Nicola Taylor I massage my temples as I step into my classroom, bracing myself for the parade of parents awaiting me. I adore my kindergarten students, even the little troublemakers, but meeting their parents is the most daunting part of my job. While some parents are delightful, most are overbearing, with unrealistic expectations for their five-year-olds. Their questions range from typical concerns about eating habits to issues better suited for a pediatrician.I take my seat as parents start trickling in for the open house, each eager to discuss their child’s progress. I smile and share insights based on my experiences with their kids. By the time I reach my fifteenth parent, I force a smile and say, “Mrs. Lopez, you need to stop worrying so much. Billy is a great kid. He’s a bit less social than the others, but he will make friends in his own time. He’s an introvert, and that’s perfectly okay. There’s nothing wrong with your child. He’s lovely and a pleasure to teach.”Mrs. Lopez,
Nicola Taylor"Let go of his hair, Arabella. No, don’t do that," I say urgently, finally freeing Tim's hair from Bella's grasp as I lift her up to calm her down. My assistant teacher rushes to Tim’s side to check on him.I carry Bella out of the classroom, her fits continuing in my arms. I sit down on a bench outside, placing her on my lap. Her face is flushed with anger, her gaze fixed angrily on the ground."Baby—" I begin, but she cuts me off abruptly."Punish me, I don’t care. I don’t want to hear more lectures!" she screams, startling me with the intensity of her outburst."I’m not going to punish you," I say gently, but Bella refuses to look up. "But I can tell you’re hurt and feeling bad, right?" I ask, trying to reach her.She nods angrily."So if you know how bad it feels when you’re hurt, why would you want someone else to feel that way? Tim is crying inside because you hurt him. He feels bad now too. Does that make you feel better?" I ask, stroking her hair gently.She shak
Nicola Taylor“Where are we going?” I asked, following him through his gigantic house. “You know it's already 11 PM. Arabella shouldn’t be up so late.”“She’s with Ms. Kinsley, who tucks her in bed and stays there till she falls asleep,” he replied. I bit my tongue, resisting the urge to ask why he didn’t do it himself. Who am I to judge a person’s parenting style?“Are we in your bedroom? This is highly inappropriate. I need to leave,” I said, but he just shut the door behind us.“Relax, I just need to talk to you,” he said, gesturing to the bed. I shook my head, my eyes falling on the pictures of his late wife. Her jewelry, clothes, all her belongings were still in the room. This man is heartbroken.“Alright,” I said, sitting on the bed. For some reason, I felt comfortable. I looked him in the eyes as he stood two feet away from me.“Marry me.”I choked on my spit, coughing as soon as I heard the words come out of his mouth. “Is this… (cough cough)… a joke?” I said as he patted my
Nicola TaylorAs I wrapped up my last class, I started packing up after the assistant teacher took the students out for drop-off. A knock on my classroom door made me look up to see James, one of my fellow teachers, standing there.“Oh, hello! What are you doing here?” I greeted him happily as he entered the room.“Wow, Nicola, you look nice. What's the occasion?” he asked, making me blush at the compliment.“Just felt like it,” I answered shyly, remembering how I stopped dressing up two years ago after my last and final breakup. I had dated a man for seven years, supporting him through medical school on my kindergarten teacher’s salary, only for him to leave me once he got placed.But even though I wasn’t going to marry Cole, I did feel the urge to get back out there. For the first time in years, I felt like dressing up and looking nice, and it did pay off. James noticed.I wore a long black bodycon dress with my winter boots, and I had done my makeup too. I let my hair down for the
Nicola TaylorI slipped into the white ballerina dress for the fifth time, questioning if it was too much. Simple yet undeniably sexy, it revealed just enough cleavage and thigh to captivate a man's attention. Despite my attempts to deny it, I knew deep down I was dressing to impress Cole. I couldn't help but feel attracted to him, a fact that frustrated me to no end.As I applied a touch of light lipstick, I glanced at myself in the mirror. Brown waves cascaded over my shoulders, my makeup was subtle yet enhancing, and the dress hugged my curves in all the right places. "Oh god, this is too much," I muttered to myself, contemplating whether to change yet again.Just then, the doorbell rang. I cursed under my breath. Heat rushed to my face as I headed to the door, hoping Cole would appreciate the effort and not think I was overdressed.My breath caught in my chest as he stood there, the pink and red flowers contrasting beautifully against his navy suit. I smiled nervously, cheeks flu
Nicola Taylor It had been a month since I last saw Cole. I was grateful he respected my wishes and didn’t keep pushing because, deep down, I knew I would have eventually said yes. Arabella had been wonderfully behaved but unusually quiet. Despite my attempts to engage her with games and conversation, her heart just didn’t seem in it. Tonight was my college reunion, an event I dreaded. College wasn't as bad as high school, but I had been voted "most likely to be single," and here I was, still single. The rough predictions had turned out to be surprisingly accurate. The worst thing was that my ex, Finn, was going to be there with his girlfriend I am guessing. But I had to go, I wanted to meet everyone, my teachers and my friends. I was curious as to what everyone is doing in their life. As I got ready, an absurd idea entered my head. Without a second thought, I picked up my phone and called the number I would have avoided if I'd paused to reconsider. “Hey, you said you wanted to ma
Nicola Taylor“How drunk are you?” Cole asks as I try to find a comfortable spot in his lap.“I have a very low tolerance for alcohol. So, I didn’t really drink a lot, but I am drunk,” I confess, playing with his tie before resting my feet up to get more comfortable. Cole’s eyes linger over my legs as he attempts to adjust my flowy dress to cover my thighs, although unsuccessfully.“Can I ask you something?” I poke his cheek, finally drawing his gaze from my legs to my face. “What is it like to have sex with you? In high school, I heard a lot of rumors. But I’m very curious.”His eyes darken, and I see an expression on his face that I can’t quite decipher. “We should get you home,” he says, attempting to lift me up bridal style.“Oh no. Did I cross a line? I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you. I just—” I start, feeling on the brink of tears, but Cole chuckles.“You didn’t offend me. I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to say things you’ll regret,” he replies, settling back ag
Nicola TaylorI grunted silently, praying for the almighty to end my suffering as the students' loud chattering echoed in my throbbing head. What was I thinking getting drunk on a work night? The hangover was so bad it felt like someone was hammering a nail into my brain.“Oh, hello, I thought this might help.” Steph appeared with a bottle of Advil in her hand, making me sigh in relief as the children continued playing during break time.“Oh my god, you are an angel. I really needed this, you’ve no idea.” I quickly took two pills, knowing I had to teach in fifteen minutes.“Well, your eyes are red, and you look very tired, so I could tell. What happened? You don’t usually drink,” she asked, grabbing a chair and sitting beside me.“I saw Finn. He was there with that girl. They’re still going strong,” I mumbled sarcastically, and she gave me a look of pity.“It’s not going to work out. Bad people always suffer,” she tried to comfort me, but I shook my head.“No, somehow I help a man bec