There is a sort of shame that comes with accepting a job for the convenience rather than risking it all for the job of your dreams. When I was little, I always wanted to be a supermodel. I thought it was the girl equivalent to a superhero. As I got older, I was forced to get a practical education rather than try to make it as a model. I did land a few modeling gigs here and there but nothing major. As a college graduate, I had two options, risk everything to move away and fight for a chance to become a world-renowned model or become a high school teacher and have a steady income. With the pressure from my family and friends, I became the latter.

I am not exactly pleased with myself. I feel that I have let myself down. Became a pushover to society and its rules. I know I can make it, or at least I believe I can. I have the “looks” I used to be obsessed with how I looked, okay so maybe I still am. I want to be a standout in the crowd of pretty girls. I’m thin, but not too thin. I am toned, due to my daily workouts. I have long black hair and clear olive skin. My teeth are straight and white. My lips are full, though not as full as I wished. My face is soft and sharp all at the same time. Making it the perfect face for a makeup commercial. My nose may be a little bigger than I would like, but not too big where it becomes the main attraction to my face. That prize belongs to my eyes. Big brown eyes. Not dark brown but like a brown you would see in a sweet tea. Or a cup of coffee and creamer. It’s a medium brown that always looks stunning in the sun.

All this work to maintain my perfect physique wasted on high school juniors and their dirty minds. I am only 25, I can still try and go for it if I really wanted, but usually, companies want you looking 20 and younger. I look like I am 20, but I know once I hit 27 there will be no use in trying to make it as a model. I’ll be too old for the industry.

I still apply to jobs, despite my day job. I am constantly working on my portfolio trying my best to land something that could help kickstart an actual career. Until then, I am stuck in teenager hell, forced to teach poetry and literature to boneheads who could care less.

My name is Scarlet Ashton, Ms. A. many call me. Or Ms. Ass behind my back. Mocking my well rounded and perky butt. This is my first time teaching. I only got the job because my mom is the superintendent. She passed up many well-overqualified people just to pick me, to force me to stay and not move to California. Force me to give up my dreams. So maybe I am more than a little bitter.

One good thing has come of this, Ethan. Ethan is the automotive teacher at the school. It’s a voluntary elective they only added about two years ago. He is 27, and hot as can be. We are dating. The students call him Mr. Jones, I call him E.J. he is tall and muscular. Always has a nice sweat sheen on him, making him look mmm so good. His has dark ebony skin and bright blue eyes. The sexiest beast alive in my opinion.

We aren’t living together yet, but we have talked about it. Also, he comes over to my place like all the time, which is why we have talked about it. Being as he’s there all the time, might as well move in. But I’m not ready for that yet. If I am going to commit to anything it is going to be myself. Getting into a serious relationship now would only tie me to this snooze-vill of a town forever.

“Ms. A can you help me for a sec.” One of my students asks pulling me from my daze as I sat at my desk and “graded” papers. More like stared at them and pretended to grade them.

I looked to see who was bothering me, it’s Maddison Johnson. She is popular among her friends but not what I would call the “it” girl of the school. She is one of those girls everyone knows but only in school. She likes to try and suck up to me, she thinks it will make me go easy on her and ignore the fact that she hardly turns in any of her homework. 

Not likely.

“Yes, Maddison?” I said in an overly professional manner. It was the last class of the day and I was hoping to get out without any more annoying questions, but of course, Maddison had to say something.

Maybe I came off a bit too snarky.

“I don’t really know what this word means.” She said.

She sat in her desk, which is at the back of the classroom and right next to mine and pointed at the passage. I was having them read something on the required reading list, to be honest, I myself haven’t even bothered to read it. I think I read it once in high school. The class mostly sat silently, pretending to read. Most of them were on their phones scrolling numbly through the world wide web. Not that I cared.

I sighed and stood up, Maddison obviously wasn’t coming to me, so I had to go to her. I walked out from behind my desk and walked the few feet to Maddison’s. She pointed at the word officiate. I frowned. I doubted she didn’t really know what that meant. I looked at her to gauge her seriousness, she looked back at me with those emerald green eyes, batting her lashes innocently. I sighed.

“It means someone who acts to make something official,” I said.

“Oh, I get it now, thanks, Ms. A.” she smiled up at me.

I felt her hand brush against my thigh, I shuddered at the unforeseen touch. When I looked at her, she was back to reading her passage as if nothing happened. I narrowed my eyes at her before slowly walking back to my desk.

Maddison is too, pretty that is. She could probably be a model if she wanted. Not as pretty as I am, but if she worked hard enough to maintain and improve her looks, I could have some real competition. She’s tallish, at least taller than her peers. She has long silky brown hair, often worn in loose curls. Her eyebrows are a little too thin in my opinion, and her skin is a little too pasty. She needs a tan, and to switch to lip stain rather than lip-gloss. The gooey wet look to her lips makes me cringe.

Also, she dresses well for her body type. Tight fitting jeans that show off her curves, a shirt that isn’t too low cut because she knows she doesn’t really have cleavage to show off. Whoever taught how to dress taught her well, she’ll have a guy around her arm before the year is up.

Now if only she put that much effort into her homework. I don’t even need her to actually do it, anyone who turns in the homework knows by now that I don’t actually grade it based on right answers. I just do a participation grade. She could literally just put her name on the paper and turn it in and I would give her a hundred.

Sigh.

When the bell had finally rung for school to let out it felt like an eternity had passed. No more sitting here in these “professional clothes” and fake smiling at idiots who just want an A.

Maddison took her time collecting her things, she is always the last one out. She grabbed her books in her hand and then stumbled forward and dropped them all on the floor. Right in front of my desk. I watched her bend down and give me a full view of her slipping pants. I could see her pink lacy thong sticking out. She took her time slowly getting them as if purposely giving me a show.

She turned her head and caught me staring. I quickly averted my gaze. She stood up and smirked at me. I narrowed my eyes at her.

“See something you like?” she asked.

“What?” I was caught off guard.

“I said see you tomorrow right?”

“Oh, uh, yeah... Maddison.” I called stopping her by the door. “Be sure to wear a belt next time,” I warned her.

“Sure thing.” She winked at me before leaving.

What was that about? I know I heard correctly. Is she messing with me? Trying to throw me off so that I will go easy on her grade? This class isn’t even that hard. She really doesn’t need to put forth that much effort into making me go easy on her.

“Knock, knock,” E.J said from the doorway.

“Hey.” I smiled at him.

“Hey to you too, rough day?”

“Something like that. Ugh, I’m so behind on everything. I went to college to escape school, not end up going back to it.”

“So I’m guessing I can’t come over tonight?” he frowned and walked over to me.

“Not tonight babe I have mountains of papers to climb. Pray I don’t shoot myself in the process.” I joked.

“I could come over and help.” He kissed my neck.

“Mmm, as good as that sounds. Last time you weren’t much help if I remember correctly.”

“I can change.” He kissed my earlobe.

“Emm, I don’t think so big guy.” I rubbed his bulge through his pants.

“You’re such a tease.” He pouted, pulling back.

“Takes one to know one.” I kissed him on the cheek before grabbing my bag of ungraded papers.

“Tomorrow then?”

“We’ll see, depends how far I make it tonight.” I sighed.

“Fine, but don’t make me wait long, you know how I can get.”

I rolled my eyes at him and together we walked towards my car.