Teenage Fantasy Ch. 04

"Yeah, she's a real rebel." Jake stepped forward. "Let's get something straight, just in case Monday does have something to do with it. You could eat shit for all I care, Williams."

The astonished teacher blubbered in his attempt to respond. Jake didn't give him the time.

"I know you feel the same about me. That's between us. Leave her the fuck out of it."

"Get out of my fucking classroom, Edwards!"

Jake was unyielding, holding the teacher's gaze with hardened eyes. Williams went quiet, shrinking back in his chair.

"We got an understanding, Williams?"

The teacher gave a small nod of his red-faced head.

"Get out, Edwards!"

Jake slowly turned and left.

________

"You wanted to see me?" Mabel hurried into Noble's room. She didn't want this meeting to take too long.

"Yeah." Noble sat up, setting down his phone and gesturing to the table in front of his desk. "Have a seat, Mabel."

"Ok," Mabel replied, slipping off her backpack so she could sit down.

Noble rubbed the back of his neck as he scooted his chair in.

"Is this about my Yale application? I am still working on the essay. I don't want it to be too redundant."

"No, Mabel, it's not. I actually wanted to talk about you."

Mabel's brow furrowed. "What about me?"

"I'm... worried."

Mabel racked her brain, trying to figure out if she'd failed an assignment in either of her classes. Why wouldn't he tell her? She needed every grade to be perfect from here on out.

"Did I miss something during my absence? I can make it up. I'll even do double the work if it won't count against my final grades." She bargained, trying to figure out how to regain the points. Though, after today's conversation with Blancher, did it really matter?

"I'm not discussing your academics right now. I'm discussing your future and how the decisions that you make now can affect it."

His statement knocked her off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"Mabel, you're one of the brightest students I have had in my classroom. You have a lot of potential, and when you set your mind to it, the possibilities are endless. But there may be obstacles that would prevent you from completing the goals you've set for yourself, and people that you let into your life may become part of those obstacles."

Realization set in as Noble spoke and her stomach tanked. "This is about Jake."

Noble clasped his hands. "There are a lot of choices you'll make now that will affect you for the rest of your life. I don't want you to throw away your future by making the wrong ones."

Folding her arms, Mabel narrowed her gaze. "What is with everyone? You guys treat him as if he's a lost cause."

"I wouldn't say that," Noble replied in an unconvincing tone.

"You don't know anything about him, Noble. None of you do. The fact that every teacher in this school writes him off like he doesn't deserve a chance to graduate is bullshit!"

Her chair screeched as she stood up.

"Ms. Humphrey!"

"It's no wonder he doesn't want to try!"

"Mabel stop! I am trying to help you make the right decisions."

"Maybe you should do your job and help him with school instead of driving him away from it! Then you can talk to me about my decision-making."

Grabbing her bag, she moved around the table. "Can I have his packet?"

Noble grabbed a small stack of papers and handed them over to her. "Just be smart, Mabel."

Those were the same words her mom had told her. She was tired of people treating her as if she didn't have the ability to make her own decisions. She wanted to tell him how she felt about all the senior teachers at Sky Ridge. Her eyes must have conveyed her thoughts because Noble seemed to pull back from her glare.

"You ready, Mabel?"

Jake's deep voice came from behind, and she heard his heavy boots as he walked into the room. Mabel didn't move. Noble's gaze shifted from her to Jake.

"Ms. Humphrey and I are talking, Edwards."

"No, we're done," Mabel replied in a tight tone.

She turned away from the teacher and looked up at Jake. "Yeah, I'm ready. Are you?"

"Yeah," he replied, shifting his gaze from her to Noble. Jake watched Noble shake his head as Mabel walked away. Something had happened. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah, let's go." Mabel brushed past him, briskly walking toward the door.

_________

Afternoon sun blazed through the tall windows and reflected against the glass tabletop as Mabel set two cold ice teas down before taking a seat. "Did you get all of your packets?"

"Yeah," Jake replied. She hadn't spoken much on the ride here, and even now she seemed irritated. "You alright, Mabel?"

Mabel stared at him. She wondered how he did it. Just this week, every teacher had been dismissive and downright rude to him about his ability to graduate. It made her heart ache.

"You know you can do this, right?"

The irritated expression grew somber, and her hazel eyes held his gaze with captivating honesty. He didn't think he could, but he kept it to himself.

"With your tutoring, I might end up as valedictorian instead."

Mabel smiled, and he was happy to see it.

She knew the joke was sarcastic, and there was more that he wasn't telling her. He was so used to being judged for his academics that he didn't see how smart he was. Not yet, anyway. She'd have to double down on her efforts to show him the truth.

"I'm sure you would be if I didn't already have it in the bag."

Grinning, he narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that."

"So I have a plan." She took the different stacks of assignments from him and began to sort through them. "When I'm studying, I like to break up my subjects. I love to read and write, but math and science can sometimes agitate me, and they're harder to process. I feel like you're the opposite."

"Yeah, I don't mind math." Jake watched as Mabel began reorganizing the stacks, studying each paper and placing them in separate piles with her brows scrunched in determination. He stayed quiet as she worked, watching as the papers piled up.

She shuffled the papers and tapped them against the tabletop to align them, adding a sticky note to the top page, before moving to the next stack.

"I've organized the stacks to contain all of the subjects, but they're separated. You'll start with a couple of pages of math, followed by writing, science, history, and so on. When you're frustrated with one subject, you can go to the next one, which is easier and gives your brain a break. Does that sound good?"

By the time she was finished, there were eight packets on the table. They seemed to grow in size as he stared at them, knowing it was too much and that he wasn't capable. "Mabel, I..."

One grade, one fuck up on his part and Mabel would get an F. She worked hard to be valedictorian, and if he messed this up, she would lose that opportunity. He thought of Williams' statement on Monday. It had been playing on repeat in his mind. He'd take her down with him. Ruin all her hard work. He couldn't do this. He felt her hand under his chin. Then she filled his view and spoke his name gently.

"I don't wanna be the reason you fail, Mabel. I won't be able to get all this done."

Mabel thought of her conversation with Blancher. She looked into his wide blue eyes and saw the pain and worry in them. He wasn't the reason she had lost her position in the class rank. She couldn't tell him that now. He needed to believe in himself. She set her gaze with determination.

"That won't happen! The deal was that whatever you finish, you will get half credit for the assignment once you turn it in. Just do what you can, Jake."

Her optimism always astonished him. But more than that, it eased his mind, and he looked down at the calculus worksheet on top of the thick pile. "Alright."

Her eyes brightened, and she began gathering the stacks and placed one in front of him. "Each pile has a sticky note: green, yellow, pink, and one purple. The green packets contain the easiest assignments, while the pink piles contain the most challenging, and the purple pile contains extra credit assignments. It's fine if you finish all of the green packets, or if you do a couple of yellows and some pinks. It's up to you. Does that sound good?"

"Yeah," he said, blowing out air. "I guess."

Her smile enforced his resolve. "Great! I'm gonna grab us a snack while you get started."

He watched her walk away before looking back at the packet in front of him. Calculus. Picking up a pencil, he twirled it in his fingers, reading over the equations before starting.

Mabel eyed him from the kitchen as she rummaged around. He didn't have the same expression while doing his math worksheets. The look was now one of determination, almost ease, and he worked through both assignments seamlessly.

It confirmed her earlier musings. He didn't struggle nearly as much with math. The glare returned for the next assignment, and after briefly looking it over, he shuffled through the pages.

She walked over to the table and set down a haphazard meat, cheese, and fruit plate and a package of Ritz while glancing over his shoulder. Williams' packet was the thickest. She'd tried to disperse it, but the assignments took over most of the piles. His worksheets always consisted of long-winded historical paragraphs. She watched his jaw shift as he tapped his pointer finger against the table.

"I had an idea," she said, sitting down and facing him. Breaking out of his concentration, he looked at her. "Since you're more of an auditory learner, maybe you could try reading out loud?"

"Out loud?" Jake gave a pained expression and glanced away. "Nah, I do better in my head."

"I get that." Pursing her lips, she scooted forward. "I just think, with you being auditory, it might help if you hear your own voice. It doesn't have to be loud; maybe you could whisper to yourself. That might alleviate you of having to glare at the paper."

Jake shook his head. "I don't know if that'll help."

Mabel wasn't sure how to navigate the barrier he put up. She knew it was a defense that she could sometimes bypass, but other times she didn't want to push too hard. "It's just a thought." Pulling her long hair over her shoulder, she began some homework of her own.

He watched her work and looked down at the paper in front of him. An English assignment. He paused, looking over the paragraphs on the page. Jake shifted through the next few assignments, trying to decide which one to complete. History, English, Spanish, Science. He chose science, navigating the formulas as she worked beside him.

Mabel ran her eyes over the discarded history packet and the math worksheet. Reaching for the finished worksheet, she looked over it.

"Something wrong?"

"No," she spoke thoughtfully, and picked up the other calculus sheet.

"Well, that's good." Jake nodded, returning his gaze to the paper.

"Everything is correct." Mabel furrowed her brow as she went over the problems. He hadn't made a single mistake.

He grinned. "That's probably more of you rubbing off on me."

Mabel looked over at him with a serious expression.

Why did she look upset? "What, Miss Mabel?"

"Are you purposely failing math?"

"I'm not failing. I keep a C in math."

Tilting her head, she studied him, her gaze hardening further. "Are you serious?"

"What?"

Mabel folded her arms. "Have you just been maintaining a C?"

"A 'C' is a passing grade, Mabel." Jake explained, leaning back in his chair. "At least I'm passing it."

"Do you think I don't know what a C is, Jake?" She sat forward. "Why aren't you doing better in calculus?"

"Ms. Rosenhart is..." Jake tilted his head and stared past her in mock contemplation. "Difficult to listen to." With a sly grin, he closed the distance between them. "You're a much better teacher, Mabel."

Mabel met his playful deflection with narrowed eyes. "You're selling yourself short, Jake."

He pulled back from her, briefly scrunching his brows. "I am not selling myself short, Mabel."

"What would you call it, then?"

Jake shook his head, choosing to remain quiet. He didn't want to have this conversation. He didn't struggle with math; he struggled with the classes. Teachers moved him to the back of the class because of his behavior. Trying their best to acknowledge him as little as possible. He did what he had to pass, never anything more.

Studying his expression, she felt the familiar trepidation of pushing the subject further. He hadn't spoken about his grades with anyone in a long time. Let alone his capabilities. Still, she found it important to be honest with him.

Mabel stood up. "You told me the first time that we studied in the library that you didn't like to be counted out."

She gently cupped her hands around his jaw. He was still seated, and she was able to look down into his eyes. "Do you remember that?"

"Yes, I remember, Mabel."

"Jake, the only person who can count you out is yourself. Right now, that's what you're doing. You are incredibly smart. Let your work reflect your intellect. Start getting A's."

Jake swallowed, unsure of what to say. Her words were unfamiliar, causing a collision of thoughts and memories. Her stern optimism was emboldened by her formidable gaze. No one had ever been so direct with him about his grades before. It's why he believed her even though he didn't believe it himself.

"You really think I can do this?"

"I know you can."

"Alright, Mabel." He nodded, blinking away, before looking back at her. "A's it is."

Mabel wrapped her arms around him, pressing a kiss against his lips. "Good." She returned to his lips, gliding her tongue into his mouth. Jake's hands slid around her, palming her ass and guiding her closer.

She eased her mouth away. "That also means you should be passing science." She whispered, kissing the corner of his lip as it turned into a smirk before peering into his eyes. "Not just relying on Ms. Barn's little crush."

Laughing, Jake ducked his head. "I should never have told you that."

Mabel cupped his jaw in her hand, lifting his head and bringing his playful gaze back to hers. Her face fell, and her bottom lip poked out. "Should I be worried about you two?"

Jake narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "You, Mabel?" Pressing forward, he captured her lips again. "You got nothing to worry about."

His arms wrapped around her waist as she devoured him again. The sharp sound of the lock unbolting barely registered before the front door opened.

Mabel pulled away from the kiss, turning just in time to see her mom enter the house.

"Oh good, Mabel, you're here!" Beth's beaming smile quickly became a scowl as she noticed Jake sitting at the table with his hands around her daughter's waist. "What is he doing here?"

Mabel turned towards her mom, staying beside Jake and watching as Scott entered behind her.

"I guess I can ask the same question," she replied, glancing toward Scott.

"We discussed this, Mabel." Beth tried to keep her tone even. "He's not welcome here unless I know about it."

"Yeah, and I told you we're studying together." Mabel gestured to the table strewn with materials.

"What's he doing here?"

"I," Scott interjected, "was hoping to take the two of you out to dinner."

Beth bit back her response, working to soften her tone. "Yes, we want you to come to dinner with us tonight, Mabel."

Mabel assessed Scott; the thought of spending even an hour with him filled her with aggravation. He was just another one of her mom's quick flings. Every time she had a new boyfriend, she would drag Mabel into it.

"Yeah," Mabel agreed, "as long as Jake can come."

Jake glanced up at her. She still had her arm wrapped around him, and he hadn't released her, but she was staring at her mom. Moreso, they were glaring at each other. It reminded him of Monday.

"I don't see why not," Scott replied.

"There's a dress code," Beth responded quickly, cutting her gaze to the boy behind her daughter. She assessed the dirty work boots, faded jeans, and worn Falcons tee. "I was going to ask you to change, Mabel."

"I have a sports coat in the car." Scott replied. "I just picked it up from the cleaners. He can wear that."

"I," Jake glanced at Beth, reading her displeased visage, "don't wanna get in the way."

She gave an approving nod. "We understand."

He looked up at Mabel and said, "But I think I'll take that sports coat."

Mabel's expression relaxed into a grin. He glanced at Scott. "You said it's in your car?"

"Yeah, I'll show you."

Both men made their way outside, closing the door behind them.

"I didn't expect you to invite company," Beth said. "I wanted you and Scott to get to know each other."

"You want me to get to know Scott." Mabel folded her arms, standing her ground. "It's only fair you do the same for Jake."

Rolling her eyes Beth exhaled. "Fine. You need to at least go change clothes. We're going to a nice restaurant."

________

Dark mahogany fixtures contrasted with white-clothed candlelit tables. Square brass-layered crystal chandeliers cast warm twinkling light, causing lustrous diamonds on tailored guests engaged in hushed conversations and polite laughter to sparkle.

Jake glanced down at his oil-stained work boots and faded jeans before looking around at the highly esteemed guests. He caught the hostess's scowling gaze as she gave him a once-over. Scott had let him borrow a brown herringbone sports coat, but he wasn't dressed for a black-tie affair by any means. He felt Mabel hook her arm in his and glanced down at her.

She had donned a high-necked white satin pencil dress with a cherry blossom tree design climbing along the left side that rode the slopes of her curves. Long strawberry hair was in a high-rounded bun with swooped bangs. Her full pouty lips were accentuated by a deep red lip color that matched the pumps she wore and brightened her dimpled smile. Truly, it was her grace that blew him away. Seeing her reverent gaze made the hostess' scowl disappear from thought.

"I'm here for the Scott Giles reservation," Scott said, not giving the hostess a chance to object. Her eyes widened, and she nodded.

"Yes, of course, sir. Right this way, please."

Mabel kept her arm locked in his as they walked through the rows of glamorous diners to a corner table beside tall windows peering out over the dark horizon.

Jake pulled the high-backed upholstered chair out, and both women sat before he and Scott took their seats.

"Good evening, Mr. Giles. Thank you for joining us tonight. What will be your selection this evening?"

"We'll have the Chateau Lafite Rothschild, year 75."

"Excellent choice, sir. And for our younger guests?" The waiter looked at them.

"Tea, please," Mabel replied

"Arnold Palmer," Jake answered.

The waiter bowed out.

"I'm glad you were able to join us this evening." Scott smiled at Mabel.

"Yeah," Mabel replied in a hollow tone.

Scott pushed past it. "Your mother has told me quite a bit about you. It seems you're going to be valedictorian of your school."

Mabel thought about today's conversation with Blancher and bit her cheeks. Sitting forward, she shrugged nonchalantly. "My mom hasn't really said much about you," Mabel responded. "I'm assuming you're rich?"

"Mabel!" Beth scolded, giving her daughter a disapproving scowl.

Scott gave a laugh. "Yes, well, I have done well for myself."

"You're definitely her type, then," Mabel said, meeting her mother's glare.

"Young lady, if you dont—"

"Here are your drinks." The server set Jake and Mabel's drinks down before serving the tasting for Beth and Scott. Scott gave a nod of approval after sipping the wine, while Beth continued to examine her daughter. After pouring the wine and setting it in a chilled bucket, the waiter left.

Mabel sipped her tea and scrunched her nose. "This is unsweet."

"So what is it you do, Scott?" Jake asked, taking Mabel's glass of tea and switching it with his drink.