“Miss Blake, you wanted to talk to me about my paper?” Shawn inquired as he walked into Miss Blake’s classroom.

Miss Blake looked up from her desk.

“Oh yes, come on over and have a seat,” she said pointing to a nearby chair. Shawn walked up, grabbed the chair and pulled it over so he was sitting side-by-side with Miss Blake.

“Shawn, let me start by saying that I was very impressed with what you turned in. You are an incredible writer,” Mindy said as she flipped through the stack of papers on her desk, looking for Shawn’s essay.

“Ah here it is,” she said. “For instance, you have a great thesis which you convincingly prove throughout your paper. And in your conclusion you not only bring closure to your essay, but you illustrate the timelessness of the novel’s themes and manage to connect it to today. How did you come to make the connections to present day?”

Shawn slid his chair and leaned in closer to examine his paper and grading sheet in Miss Blake’s hand. As Shawn began to politely answer Miss Blake’s question, she suddenly became aware of just how close Shawn was sitting to her. As he spoke she could feel his warm breath on her neck. So lost in the pleasant sensation, Miss Blake was no longer hearing Shawn.

“…So you really liked it then? Miss Blake?” asked Shawn.

Snapping back to reality and the task at hand, Mindy began to blush, a little ashamed of herself.

“Um what? Oh yes. Shawn, I loved it. That’s actually why I brought you here today.” She turned in her chair to face him. “I think you write university-level work, and I wanted to know where you were planning to attend college?”

“Well Miss, I know I want to go to college, but I’m not sure where.”

“So you’re waiting to hear where you have been accepted in order to you’re your decision?”

“Well no, ma’am. I haven’t applied anywhere yet. To be honest, I’m not sure how to go about it.”

“Hasn’t your counselor sat down with you and gone through the whole process? You know, signing up for the SATs, how to fill out Financial Aide forms, how to apply for scholarships, and how to apply for colleges?” asked Miss Blake incredulous.

“No ma’am. Whenever I’ve brought it up, he always told me I needed to just worry about getting through high school.”

“That PRICK!” exclaimed Miss Blake. She understood that the counselors were overworked and that they had too many students to try and help. The result was that they tended to focus their energies on those students whom they felt had a chance. The others were usually left to fend for themselves. What bothered Miss Blake was that Shawn’s counselor didn’t see that Shawn was worth the effort. Hell, for all they knew Shawn Murphy could be the next writer honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature.

“Miss?”

“Oh dear Shawn, pardon my foul language,” said Miss Blake, blushing yet again, this time at the vulgarity she had displayed in front of her student. Though when she looked in his eyes, she saw that he was smirking. This put her at eased and she laughed.

“Shawn, if you are serious about continuing with your education, I’d be happy to help you navigate the system.”

“I would really appreciate that Miss.”

“Okay, Great. Why don’t we meet here next week, and we will start by filling out your financial aide paperwork and looking at some colleges,” as Miss Blake said this she noticed that some of Shawn’s shaggy hair was obscuring his face. She reached over and lightly brushed the hair from his eyes and tucked it behind his ear.

She was startled by her own brazenness.

“What are you doing Mindy?” her mind screamed. “You are his teacher. You do not touch students.”

A bit panic Miss Blake abruptly stood up. Shawn being a gentleman, stood up as well, and they awkwardly pumped into each other as a result of having been sitting so close.

“Ok, then. Next week, Shawn. Um. I think I should get going now. Attendance to, um, hand into the office.” Mindy stammered, still trying to regain her composure.

“Thank you Miss,” Shawn said. “Next week then.” He agreed, grabbing his backpack, he headed out the door.

__________________
"Yes I did go to him,
but completely against my will,
and yes he did things to me,
things of which I dream of still,"

-Cowboy Junkies "Black-eyed Man"