Mystery Man

A Chapter by Darl1ng N1kk1

Looking over at James, Gwen couldn’t get over the feeling that he was hiding something. He claimed to be a senior, but she thought he looked slightly older. This certainly didn’t seem to bother anyone else, however. His wavy dark hair and lithely muscular body seemed to have captured the attention of every girl in school. The black clothes and leather jacket only improved his sex appeal. James pretended to ignore his admirers, but Gwen could tell he was enjoying his newfound fame. However, when Ms. Jensing, the young Psych teacher, finally strolled in, James took full notice.

“Take your seats, please.”

James took a seat up front and center, next to Gwen. Looking at her attendance sheet, Ms. Jensing noticed the additional name. “Class, it looks as if we have a new student today, a Mr. James Dean,” she read, a grin beginning to form at the corner of her mouth.

Snickers were heard throughout the room, mostly from the boys. These were quickly retaliated with slaps over the head and a round of shushing from the James fan club.

“James, would you like to stand up and tell us a few things about yourself?” suggested Ms. Jensing.

“Sure.” Getting up from his seat, James turned to face the rest of the class. “Well, as the lovely Ms. Jensing said, my name is James Dean and I’m a senior.”

“Anything else you’d like to share? Where you’re from, your old school…?”

Without warning, James had crossed the room to Ms. Jensing’s desk and was extending his hand out to her. Caught slightly unawares, Ms. Jensing offered her own hand.

“It is Ms. Jensing, isn’t it?”

Flushing slightly, Ms. Jensing nodded faintly. James brought her hand to his lips, reenacting his obnoxious encounter with Gwen. Releasing her hand, he sat back down at his desk. Gwen noticed the smug grin had returned. She shook her head in disgust.

Ms. Jensing simply stared for a moment, before recovering.

“Um, Mr. Dean, would you prefer to be called Jim or Jimmy, or…?”

“James, if you don’t mind.”

“You don’t like Jim?”

“No,” he stated flatly, his smile disappearing.

“Ok then, James it is. Before we start on Freud, would you mind removing your jacket? Students aren’t allowed to wear them to class.”

“Certainly.”

He shrugged it off, revealing a black t-shirt underneath. A collective sigh sprang up once again from the girls in the room. The guys, meanwhile, were collectively glaring at the newcomer. Gwen couldn’t believe it. For the first time in her high school career, she was sympathizing with the male population! Letting out an exasperated sigh, she sank deeper into her seat.

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