Chapter 4

Nathaniel's Point of View

‘How dare he show up at my school’, I thought to myself angrily, thinking every single cuss word that described my playboy brother. After all these years-as a teacher of all things-he had to show up here in Cleveland and what was worse, he came to my school. If that ignoramus thought that he was going to come frolicking back in my life and ruin yet again the little piece of happiness that I had finally found for myself, he had another coming. This would not be another repeat of what he had done to me many centuries before.

After many long years of searching and after all of the waiting I may have finally found my special someone. The one that I think I am truly in love with. My only obstacle was persuading her to believe that she loved me too. One day, I thought, I would convince her of our love and then I can hopefully break this wretched curse.

I glanced over at Pandora who was sitting just caddy corner to me. Her head was down and she was doodling in her notebook looking as beautiful as ever. Her dark hair enhanced her pale complexion and those lips, man what I would do to kiss those perfect red luscious lips.

“Mr. Adams, ” I heard Max’s annoying voice call out to me.

Looking up, I narrowed my gaze on him. He was getting on my nerves right now.

“Yea?” I replied curtly. How the heck did he even manage to get a teaching job anyway, especially English? The only thing that I had ever known Maximus to study was the art of undressing women in less than two minutes. Now that was something that he should have been able to teach effortlessly.

Maximus the Great. He thinks that he had some type of authority over me and could give me detention just because he felt like it. Yeah right, I snorted as I brooded more and more over the idea, detention my ass. I don’t think so.

“We’re all waiting for your answer?” he said, smiling slyly back at me.

I just bet you are.

Clearing my throat, I sat up a little straighter getting my cool juices flowing. “I’m sorry,” I said not daring to look away from my dear brother. “I didn’t hear the question, you want to run that one by me again,” I replied smoothly while leaning back in my chair and crossing my hands over my chest.

Maximus was leaning on his desk as he stared back at me. For the briefest of seconds I thought I caught a hint of sadness in his eyes but it was gone just as fast it appeared. I figured he must have had something in his eyes because the Great Maximus cared for no one or anything other than himself.

He pushed himself up from the desk and stalked towards me. He slapped a book on my desk causing a loud bang to echo throughout the room.

“I asked, Mr. Adams,” Max said coolly while leaning over my desk, “do you think that it was right for Hester Prynne to keep the father of her child a secret in the novel The Scarlet Letter?”

Maximus’s dark eyes were pinned on me and I could see that little vein throb in his temple, the same way it did a few times that I had ever known him take something serious.

I rested my elbows on my desk, threaded my fingers together and propped my chin on my hands.

“Hmm,” I started dragging out the word. “Interesting question coming from you,” I said mockingly while stroking my chin. The class around me erupted in laughter but there was one laugh that I clearly heard above all others. It was like sweet music to my ears and I would recognize it anywhere; my Panda.

“Is that so,” Maximus replied sternly.

“It is,” I answered back with a widening grin. Watching Maximus carefully, I started to tap out a snappy rhythm with my fingers on the desk slowly biding my time.

After several long minutes I stilled my fingers and continued knowingly. “I happen to believe that the burden should not have fallen on dear sweet Hester. If Arthur Dimmesdale had any balls he would have admitted his crime of adultery himself, not let the woman take the fall.”

For what seemed like an eternity, it was as if time stood still. There was no one else in the room except for the two of us, Maximus and I. Neither of us was willing to back down from the other.

Finally, Maximus huffed, still keeping his eyes locked on me and took a step back. “I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion,” he said, turning on his heels and walking back to the front of the class.

“That’s what I thought,” I muttered when his back was turned to me.

Pandora turned in my direction flashing me that million watt smile of hers and gave me a thumbs up. It was then that I knew that I would not let Maximus derail me this time, never again. I knew what I wanted and to hell with my brother. If he decided to but his sniveling head in my business, I would not back down from. I would fight for what was mine and I was determined that Pandora would one day be mine. Blood be damned. Hell yeah, blood be damned, dear brother.

Maximus' Point of View

Glancing up at the clock, I realized that I only had ten more minutes. Ten more minutes until I would come face to face with my brother. I had dreamt many times about the time that we would meet once again, but none of those dreams came close to the first encounter we shared earlier today.

He had changed...so drastically. Nathaniel was not the same naive little boy that I had remembered from so long ago. He had grown quite a backbone and even had a special gleam in his eyes that was never there before. He was defensive and I could tell that he was still angry with me.

I let out a long sigh and went back to grading the essays from my sophomore class. Reading some of these essays I had to question how in the hell some of these kids made it this far in school.

The essay question was: “What do you like to do in your spare time?”

Some of the responses that I had received were humorous to say the least.

Calllie says that she likes to steal her brother's boxers and sell them for extra cash on eBay. Charlie likes to spike his mom’s punch when he gets home from school with rum so that she passes out and he can sneak out easier at night. And Gretta, this girl is a trip. She likes to fantasize about me modeling for her on a deserted beach wearing nothing but a bow tie.

Kids. Gotta love them.

Having read enough for the day, I turned the essays over and rubbed tiredly at my eyes.

The door swung open and banged against the wall startling me. I looked up at the door and a breathless Pandora stood with her hands braced on the frame.

“Hey teach,” she said in that no nonsense tone of hers, “mark it on your calendar….I am on time,” she said smiling brightly at me.

Her smile was infectious and I couldn’t help but to return it. Looking up at the clock, I inclined my head in her direction, “So you are,” I replied. “Come on in and have a seat.”

She walked in and it was hard not to admire her stealthy gait as she moved. She had long legs that even Victoria Secret models would be jealous of.

Shaking my head in an effort to clear it because I should so not be thinking about my students legs, I glanced up at her face and asked, “Where’s your trusty sidekick?”

“Who Nate?” she asked while blowing a bubble almost as big as her face.

Smirking at her I replied, “Yes, I was thinking of Mr. Adams. Do you have any other trusty sidekicks?”

The bubble popped and stuck to her face. She shouldn’t have looked so cute with pink gum plastered on her nose I thought to myself.

“Um,” she started and then pointed in the direction of the window. “Football practice,” she stated.

I walked over to the window and there he was, running like the wind across the field. A part of me felt pride because he was finally finding himself. For so long he seemed lost and after all this time he actually seemed happy.

Then there was another part of me that felt irritated because he intentionally defied me and cut my detention. How could I be respected as a competent teacher if I allowed him to cut my detention.

I turned to Pandora. “You're dismissed,” I said curtly.

“What?” she said looking at me perplexed.

“You may go,” I told her again, already reaching for my jacket, intent on leaving.

“But…detention?” she asked.

“Is over,” I said, holding the door for her, ready to leave.

“Okay,” she answered and stood throwing her bag over her shoulder. “See ya tomorrow Mr. T,” she said as she brushed by me and headed down the hall.

I turned to close the door and then started to make my way down to the field. Pandora was several head feet in front of me and subconsciously, my eyes dropped down to take in how well her jeans fitted her perfectly rounded backside.

“Damn,” I mumbled to myself when Pandora was finally out of my line of sight and realized what I had been doing. ‘She is a student and I am a teacher,’ I told myself firmly. I am also a happily involved man. No more ogling, I promised myself and picked up the pace intent on correcting another one of my little problems.

Nathaniel had not only found himself, he had also purposefully shrugged me off. It was true that we share a hairy past at best but times are now different. He had obviously changed and so have I.

I am trying my damnedest to become a better person with a woman that I love and a job that actually interests me. Brother or not, Nathaniel needed to check himself because one way or the other, he would learn to respect me as a teacher.

I stepped on the field and cupped my hands over my mouth, ’NATE ADAMS, DID YOU FORGET SOMETHING?” I yelled out loudly.

Everyone on the field stopped stone cold in their tracks, including Nathaniel. He ripped off his helmet and turned in my direction. If his stare was any hotter then he would have burned me to death. Oh yeah, that definitely got his attention.