"Winning Isn't Everything" (closed for ms_tiff)

[Fauxnication]

On a perfect August morning, a young man strode toward the doors of Lakeside High School. His short, dark brown hair was neatly done and his facial hair was trimmed to a short stubble. The sleeves of his Carolina blue polo shirt hugged his biceps as he proudly donned the colors of the school he was walking into. Sunglasses shielded his green eyes from the bright sun above him.

He took off those glasses as he passed through the school doors and made a quick left turn into the school office. He remembered the times he spent in here after getting a bit unruly in his classes, but on this occasion, he gave a friendly smile to Mrs. Wallace, the school secretary, before grabbing his mail and heading back out again.

The hallways were eerily quiet, but they wouldn’t be for long – in about an hour, they’d be filled with the voices of the Lakeside students, who would be here for the first time since school let out in May.

The man walked through those hallways alone before stopping at a glass display case near the cafeteria. Inside the case were two large state championship trophies. Behind them were framed pictures of the teams that won those trophies. He took a moment to study the players’ smiling, happy faces, then turned and walked away.

It was at that moment that things finally sunk in for the man. He was no longer Josh Miller, two-time state Mr. Football and two-time state champion quarterback for the Lakeside High Cougars. He was now just Mr. Miller, U.S. Government teacher and assistant football coach at Lakeside High.

After years of plying his craft on the gridiron in front of hundreds of thousands of fans in stadiums and millions of people on television, Josh was now going to be teaching no more than 100 seniors a day about a subject they probably couldn’t care less about.

For the first time in his life, Josh’s reality had him feeling out of place…and even a bit nervous.

There were a couple of people in the teachers’ lounge as Josh opened the door and stepped inside. It was the one room in the building he hadn’t gone into as a student, so there was still a sense of newness about it to him, even after being on the job for a month. He greeted his fellow staff members with a smile and a hello.

Mrs. Ortiz looked up from her magazine to give a quick “¡Hola!” to Josh. If only she had been here when I was a student, Josh thought to himself as he looked over the Spanish teacher. The gorgeous brunette, who Josh estimated was in her 30s, was undoubtedly on the top tier of attractive teachers at the school. Not coincidentally, 90 percent of his players just happened to have an interest in learning how to roll their "r"s.

At the coffee pot was Mr. Foster, the AP biology teacher. He was extremely passionate about his job and a great guy, although a little quirky.

“G’morning, Mr. Miller,” Mr. Foster said as he poured himself a mug. “Ready for your first day?”

“As ready as I can be,” Josh laughed before walking to the water cooler and filling his bottle. Belting out a “fuck, yeah!” like he would have in his playing days probably wouldn’t have been appropriate.

Before the conversation could develop any further, the doorknob twisted and the door to the lounge opened once again.

 

[ms_tiff]

Amelia Harrison

Lakeside High, it’s ironic how a building can serve as both a haven and a hell hole all at once. But that’s just what it was for Amelia Harrison. During her years as a student she had sought refuge within the solid walls of academia. She had thrown herself into the safety and security of schoolwork. Hiding away from the world much like a child escaping from monsters beneath the covers, Amelia hid behind facts and figures.

Sometimes, however, the walls of Lakeside were more hell than haven as Amelia was tormented by her classmates. There was power in being invisible and, for the most part, Amelia drifted through those four years unseen by many. But there were a handful of the popular kids who would not let her fly under the radar. A handful who made her life hell.

When Amelia had decided to return to her alma mater as a teacher, she had done so with trepidation. Could she put her past behind her and see Lakeside through new eyes? Could she walk the same halls without reliving the torment she had lived through? The answer, quite simply, was yes. Amelia thrived as a teacher. She took her students under her wing, bringing the shy ones out of their shells, helping those who struggled see that they could do the work. She had even made friends among her colleagues.

But now, after two years of bliss, it was all ruined. And all because of him.

Josh Miller. The Golden Boy of their class. Star quarterback, homecoming king, prom king, the boy that all the girls wanted and all the teachers loved. The boy whom she had been in love with since grade school. The boy who had pressed himself against her in the dark closet, pushing her up against the wall and raining drunken kisses on every inch of her skin he could find while the party raged around them. The boy who had refused to acknowledge her after that night.

Amelia thought she was safe from him. Never in a million years would she have thought he would come back. And the idea that he would come back as a teacher…laughable!

Yet, as she walked into the first day of prep two weeks before school was set to start, there he was.

Two weeks of being in the same building, sometimes even the same room, and not a mention of what had transpired between them all those years ago. It was like she had been erased from his memories.

Two could play that game.

Clutching her travel mug, Amelia stared up at the bland brick walls of Lakeside. The first day of school was donning and, what normally was one of the happiest days of Amelia’s life, was overshadowed by the thought of running into Josh. There was no way around it, though, and so, squaring her shoulders, Amelia soldiered on.

Dropping her leather messenger bag on her desk, Amelia took a moment to collect herself. Nervously, she ran a hand over chestnut brown hair, smoothing out the already perfect bun at the nape of her neck. Cat eye glasses slipped down a pert nose, and she pushed them back up with a distracted air. A sleek, A-line black dress clung to her slight curves, showing off a trim figure. Bright purple heels with a sparkly, diamond buckle on the front, gave the prim and proper English teacher an air of whimsy. The three inch heels were completely impractical, not to mention they added to Amelia’s already tall frame so that she stood at nearly six foot, but they were her good luck charm. Amelia had worn those shoes the first day of every school year starting back when she was a student teacher and they hadn’t failed her yet.

Taking up her travel mug, Amelia made the trek down the halls to the teachers’ lounge, her heels clicking against the tile floor the whole way. Drawing a deep breath as she reached the closed door, she steadied herself for who she could potentially see inside.

Sure enough, as she opened the door, there he was. Standing at the coffeemaker, holding court with Foster. Perhaps her coffee could wait. Without more than a glance, she turned and made her way over to Mrs. Ortiz.

“Hola, Senoria. Ortiz. ¿Puedo unirme a ustedes?” She indicated the seat next to the Spanish teacher.

“Por supuesto, cariño. Toma asiento.” Mrs. Ortiz cleared the seat next to her and indicated for Amelia to sit. Once the young woman was seated, the older woman leaned towards her. “¿Qué opinas de nuestro nuevo colega?” She asked in a conspiratorial whisper, glancing towards Josh.

Amelia shook her head. “Sin comentarios.” No comment.

She chanced a quick glance over - simply to see if the coffeemaker was free and for absolutely no other reason - only to lock eyes with Mr. Josh Miller himself.

 

[Fauxnication]

As Josh finished filling his water bottle and gazed over at the brunette who was looking directly at him, he couldn’t tell which was colder – the water or the stare coming from behind those cat-eye glasses.

He couldn’t blame Amelia for her feelings toward him. Ever since that night of awkward passion in the hallway closet of Mike Travis’ parents’ house during a huge party over spring break of their senior year, he had basically forgotten she had existed. She was more than just a random, one-time hookup in Josh’s eyes, though; she was a challenge that he had to conquer.

Amelia was a rare breed among the attractive Lakeside girls. She was the type that would rather throw herself into a book than into some athlete’s arms. Josh hadn’t been with anyone like her before – and frankly, hadn’t been with anyone like her since. It was a shame he remembered so little about what they actually did.

Was he an asshole for treating her so callously? Of course. He recognized as much when the two met again as part of Josh’s orientation. And from the way she was looking at him now, it would take a lot more than a simple apology to get her to think of him as anything but.

“Have a good day, everyone,” Mr. Foster said before departing the teachers’ lounge, mug in hand.

Josh wished the same before taking a sip from his bottle and turning toward the table where the two women sat.

“Morning, Miss Harrison,” Josh said, keeping the relationship professional. He looked up at the clock – there was still plenty of time before the students would start arriving. “Mind if I sit?”

 

[ms_tiff]

Amelia Harrison

Amelia’s spine stiffened as Josh approached, asking if he could join them. As Mrs. Ortiz invited him to sit, Amelia picked up a random magazine from the table, burying her nose between the pages while refusing to look at Josh.

Ten Ways to Drive Him Wild in Bed!

The title of the article she’d opened to screamed at her in big, bold letters, accompanied by a photo of a half-naked couple twined together amidst rumpled sheets.

Well then. Amelia felt the flush rising on her cheeks as she casually perused the article. Strictly for educational purposes of course. As she looked through the article, Amelia had one ear half-cocked to the conversation going on.

“Well, Señor Miller, how are you settling in?” The Spanish teacher leaned forward, a curtain of dark, almost jet-black hair falling around her heart shaped face.

Though she was well into her forties, Mrs. Ortiz was, undoubtedly, the most attractive teacher at Lakeside. Amelia had no doubt that most of her male students – even some of the female – had Mrs. Ortiz locked away in their Spank Bank. But for all the stares she received when she walked down the hall, Mrs. Ortiz paid them no mind.

“I’m happily married.” She had told Amelia during the younger woman’s first year at Lakeside, before adding with a devilish grin. “And I am quite satisfied with my red-blooded, insatiable Latin lover. So, there is no reason to look elsewhere.”

Amelia chanced a glance over the top of the magazine, silently fuming that Josh dared to act as if nothing had ever happened between the two of them. Seriously, did he have no memory of that night? Because Amelia’s own memories were still quite vivid. In fact, if she closed her eyes, she could still taste the cheap beer on his tongue. Of course, she was bound to remember every bit of their encounter as she had had many firsts that night.

“If you’ll excuse me.” Amelia stood quickly, gathering up her empty mug, “I still have some prep to do.” Though it would be hard to make it through until her first planning period without a refill, Amelia couldn’t stand to be in the same room as Josh any longer. She needed to escape. With or without her precious jolt of caffeine.

Making a run for it, while trying to seem like that wasn’t what she was doing, Amelia drew a relieved breath when the door closed behind her. Students began to slowly trickle into the hallways as Amelia made her way back to her classroom. A few greeted her with smiles and nods, a few with sleepy grunts and some with cheerful hellos. Amelia greeted each student by name, wishing them luck on their first day back.

Safely inside her classroom once more, Amelia began her first day ritual by taking off her heels and letting them drop to the floor. The tiles were cold beneath her stockinged feet as she stood in front of the white board to write the same quote by Socrates that she started every year with: Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what other have labored hard for. But when she went to reach for the marker, it fell to the floor and rolled under her desk.

“Damn it.” She muttered as she got down on her knees. Reaching under the desk, her fingers barely brushed the marker. “C’mon you little bastard.” She bent forward, her ear almost pressed to the floor and her dress clinging tight to her ass, as she finally grabbed the marker.

“Aha!” She cried as she emerged victorious from beneath the desk, marker held high. But Amelia’s celebration was cut short as she stood too quickly and her stockinged foot slid out from under her, sending her hurtling backwards.

 

[Fauxnication]

“Things are good. I just have to teach some seniors things they should already know about their own government. It’s not like I have to teach them a new language or anything,” Josh said, smiling. It had to take a lot of patience for someone to teach a bunch of teenagers a different language, especially when some struggled to handle the only one they’ve known. Josh knew it’d be too big a job for him – he wanted to see results, and he wanted to see results quickly. His athletic background and competitive nature wouldn’t allow him to act otherwise.

“Well, I hope government won’t be a new language to them,” he followed with a little chuckle.

Not long after, Amelia excused herself from the table without engaging in the conversation. Josh watched her get up and walk away without even really saying goodbye. He made small talk with Mrs. Ortiz for another minute or so before they both got up and departed the lounge for their respective classrooms.

There were a few students in the hallway as Josh headed toward his room. None of them were his players, so they were just nameless faces that he greeted with friendly hellos and how-are-yous. With each moment that passed and each student he saw, the adrenaline was starting to flow as his new career was about to kick off.

He had to pass Amelia’s classroom on the way to his own – they shared the same side of the hallway, but Josh’s room was closer to the end of the hallway. As he glanced in, Josh spotted Amelia on all fours, reaching for something underneath her desk. He took a second to admire the way her dress clung to her ass before taking a couple steps in.

“You need help—” he began, looking to use the opportunity to break the ice. Amelia’s “aha!” and her sudden rise startled Josh a bit, causing him to take a step back as she victoriously held up her marker. But as she slipped and fell backward, Josh darted in.

“Whoawhoawhoa!”

Josh caught Amelia before she hit the floor, sliding his hands under her arms in the nick of time, almost like something you would see in those awkward trust falls that they do in team-building exercises.

“Almost a really bad first day for you,” he said as he helped her regain her footing. “You OK?”

 

[ms_tiff]

Amelia Harrison

This is how I die. Feeling her feet slipping out from under her, all Amelia could think about was what underwear she’d worn that day. she couldn’t remember if she’d gone with the black lace or the tried and true “granny panties.” oh no, that’s right, she’d opted for noen of the above as she hadn’t wanted panty lines showing through her dress. Well, either way, one could never be too sure and, as her mother always said, “always wear nice underwear, because you never know when you’ll be in an accident and you don’t want anyone seeing your ripped underwear.”

Somewhere between her foo slipping and thinking of the EMTs - who would no doubt be attractive men with ripping muscles that would have all the women in Lakeside begging for mouth-to-mouth - seeing her going commando when they inevitably stripped her down in an attempt to resuscitate her lifeless body, Amelia became aware of a pair of strong hands steadying her.

Nice, strong calloused hands. The kind of hands that were rough in all the good ways. And big. Deliciously big, warm palms pressing against her bare arms and giving her all the naughty ideas.

“Almost a really bad first day for you. You OK?”

Well fuck. Any devilish ideas went flying from Amelia’s mind as she turned to see the man who was helping her to her feet.

“I’m fine.” She barked, righting herself quickly, stepping away from Josh’s grip and his wickedly large hands and his too perfect face. “Shouldn’t you be in your classroom by now.” Amelia refused to look at him as she stepped back into her shoes. The three-inch heels boosting her confidence as well as her height.

Though she had put a safe distance between them, Amelia could still feel the warmth of him against her skin. Her arms tingled and her body craved the press of his chest against her back as he held her tight. Unbidden, Amelia’s mind flashed to that night in the closet and the way he had been pressed against her with his hands on her bare flesh. The memory sent an unwanted thrill down her spine and Amelia quickly shook it away.

Amelia sat at her desk, trying to appear as calm and put together as possible. Josh still stood before her, looking far too attractive in his dress shirt and slacks.

“Is there something I can help you with, because, if not, my students will be arriving shortly.” She quirked an irritated eyebrow at him, pushing her glasses up a pert nose as she stared him down.

 

[Fauxnication]

“Is there something I can help you with, because, if not, my students will be arriving shortly.”

It was the oddest thank-you Josh had ever received. He could only imagine the treatment he would have received if he just stood there and watched Amelia fall to the tile floor. Josh had his share of concussions – they weren’t fun. But hey, gotta keep that bitterness over something that happened years ago, right?

Josh could feel his face turning red under Amelia’s icy glare and from her stern dismissal of him from her classroom.

“Nope, not at all,” Josh quickly replied, turning around and taking a couple steps toward her doorway. He paused as he reached the door frame. “You’re welcome, Miss Harrison! Have a wonderful day, Miss Harrison!” he called back to her, making sure he spoke in the most obnoxiously sarcastic manner possible.

Two could play this game, and just like always, he played to win.

---

Josh learned quite a bit from playing the quarterback position over the years, but if there was one lesson he needed to fall back upon, it was that he had to have a short memory. Despite his accolades, Josh was far from the perfect quarterback – he made wrong decisions and turned the ball over sometimes, but his coaches reminded him that he had to forget about his mistakes and focus on the next drive.

In this case, the ‘next drive’ was Josh’s first-period class. After getting a little riled up in Amelia’s room, he was calm as he reached his classroom. He took a seat at his desk, stationed in the corner of the classroom, and glanced over the list of students who were in his first-period class. There were a few of his players and a couple of other familiar faces, so he wouldn’t be talking to a room full of complete strangers.

The bell rang to signal to the students that they needed to go to their first class of the day, so Josh rose to his feet and moved to the front of the classroom to greet the students as they entered.

 

[ms_tiff]

Beth Caraway

Beth Caraway knew she was a cliche: cute, blonde cheerleader dating the a football player - tight end to be exact. But, it was a cliche that she embraced as it had led her to the top of the popularity ladder. So what if her blonde hair came from a bottle or that she was bored to death by a boyfriend with the IQ of a toad. Once high school was over she could dump the dumb jock and reinvent herself for college. The blonde hair would stay, though, after all, blondes had more fun.

As she walked into Lakeside High School on the first day of senior year, Beth was on a mission. Breezing down the hall in her cheerleading uniform, her hair in a high ponytail, Beth could feel the eyes of her classmates following her every step.

“Damn baby, you look good.” Speak of the toad. Luke leaned in for a kiss, which Beth dodged. She’d just touched up her lip gloss after all, no need to smudge it so soon.

“I know.” She gave a toss of her ponytail and continued walking, her boyfriend falling into step behind her.

“So, me and some of the guys are gonna grab some beers and head over to Sumpter Hill tonight after practice.” Luke raised a suggestive eyebrow. Oh Sumpter Hill, legendary makeout and hook up spot of horny Lakeside teens.

“I’ll think about it.” Beth waved off his vague invitation.

“Oh…” Poor Luke and his lost puppy look. It almost made Beth feel bad...almost.

“I’ll see you at lunch.” She waved and blew him a kiss as she turned into her first-period class.

Barely inside the generic classroom, Beth’s eyes zeroed in on her target. Mr. Miller. Former star quarterback of the Lakeside Cougars. Newest teacher and assistant football coach at Lakeside High. And all around hottie.

Beth had spotted him the first day of football practice. Young and attractive, all muscle and charm, he had shone like a beacon among the drab team around him. When he had flashed that smile at her as she led her cheerleaders through their warm ups, Beth knew that she had to have him.

“Good morning, Mr. Miller.” She greeted him with a bright smile as she settled into a desk in the front row. Crossing her long legs, Beth gazed up at him with her bright, blue eyes.

Game on.

 

[Fauxnication]

“Good morning, Mr. Miller.”

The bright smile from a somewhat familiar face brought a smile to Josh’s face as well. He knew that the blonde now sitting in the front row was a cheerleader after having seen her lead her unit while he was running passing drills with the quarterbacks. Outside of that, he didn’t know much else about her, but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to getting to know her more.

Did I mention Josh always had a thing for blonde cheerleaders?

The rest of the class filed in, including Tanner Stephens, Josh’s protégé. While Tanner was every bit as capable as Josh was at the quarterback position, he was more of the laid-back, “aw, shucks” type, as compared to Josh’s in-your-face, competitive nature. The dynamic made for an interesting first couple of weeks of summer practice and would likely carry over into the regular season.

A moment later, the bell rang, and the classroom got quiet as Josh stood in front of the large whiteboard.

“Good morning, everyone, and welcome to AP Physics. I’m Mr. Miller, and we’re going to get right into things today, so I hope you came prepared.”

He didn’t think he’d be able to say it with a straight face, and a smile broke out when he saw the signs of panic from a couple of students toward the back of the classroom.

“Nah, this is just U.S. Government, but I’m still Mr. Miller. You can call me Coach Miller as well. While I was messing around with the whole physics thing, we are going to do a little pre-test today to see how much you actually know about the government.”

The little laughs quickly turned into groans as Josh began to distribute the pre-test. Sure, U.S. Government was always a blow-off class, but he had to make the students give some effort.

After handing out the tests, he began to walk around the classroom, going up and down through each row to see how everyone was doing. As he approached the leggy blonde in front, he paced his steps a little more slowly. Years ago, she would’ve definitely been in his sights, but he was a professional now. He couldn’t hit on one of his own students…right?

Josh returned to his desk and sat down.

“When you’re done, come up, turn your test in and grab a syllabus, then we’ll go from there. I promise the rest of the day will be easy.”