BEHOLDING PERFECTION

To Michelle, as well as to every other student, Mr. Xavier seemed too young to be an actual teacher.

He stood and waved to the group of curious students with a perfect grin of white teeth. Michelle's pupils dilated as she realized just how small the man in front of her was in comparison to the rest of the faculty.

Six feet tall, with a lean but toned body, he appeared to her from her perch. Even from a distance, his electric blue eyes, with their full head of raven black hair, captivated everyone in the room.

He took his place at the podium and cleared his throat as he raised his glasses to the top of his head. "I am Mr. Xavier, and I will be your new arts teacher, as the principal so graciously introduced me. While my predecessor was greatly admired, I will do my best to live up to your high standards. I appreciate your kind words."

"Oh, I think he'll meet my expectations just fine." Michelle mumbled. Alice nudged Michelle, saying something similar.

Her face flushed, and she could hear the beat of her heart pounding through her ears. She thought she was going to faint if she kept staring at him.

What am I supposed to do? She burst into an exclamation, nearly falling down the stairwell as she stepped over Alice to do so.

Michelle's ears became numb to the principal's droning voice as she made her way through the school's hallways. When she was unable to find a place to hide in the school's girls' bathroom, she made her way there.

Finally, after a few more controlled breaths, she looked in the mirror and scoffed at her own reflection in the mirror. "I do not know what is going on. I am making a fool of myself. I think he is a pretty handsome guy. This is not my first encounter with a man", she kept saying to herself when the bell rang.

Michelle scurried to the classroom and pushed open the door, bumping into the person standing in front of it, inhaling a cleansing breath.

"Oh! Please pardon my rudeness."

She was unable to speak because the words were lodged in her throat.

She was greeted by an amused smile. "That's okay, my fault for walking so close to the door." I replied.

When Michelle dropped her bag, the man in front of her bent down to pick it up and adjusted his glasses. One of her favorite books came out of her purse and laid on the floor next to him.

"Oops, this yours?"

After a pause, she realized that he was trying to get her to answer a question. "Ye…yeah."

With one hand on her bag and the other on the book, he did the math. "Reading this is going to be a challenge. Impressive."

"I think I have read it at least a dozen times. It is one of my favorite things about John, how he sees the world through a child's perspective, despite the cruelty of everyone else."

When she realized she was babbling, her cheeks flushed bright red. When she was nervous, she was always prone to rambling, and he made her even more so.

Mr. Xavier's smile electrified her from the inside out. "Cool. One of my favorites, as well. I have got the answer. I do not want to be late for my first day of teaching, so I need to hurry up. There is something a little off about this, is there?"

Suddenly, he drew closer to her and his voice was light and playful, making her smile. "Please do not tell anyone. That is just between us, okay?"

He brushed past her with a dazzling grin on his face.

She could smell his cologne, but she could not put her finger on what it was. Connect with us via WhatsApp and Telegram at +233544142683 for additional stories.

It was masculine, unlike what her father wore or the men who emerged from the gym. It was not harsh or overbearing, and it did not irritate her. She could not put her finger on what it was, but she could not stop trying to figure it out.

Waiting until he was out of sight, she took a step in the opposite direction.

Michelle held her book close to her chest as she studied the cover, a grin on her face as she felt her stomach turn.

This was a completely new sensation for her. There should be something that makes you feel light and dizzy, but in a positive way. When she jumped into Loon Lake, where they used to camp every summer, it reminded her of that feeling.

When someone tugged on her arm, she woke up from her trance. "Helloooooooo? Are you in there? Was that the entire time you were in the restroom? Your attention was drawn elsewhere by Johnson's blatantly racist rap about academic achievement."

She was about to drop her bag again when Alice jolted her out of her reverie. "Yeah. We ought to go. Make sure you arrive on time."