Going on Thirty

"Any excuse is a good excuse to stop by," she said quietly as she touched Dan's arm a little too long being leaving. "Don't be a stranger, Mr. Snyder!"

"You're in good hands here, Kimber," she said without taking her eyes off of Mr. Snyder.

"Subtlety, Ms. Simmons!" the girl said again shaking her head.

Dan ignored it and said, "Okay, so where were we?"

He spent the remainder of the second day outlining the curriculum and what they'd be covering during the first six weeks. He repeated the grading policy just before the bell and reminded them he would be introducing the topic of 'limits' the next day.

Everyone filed out except for Kimber who waited until everyone else was gone and for Mr. Snyder to acknowledge her.

"I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce myself, Mr. Snyder. I know Ms. Simmons did that, but I prefer doing something so important personally."

"I do appreciate that, Ms. Clymer. I can tell already you have a very...adult perspective."

"I try, Mr. Snyder," she said politely. "I take a fair amount of grief for it, but I've recently made quite a few changes in the last year or so, but I now prefer following the beat of my own drummer, so to speak."

Dan smiled back and told her he understood then said, "I don't catch quite as much flak as an adult, but I had a similar take on things when I was in high school, too."

"It's funny," Kimber began, "but high school students claim to be these independent, free-thinking individuals, but they're quite likely the most prone to a kind of 'hive-mind' mentality. Within their respective groups, that is."

"Do you consider yourself part of any particular group, Ms. Clymer?" he asked still smiling.

"No, not really. I suppose I'm rather most closely affiliated with nerd culture inasmuch as I love reading as well as math and science. Other than that...not particularly."

Dan Snyder was dumbstruck. He'd imagined a Kimber Clymer a million times, but had only seen a handful of women—or girls—like her. And of those he'd seen, he'd only met one as articulate and well-spoken as her.

"Well, you can rest assured you neither look nor sound like any nerd I've ever seen, Ms. Clymer."

"Thank you, Mr. Snyder. I often find myself looking to people other than my fellow students for feedback. It's comforting to hear someone let me know I'm not the abnormality my chronological peers make me out to be."

Her smile was so distracting he forced himself to make eye contact, but her eyes were downright enchanting so he looked away and said, "Is there anything else, Ms. Clymer?"

"Oh, my apologies, Mr. Snyder. My intention was to see what I might have missed yesterday, and I've done so much talking I lost focus. I certainly didn't mean to monopolize what little time you have between classes."

"No, not at all. I have planning during 6th period, but you don't want to be late, I'm sure, and no, you didn't miss anything significant the first day of class."

Kimber smiled brightly and said, "I'm relieved to hear that, and you're right. I don't want to be late to my history class."

"With...Mr. Thomas?"

"Yes. Mr. Thomas. I'm very much looking forward to his class," she said in a very positive tone. "Well...I should be going, but I did want to personally introduce myself."

"I'm glad you did, Kimber. It was my pleasure.

"Same here, Mr. Snyder."

She began walking away when Dan suddenly blurted out, "Kimber? Before you get away, I would be very interested in hearing about your internship sometime. If you wouldn't mind, that is."

"Oh, no. I wouldn't mind at all. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, one for which I'm very grateful so yes, I'd be happy to share my experiences at your convenience."

Kim smiled then told him, "I really do love to read, and I don't particularly care to be at home, such as it is, so Starbucks is kind of my preferred home away from home since I moved up here."

She started to walk out then turned and said, "Mr. Snyder? I truly hope this doesn't come across as inappropriate, but if you'd ever care to join me sometime, I'd be happy to bore you with the details of my internship. Oh, and it'd be my treat, of course. Or I could just stop by your room. I'm very flexible."

"Is there a particular Starbucks location?" Dan asked sensing she felt like she'd done something wrong by even mentioning getting together. "There are more than a few of those in the local area."

"Yes there are," she agreed with a smile.

She gave him the location of her favorite place, then excused herself and headed just down the hall to Freddy's class before the tardy bell rang or before he could respond.

"Dear God, what in the world just happened?" he said out loud to himself as he sat back down.

He was on autopilot for his 7th-period class, still reeling from the experience of meeting Miss Kimber Clymer.

When Freddy walked in after the final bell, Dan finally understood—at least to some degree—the way his old friend felt about having a female student in his class who was distracting to the point of disturbing. Unlike Freddy, however, he had no intention of sharing his feelings.

He did, however, float a trial balloon by saying, "My new student, Kimber Clymer, said she has you for her 6th-period class."

"Who? Oh, right. The skinny chick who dresses like someone our mothers' age. Yeah, she's a little...different, huh? Oh, today that super hot chick I was telling you about wore this slinky little..."

"Freddy?" Dan said stopping him in mid-sentence.

"All right. Okay. Jesus, you're such a frikkin' prude sometimes, man. You just wait. One of these days a girl who does it for you is gonna walk into your classroom and then you're gonna..."

Freddy sat down then said, "No. Never mind. You'll never experience that because you're Dan Snyder, the last boy scout. Great movie, by the way, right?"

"Yeah, Bruce Willis did a pretty decent job in that one."

"Bruce Willis? Dude, are you serious? All I remember is Halle Berry delivering drinks in that bra top and pole dancing. Now that is one hot piece of...Bow Chicka Bow Bow, you know what I'm sayin'?"

Unfortunately, Dan did know what he was saying as the thought of having a cup of coffee with this most-intriguing new student kept running through his mind. And yet, no matter how attractive he found her, she was still his student and that was a huge 'no-no'. He didn't even know for sure if she really was 18 yet so he carefully pulled up his class rosters on line and nonchalantly checked hoping Freddy wouldn't ask what he was doing or why.

Sure enough, she'd already turned 18 which made him wonder if she'd been held back at some point. That was usually the case, but Kimber was clearly very intelligent making that option much less likely unless it had happened early on.

"Dude? Are you listening? he heard Freddy say.

"Um...yeah. Sure. I'm ready to go," Dan said hoping he could rely on Freddy's predictability to know what he'd just said.

Dan still hadn't stopped obsessing about his 'dream girl' a little after 10pm. He rarely ever watched porn of any kind, but he'd been hard off and on all day since his brief-but-intense chat with her after class. He almost laughed when he went to his favorite site where the women were dressed (or at least mostly still dressed) during sex.

He just couldn't get over the way she looked in her um...dress...all day. He had nothing against sex in the nude, but he found making love to a girl who was at least partly clothed a huge turn on, if what she was wearing 'did it' for him, and the way Kimber dressed most definitely did it for him.

"One more thing to reduce the number of females in the pool of potential possibilities, right Danny Boy?" he said to himself as he found a favorite video in which only the woman's skirt was off as her porn star/lover ravished her. It didn't take long for him to fill up not one, but two, Kleenexes with a huge load of white liquid dough that had been building up for at least the last three weeks. Unlike his friend, who confessed to being a 'twice-a-day' kind of guy, a couple of times a month was more than enough for Dan and this release was long overdue.

He finally laid down but was still unable to stop thinking about her or wondering what she might wear the next day. Just as importantly, he wondered what it would be like to spend time talking to someone who was clearly mature beyond her years and so very well-spoken, as he pictured her easily holding her own on any topic. That was followed by his last thought of the day that thoughts like that were fraught with peril.

Dan had been assigned morning cafeteria duty the first six weeks of school so he headed toward the smell of grease and as always, virtually every girl or female staff member he passed smiled and cheerfully said 'hello' or 'good morning' or told him how nice he looked. Out of habit he replied to every one of them with a smile of his own.

This morning, a custodian, a sweet, rather large black woman named Willie Mae stopped him and said, "Mr. Snyder? I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy watching you leave campus every day."

"Am I really so bad you can't wait to get rid of me?" he teased.

"Uh-uh. Oh, no. I mean, I keep my eye on you, young man." She leaned over and said quietly, "I just love that little tushy of yours when you walk by carrying that leather bag of yours on the way to your car."

She smiled at him exposing a huge gap in her two front teeth and Dan told her, "You know you're my favorite, right, Willie Mae?"

"Well, a girl'd never know it by the way you never show it," she replied in rhyme. "Now you just keep on walkin', and I'm gonna do me some watchin'!"

Dan heard her say, "Mmmm, mmm, mmm!" as he walked away.

Knowing she was a church-going woman he turned around and said, "The Lord heard that, Miss Willie Mae."

"I know He did, but some things are just worth the cost, young man. Mmmm, mmm, mmmm!"

Dan chuckled and kept going when he noticed Tammi up ahead of him.

Although not religious himself, he sort of prayed, "Dear Lord, please don't let her be heading to the..." just as she walked into the cafeteria. Even worse, she stopped, turned around, and held the door for him.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the best-looking man on campus!" she said with a huge smile.

"Good morning, Ms. Simmons," he replied trying not to let his frustrations show.

Dan tried to slip right by her but she all but glommed onto him as he went inside.

"So how are your classes so far, Daniel?" she asked desperate to strike up a conversation.

"Oh, um...fine. Yeah, everything is just fine," he said realizing he wasn't going to shake her that easily.

"How about the new girl I brought to your room? Any issues there I could help with?"

Dan almost said 'no' then casually asked, "Did she get held back or something?"

"As a matter of fact she did. She was out nearly the entire year last year. The back story is just tragic. Her father was killed in a horrible car accident and her mother was in a vegetative state for months. She refused to leave her side until she passed away, too. As I understand it, she filed for emancipation to avoid becoming a ward of the state then moved up here with her maternal grandmother and turned 18 just before school started. I know she seems like a bit of an odd duck, but she's also a real trooper. You should give her a chance, Daniel."

She leaned over then said, "You should give me a chance, too. I promise you won't be disappointed."

Tammi suddenly and mercifully stopped talking and nodded toward the door. Dan turned to look and saw Kimber walk in by herself then take a seat near the wall. She pulled out a book and began reading and sat there alone until the bell rang.

Dan immediately took notice of the way she looked and was grateful he'd worn jeans. Kimber was wearing a very white, short-sleeved knit top that was also slightly cropped, but no skin showed thanks to the tight, high-waisted, black pencil skirt she wore with it. It fell to about four inches above he knees, and looked stunning with the black, suede, open-toed high heels with ankle straps. She wore a single strand of pearls with matching earrings and again wore only some mascara and lip gloss. Her soft, silky hair cascaded down around her tiny shoulders and Dan found himself staring yet again.

"It's kind of bizarre, don't you think," he heard Tammi say.

"Bizarre?" he asked aware he'd missed something she'd just said.

"I said I see why you're staring. She has a good sense of fashion, but I've never seen any high school girl dress like that. She told me in private she takes a lot of grief for it, but she claims she doesn't care what other students say. I guess she came into some money after her mother passed away. Not a lot mind you. She had to use most of it to pay off the hospital and long-term care facility bills. Anyway, she evidently made a whole lot of changes in her life to help her cope with her traumatic losses. I feel sorry for her, but she has to know that kind of look just doesn't fit in. She's overdressed to even be a teacher!"

Dan had never been more relieved to see Freddy who waved and headed their way.

"Dan the Man!" he said doing a knuckle bump as he walked up.

Freddy's smile faded as he looked at Tammi before saying, "Good morning, Ms. Simmons. You um...you look very nice today."

Tammi knew he was Dan's best friend, so even though she found Freddy annoying at best, she smiled pleasantly and said, "Well, thank you very much," Mr. Thomas.

Dan was standing between them and used Freddy's presence as an excuse to walk around and talk to a few students, something most teachers avoided doing outside of official business.

"Here you go, Freddy. You and Tammi should chat while I make the rounds."

Dan was unaware his friend found the guidance counselor very attractive so it surprised him when Freddy said, "I'd enjoy that."

He felt bad for him when Tammi said, "Lucky me," just loud enough for Dan to hear as he walked passed her.

There was only one student he wanted to talk to, but he started at the opposite end of the cafeteria and worked his way toward her to mask his true intentions. He had about ten minutes before the bell so he spent a few seconds at each table saying hello and thanking the many girls who told him how good he looked in his jeans.

Three tables away from Kimber's, Dan heard three different senior girls talking about her so he stopped and casually listened in pretending to be observing like he was supposed to be doing.

"What's her problem, anyway? She's like...anorexic and yet she dresses all...old or something."

"I heard her parents both got killed in a car wreck. Maybe that messed up her brain or something," another said.

The third girl said, "Too bad she didn't die, too. She'd have at least been put out of her misery."

The first girl aded, "And ours, right?"

All three laughed just as Jacob Dunning, considered by many to be the hottest guy in the senior class, walked up to Kimber and introduced himself.

Dan felt beyond silly when she smiled politely and told him he join her when he asked if she minded. Kimber put down her book and gave Jacob her undivided attention until she glanced Dan's way. She did a double take, but it was almost unnoticeable as the second look was with here eyes only. She smiled at Mr. Snyder as her eyes went back to Jacob such that he thought the smile was meant for him.

The silliness he'd felt was replaced by a very pleasant feeling he wasn't sure he could describe. It was as if he'd shared some sort of connection with this angelic-looking creature he couldn't get off his mind. He continued walking even as the conversation between the girls heated up over their disbelief at the guy who was willingly sitting with her. Evidently, Dan wasn't the only male on campus who was crushing on one Kimber Clymer.

Dan walked behind her table and when Jacob saw him he said, "Mornin', Mr. Snyder."

"Good morning to you, Mr. Dunning," he said in his typically friendly way.

Kimber hadn't turned around so Dan reached for her book and asked, "May I?" before touching it.

"Of course," Kimber said sweetly. "Mi libro es su libro, Señor Snyder."

"Hablas español, Señorita Clymer?" he asked as he leafed through her book.

"Un poquito," she said using her thumb and index finger to indicate a very small amount.

"The Grapes of Wrath," Dan said. "Is this for one of your classes?"

"Oh, no. I just enjoy reading. I had a lot of time on my hands for a while and I read as many classics as I could. This one was just next in the queue," she said finally turning her head to look up at him.

"I go out of my way not to read anything unless I have to," Jacob said wanting to join the conversation.

Dan set the book down, smiled at Jacob, then said, "I'm guessing that's why Ms. Clymer's GPA is 4.0 while yours is um...well, just above 'sea'-level."

Jacob didn't get the word play but Kimber did. She didn't laugh at Jacob, but she did smile at Dan and she also winked before turning back around.

"I'll um...see you guys later," Dan said knowing he couldn't stay any longer without attracting unwanted attention.

"I look forward to that, Mr. Snyder," Kimber said with yet another beautiful smile.

"Yeah, cool," Jacob said not sure what else to say.

As he walked off, Dan heard Jacob mention prom, and again he felt a sudden stab of jealousy. He stopped and pretended to look at his watch but was really waiting to hear Kimber's reply.

"I'm flattered, Jacob. But the truth is I'm kind of developing a relationship with someone. Well, I'm trying to anyway."

"What? Here at this school? Do you mind if I ask who my competition is?" he said trying to play it cool.

"Um, no. He's not a student at this school. He's an older guy and although we were just recently introduced, I've found him to be quite charming."

"Charming? What does that even mean?" Jacob asked.

"It means he's someone I find very...intriguing and also...incredibly handsome."

Kimber was talking louder than necessary for Jacob to hear her, and another wave of that indescribable feeling swept over him.

Jacob went to stand up, and as he did, Dan heard him say, "You're like smokin' hot, Kimber, but I feel like I'm hangin' out with a teacher or somethin'. And if you're into college guys, I'm outta here."

He stood up and said dismissively, "Later," and just walked away.

Dan was dying to go back and talk to her her but knew he couldn't. He settled for a quick look and was rewarded with a smile and a second wink.

Tammi was still talking with Freddy when Dan walked up to them barely able to focus on what they were saying.

"So, how are our students this morning, Daniel?" Tammi asked as she moved to be closer to him.

"Well excuse me," Freddy said as she stepped in front of and right passed him to position herself to talk with Dan.

"Sorry, Mr. Thomas," she said without looking at him.

"Fine," Dan told her. What he didn't tell her was that he thought one particular student was fine in a completely different sense of the word.

The bell rang saving Dan from any further conversation, and when it rang, Tammi touched his arm and said she'd talk to him later without so much as acknowledging Freddy.

Dan was really taken aback when Freddy said, "Thanks a lot—buddy. Or in your case, I guess buddy is only half a word."

The implication was clear. Freddy felt like his buddy had just...fucked him.

"Whoa! Where's that coming from?" Dan asked.

"Dude, seriously? It's like every time I like some chick, you step in and steal the show. That's pretty fu...messed up," his voice trailing off so no student might hear him nearly dropping an F-bomb.

Dan stopped in the hallway and looked right at Freddy.

"Ms. Thomas? Tammi? You've got a thing for...her?" he asked trying not to sound incredulous.