Chapter 3. Jealous Teacher
2540 Words
KEYCEE'S POV
WHEN I screamed, Ace immediately came over and covered my mouth. "Don't scream, Yaya Miranda might hear us!" he scolded me. I tried to remove his hand and then ran out of his room. Why did I even go inside?
"Oh, Keycee? What's going on with you?" Yaya asked, confused, when she saw me panting.
"Uh, I-I . . ." I stuttered. How could I explain? It would be embarrassing to say that I saw Ace naked in front of me. I was about to speak, but then I saw Ace coming down the stairs, dressed now. He was wearing a plain white T-shirt, khaki cargo shorts, and flip-flops. I quickly looked away from him.
"Oh, Ace. You're here. The food is ready," Yaya said to him. He went straight to the dining area while I stayed on the couch in the living room, still catching my breath from running. "Keycee, come on," Yaya called to me, but I was too embarrassed to join them.
"I'm not hungry yet. I'm still full," I lied. I went up to my room and locked myself in. I didn't want to face Sir Ace right now. My heart was beating so fast from anxiety. It was the first time I saw him like that. I mean, without a shirt and . . . when the towel dropped. My gosh! My eyes!
When I got to my room, I lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I placed a hand on my abdomen and took a deep breath. I saw nothing. Nothing. Nothing!
You think you saw nothing, but you did! my mind screamed. I quickly covered my ears because I didn't want to hear what my own mind was saying.
***
It was eleven o'clock at night when I woke up. I didn't expect to sleep that long since I entered my room. If my stomach hadn't growled, I wouldn't have gotten up.
I went out of my room to go to the kitchen. I didn't turn on the lights because I could go down the stairs even without them. I was halfway down when I noticed that the kitchen light was still on.
Is Yaya still awake?
Usually, at this time, there shouldn't be many lights on in the dining area. Only a small light should be left. Maybe Yaya just forgot to turn it off before she went to sleep.
"Why are you still awake?"
I immediately turned to the person who spoke behind me. It was Ace. I couldn't see him clearly because only the light from the kitchen was illuminating us, and even though I couldn't see him well, my embarrassment hit me as I remembered entering his room and the towel dropping from his waist.
Out of extreme embarrassment, I hurried down to avoid him, but I misstepped and tumbled down the stairs.
"Ouch," I complained, holding the part of my leg where it felt like a nerve got pinched. I heard Ace's footsteps, but he didn't come over to help me.
A moment later, the surroundings brightened because he turned on the lights. Then, he looked at me. His usually expressionless face suddenly showed an amused grin as he looked at me.
'What are you laughing at?' I thought.
He came down and offered his hand to help me up.
"I can manage, sir," I said, rolling my eyes. I tried to stand up but couldn't.
"You said you could manage?" he laughed a little.
"I really can, sir." I tried again to stand up. But just like the first time, I couldn't.
"Can you really?" he teased. I just nodded. I wasn't going to ask for his help. I wasn't going to hold his hand no matter what; I could stand up. Promise.
I counted to three in my head and then stood up. But I winced slightly because it really hurt.
"See? I can manage, sir!" I said and gave him a smile, a forced one.
"Okay. If so, go upstairs. It's late," he said while staring at me intently. I didn't say anything. I knew he was testing me to see if I could really walk.
"You go ahead. I'll follow," I said, giving him a small smile.
"Let's go together." He suddenly raised his hand, like he was reaching for mine to guide me.
I looked at the stairs and counted how many steps there were.
One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Ten.
Eleven.
Twelve.
Thirteen.
Fourteen.
Fifteen.
Sixteen.
My eyes widened.
Sixteen steps?! Seriously?
"I know you're weak in math, but why did you only realize now how many steps there are?" I turned to Ace because of what he said. I didn't know he had heard my mumbling. "Come on, let's go up," he invited again.
I wanted to step forward, but I couldn't. I forced myself to stand, but I actually wanted to cry from the pain in my leg.
"You go ahead," I said, slightly bending to check my leg.
"No. We'll go together," he said as if I had no other choice but to follow him.
I looked at the stairs again. "Why don't we have an elevator or escalator in this house?" I mumbled before turning to face him. I looked at him before I took a step, but because it really hurt, I ended up sitting down. "I take back what I said earlier. I really can't do it," I said weakly while holding my ankle.
He clicked his tongue and said, "You're so stubborn." And the next thing he did shocked me. He carried me bridal style.
I just stared at him while we went up. He kicked my bedroom door slightly to open it. Good thing I hadn't closed it earlier.
"Stay here, I'll go get something," he said after placing me on my bed, then he left the room. When he left, I finally started crying. I couldn't hold it in anymore from the pain. When Ace returned to my room, he was carrying a small bottle. He watched me as I cried. "Does it really hurt?" he asked, and I was a bit annoyed at his question. Wasn't it obvious?
He sat on the bed and took my leg. He placed it on his lap.
"Ouch! Be gentle!" I said, my voice a bit loud. He opened the bottle he brought and applied it to my injured leg. Then he started massaging it gently. "Ouch! Don't press too hard, it hurts!" I complained. "O-Ouch . . . be gentle!"
I didn't know where I got the courage to yell at him when I was usually scared of him at school.
"Don't be so loud," he scolded me softly. "Does it still hurt?" he asked while continuing to massage the part that seemed to have a pinched nerve.
"Yes, sir . . ." I suddenly felt shy because I remembered he was my teacher.
"When we're at home, Ace is fine. Just call me sir at school," he said softly, still massaging my injured foot.
"Okay. Ace," I said shyly. Ugh, I'm not used to this.
"So, does it still hurt?" he asked again.
"Not much. Just a little," I answered. I just looked at him while he massaged my foot. I couldn't believe if it was really him in front of me or someone else. It seemed unbelievable that the feared teacher at our school was here beside me, massaging my foot. Was this really him, or was he possessed by an evil spirit? I smiled a little. "Besides being a teacher, you're also a masseur," I said, trying to hold back my laughter. He then raised his head and gave me a warning look. It was the look he gave his students as a warning when he wasn't pleased, so I just kept quiet.
"It will be gone by tomorrow," he assured. "Go to sleep now." He stood up and gently placed my foot on the bed.
"What if the pain doesn't go away? Can I skip school?" I asked softly. Please agree.
"If it doesn't go away, we'll get an x-ray," he said, and I sighed. I thought I could get away with it. "Go to sleep now." He walked towards the door, but before he left, he looked back at me. "Good night," he said before closing the door.
Good night?
Why did that good night feel different? It sounded so nice. The kind that made me not want to wake up tomorrow.
***
The next morning, I slowly got out of bed. I could walk, but my foot still hurt a bit. I went to the bathroom and took a shower.
After I showered, I put on my uniform. I was just buttoning my blouse when the door suddenly opened, and Ace walked in. I immediately turned my back, as did he.
"Go downstairs. Breakfast is ready." That was all he said before leaving. When I finished getting ready, I went out of my room. He probably didn't see anything since I was already wearing my blouse, right?
I carefully went down the stairs and headed to the dining area. I sat in front of Ace.
"Good morning, Keycee," Yaya greeted me.
"Good morning," I greeted back. I started eating. It was still early, so I could eat properly. Sometimes, I skipped breakfast when I woke up late.
I had only taken two bites when Ace suddenly stood up. He grabbed his things from the dining table and left. I looked at the clock again and—8:40 AM!
Why am I always waking up late? So annoying. I stood up to leave. I wanted to hurry, but I couldn't because my foot still hurt a bit.
When I stepped out of the house, I found Ace parked in front of the gate again. I approached him, thinking he might be waiting for me. Maybe I was just assuming things.
"Get in," he ordered as I got closer. I moved a bit slowly since my leg still hurt. "Do your legs still hurt?" he asked once I was inside his car. He seemed genuinely concerned. He may be strict, but he does have a heart.
"A bit," I replied. He didn't say anything else and just started driving.
When we got to school, of course, I got out quickly to avoid being seen with him. Once Ace's car entered the school gate, I started walking in, but slowly because my leg still hurt.
"Are you okay?" someone asked from behind.
"Yes, I'm fi—" I couldn’t finish my sentence as he suddenly positioned himself in front of me and looked at me. Oh my, it’s Ryan!
"You don’t look okay," he said, shaking his head slightly. I just stared at him. I couldn't believe Ryan was standing in front of me. "Do I have something on my face?" His question snapped me out of my daze.
"N-No," I answered softly. I couldn't even say a single word without stuttering. That's Ryan's effect on me.
"Come on, I’ll walk you to your room." He held my shoulder and helped me walk. Everyone we passed was staring at us. Nosy people.
After a while, we both stopped walking when a noise broke out.
"Was that your stomach?" he asked, laughing. I gave a weak laugh in response. "Let's go to the cafeteria first. It seems you haven’t had breakfast yet."
"No!" I quickly protested. "I can’t. I have to attend my math class now. You know Mr. Lee, right?"
"Alright. Let’s have lunch together after your math class then." I nodded, making him smile. He looks even more handsome when he smiles. His white teeth and dimples are a perfect match.
Yes, he's the crush I wrote about in my classmate's slam book. He’s also a fourth-year student, but we're in different sections. He’s in Section A, while I’m in Section B.
When we arrived at Ace's classroom, all my classmates were already inside.
"You seem to be late," Ryan said. We were by the door of Ace's room. Ryza, who was inside, noticed me and signaled for me to come in, but I didn’t move.
"Miss Lopez?" I heard Ace call Ryza. "Why are you looking outside? Do you want to go home?"
"No, sir. It’s just that Keycee—" Ryza couldn’t finish because Ace suddenly stood up from his chair and walked to the door where we were.
"Good morning, sir," Ryan greeted Ace as he stepped outside.
"Miss Dela Vega, why are you late?" I looked up at him. As if he didn’t know!
"She couldn’t walk properly, sir," Ryan answered for me.
"Go inside, Miss Dela Vega. You can go now, Mr. Dela Cruz," Ace told us.
Before going in, I turned to Ryan and smiled at him. Once inside, all my classmates were staring at me. Why? Did I do something wrong?
Ah, I get it!
This is the first time in history that he's let someone in late.
Moments later, Sir Lee stood in front of the class, looking at all of us. We were having a quiz, which we didn’t expect. Right after he let me in and then entered himself, he suddenly said, "Get one whole sheet of paper!"
Of course, we were all caught off guard because the quiz was on a topic he was supposed to discuss today.
Some of my classmates were already answering. I was just writing my name. I couldn’t concentrate because my stomach had been grumbling.
"Take your time, don’t rush your answers," Ace said, walking around the room. I noticed some were hurrying. "Answering a math problem is like going down the stairs." I was startled by what he said and looked up at him. "If you hurry, you might make a mistake and fall," he continued. He was now behind me. Out of all the examples, he had to choose falling down the stairs. Was he mocking me?
"But sir, isn’t it easier to go down the stairs than to solve this math problem?" I asked, looking at my paper.
Ace walked and stopped in front of me. "Exactly!" he started. "It is easier to go down the stairs than solve a math problem. But why do people still fall?" I looked up at him. "Like what some of you are doing now, rushing your answers. I’m sure there are mistakes in what you’re writing," he continued. "Do you understand what I mean, Ms. Dela Vega?" he asked mockingly.
"Yes, sir. I understand perfectly well. So next time, I won’t rush down the stairs to avoid falling and getting hurt," I said confidently. "And when answering, I won’t rush either to make sure my answers are correct."
"I know you’re not rushing because you haven’t answered a single problem I gave." My classmates burst out laughing at his remark.
"Quiet!" I yelled at them, annoyed.
Ace went back to the front and sat in his chair. The room became quiet again. I glared at him, seething. I was already hungry, and then he did that to me! Just wait until later at home!
I’ll set aside my fear of you because of your strictness!
- Writer
