Accidental Kiss

“Mr Bailey, are you single?”

Thanks to that question, I’m currently sitting in a two-hour detention. An empty A4 sheet and a pencil are scattered on my desk while my lovely teacher, Miss Johnson is sitting opposite me a few feet away. Occasionally, looking up just to see if I’m doing my work or simply spacing out. I’m doing the latter.

“The sooner you finish writing the apology letter, the sooner you get to go home, Miss Holloway,” she says with a sneer.

I click my tongue and roll my eyes. “This is unfair, Miss. He said to ask questions and I did. So why am I here?”

“Your question was rude and unwanted. Do you even know who Mr Bailey is, young lady? He’s the owner of this school. Thanks to him, girls like you get the privilege of attending prestigious high schools like this one.”

Girls like me? I want to ask but I already know what she means. Girls from poor backgrounds. Girls who unfortunately cannot afford to attend an outstanding elite school like Bailey’s Private High School for Girls. Girls who don’t have both parents to support them. In conclusion, girls like me.

There’s no point arguing with her though. She’s right. Thanks to Mr Bailey’s generosity, I get the chance to attend this prestigious high school. I’m well aware of that. But she’s missing the most important part. It’s thanks to my hard work and dedication that I got the scholarship. It’s thanks to those sleepless nights and extra hours I spent revising and learning that I got here. I. Got. Myself. Here. Not Mr Bailey. Arrogant women like her will never pay attention to that though, so there’s no point trying to argue or convince her of it.

“I don’t see how it was rude. It was just a question.”

“Miss Holloway!” She glares at me. “You flirted with him. In front of the entire class without any shame. That is simply unacceptable for someone who attends this Institute. You should feel lucky I’m not informing your mother.”

“I wasn’t flirting,” I say to defend myself. “I was going somewhere with that question.”

“Is that so?”

“That is so!”

“Then please enlighten me. Where were you going with it?”

Well, it’s not like I can tell her. It’ll ruin my entire plan. “I can’t tell you that. It’s a secret project I’m currently working on.”

She looks at me with droopy eyes. Presumably done with me and my nonsense. “Miss Holloway.” She sighs, taking her glasses off to rub her nose. “Just write the apology letter so we can both be done with this conversation.”

I guess she has a point. We won’t reach a conclusion no matter how long we talk and argue. I finish writing the apology letter and hand it in. Although Miss Johnson and I don’t see eye to eye on most things, I still admire her as a teacher. She’s quick, intelligent and most importantly, fair when it comes to lessons. She might have a lot of prejudice and she’s most certainly not afraid of showing them. But, she doesn’t let it get in the way of how she rewards her students.

“You’re one of our top students, Miss Holloway,” she says to me before I exit the classroom. “Act like it!”

✧✧✧

“Act like it. Act like it,” I mimic my horrible yet admirable teacher while drinking coffee with my best friend, Anais. She keeps giggling each time I do so and I can’t help but do the same. “Seriously though, have you ever hated yet admired someone at the same time? Like I want to choke her but also sign up as her disciple.”

“Believe me, I understand.” She keeps giggling. “What did you do this time to get on her nerves?”

“I just saw my way to getting rich and shot my shot.”

She looks at me with furrowed brows, fishing out her notebook and preparing to take notes. “Girl, you need to elaborate.”

A few hours ago

“Alright girls, Mr Bailey will be visiting the school today as he does once a month. You know what to do. Do not speak unless spoken to. Sit straight and act like the smart girls I know you are and use formal language in case Mr Bailey ends up speaking to you.”

“Yes, Miss!” the girls said in unison, me included.

Mr Bailey was the owner of this private school and the one neighbouring us that’s meant for boys. He was a man in his late forties and was all about business and improvement. Hence, he came to inspect the school once a month and he always did it himself instead of hiring someone to do it for him. I admired it.

Bailey’s Private High School has been my dream for as long as I remember. When I was ten years old, I read about an interview with Mr Bailey and the way he discussed his establishments and work ethic, I just had to see what it was all about. That was not the only reason though. Whoever graduates from this high school will easily be employed anywhere.

Coming from a working-class background, our opportunities were limited. It’s not that we didn’t have any, they were just not as many or as beneficial as for people from the middle classes and upper classes. I learned from a young age the importance of money and how it runs the world. I also, unfortunately, realised from a young age that I happened to stand on the corner of the less privileged.

My father abandoned my mother the moment things got tough and she was forced to raise me as a single mother. I realised how I didn’t own most of the things that were seen as a necessity. Things that other people took for granted or updated every year to the newest model. My poor mother, literally poor, couldn’t afford it. And I didn’t blame her for it.

I grew up always having less than those around me and it’s still the case. Maybe not as much as before since I was now eighteen and had a part-time job. Thank goodness. I had always hated how I couldn’t work at certain places due to being a minor. Now, I could afford to go out with friends and buy some fancy stuff, but it was not enough to settle for. I needed to guarantee myself a green future somehow.

The classroom door opened and in came my ticket and visa to the green land I was battling to get into. Mr Nicholas Bailey. Late forties, tall, handsome, and most importantly, filthy rich. His blond hair mimicked my own though his was a few shades lighter. His forest eyes showed me the green they could offer me. His neat navy suit, those smart eyeglasses, that shining wristwatch, Lord have mercy! If only I was a few years older, I would shoot my shot. Since I was not, I had to strike a different kind of deal with him.

“Good morning, ladies.” He greeted us with his dazzling smile. I had to find a way to stand out.

“Good morning, sir.” We greeted him back.

We went through basic protocols and explained what we do in lessons and he inspected how that particular lesson was run. He saw how organized we were and inspected our uniforms. The whole thing took about fifteen minutes or so as he had other classes to inspect, including the boy’s private high school that was not too far from us.

I admired this man which meant that I knew a lot about him. I had studied him like a study guide and dug up his entire life. It was safe to say I knew more about him than the whole school combined. Which meant that I also knew certain things from his private life. Believe me, it was hard to find, but they didn’t call me the Queen of Research for nothing.

He was divorced and had two sons. His parents lived on a private island he bought them and he was currently in the market for a wife. If only I were old enough… Oh well, there was no point wishing for the impossible. Besides, my main goal was to get rich on my own. I didn’t want to get rich simply because of a ring on my finger.

“Everything seems to be good,” he said to Miss Johnson who was giggling at anything he said. He turned to us with a faint smile and said, “Ladies, I’ll be taking my leave now. Do you have any questions for me?”

No one said anything. It was always like that. Each time he came to inspect our class, no one said a word. We were all apprehensive about this man since he was so powerful. Today, however, was a different day for me. Today, I was ready to break the silence. Today, I was getting that green.

I raised my hand and everyone turned to look at me with wide eyes. Miss Johnson gave me a dreadful look. She knew me so well. She must’ve known my question would be out of the box.

“The young lady at the back,” Mr Bailey said with a wider smile. “Please, go ahead.”

“Mr Bailey, are you single?”