The Teacher's Pet Ch. 09

"That's fine. Just don't let them take advantage of you."

"Don't worry, I won't." I patted her shoulder. "Have a great time with your..." I leaned down to whisper in her ear. "...obedient puppy."

She let out a devious chuckle. "Don't worry, I will."

We waved to each other as I walked onto the front porch. She then closed the door behind me.

I headed toward my car and noticed both girls were already inside. Tanya seemed pleased in the passenger seat, while Polly looked rather forlorn in the back seat. As I opened the driver's door, I decided not to put the convertible's top down - at least, not until I could get to the bottom of what was troubling Polly.

After ensuring we were all buckled in, I donned my sunglasses and began driving. I glanced at Tanya, and we exchanged smiles.

"I really love your car, Miss Nolan."

"Thank you! But outside of school, you can call me Amber."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"Cool, Amber. Does Polly call you that too?"

"Yes, she does."

"Awesome! You know, I bet Polly's mom would let me call her Steph. I mean, I'm an adult now."

"Oh, so when was your birthday?"

"Back in December."

"Then happy belated birthday!"

She laughed. "Thanks, Amber."

I spied her looking me up and down, and I raised an eyebrow. "What? Is there a problem with my outfit?"

"No, it's just weird seeing you in something besides a skirt, nylons, and high heels."

"Gotcha," I said with a nod. "I figured since we'd be doing a lot of walking at the castle, I would dress more for comfort today."

"Yeah, that totally makes sense. I mean, that's what we did."

"Right." I peeked in my rearview mirror, and saw Polly staring out the window with a glum look on her face. "Are you okay back there?"

She seemed startled and her gaze shifted toward the front of the car. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Are you sure? You're being awfully quiet."

"Yeah," Tanya said while turning her head to see her friend, "what gives?"

She let out a sigh and folded her arms. "Nothing gives. And even if it did, I wouldn't tell you anyway."

Tanya rolled her eyes. "Suuuure you wouldn't." She tapped my arm. "I'm her best friend. She tells me everything."

"No I don't!"

"Really? So what aren't you telling me?"

I gulped, fearing Polly might blurt out that she's having foot sex with her English teacher.

"It's... I'm a little cranky 'cause I just got my period!"

"If you say so!" Tanya shook her head and leaned closer to me. "That's her second one in two weeks."

I chuckled and spoke softly. "Then what do you think is actually going on with her?"

"Hey!" Polly's head appeared between me and Tanya. "I'm not deaf. And I'm not lying either. I'm just... worried."

"About what?" Tanya asked.

"Well, about what it means to have my period again so soon."

Tanya now looked concerned. "Wow, you really do have it again?"

Polly nodded and slumped back into the seat.

I gave her a sympathetic smile in the rearview mirror. "It's happened to me before, and it didn't mean anything was wrong. Maybe you're simply having a temporary hormonal imbalance."

"Maybe," she said with a shrug.

"Don't worry about it, Polly." I reached back and patted her leg. "Instead, think about all the fun we're going to have today." I almost laughed, knowing this was advice I needed to take to heart.

She seemed to consider this for a bit. "All right, Miss, I mean, Amber." She shook her head. "I'll stop worrying."

"Good!" I glanced at each of the girls. "Should I put the top down?"

Tanya's whole face lit up. "Heck yeah!"

"Sure," Polly said.

"Okay, here goes!"

I pressed the button and drove onto the causeway bridge. It wasn't long before we were exposed to the open air. Tanya let out a cheer and raised her arms, as I revved the engine until we were traveling at sixty miles per hour. I laughed at her childish display, especially since her hair was flying like crazy in the wind.

While a smiling Tanya threw her head back to soak in the sun and the breeze, her friend didn't share in the enthusiasm. Polly wore a pensive expression as she looked out at the water. I wondered if she was still dwelling on her irregular menstrual flow, or if perhaps something more was bothering her. I figured I could revisit this with her later. For now, I wanted to indulge in the adrenaline rush of speeding along the open road on a beautiful sunny afternoon.

A half hour later, I slowed down at the approach of our first stoplight on the mainland. When we rolled to a stop, I glanced at each of my passengers with a grin.

"Well, we're almost there!"

"Cool!" Tanya let out a pleasurable sigh. "I just hope it's as awesome as the ride here."

"So, you liked riding with the top down?"

"For sure!"

I chuckled. "I guess I'm spoiled, since I get to do this a lot."

"You are!" She nudged me and we both laughed. "I know one thing. When I get my own car, it's definitely gonna be a convertible!"

I smirked at her. "When that happens, I'll be sure I tell everyone to stay off the roads, because the Holy Terror is on the loose."

She smacked my arm playfully. "Oh, come on. I'm a good driver. Really, I am." She giggled. "Okay, okay... maybe I'd scare the other drivers a little."

"A little, eh?" Polly had an eyebrow raised as she leaned forward. "I can't even watch when she's behind the wheel of her mom's SUV, never mind a car like this."

"Hey!" Tanya scowled at her friend. "So what if I like to go fast?"

"You're gonna kill someone if you keep driving like that."

"No I'm not!" Tanya rolled her eyes. "And at least I don't drive like an old person..." She turned to look at Polly. "...grandma!"

"Shut up! And besides, you're older than me... great grandma!"

"Cut it out, or I'll leave you both at the castle!" I shot them a glare.

"Fine!" Polly pushed herself back into the seat and folded her arms.

"Sorry, Amber." Tanya dropped her head and let out a deep sigh.

"Look, I don't want to see you two arguing. We're supposed to be on an exciting adventure, right?" I peeked at the girls to see them both nodding. "And see? We're almost there!" I pointed to the left, where the castle had become visible.

"Oh, cool!" Tanya strained her neck to get a better view.

"Yeah, I see it too!" Polly had slid all the way to the left and had her head out the side of the car.

"Great. Now, behave yourselves while we're there or I won't buy you ice cream later."

They replied in tandem. "Yes, Miss Nolan!"

We all burst into a fit of laughter, as I turned into the parking area.

While waiting in line to buy admission tickets, we had a pleasant chat. Polly's mood had improved, and she seemed like her usual self again. We talked about school-related topics, and where we might go to dinner. Tanya also mentioned some things about herself that I didn't know. For instance, she too was an only child. Her mother worked as a receptionist at the dolphin encounter place, and her father was a hotel manager. Her family enjoyed traveling, and she had been on more than a dozen cruises in the past ten years - including several European ones.

"Wow," I said, "so you even went to Iceland? That must have been amazing!"

"Totally! But I really liked Lisbon. The Belém Tower was super impressive."

"I bet!" I shook my head in astonishment and then put my arm around her. "I think it's fantastic that you have an appreciation for ancient architecture."

"Thanks! My dad's into that kind of stuff, and he kept pointing things out on all our tours." She smiled at me. "I thought it was cool, and much better than learning about it in history class."

"Well, he sounds like a smart guy."

"Yeah, he is. I mean, he married my mom. That was pretty smart of him."

I chuckled, as did Polly.

"It seems you get along well with your parents."

Tanya nodded. "They're okay.

"They're better than okay," Polly said with a smirk. "They're, like, awesome!"

"I guess. But your mom is the best. I wanna be like her when I grow up!"

Polly raised an eyebrow. "Then you'll have to learn how to bake."

"Nah, I'll just have my little puppy-slave do that for me."

While Tanya and I laughed, Polly sighed and shook her head.

"Aw," Tanya said as she nudged her friend, "don't be upset. I'm not picking on your dad. In fact, I think it's great that he does all that stuff for your mom. He must really love her!"

A pensive grin appeared on Polly's face. "Yeah, he does."

For the next minute, none of us spoke another word. Tanya began listening to a conversation happening behind us, while Polly seemed deep in thought. I too became contemplative, as I gazed upon my two students. Was there more going on between them than what I had been told? Based on the things I had just heard, I sensed Tanya liked the idea of being a dominant. I already knew Polly was a natural submissive. Maybe the foot massages she provided for her friend were similar to those she gave her mother. Which would mean—

"Miss?" The woman's voice made me jump. "You're next!"

I shook my head and stepped forward to buy tickets. After quashing protests from both Polly and Tanya by insisting it was my treat, we headed toward the entrance. When we were almost there, I stopped to observe the unbridled zeal of my companions. They skipped through the opening and ran ahead, with the same giddiness as those two girls I had seen at the playground earlier. I couldn't help but giggle at how cute they looked.

We spent almost three hours inside the castle walls, walking every inch of the grounds at least twice. Neither of them wanted to miss a single detail, and they must have each taken a hundred cellphone pictures. I finally needed a break and found an unoccupied bench. I sat and watched them for a short while. They then approached me.

"Hey Amber!" Tanya tipped her head toward her friend. "Micro-bladder here needs to pee."

Polly gave Tanya a shove. "It's because I drank all my water."

I rolled my eyes and placed my hand on Polly's arm. "Ignore Miss Mega-mouth."

Tanya smirked while Polly laughed.

"And the ladies' room is that way." I pointed in the direction of the restrooms. "We'll wait here."

She smiled and scampered away. I scooted over to give room for Tanya to sit beside me. Once she was seated, she glared at me.

"So, you think I have a big mouth, do you?"

"No, no, not really. I mean, I..."

Her scowl turned into a sly grin as she elbowed me in the ribs. "It's cool. I know I have, like, no filter most of the time."

I elbowed her back with a chuckle. "Yeah, I can tell."

"But you like me anyway."

"Of course. You provide a valuable service... comic relief."

"Aw," she said with a fake pout, "and here I thought it was my brilliant mind and gorgeous looks that did it for you."

"Well, if you can keep a secret..." I put my arm around her and whispered into her ear. "...I've been lusting after you for weeks, you sexy genius."

Her eyes went wide before she started snorting with laughter. "Dang, you almost had me there!"

"I can be silly too, you know."

She patted my thigh. "You really are the most awesome teacher in the world." She peered up at me with a smile. "Thanks for inviting me along today."

"It's my pleasure. And I consider you and Polly to be my friends... good friends, actually."

"You're a good friend too." She then looked down and winced as she flexed her feet.

"Is something wrong?"

"Kind of, it's just... my feet hurt a little from all the walking we did."

"Oh, I see." I peeked at my sneakers. "Mine are a bit sore as well."

She sighed. "If only we could get a soothing foot rub."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

We exchanged a glance, and I could tell she was on the same page as me. It would be fabulous to have Polly pamper our soles and toes. Of course, Tanya had no idea her friend was doing this for me almost every day. Also, she didn't realize I knew Polly was regularly doing the same for her. This was all so complicated!

Before my mind had a chance to ponder the situation any further, Polly appeared in front of me.

"I feel better now." She stared at us for a moment and cocked her head. "So, what were you talking about while I was gone?"

I was thrown off by her question, especially considering the most recent topic of discussion. "Um, well, we—"

"We were saying how badly we could use foot massages." Tanya grinned and bit her lip. "You wouldn't want to do that for us, would you?" She extended her leg, and brushed Polly's knee with her shoe. "Come on, Pol. Don't you wanna make us feel better?"

As Polly stood in shock, I too was frozen in place. What the hell was Tanya doing? Did she want to put her friend through public humiliation? True, I had imagined such a scenario. However, it was only a fantasy. In reality, I would have never put her on the spot like this.

Tanya raised her eyebrows, clearly intent on forcing her friend to reply. I noticed Polly start to tremble, and she gave me a pleading look. I wanted to save her, but I couldn't break out of my stunned silence. She gulped and lowered her head. It seemed as if she was waiting for the ground to swallow her up.

She let out an enormous breath and met Tanya's expectant gaze. "Um, I, I guess... if y-you really want me to."

"Don't be shy." Tanya signaled toward her feet. "Sit here, take off my Chucks, and do what you love to do."

Polly gasped and her face went pale. If she had appeared nervous before, now she was in a full-blown panic. At that moment, I was finally able to break out of my state of disbelief. I couldn't allow this to continue for another second.

"No!" I leaned forward and gripped Polly's arm. "You don't have to do this." I glared at Tanya, who shook her head with a giggle.

"You're too funny." She giggled again. "Did you really think I was serious?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well, clearly Polly thought you were."

"Nah," she said with a smirk, "although, I was curious to see if she would've actually done it."

Polly folded her arms and scowled at her friend. "Why are you being mean to me?"

"I wasn't trying to be mean. I just like to mess with you sometimes." She stood up and placed a hand on Polly's shoulder. "You're my best friend. Isn't that what best friends do to each other?"

She sighed and then shrugged. "I guess so."

"Right!" Tanya gave her a sincere smile. "So, we're okay?"

"You know I can't stay mad at you."

Tanya wrapped her arms around Polly, and they held one another in a warm embrace for close to a minute. I felt a sense of relief as I witnessed this spectacle. Although I was still leery of Tanya's motives, it was obvious she cared about her friend.

After they stepped back from the hug, I took each of them by the hand. "I'm glad that's settled. Now, why don't we go somewhere for dinner?"

They both gave me a curious expression.

"What time is it?" Tanya asked.

"Hmm, let me check." I fished my phone out of my purse and looked at the screen. "It's 3:45."

Tanya furrowed her brows. "How old do you think we are? I mean, my parents don't even eat dinner this early!"

I nodded with a chuckle. "I understand, but I haven't eaten since breakfast."

"Me neither," Polly said, "and I'm pretty hungry."

"I'm quite famished as well." I gazed at Tanya. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I could eat."

"Great!" I squeezed Tanya's hand. "Oh, and we'll just call it a late lunch. That way nobody thinks we're ancient."

She laughed, as did Polly and I.

"All right, girls." I started toward the exit. "Let's go. I know the perfect place."

The top was down on the convertible again as I drove toward a nearby Cuban restaurant. I had been there a couple times before, and I recalled how much I loved their food. Though it was a Saturday, I figured they wouldn't be too busy at four in the afternoon. Sure enough, the parking lot was only half full when we arrived.

It wasn't long before we were seated at a booth. Rather than be next to her friend, Tanya sat on the same side as me. Once more, I was curious about what she was up to. Maybe she was simply accustomed to sitting across from Polly. I decided to let it go and began reading through the menu.

I was pleased to find they still had my favorite dish. With my choice made, I looked up to see the two young women chatting about their favorite things at the castle.

"Um, girls?" I waited for them to focus on me. "Aren't you going to look at the menu?"

Polly giggled and Tanya cocked her head.

"Didn't you notice what I was doing on the way here?" She chuckled at my puzzled expression. "I was reading it on my phone, just like Polly."

"Oh, right." I shook my head while they laughed at me. "So, what are you getting?"

"I want the special," Tanya said.

"That sounds good." I gazed across the booth. "And what about you?"

"I'm having the same."

"Nice." I smiled at Polly. "As for me, I'm going to—"

Our waitress arrived and placed glasses of water on the table. She then took our order, since we were ready. Once she walked away, Tanya slunk a little in her seat. As I began wondering why she was doing this, I caught sight of Polly glancing down toward her left.

She glared at her friend. "Hey, what's with putting your feet next to me?"

"I told you earlier they were kinda sore. It's more comfortable like this." Tanya smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me it bothers you. I mean, it's not like I took my shoes off or anything."

Polly peeked at Tanya's feet and shrugged. "It's fine. Just... keep them on. We don't want someone to throw us out from the stench of your feet."

Tanya giggled. "It's not that bad, is it? I mean, you've never had a problem with it before."

If looks could kill, Polly's would have annihilated her friend on the spot. Tanya seemed unfazed.

"Why can't we be honest with Miss, I mean, Amber?" Tanya glanced at me and then stared at her friend. "Come on, Pol. She's, like, the coolest teacher we've ever had. And she's our friend."

"Um, well..." Polly peered into my eyes, and let out a deep breath. "...I don't—"

"Polly," Tanya grasped her friend's hand, "you can trust her. I mean, I think she already knows."

"Wha, what are you talking about?" Polly appeared to be caught somewhere between confusion and dread.

Tanya sighed and bit her lip. "Well, right before she came into your room, I'm pretty sure she saw what we were doing."

She gasped as her eyes bulged. "N-no, she couldn't have." Her gaze shifted to me.

I cringed when I saw the apprehension written all over her face, but I felt compelled to nod. While Tanya smiled at me, Polly looked panic-stricken. I quickly reached across and put a hand on her arm. I had to prevent her from freaking out, especially in a public place.

"It's not a big deal, Polly." I gave her a gentle squeeze. "In fact, don't you think we owe Tanya some honesty too?"

Polly was now directing her scowl at me. I raised a brow, before turning to face Tanya. Her expression was curious.

She pointed at me and then her friend. "What's going on between you two?"

I took a huge breath and cleared my throat. "So, um, the last time Polly and I went shopping, we had dinner at the food court."

"Okay."

"When I finished eating, I complained that my feet hurt a little."

A sly grin formed on Tanya's face. "Did you now?" She glanced at Polly, who appeared to be quite upset.

"And I had my feet up on the bench next to Polly, just like yours are now."

"Then what?" At this point, Tanya was drooling in anticipation.

"I asked if she could rub my feet."

"Did she do it?"

I let out a pleasurable sigh. "Yes, and it was amazing."

"Wow, that's sooo awesome." She stared at her friend with wide eyes. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about this."

Polly's arms were folded, and she turned her head away from us. I was sure if Tanya's feet weren't blocking her, she would have been out of the restaurant and halfway to Key Largo. I couldn't blame her for being angry. No doubt she felt like both Tanya and I had betrayed her trust. Guilt started to eat away at me while we sat in silence for a full minute.