It's been eight plus months since I posted a story. There are several reasons, the most important being my health. I've been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. I've been sleeping more and devoting time each morning to exercise. Unfortunately, these are the hours in which I used to write, and there only being so many hours in a day... You know how it works.
However, my imagination remains intact and while I am not writing I go get ideas for new stories and continuations of existing ones. I have squeezed in the time to put one of those, a second chapter of High School Yearbook, on paper. I hope I can add more in the future.
I want to thank those who have written over the past months commenting on and asking about my existing and future stories. I appreciate it.
In Chapter 1 we met Bryan, newly named editor of his high school yearbook. Bryan wanted to do the best possible job. While not unfriendly, Bianca, the newby teacher appointed by the administration as the yearbook's faculty advisor, saw the assignment as more chore then pleasure. Then, suffering from insomnia, a malady previously unexperienced, she borrowed a white noise machine from Bryan. Soon this gorgeous young teacher was not only sleeping through the night, but found herself hopelessly devoted to the project and its sexy young editor.
For Bryan the home front also had problems. Some months before his father Edward, after a six day courtship, married Bree Danielson. The marriage had benefits. Stunning red heads, his stepmother and stepsister Andrea were eye candy. Unfortunately, seeing Bryan as a nerd without social value, they sought to relegate him to second class status in his own home. When Edward, desperate to keep the peace, started giving in to their demands Bree, like Bianca, found herself suffering from insomnia, which is when Bryan lent her a white noise machine.
Readers will note that Chapter 2 jiggers with Chapter 1's time line. I moved the moment when Andrea was introduced to a white noise machine closer to the present. Please forgive the inconsistency. It makes the story work better.
Happy holidays to all.
* * * * *
Unwrapping his ham and cheese sandwich, Joe Hodgson looked out the window. The weather was perfect - temperature moderate, humidity low, breeze gentle and steady, sky a rich Carolina blue - and the student body, taking advantage, had gathered outside on the school lawn.
He took a bite. Dry and tasteless, as usual. He should learn to cook. He tried washing it down with a gulp of water, spilling some on his shirt.
Crap.
Putting down his sandwich he looked at the chart spread atop his desk, but his gaze was blank, unfocused. He'd been teaching high school for thirty-two years; he was bored, tired and growing ever more resentful of the kids. Spoiled brats with a stillborn work ethic, they expected to excel regardless of their effort or the quality of their work. And if they didn't they complained and if you didn't give in their parents complained and the administration and school board would fold and he'd get a call and ...
Crap.
Knowing no one standing in the bright light outside could see inside his classroom, he turned to the window, his eyes dwelling on female students, on their half-dressed ever-so firm young bodies. Yeah, this was one reason to stay.
Telling himself to concentrate he looked back to the chart. Eleven years ago the school, at his suggestion, had established an Introduction to Business course. Limited to second semester seniors, instead of a written final examination the students formed groups to present marketing plans to the class. The course had been a hit. Seniors were happy for the excuse to skip a final and Hodgson happy not to read and grade (could he flunk them all?) the drivel his students passed off as final examinations.
It was during the class' third year that Hodgson, to his students' collective moan, made the change that gave birth to the chart on his desk. Until then he'd allowed students to choose their partners. Inevitably, a couple cool kids would partner with a nerd or two and let the nerd(s) do all the work. Mr. Hodgson didn't like that; he'd been a nerd, and so announced that from now on he would designate team members. Reverting to a vengeful sixteen year, he took a special glee in placing cool kids in situations designed to make them miserable. Racist white boy from a gated community meet your partner, a black kid looking for any excuse to complain to the school board about you or, even better, kick your ass.
This was not his better side, but it was fun.
Mr. Hodgson traced a finger across the chart, stopping at the pairing of Andrea and Serena. These young women, beautiful, popular, and self-centered, one white and one black, one model thin and the other a powerful buxom athlete, one with red-hair hanging loosely down her back and the other a brunette with hair styled short or in corn-rows, were locked in an ongoing competition to be queen bitch of the school. He'd enjoy watching them (try to) work together.
* * * * *
"Mom, that asshole Hodgson matched me with Serena Pendergraft, I can't work with that stupid bitch."
"What's wrong with, what was her name dear?"
"Serena. She's stuck up, thinks her shit doesn't stink. Guys think she's hot, but that's because she dresses like a slut, and I hear she's just a tease anyway, loves leaving guys with blue balls."
Wearing the white frilly blouse and knee length skirt she'd worn to the office that day, Bree took the last glass from the dishwasher, stood on her toes, placed it on the top shelf of the cabinet, then leaned against the counter and, trying to keep the exasperation out of her voice, said, "It's only one assignment dear, can't you just work through it?"
"Are you listening to me, does anyone ever listen to me? The girl is a total fricking loser douchebag and it ain't one assignment, it's a project and it's basically my entire grade."
Bree's phone pinged. Happy for the break from her daughter's whining she picked it off the counter, smiled. It was a text from Bianca. She was giving Bryan a lift home from school, wanted to know if the coast was clear so the three of them could play. Arousal surging through her, Bree glanced at her daughter, frowned, and appending a sad emoji to the message texted back, "No, Andrea's here." A video arrived seconds later. Opening with Bryan behind the wheel of Bianca's Jaguar, smile on his face, it scanned down his body to his lap, where his erection, bobbing free, disappeared into Bianca's mouth.
Surreptitiously caressing an aching nipple, Bree moved an arm across her chest, stopping when her daughter, annoyed by the lack of attention, grumbled, "Mom."