Page 8 of The Teacher

“Your accent has changed,” I say, reaching for another glass of champagne. “You sound British.”

He does. There’s no trace of his rough teenage Aussie accent left in his voice, it’s all replaced by the cut-glass refined accent of a rich and confident English aristocrat.

“When I left here, I went to the UK and spent the last years of education in a posh boarding school. From there I moved to America to take control over my family’s business, that’s where I’ve lived ever since,” he explains.

I still don’t look at him.

“I don’t care,” I reply.

“Hey, you asked why I sound British, and that’s my response.”

“So, British boarding school, that’s why you sound pretentious. Finally you sound like your personality,” I say with a healthy dose of snark before taking another sip.

Skipper chuckles, inching in closer towards me with his face. “Yeah, maybe that’s why,” he says. His easy-going cocky attitude infuriates me. I just want to turn around and slap that chiseled face of his, that’ll deal with his smarmy behavior and mocking voice. “Still the same old Sandy I see, ready with the right quip and mocking comeback.”

“Oh, yes.”

“And what have you been up to all these years? I’ve heard you’re a teacher.”

“Yep.”

Short and sweet. Skipper doesn’t take the heavy hint. He remains standing at the bar next to me.

“So, the rumors are true. You’re not taking a penny from your father, instead, you’re making your own way in the world. That’s pretty commendable, Sandy.”

“Screw your compliments, they’re not going to work on me this time.”

“So, they have worked on you before, back when we were teenagers?”

“They never did.”

“Sandy, do you remember those old times? The fun we had together?”

Of course, I remember the fun times, my body will never let me forget them.

“I was young and stupid.”

“You seemed to love every moment, if I recall correctly.”

“Not every moment.”

“Ah, so you did love it. Good to know.”

“You’re not just here for the wedding,” I say, changing subjects from my family’s wealth and those hot sexual past experiences with Skipper. “Why are you truly here? What’s the real reason you’ve flown back here?”

“I can’t just fly back to attend the wedding of a family friend?”

“Not when that family includes me.”

“It’s good to see you too, Sandy.”

I turn to him then. Skipper’s still smiling. He always liked to smile a lot. I hate it, but, at the same time, I truly don’t. Not really. Skipper’s smile was the reason why I fell in love with him in the first place all those years ago, and he knows it. He knows how his charming smile can destroy me.

And it’s destroying my insides now.

“It’s been eight years, Skipper. Eight years since you broke my heart. It takes a lot of balls to come to the wedding of my brother and walk back into my life like nothing’s happened.”

“A lot of balls? So, you do remember the old times.”