“Come on, come on…”

Eva glanced at the clock on her phone, nearly dancing in her spot. Shit, I’m gonna be late. She stared back up at the red DONT WALK sign as if she could will it turn green. She was standing on the street corner only a couple blocks away from her high school with her bag slung over her shoulder and her school uniform hastily thrown on. Her chestnut brown locks were a little windswept from her half jog down the street and still drying from her quick shower. She brushed a few strands distractedly from her eyes and continued to glare at the steady stream of cars blocking her path.

“Why does this light take forev-…finally!”

She hurried across the street, hair whipping behind her, catching the attention of a few male drivers stopped at the light. Even disheveled, she was an attractive girl and looked mature for her age. In her usual clothes she could easily pass as being in her early twenties and had certainly taken advantage of that fact by slipping into bars and nightclub with some of her older friends.

As she sped down the street, Eva looked at her phone again and groaned. It wasn’t being late that bothered her. In fact, she was late quite frequently. The problem was that she’d already used up all of her tardy passes and if she was late one more time, she’d have to go to Saturday detention. She had plans for Saturday and they didn’t involve dragging herself to school sit in some stale classroom for hours on end. The thought made her quicken her steps even more.

“Maybe I can get Mrs. Whitaker to give me a break,” she mumbled to herself, trying to think of some excuse to get herself off the hook. “I’ll say my cat died, or my kitchen was on fire, or my little brother was-…” Suddenly she stopped. She blinked and looked at her phone again to check the date. Then a slow, easy smirk split across her face and she laughed.

Today was the day Mrs. Whitaker was leaving them. They were supposed to get some new teacher who was going to take over their class for the rest of the year. Eva stretched her arms lazily over her head and continued down the street and leisurely pace, a smug grin on her face. She’d been freaking out for nothing. There was no way a new teacher was going to know the system yet, know to give her detention, or possibly even have the guts to do it. Hell, maybe she could sweet talk the new teacher into giving her no absence for today at all.

With her hands in the pockets of her skirt, Eva strolled into the school building, down the quiet halls where class was already in session and into the girl’s bathroom to freshen up a bit. She was already late so she might as well get a chance to make herself look good. She brushed her hair and touched up her make-up and adjusted her uniform. They were pretty strict regulations about how the uniform was supposed to be worn, but she didn’t really care about those. The hem of her skirt was rolled a few times so that the fabric stopped high on her thighs. Her jacket was open and her white collared shirt was unbuttoned at the top, the school’s red tie hanging slack around her neck. The only unaltered part were the regulation socks pulled high on her slender legs. After giving herself an approving look, she headed to her classroom.

She was sure the other students were used her tardiness by now and she wasn’t shy at all about opening the door to the classroom in the middle of the lecture. “Hey, sorry I’m late,” she said off-handedly, barely glancing at the new teacher before heading to her seat. Her friends snickered at her arrival and she made a face at them and grinned. She made her way to the back of the classroom, slung her bag on the floor, pulled the desk chair out loudly and took a seat, immediately leaning back to say hi to one of her friends.

"Stevie Marks is it?" The brunette merely nodded at the aging principal as he and Mrs. Whitaker both sized the new teacher up for a moment, a small smile playing across her lips as she stared back at them in silence. "Well, if that's all...I really should go to my classroom and prepare for the day." she said bluntly as she grabbed her things. The principal quickly nodded and rose to his feet as she rose from her chair, extending a hand out to Mrs. Whitaker as she shook it and smiled politely. "Thank you for everything Mrs. Whitaker. I can assure you that I will run the classroom as effectively as you have." She nearly chuckled as the woman scoffed at her and withdrew her hand, brushing off her rude response and nodding to the principal before exiting the office.

Despite how young she appeared, she truly was good at what she did. She had more experience than most would expect, had won more awards than tenured teachers received, and even had her curriculum practiced in other high schools, but she wasn't one to boast about any of it. She loved teaching, and that was primarily why she did her very best at it, not for any type of social rapport so that others would know who she was.

She had chosen rather casual attire for her first day here: a white collared blouse with gold colored buttons lining the front, tucked into a black pencil skirt, and a pair of black high heels. She wore her long, brown hair down in soft, tousled curls. She could feel the eyes on her as she made her way down the hallway, a soft hum of whispers beginning to ensue as she smiled to herself and made her way into her classroom to prepare for the first class of the day. Students always enjoyed seeing a new face, especially if it was a rather pretty one.

****

".....Williams."

"Here."

Attendance was finally complete, and Stevie had to admit that she really wasn't expecting such a large classroom, but she knew that it could still be handled and managed. Surprisingly, all but one of her students were present, no doubt only coming to see who the new teacher would be.

Eva Clark. That was the only one that was absent, well, not necessarily absent; according to her former teacher Mrs. Whitaker, she just hadn't arrived yet.  She was told that Eva arrived late to class nearly every day and always had the most amusing excuses. She also heard from other sources that the girl did as she pleased without getting any disciplinary action. Stevie herself wasn't a fan of tardiness, or ill-mannered students period, and she would not show any kindness to this student, especially with the track record she had.

By the time Eva had arrived, Stevie was a few minutes into her lesson, Greek Mythology in English Literature. She heard a door opening followed by footsteps, not stopping in her lecture as she continued to write on the blackboard before her, her back to the students as she moved on to Zeus. She heard a half ass apology for being late and could only assume it was the problem child of the class. Stevie paused in her speaking as she heard the snickers and continued to scribble on the board, clearing her throat before saying, "You've already been marked absent for the day. I'm quite sure you'll do a fine job of expressing your remorse for your tardiness during the detention you'll be having this Saturday." She heard the class fall silent, and could've sworn she even heard a gasp or two, another smile gracing Stevie's lips as she added, "Tardiness will not be tolerated in my classroom Miss Clark, and that goes for the rest of you as well."

Rocking her chair back on two legs, Eva was about to tell one of her friends all about her morning, when she heard the new teacher’s clear voice cut through the murmuring classroom to reprimand her. She stopped mid-sentence, her chair falling back down to all fours with a thump as she turned her shocked gaze toward the front of the room. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. There was a hush over the room now as a few students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Some of them were looking at the new teacher in awe and several of them were glancing back at Eva with slight smirks on their faces. This time they weren’t laughing with her.

It took a second for Eva to regain her composure and for the faint blush to subside. But when it did, she cleared her throat in a mimicking way and said, “Excuse me, Mrs…” She looked around the classroom trying to find her name somewhere. She spotted it written on the blackboard. “…Miss Marks. Since you’re new, I don’t think you know how the tardy system here works. We don’t get an absence for the first offense.” One of her friends suppressed a snort when she said “first” but Eva shot her a look. The other students knew exactly what she was trying to do but no one wanted to be a snitch. “And we certainly don’t get Saturday detention right away. It’s ok, I’m sure you’ll figure out how things work around here eventually.”

She was finally taking the opportunity to get a good look at this woman, having barely glanced at her earlier. Even with her back still turned toward the blackboard, Eva could tell their new teacher was young and attractive. Her eyes trailed from her dark curls, to the tight pencil skirt, all the way down her long shapely legs and back up again. Eva quirked an eyebrow appreciatively. She might not be such a bad replacement after all, once I have her wrapped around my finger. There was something else about her that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, something oddly familiar about the curve of her hip, the color and texture of her hair. Eva leaned forward, looking at her curiously…

Summer 2014. Just after midnight at the RAVE nightclub and bar downtown. Eva’s lips were pressed to another woman’s neck, her hips coming to meet hers suggestively and push her roughly to the wall. “I was hoping I’d find you here again,” she murmured against her skin, a hand snaking it’s way up to tangle itself in her hair. It was the same woman she’d met a couple nights ago, over a drink at the bar. There had been an instant chemistry between them that had quickly led to a breathy encounter like they one they were engaged in now. “You’re ticklish,” she exhaled, giving her side another squeeze and delighting in the response. The music pulsed deafeningly and people were pressed all around them, but they seemed completely oblivious to anything else…

Eva stared at the woman at the front of the classroom with wide, unbelieving eyes, her mouth hanging open in astonishment. It had always been dark and loud every time she’d seen her and they had done more “exploring” than talking, but she would certainly recognize her again. The taste of her skin came more readily to mind than her name, though she did remember it.

“S-Stev-..!” she clamped her mouth shut abruptly, before she could stammer out the entire name. She couldn’t just be like, “Hey Stevie, remember me?” Not in front of the entire class. Rumors spread like wildfire through the school and the last thing she wanted was to get Stevie fired from her job. Holy hell… Her new teacher was her summer fling. She was almost positive it was the same woman, though she had yet to see her face… Maybe I’m mistaken…

“Ste-.. Miss Marks, maybe I could talk to you after class about getting that absence removed?” she inquired, a little loudly. She was trying to get her to turn around and look at her. “Miss Marks..?”

Stevie smirked at Eva's smart ass little retort and continued to scribble on the board as she allowed the student to finish speaking. "Eva, I am quite aware of how things work around here and we both know that this is not your first offense." She heard a few snickers from some of the students and bit back a smile as she continued to scribble. "Mrs. Whitaker might have put up with your childish little antics but I will do no such thing. You will be sure to make Saturday's detention or will not be allowed to return to campus until summer school begins." She heard another cluster of gasps, followed by complete and utter silence. Sure, she was being a bitch right now, but she had to make sure that her homeroom class understood that all rules would be enforced. And quite strictly at that. So what if a few students didn't like her? That was the price one had to pay to run a classroom effectively.

She couldn't help but pause in her mindless jotting as she heard the young woman nearly address her by her first name, nearly dropping the chalk onto the tiled floor as her eyes grew wide. Just the way she said her name brought back the memories, the memories from summer of 2014. Her face was flushed now. No, no, it couldn't be her. It just couldn't be. She could feel her heart beginning to race as she stared at the blackboard in silence, hearing the young girl nearly address her by her first name again as she asked if she could speak with her after class. She knew that Eva realized it too, she could hear it in her voice. But how, she hadn't seen her face just yet. Surely she didn't remember her body that vividly? Then again, those encounters were quite....enthralling. Her cheeks were burning red now. She cleared her throat and exhaled slowly before turning around, her breath nearly hitching as her eyes came across the student sitting at the desk that was empty just a few minutes ago.

Holy fuck, she thought silently, her face colorless and pale now as it drained of utter and complete shock. The two made eye contact for what seemed like an eternity, confusion and disbelief in Stevie's brown eyes as she sought the words to say. Say something you oaf, she thought as she stared at the young girl in silence. "See me immediately after class." she replied bluntly, quickly turning around so that she could finish her lecture. In all actuality, she just didn't want anyone to see just how much of a blushing mess she was right now, especially Eva. She had quickly found out how to manipulate her during summer of 2014 and she had used that to her advantage, very well at that. "Turn to page 235 of your literature books class."

*****

Stevie could feel her stomach churning as the first bell of the day began to ring, her blue eyes narrowing slightly as she placed the literature book down on her desk and stood up from the corner of her desk which she had been sitting on. She wasn't able to complete her lesson like she wanted to thanks to Eva's tardiness. "Don't forget about tonight's homework. Finish Chapter 21 and complete the Review Questions at the end. Class is dismissed." She heard the groans as she casually made her way around her desk and took a seat, her eyes on the flurry of students in the hallway, thousands of ideas running around on her mind as she thought about just how strange her first day at work was starting off. As the last of her students trickled out of her classroom, she glanced over at Eva and frowned slightly as she said, "Close the door."

’This is like some kind of dream…’

Eva watched in awe as the older woman at the front of the classroom froze at hearing her first name. The rapid tap and scrape of the chalk had ceased and room was suddenly dead quiet. ’Turn around,’ Eva thought silently, holding her breath. ’Show me your face… Oh. My. God.’

It was Stevie all right. Eva stared back at her from the back of the room with an incredulous look on her face. Stevie seemed shocked to see her as well; Her face had turned an adorable shade of red, but now it was quickly draining of all color. She seemed at a loss for words, her eyes revealing every flicker of complicated emotion passing through her. Eva couldn’t help but recall all the little things she had done to the older woman over the summer to make those eyelashes of hers flutter like they were now. As if Stevie could hear her thoughts, her face began to heat up again…

”See me immediately after class.”

Eva’s lip twitched into a devilish smirk. “Yes ma’am.”

She gave Stevie a coy wink, just before the woman whirled back around to face the blackboard. ’As cute as ever.’. The smirk stayed plastered on her face as the lecture resumed. Eva was actually more attentive and quiet during the remainder of the class than she had ever been before, keen to catch every word from the teacher’s lips – though she might have let her mind wander once or twice, remembering how those lips had felt against her own. The other students seemed to attribute Eva’s silence to their new teacher’s victory over her and treated Stevie more respectfully for it.

---

The end of first period couldn’t come fast enough. Rather than springing out of her chair as she usually did, Eva remained seated as the bell rang, watching the rest of the class trickle out of the room. A couple of her friends hung around to talk to her for a moment and to give her pitying remarks for Miss Mark’s strict adherence to the rules, and Eva pretended to be sullen about the whole thing. But as soon as the room was empty, her face lit up with a mischievous grin.

"Close the door."

Eva practically skipped to the classroom door and closed it quietly. She had butterflies in her stomach and was wasn’t at all phased by the slight frown on Stevie’s face. The student smiled at her knowingly as she approached her desk and stood in front of her seated figure, hands clasped behind her innocently.

“You wanted to see me, Miss Marks?” she cooed in a suggestive tone. Eva laughed and dropped the act to lean against her teacher’s desk, almost sitting on it. “Never in a million years,” she chuckled, “would I have expected this.” She gave the older woman an appreciative once over with her gaze. “Look at you. Very professional, and still sexy as hell. How have you been Stevie? I missed you.”

She really had. Sure, maybe they had started their summer fling knowing that their relationship wouldn’t be long term, and it may have been a purely physical thing, but Eva had fond memories of their encounters. Afterward, she had regretted not keeping in touch. It was strange though because as intimate as she’d been with this woman physically, she really barely knew her at all.

“You don’t know how relieved I was to see it was you,” she went on, sitting farther up on the desk and swinging her legs. She was close enough to where the other woman was sitting in her chair that she almost touched her legs with each idle swing. “For a second I thought I really was going to have to go to detention!” She laughed. “And that part about summer school, that was good, Stevie. You’re a strict one, aren’t you. Not that I’d mine getting tutored by you over the summer. Again.” She gave her another playful grin. She’d slipped off one of her shoes and her socked foot was gently touching her teacher’s leg, slowly dragging upwards. She reached the top of her thigh and began sneaking her toes under the edge of her skirt. “I’d teach you a few things too, of course…”

Just then the door opened and a male student rushed into the room. Eva promptly slid of the desk and pretended to look nonchalant as she kneeled down to retrieve her shoe. The boy barely glanced at them as he hurried to his desk and grabbed a phone from underneath. “Almost forgot this,” he said, out of breath. He was gone just as quickly as he’d come in, closing the door again behind him.

“..Well that was close!” Eva giggled and bit her lip, glancing at the closed door and back again to Stevie with amusement. She was still kneeling in front of her chair, tugging her shoe back on. “Can you imagine the look on his face if he knew?” She touched the older woman’s ankle and slid her fingertips along the surface of her stockings as she stood up again, blocking her from getting out of her chair. “He’d probably turn just as red as you did earlier.” She reached out and played with the ends of her teacher’s hair. “What were you thinking about anyways?” she asked sweetly.