The Dating Lesson

It wouldn’t surprise me if she got kicked out. While Brenna and I aren’t exactly besties, I still don’t want to see her ruin her future. This is a tough school to get into and there are no second chances. I just want to shake her and make her see what an amazing opportunity she has in front of her. If she fucks it up, she’ll regret it later—especially when she’s thirty-years-old and stuck working at a Hot Topic in the mall.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” I say.

She shrugs. “Some friends of mine are taking me out to the bar to make me feel better tonight. You should come with us. I think one of my friends has a class with you in the morning.” She winks. “In Professor Whitford’s class.”

I feel my cheeks flush. This sounds like a terrible idea. I don’t want to go to the bar, but I also don’t want to brush her off when she’s feeling so terrible.

“I don’t know too many people in my class. Who is it?”

“His name is Jaime.”

Oh, him. The boy who sits next to me and stares at me obsessively. He seems nice enough, but Leo hates him because of the way he looks at me. I’m just glad Leo is a fair teacher and doesn’t take out his frustration on Jaime. Despite his lack of attention in class, Jaime gets good grades.

“I have plans tonight, but I can stop by for a drink beforehand.”

Brenna claps her hands and it seems to cheer her up a bit. I’m happy to help her, and I start to feel better about the situation. What harm can one quick drink do?

It’s early when we leave for the bar. She’s wearing a black mini dress so short her ass cheeks hang out. I’m wearing jeans and a sweater. We look ridiculous together when we walk into the bar; we couldn’t possibly be more opposite.

It’s a little dive bar called Tucana’s, with a Hawaiian theme. People sing karaoke in one corner and play pool in the other. Brenna lifts her arms and a group of people stuffed into the corner of the room cheer.

They are a strange mix of people. Some have the same kind of punk and goth look like Brenna, while others are more strait-laced like me, and then there are others who look like the stereotypical jock type. If this were high school, it would be the most confusing thing ever, but here everyone is working toward the same goal, so it makes more sense.

Jaime stands up, seeming surprised to see me. He smiles and scoots over to give me the chair beside his. I reluctantly sit next to him while Brenna sits across from us.

Drinks are ordered. While everyone has shots, I have a vodka Collins. I’m not trying to get drunk before my date with Leo.

Brenna lifts her shot glass. “Fuck finals,” she says as her toast and they all repeat her words.

“Did everyone do terrible on their finals?” I ask when it seems like everyone agrees with her. Some look more somber than others, but it seems like no one is really here to celebrate.

They do a round-robin, talking about scores. Most are passing but the theme seems to be that they didn’t do as well as they thought. Even Jaime’s scores were low.

“What about you?” Jaime asks. “How did you do?”

I don’t want to brag, but I’m proud of myself and I’m not going to downgrade my success just because things didn’t go as well for them.

I sit up, feeling myself smile inside but try to tamp it down on the outside. “I aced mine.”

They congratulate me and seem sincere about it. That is until I look at Brenna. The sneer on her face makes me wish I hadn’t opened my mouth.

“That doesn’t surprise me one bit considering she’s sleeping with the professor,” Brenna says.

My blood runs cold. When all eyes fall to me, I want to climb under the table and hide.

“Which professor?” someone asks. Everyone is very excited by this bit of gossip. And even a few people snicker and say, “Why didn’t I think of that?” They talk about old and fat teachers who they would be grossed out by, but would fuck them anyway for an A.

But when Brenna says, “Leo Whitford”, the crowd is hushed. Jaime looks at me like I broke his heart. Then his sad look morphs into something angry. Then one of the girls in the group says, “I would definitely fuck Leo for an A.” One of the guys agrees and there is enough laughter to take the attention off of me. It becomes a game of which teacher you would have sex with, and I’m hoping my personal story will soon be forgotten.

But Jaime and Brenna aren’t playing along. If Jaime is mad enough to get Leo in trouble, Leo’s career could be on the line. He loves his teaching job. I can’t have that ruined because of me.