spanish class with Mr Edward Kingston.”

“Ah, that smart chap, eh?”
“Yes.”

“Fine, that’s a reasonable excuse. Be sure to come home for dinner.”

 “Yes, Father.”

 “Goodbye.”

 “Goodbye, Father.”

Alison breathed and clasped her cell phone cover shut. She noticed Edward Kingston staring at her and she turned away to hide her embarrassed face. Carrie hadn’t returned home yet and she usually wasn’t this late without even informing her parents. She needed to confront Jessica about this after the lesson.

 Sighing, she suddenly had this prickly feeling of someone watching her. Lifting her head up, she saw Edward Kingston’s eyes fixed in her direction, utterly oblivious as Jessica placed her hands onto his shoulder. Alison gulped and tried to break off from that stare but it was impossible to be oblivious to whatever was happening on the other side of the room.

“So, Mr Kingston, do you happen to have a girlfriend?” Jessica purred softly by his ears but it was loud enough to be heard anyway. Alison pursed her lips. She couldn’t pretend to be disinterested in whatever Edward Kingston had to say to Jessica. But there was the nagging feeling that reminded her that Edward Kingston was her teacher no less and it was wholly inappropriate to see Jessica having her hands all over him.

 She observed Edward Kingston wince as he tried to pull away. “Please, Miss Harrow, a little decency…” But obviously this tactic wouldn’t work on the Queen Bee of the school.

 “Tell me, Edward, is it true that you were Prom King for your year?” Jessica continued her sultry act as she impatiently stroked his messy blonde hair. Alison felt sick as she witnessed this scene. One shouldn’t mess around with a person of a higher ranking. That’s what she learnt in Japan. But no, apparently, Jessica Harrow hasn’t heard of the word “decency” before in her life. Or if she had, she certainly wasn’t displaying it.

 “Yes, if you will excuse me.” Edward Kingston muttered irritably as he pulled her clingly, thin arm away as if it was a parasite. Alison wanted to laugh. It was almost impossible to fend off Jessica’s amorous and lecherous advances.

 “Oh, Edward, you know you want me,” she cooed. At this point, Edward Kingston, seemingly exasperated and tired, merely retorted, “Can you get the fuck away? And by the way, I don’t like blondes. I prefer brunettes.” And strangely, he gave Alison a pointed look when he made that proclamation.

 Drawing back, Jessica finally got the hint and her smooth (probably Botoxed) forehead crinkled with puzzlement. “What? You don’t want me? ” She was in a state of disbelief. As the Queen Bee, nobody dared to disobey her and certainly, she has always been able to obtain any boy she liked. It confused her to see Edward Kingston resist her flirty charms.

 “Yes, and if you don’t get my obvious hint, I suggest you go for an IQ test.” Clearly, Jessica Harrow had tested the limits of his patience. It certainly wasn’t unusual for Edward Kingston to be so rude.

 “Well, fine, you’ll pay heavily for resisting me,” she snarled, baring her teeth before grabbing her hot pink Glitter bag and bolting out of the classroom.

“Wait-” Alison stood up quickly, wanting to run after her but Edward Kingston grabbed her arm. “No, Alison, you stay,” he said firmly.

 “Go away,” she tried breaking from his grasp but to no avail. He didn’t understand the severity of the situation. She wanted to question, no, threaten Jessica to stay away from her sister but she couldn’t possible tell Edward Kingston that. He would blab to her parents and Carrie would get into deep trouble. Simply because of her.

 “Stop this erratic behavior.” He pulled her closer to him. Alison gazed into empty space. The feline figure had disappeared and she felt a sudden wave of despair.

 “It’s all your damn fault,” Alison accused him aggressively.

 “I was trying to prevent a fight from breaking out.”

 “I hate you,” she spat, all emotions overwhelming her now. Edward Kingston’s face changed into a picture of hurt and sorrow, as if her words truly affected him. Well, he should. Everything’s his fault. If only she hadn’t moved to this dreary old town. If only she had stayed in Japan and enjoy a peaceful quiet life. If only… If only….

 “Alison, calm down.” She hated him but his voice had a hypnotic effect to it. She sat down and held her arms tightly around her legs, like a vulnerable child. She hated showing this weak side to other people, in particular Edward Kingston, and she wondered if he would think that she was just a sore whiny loser. And as much as she didn’t like to, she cared about what other people thought of her- even people whom she hates. Call it low self-esteem, but she still hasn’t been able to completely escape from this part of her personality yet: the extreme self-consciousness of how people perceived her.

 “YOU WANT ME TO CALM DOWN? DO YOU KNOW CARRIE MISSING? HOW DO YOU WANT ME TO STAY COOL AND COLLECTED?” she shouted.

 “Hang on, your sister is missing?” Something clicked in his brain and he instantly understood why she was acting in such a delusional way.

 “She’s on drugs, at some party, oh, I don’t know,” Alison screamed, a little hysterical. It was all her fault. It always was. No wonder her parents blamed her all the time.

 “Hush,” he reached out his hands to wrap around her and she didn’t resist. It felt so nice to be hugged by someone. She had never been hugged by her parents before and this was very comforting.

 “What happened to her?” His steady voice eased her pain slightly. Alison didn’t know the reason, but she felt safe and secure in his arms. The barriers between the teacher and the student soon faded away with his touch. It wasn’t Mr Edward Kingston, her English teacher, whose arms were around her. It was just Edward Kingston, the 19-year-old teenage heartthrob from next door.

 “She….I….I saw her with Jessica’s gang, the MGG,” she sobbed before hastily adding, “The Mean Girls Gang, if you don’t understand what I meant.”

 He looked thoughtful for a second and his face instantly hardened. “I know what that gang is. It has a long history in our school.”

 “Huh?” Alison pulled away at last and stared at him.

 He stared back, his blue eyes locked on hers. They were both silent and still, just gazing at each other. After a few seconds, Alison felt a weird flip in his stomach, a gnawing intuition that this was too strange, too intimate. As if he could see more of her than he should. His face was dead straight and she surveyed his smooth forehead, the tiny lines around his eyes.

 Clearing her throat, she broke the spell and turn away. She nervously fingered the hems of her skirt and Edward Kingston stepped forward.

 “Alison, have you ever had someone confess to you before? ” he murmured.

 Alison felt a bit thrown. She was not used to this kind of focused attention. “I…no…” her face was drained with color, wondering why she was discussing her love life with him instead of coming up with a solution to find Carrie. “I was never that attractive to people of the opposite sex.”

 “How clueless you are.” There was a glint in his eye and his tone was oblique. Alison felt a little flustered under his gaze. Her heart started beating more quickly and everything seems so heightened. She was aware of every single movement she made.

“Well, they…they always say that about me,” Alison stuttered, trying to meet his deadpan expression, trying to ignore the fact that heat was rushing to her face, that the hairs pricking at the back, that she was uncomfortable with the way how his eyes bore into her, as if he wanted her to say something to him. Alison felt twinges all over the place and closed her eyes. She didn’t know how he ever thought Edward Kingston wasn’t good-looking. She must have been a little blind then.

 “Alison?” he said softly and she could feel his warm breath on her dry skin.

 “Yes?” she could barely speak.

 “Is there any strict Japanese custom for kissing? I’ve heard how rigid you are about the Japanese ways,” he asked breathlessly.

 “No.” Alison still didn’t open her eyes. “I…I think they kiss pretty much the same way around the globe.” What was he trying to drive at?

 “Ah, I see.” He sounded amused.

 “Why did you ask?”

 There was a pause and Alison felt a little frightened.

 “So, I can do this.”

He leant forward and Alison instantly felt his lips pressed gently against hers. Edward wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter to him. He’s…Alison didn’t know what to say. It was her first kiss but it was surprisingly enjoyable. He’s so good. She explored his mouth with hers, inhaling that sweet scent of him, wondering how long this was going to go on. She wanted it to last forever and ever.

 And then it hit her.He’s your teacher. Your sister’s still missing. She pulled away and as much as she felt terrible for doing it, she had to.He didn’t answer, lifted his face and gazed at her. “You don’t want to carry on doing this?” There were faint remnants of hurt and rejection in his voice and Alison couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“No.. it’s just that, I think it’s happening a little too fast for me. I… I need to go home and sort out my thoughts,” she babbled.

 “I see.” He was silent and he jammed his hands into his pockets. He meets her eyes briefly and looks away again. Alison felt her chest tighten.

 “So…can I…can I see you again?” Edward scanned her face intently.

 “Um…”

 “Please?” He moved forward and firmly took hold of her shoulders, his hold strong and resolute.

 “Yes, you may,” she croaked out and he smiled.

 It’s amazing but she has never done such a foolish thing in her life. Willingly as well she might add.

 She had hooked up with a teacher.

 ****

 “Had fun during your Spanish lesson?” Her mother greeted her the moment Alison stepped into the house, feeling tired and weary. She knew that her mother wasn’t exactly concerned about whether she enjoyed the day. She was just asking her out of polite courtesy.

 “Yea, it was,” she fumbled, hoping her usually sharp-eyed mother wouldn’t detect any lies hidden within her words.

 “Was it fruitful?” She began laying out all the dinnerware and Alison could hear the sizzling of the vegetables in the pan in the kitchen.

“Well, we learnt all those greetings: Hola, despedida and tenur un buen dia, all those,” she hurriedly said, reciting all those she could vaguely remember from the list. And then she remembered. “Mum, is Carrie back yet?” She silently held her breath.

 “Carrie’s in her room. She had remedial lessons apparently,” her mother answered in a dull, monotone voice. Alison didn’t know if that was a fake excuse or a genuine one but she was going to find out. She tiptoed to Carrie’s room and knocked on the door.

 “Come in.” A muffled voice rang out.

 Alison boldly opened the door, stepped in and locked it behind her. Carrie was sitting on the floor. She had changed out of the sequin dress she had donned earlier and was in her Mickey Mouse T-shirt and pants.

 “Did you get caught for ditching school?” Alison tried not to sound resentful but it was difficult. Every time she remembered Jessica’s taunting voice and smug face, she just wanted to rip that face in her mental image apart.

 “No.” She sounded guilty. “Apparently, they have been doing these for so long, the teachers kind of turn a blind eye to it.”

 Alison didn’t answer. She was recalling what Edward had told her after the intimate kiss. The Mean Girls Gang was first set up when he was a junior a few years back and his then girlfriend, Amber, was the “head”. Initially, it drew backlash from many people but some girls started craving to join it. Every time the “head” wanted to step down, she had to appoint a successor- usually the longest standing member. It was the unwritten rule that no student should incur their wrath if they were sensible enough and no teacher should openly punish them for their activities. It was even whispered that Jessica, the current “head”, had used her father’s money to bribe the principal to give them leeway.

It sickened Alison that her sister had taken part in this gang. “What did you do to get in?” she demanded.

 “Er, no, I just proved my worth by drinking a can of beer,” Carrie said hesitantly.

 “That’s all?” Alison raised her eyebrows. “They let you in just because of that?”

 “Okay, Jane pulled some strings. She’s such a cool girl.” There was a half-admiring, half-envious look on her face. Alison personally didn’t think Jane was good influence and she certainly wasn’t little Miss Mary.

 “Look, Carrie, I’m concerned about you.” Alison lowered her voice. “You should get new friends and know more decent people.”

 “Shut up, Alison, mind your own business.” Carrie’s voice darkened. “I get to choose my own friends, not you. Just because you’re older doesn’t mean you can boss me around. ”

 “You misread my intention. I wasn’t trying t-”

 Carrie looked hassled. “Good grief, Alison. In Japan, I was forced to be Miss Prissy but I obeyed. But since we’re in America now, I see no point in following any of those rules now.” She glared menacingly.

 “What the hell, do you know what you are sayin-”

 “Obviously, I know.” Her sister snapped sharply. “I get to do whatever I like here. Even if I get a tattoo or piercing, no one cares.” She gave a blasé shrug.

 “You’re getting one?” Alison’s eyes widened.

 “Jane has her boyfriend’s name on her arm.” Carrie announced it, as if she was proud of her friend’s doings. “She said I could get it done cheaply at a tattoo parlour.”

 “Stop it, Carrie!” Alison was horrified. “Do you know these… establishments might not be credible? Don’t do anything you will regret later.” She shook her head mournfully.

 “Jane is right. You’re always a worrywart and spoiling the fun for others.” Carrie looked disgusted as she scrunched up her face in mock terror.

 “Carrie…” Tears stung Alison’s eyes but she ignored the stinging sensation. Her sister’s betrayal and defect to the dark side seemed more real than anything now. “I’ll tell Mum and Dad about it.” She made her way towards the door.

 “If you dare to do it, I won’t acknowledge you as my sister anymore.” Carrie smiled and eyed her with a meaningful look. “And I will tell them about Edward Kingston and you.”

 “You!” Alison shot her a baleful look and narrowed her eyes. “You’re incorrigible and despicable.” How did she know about…them?

 “I saw you with him in the classroom this afternoon when I returned to my locker to collect my sweater.” Her sister answered her unspoken question.

“WHY DID YOU DO THIS?” Her voice was shrill like a banshee.

 “You forced me to. I think Mum would be more shocked when she finds out that you’re involved with your teacher.” Carrie’s lips stretched back into a triumphant grin.

 “Carrie Goodall !”

 “Shut the door behind you.”

 Alison knew she had her. Carrie won this round. Then again, it was no longer a friendly competition between two sisters like in the past. It had become something potentially more dangerous for one of them and more risky for the other. Why did Carrie change after moving to Washington? Unlike her, Carrie was very happy to embrace her American side- perhaps more than willing but in the wrong way.

 “I hate you,” Alison spat. At least, she had the last word.

 “I hate you too.”

The last image that Alison saw was of Carrie peering at her newly manicured nails with a satisfied expression on her face.

 ***