Chapter 9 Fight

• We arrive at Lukas's house. It's brand new. It has two levels and an attic. The walls are made of thick glass. The glass is not just clear, it looks slimy and almost fluid. The house is made of a strange metal that looks almost like mercury.
• "Have you cleaned lately?" I ask.
• "Of course not! Why would I clean?"
• "Ahm, because this is your house," I say.
• Lukas pushes open the door. It's metallic and is not making any sound. It's different from the house I rented where the door handle is old and worn smooth.
• "Maids come in every Friday and clean up before my father arrives for the weekend," he informs.
• "You mean I won't be able to talk to your father?"
• "Why would you even want to talk to him?"
• "Because of your most recent offenses," I say. "I also need to discuss to him about your education."
• "Then you will need to ask for a schedule to meet with him. He's a busy man," he says.
• "Your family is in business, right?"
• "Why do you care?" he asks. He places his arms across his chest and stares me down. "Are you not going to leave, Teacher Cassie? My father is not here."
• "Hmmm," I mutter. "Who takes care of your food?"
• "Maids. Cooks. Whoever."
• "So, you buy food outside."
• "If you have nothing else to say, just leave me! I'm at home now, safe and sound."
• "And alone," I say, smirking. "I hear that your stomach is hurting. Let me just prepare something for you. Maybe–”
• I push at him, but he bars my path. "Do you like me, Teacher? You are still young. I am not averse to having a student-teacher romantic relationship."
• I almost gag in disgust. "Are you serious? Stop being a disgusting little shit."
• "You are not allowed to insult your student!"
• “We are not in school and besides, you are also not allowed to make that revolting, vile, sickening–”
• "Stop! I get it already!"
• "So? Is your stomach really hurting or not?"
• He pauses and then, in a whisper, he admits, "I was lying."
• I sigh and massage my temple. "Are you not happy here, Lukas?"
• "Who would be happy in this rural, agricultural land? Even the teachers are bad."
• "Ah! So you are lonely, but since you have no control over your situation, you are lashing out at me."
• "I am not lashing out at you."
• "Spreading rumors. Influencing the students to misbehave in the classroom. What do you think are those? Having fun? Trying to hide your loneliness?"
• "I am not lonely!"
• "Yes, you are!"
• Then he pushes me out the door. "I am well now, teacher, so you can leave."
• I turn towards him. He meets my eyes with strange curiosity. Then he slams the door on me. I feel a surge of disappointment. Observing his reactions, I may be correct. His father really has little time for him. Is he always dismissed? Less conversation?
• I sigh. Well, let's try another day then.
• ****************************
• Lukas’s eyes are glued on Alinn as he passes us. He calls for her, but she ignores him. She might not be looking at him, but I know she is aware of him–the bad kind of awareness, though.
• He moves towards us and sits on the table. "What are you doing here?" I ask. “You are still half an hour early.”
• "Checking out my little puppy," he says.
• He peers into Alinn. His blonde hair falls across his eyes and the corner of his mouth turns up. It's the look of delight. He smiles, and he brightens up the room.
• Alinn, on the other hand, is not looking at him. She tries to concentrate on her paper, but she can't take the staring anymore. She looks up at him.
• "Shouldn't you be working on something else, rather than staring at me?!" she snaps.
• Lukas grins. He does that every time he arrives for his review with me. And every time he does, Alinn's window of concentration just flew wide open.
• "Join us in a bonfire tonight. It will be a group date," he invites and my brows raise. Aren't we taking some small steps, little monster?
• "I am busy," she declines.
• "You don't need to study a lot. You will grow up ugly."
• "Don't have fun too much, you will grow stupid," she pauses and then adds, "Ah, right, you are already stupid."
• "Alinn," I admonish.
• Alinn looks at me and bows her head low, ashamed of herself.
• "It's fine, Teacher Cassie. I read from a book that girls insult the boys that they like."
• "What?" I ask, incredulous.
• Alinn drops her mouth open and blinks twice. The way she does it, I laugh. Disbelief is written all over her face.
• "That's impossible!" she sputters.
• However, Lukas takes the opportunity. He leans towards her and places a kiss on her mouth. And no, it's not those chaste first kisses that teenagers have. It's an open-mouth kiss with his tongue going into Alinn's mouth. She tries to pull back, but Lukas takes a hold of the back of her neck and presses on.
• This time, it's my mouth that hangs open like a rusty gate. I cannot believe it. The little monster is not so little after all.
• Lukas releases Alinn. He licks his lips. "That's delicious, thank you."
• Then she slaps him. "How could you?!" she gasps, wiping her mouth as if she's been dirtied.
• A wide grin appears on his face. "You should stop resisting me. Stop studying and have fun with me."
• "You disgusting animal!"
• "Fell for me yet, my little puppy?" he asks.
• Her little fists strike him, but he grabs hold of her and wrestles her close to his chest. He looks down at her and kisses her again, but more aggressively. She pushes him away again. She reaches out with clawed hands, but Lukas dodges her. I can see her chest heaving.
• Suddenly, Alinn's sobs come out like a storm, loud and filled with revulsion. She crouches on the ground and this time, it's Lukas who is confused.
• "Why are you crying? You should be happy I kissed you. Girls want to be kissed by me."
• "I hate you!"
• This is a fight against teenagers and a one-sided crush. But then, one is befuddled and the other one is grieving as if it's the end of the world for her.
• I sigh. I think I need to intercede now. I kneel before Alinn and hug her. She embraces me back and buries her face against my chest.
• Lukas outstretches his hand towards Alinn, but I say, "You should leave for today, Lukas. And think about what you did today."
• He closes his fist. He opens his mouth and closes them again. With no other choice, he passes through the door and leaves.