She was everything a teacher would want in a student. She was smart and respectful. She asked precise questions in class and was active in class discussions. Her homework was always turned in on time and was neat and readable. She arrived to class on time and was in her seat reviewing her notes before the bell rang every day.
And she was beautiful. Carly had a kind of classic beauty that was not trendy, but not old fashioned. She had dark brown hair and eyes, both of which looked soft and warm. Her hair had a gentle curl like the curls of girls in magazines. She had full lips and a perfect nose.
And her body was as lovely as her face. She was athletic; a volleyball player, a basketball cheerleader and a varsity golfer. This gave her body a slender toned look. Her breasts were not huge. They were just right. I guessed a C cup or so, which showed nicely on her muscular body.
Carly was perfect in almost every way. She was friends with everyone, athletic, smart, talented and accomplished. Her only imperfection was that she was my student. I would give almost anything to have a girlfriend like her, but I am not so lucky. And as a high school biology teacher in a small town, the chances didn't look good.
Which is why I was surprised to see Carly standing in the doorframe of the biology classroom well after classes were over. I glanced at the wall clock. It was 7:14.
"Carly! This is unexpected! Come on in and have a seat."
She walked in appearing a bit less confident than usual. She slid into one of the desks.
"What brings you here so late after school?" I asked, still putting on my teacher's smile.
"Well, I had golf practice, and I sort of wanted to talk to you privately."
"Oh?"
She hesitated, clearly trying to choose her words carefully. She bit her lip and looked at anything in the room but me. Finally she started.
"You know I have worked very hard in high school. I mean, I kill myself to get good grades and to be a leader just so I can use the words "well rounded" on my college applications."
"Sure. I know you put forth great effort in my class. Hell, in all your classes."
"Right. And you might or might not know my family doesn't have the money to send me to college. Which is why I work so hard: to get scholarships."
"I wasn't aware."
"That doesn't really matter. But the thing is, I really need to be valedictorian. And I'm currently tied for it."
"Well a tie isn't so bad. Then it just goes to a vote by the faculty. And I am sure the faculty will vote fairly."
"See, now I don't think that is in my best interest. I have looked at all the faculty who would vote and the way I figure it, Hunter would win by two votes."
"Oh. Well you know you would have my vote, right?"
"Well, I sort of figured on yours. I was sort of hoping maybe we could make... some sort of a deal." Her face turned a deep shade of crimson. Something was up.
"What sort of a deal?" I asked slowly. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. Bribery was not something I would submit to.
"I want you to give Hunter a B in your class."
"Really? But he is also an excellent student. I can't just arbitrarily give someone a grade subjectively. Especially not in science. There is homework involved and tests and quizzes, all of which are graded along the way. He knows he has a solid A in here. I could change his grade on the system, but he would know it wasn't right."
Carly pulled out a sheet of paper. She had clearly studied it. There were marks and notes all over the page. It was the course outline I had handed out at the beginning of the semester. She turned to my grading scale.
"You can grade subjectively somewhat. 15% of your grade is classroom participation. Plus the final is worth 5% of the final grade. That is 20% of the grade still left to play with."
"You can't play with someone's final."
"Sure you can. Most of your questions are essays. A point here and there... the final could be a B, easily. And, as far as class participation goes, you know he is obnoxious in class. He is loud and rude and asks pointless questions to waste your time."
"All of these things are true..." I said hesitantly.
"So look. He gets an 85% on the final and say, 9 out of the 15 percent for participation... He already has like a 98%. So if these things happened, he gets a 91.25%... a B+."
"But why would I do all this just to make a student upset with me?"
"This is where it becomes a deal." She got up from the desk and went to the door. Carly looked outside and pulled herself back in the room. She shut the door. "I am prepared to make you very happy."
"Carly, stop. This is going someplace that is inappropriate. I can't allow you to pay me to lower another student's grade."
She laughed. "I don't have money. Not like that spoiled brat Hunter. But I have something he definitely doesn't have. And it's something you want, more than money, more than anything tangible I could bribe you with." She moved close to me. Too close. I had a feeling I knew what she was talking about.
She began to unbutton my shirt. I suddenly felt dense for not reading the subtexts of what she was saying. I had to stop her. I could lose my job and she could lose everything she had worked for. "Carly..." I began. She put her finger to my lips, shushing me.
"I'm eighteen. I'm of age. Still, I know this is a dangerous move for both of us. But really, all I am asking for is for you to give someone who thinks the world should be handed to him what he deserves."
She was offering me two things I desperately wanted. I did, in fact, want to see Hunter struggle just a bit. And I wanted to be intimate with Carly in an overwhelming way. The benefits were clear, but the risks were deadly.
"Carly, we can't."
