Surrogates and Gynaecologists

°♡°

"I've never seen any of my students participate like that in all my years of teaching," I comment.

Feenyx and I are back in the staff room seated at one of the sofas after nearly three hours of classes and spending the greater part of break time touring around the school.

"What can I say? I am such a delight and people love me." She brags, flipping her hair.

"Have you ever had any teaching experience?" I ask.

"Nah, it's like I said earlier. My dad was very insistent about knowing everything I need to know about Olympus, Oceanus, the Underworld and the Mortal Realm's history." She leans back against the sofa. "Seriously, he had me sit through hours listening to Helios preaching history like it was the gospel and the second coming of Christ or something." She rolls her eyes at the last part.

"You have a father?" I arch an eyebrow. "From my knowledge, nymphs are born from natural elements."

"That is correct, and I am no exception to that."

"So how do you have a father if you weren't biologically conceived."

I notice her smile along with her prideful and arrogant demeanour falter bit by bit, but I can see that she's maintaining it – or at least trying to.

"Now that I think about it. In all my years studying Greek mythology, I never read anything about fire nymphs." I cup my chin.

"That's because I'm the first and only one of my kind." She tells me. "I was created from the flames of the forge by Hephaestus."

"Hephaestus created you?" I exclaim amazed.

"Yep." She presses her lips in a thin line. "My very existence is why Zeus asked Hephaestus to create Pandora to fulfil his petty revenge against Prometheus and humanity."

"Do you address him as your dad? Hephaestus, I mean."

"Well, I don't consider him as one since he's not my father by blood. He's more of a surrogate parental figure. I just choose not to see or address him as a father figure despite him being my sole creator."

I squint my eyes slightly. I've only known her for two days and I've managed to pick up that she's one hell of an unfiltered, loud and sarcastic individual who's not afraid to speak her mind and tell it like it is with no care of the repercussions.

But something about her current demeanour, how her jaw is clenched, and her smile is slightly forced and the tone she used is telling me that she enjoys talking about a lot of things but herself. Almost as if she has something to hide.

"If you want me to strip for you, just say so." Her voice breaks me out of my train of thought.

"What? No! Why would you even say that?" I wail revolted.

"Because you're undressing me with your eyes and waiting to dissect me like a frog for Biology just to see what makes me tick."

I cringe. "I genuinely wonder what kind of chaos goes through your head."

"Ahem."

We snap our heads towards Toni, who's been standing before us for God knows how long.

"Sorry to intrude on your conversation, but do you mind if I talk to Urie for a minute?" she asks, glancing at me. "In private."

"Ooooh! You in trouble!" Feenyx taunts, making me roll my eyes.

"Oh! I forgot to tell you that there is a free desk next to mine that you can use." Toni tells her.

"Gotcha!" Feenyx says, giving her the finger guns as she stands up. "I'll be at my new desk if you need me, boss."

By the time Feenyx is out of sight and earshot, Toni greets me with a stone-faced expression, making me feel like a kid who's being scolded for stealing a cookie. "So, you're spreading rumours now?"

My eyebrows knit together at her accusation. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you haven't been telling people that we were 'allegedly' in a relationship when you know damn well that it was never like that." She says, putting the word 'allegedly' in quotes.

"No! I didn't tell anyone about it and even if I did, it's not like you weren't going to accept it anyway."

"So basically, spreading rumours that we were in a relationship."

I open my mouth to retort but I close it soon after.

"I gave you a pass when you told Sid and Vinny since they're your friends and the only people you feel comfortable talking to," she says, shaking her head to express her disappointment. "but telling the newcomer about us just because you're being bitter and jealous over my engagement is a whole new low even for you, Urie."

"Toni I – " I say but she turns her heels and walks away before I can even apologise.

♡

I normally distract myself with work whenever I want to forget or not think about things that I don't want to think about, but Toni's words really stuck with me and kept replaying in my head like a tape recording.

.... telling the newcomer about us just because you're being bitter and jealous over my engagement is a whole new low even for you, Urie .

I clench my jaw and swallow the lump in my throat. I look up from my work and gaze at her from a distance.

Her dark cocoa eyes are glued to the screen of her laptop as her long and slender fingers are tapping flawlessly against the keyboard. She pushes a strand of her ombre blonde locks behind her ear to keep them out of her eyes. I watch her reach for her favourite red Nescafé mug, which I know is filled with tea. She always prefers to have her tea black with two teaspoons of sugar mixed with lemon. And every time she takes a sip of her hot beverage, she always lets out a sigh as a small smile tugs her rose-painted lips.

"We now return to Animal Planet with your host, Feenyx." I jump startled at the sound of Feenyx's voice in my ear. "In today's episode, we watch as Yuri the simp gazes up his potential mate in her natural habitat as she goes about her day, living and breathing oxygen and carbon dioxide."

"What are you doing here?" I ask.

"Observing you eye fucking Terra over there." She tells me.

"I wasn't eye fucking her." I retort.

"Dude, I could feel your eyes undressing her faster Zeus undress every mistress he's slept with. You weren't even looking at me but I could feel it and that says a lot." She tells me. "It's almost like you forgot the lady has a whole ass fiancé ready to wife her up."

"It's not like her fiancé will even know that I'm staring at her," I mumble.

"So, what went down with Tamika? She looks kinda pissed at you for something." Feenyx leans against my desk.

"She was mad about me telling you what happened between her and me and thinks that I'm doing it out of spite."

"So, she was gaslighting you."

"What? No! That's not what happened." I refute her statement.

"Honey, if it looks like a duck, talks like a duck and walks like a duck, then what the fuck is it?" she arches an eyebrow.

"I mean, what happened between us isn't something I should go around telling people anyway."

"How many people besides me and your home boys know about your entanglement with dollar store Jada Pinkett Smith."

I lean back in my chair, pondering her question. "Just my mom. I doubt if she told anyone about it 'cause she's not the type of woman to preach about my personal affairs."

"So, why is it an issue to her that you told people you trust?"

I open my mouth, but I close it soon after when I realise that I don't have an answer.

"She was gaslighting you," Feenyx concludes.

"Well, she didn't exactly take it lightly when you blurted it out!" I remind her.

"Sweet Lady Demeter on the hood of a Mercedes Benz! Her coochie really got your head messed up with the number of excuses you're giving her." Feenyx exclaims astonished.

"Hey!" I retort offended.

"Look, I'm no certified gynaecologist, but I know a cunt when I see one and that woman just happens to have the qualifications for being one. Both a PhD and a Doctorate."

"Don't you have work to do?" I ask, changing the subject.

"What kind of work is a newly employed teacher supposed to do? And it's not like you're giving me anything to do since you are my boss." She points out.

"Well, find something to do. I have work to do."

"'I have work to do" bullshit! You're just going to be making googly eyes at Trina over there. You ain't slick."

I glare at her with no words to say until Vinny approaches us with lethargic expressions plastered across his face.

"The heck happened to both of y'all?" Feenyx asks, eyeing them confused.

"And where's Sid?" I add, noticing his absence.

"Sid's still in the computer lab. The supercomputer caught a virus after one of the students was caught watching porn during class. He's going to be there for a while until he fixes it." Vinny tells us.

Feenyx's face assumes shock before turning to me. I shrug nonchalantly.

"Not to forget my brain nearly committed suicide after I finished grading my students' answer scripts for their pop quiz," Vinny tells us. "When I tell the answers I saw were astronomical."

"What happened this time?" I ask.

"A student drew a moon meme face and the word 'no' next to it on a question asking to summarise how the Cold War started."

Feenyx and I burst into laughter. "Well, that beats the World War I-started-when-my-ex-dumped me' answer," I comment.

"Yeah, laugh at my suffering you two." He rolls his eyes, sitting down at his desk. "Man, I wish this whole week can fast-forward to Saturday already." Suddenly, his face lights up. "Yo! Why can't we all hit you up at Whitestone for Feenyx's welcome party."

"There's a welcome party for me?" Feenyx asks surprised.

I let out a groan.

I hate new teachers' welcome parties just as much as I hate going to Whitestone for Teacher's Night Out every Saturday. It's a tradition of some sort where the teaching staff throws a mini party at the club for new teachers and it's kind of a mandatory thing. They've done it for me, Vinny, Sid and every other teacher that came after. I rarely attend such activities and events since they aren't my type of scene unless Vinny decides to drag me out of my apartment so I can 'let loose and have fun.'

"Yeah, I'll pass," I say.

"Aw! Come on, Urie. She's our new friend." Vinny whines.

"No, she's your new friend. To me, she's just someone providing free services." I remind him.

Feenyx and Vinny both share knowing looks, before pursing their lips trying to contain their snorts and giggles. And that's all it takes for me to fully register the double entendre in my statement. "Wait! It's not like that –"

"Damn, pretty boy. At least take me out for dinner first." Feenyx bats her eyelashes at me, mocking a smile.

"Unless you like it quick and to the point," Vinny adds.

"That is not what I meant and you know it, assholes," I growl, glaring dagger at them.

"Ey, ey, ey! No need to get your panties in a bunch, broski." Vinny rolls his eyes.

"Those aren't the only panties he has in a bunch." Feenyx wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

"Eyo!" they both hi-five each other.

"You know what," I say, getting up from my seat and start taking my leave. "Imma head out to my classroom. I can't deal with both of y'all."

"Come on, Urie! We're just messing with ya. Don't be so serious." Vinny calls.

I flip him off on my way out of the staffroom.

Don't forget to vote and comment ♡