I left school with a smile on my face—for the first time without having Anton’s lips on mine before I went home. I dodged dinner when I got home and went right up to my room with my books spread around me in a matter of minutes. I was already behind on several midterm papers and regardless of how well I did on the tests, those were going to ultimately decide my fate.
Chapter 17: Anton
The streets were rough. I had to lie to my parole officer when I met with her and say that I lived with my brother. She didn’t do any checking when she saw that I was employed at his school as well. I passed the drug test and got to keep living my lie, each day taking me closer to a paycheck that I could use to get my own place. During the day, I panhandled in the business district, catching a few spare coins so I could eat. At night, I slept at a homeless shelter where I got a second meal and a shower.
The cell phone my brother was gracious enough to give me when I got out of prison was dead and I forgot to pack a charger when I left. Even if I had Bethany’s number, I wouldn’t be able to call her. I wanted to see her one more time before the weekend, so after I got enough money to eat on Friday, I walked back to the school and crept through the back door. My beard was starting to come in again and it helped with my disguise. I hid in the closet after the other janitors left the area and waited to catch a glimpse of Bethany.
“Frank is finally throwing another party. You need to come tonight. You haven’t been to one in ages!” Bethany was at her locker and her friend Amy was right beside her.
“It hasn’t been ages.” Bethany scoffed and shook her head. “I’m just really busy with school now—plus my parents are out of town for the weekend.”
“See, that is more of an excuse to come to the party!” Amy nudged her. “You won’t even have to worry about going home.”
“Not tonight. Maybe next time.” Bethany picked up her books and started walking my way. I immediately grabbed her as she passed by.
“I walk by this closet every day and all I can think is that I wish someone would drag me into it.” She practically squealed when she saw me.
I silenced her with a kiss. I had missed her so much and it was almost surreal to have her in my arms again. My cock was rock hard just from the feeling of her lips against mine. It had been almost a week since I had her to myself and several days since I had even felt her lips. I wanted to take her right there in the closet with our bodies satisfying the craving I could sense in her as well. Our lips formed a seal as we continued to kiss and I slid a hand under her shirt. I wanted so much more than a kiss, but I wasn’t going to risk getting caught in the janitor’s closet—especially since it would call attention to my identity and surely end my chances of getting a paycheck. I enjoyed our kiss as long as I thought I could reasonably do so before pulling away. Her breath was warm against my lips which were still tingling when they were separated from her. Her beautiful eyes mesmerized me for a moment, almost like they did when I first saw them glimmering with a desire for me.
“I missed you.” I smiled and pressed my lips to her forehead.
“I missed you too.” She nodded and ran her hands along the edge of my abdominal muscles. “So, were you listening to me talk with Amy?”
“I was.” I nodded in confirmation.
“Did you hear that my parents are out of town for the weekend?” Her eyes sparkled as her smile turned to a devious grin.
“I did—I also heard that you have a lot of schoolwork to do.” I tilted my head and smiled as well.
“I’ll have to take breaks, I can’t spend the whole weekend working.” She pulled close to me again. “We really need to exchange phone numbers.”
“My ph
one is dead, so it won’t matter.” I shook my head back and forth. “When are they leaving?”
“Tonight. Let me write down the address for you.” She dug into her bag and pulled out a piece of paper. “If you come by around seven, they’ll be long gone.”
“If I start walking now, I should be there by then.” I looked at the address, which was across town.
“Here.” She reached into her purse and pulled some money. “You can take a cab.”
“I don’t want to take money from you.” I put my hand over the cash and pushed her hand away.
“I need to see you—please.” She pushed the money into my hand.
“Okay.” I sighed and took it. “I’ll see you at seven.”
“I’ll even cook something for you.” She squeezed my abdomen. “You’re losing weight out on the streets.”
We kissed again before she finally left the closet and headed back into the crowd. I waited until some of it had died down and made my way out of the school. I decided to save the money I had gotten from panhandling since Bethany had offered to feed me. I went back to the homeless shelter and showered again before putting on the cleanest clothes I had. I did some quick calculations and determined that I had an hour before I actually needed to leave, so I hung out with a few of the regulars. They all had stories similar to mine—at least where prison was concerned. Most of them hadn’t lived a good life and the streets had been even worse for them.
Just hearing some of their horror stories made me realize that I was lucky to still have all of my fingers and toes living on the streets. I was also glad that I had an alternative when I got some money in my pocket. The rest of them weren’t that lucky. Even if they could get money, most of them had habits and addictions to feed. None of them had an inspiration like Bethany to keep them motivated to try and pull through the setback. When the hour was done, I got into a cab and gave the driver the destination. He made me pay up front when he saw how far he was taking me, but then we were on our way.
This is going to be a great weekend.
Chapter 18: Bethany
I was practically doing cartwheels when I left the closet. I wanted to rush home and get everything ready for my evening with Anton, but I still had my tutoring session. I definitely didn’t want to blow Sloane off and have him lose the trust I had gained. There had only been one tutoring session, but I felt like we were making some progress. There had been no discussion about Anton and he seemed to loosen up after he realized it wasn’t the reason for my request. I had disguised my advice about how things should be changed in the school by mentioning some of the things the students didn’t like. The statements were general, and one of the main things I talked about was just walking around the school during classes. It seemed to have struck a chord because he was out in the hallways earlier that day—it was the first time he had really maintained such a presence since his return and it was immediately noticed by the students. I headed to his office with a smile on my face when I plopped down in the chair across from him.