A Graduation Present Ch. 01

Note: Thanks so much for all the support and feedback I have gotten with this story! As promised, I found a wonderful editor that puts up with my misuse of commas and fast-finger typos. Thanks Amela! The 3rd part to this story will be posted shortly so keep an eye out! I love hearing from my readers so feel free to comment or email!

The characters in this story are fictional and over the age of 18.

Enjoy,

xo -- KO

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It was almost over, he just had to make it a few more hours and he would finally be able to breathe again. The past four years of Jackson Warren's life had been filled with daily struggles and he was just a few hours away from never having to worry about being caught eyeing, daydreaming and lusting after one of his own students. In just a few hours, Andie Johnson would be graduating and leaving Glenbrook High School to go to college, he would be free from temptation.

Andie was one of his very first students; he had begun teaching at Glenbrook the same year Andie was a freshman. Jackson's life had changed drastically since that first day over 4 years ago. For one, he was now single, no longer engaged to a woman he had thought he would spend the rest of his life with. Samantha had been in his life since college, she was a strong, successful and motivated woman, all the traits that he had fallen in love with, but they eventually drove them apart. Sam was hungry for success and money. At first she accepted that Jackson would never make a lot of money as a teacher; she claimed that she just wanted him to be happy doing what he loved. However, after the first couple months in to his first teaching job at Glenbrook, Sam seemed to be more and more disappointed in his small salary and even more disappointed in how much extra time and effort he put in to his job. Jackson was always loving and devoted to Sam but also loved his students and was always willing to put in a little extra time to help his students succeed.

By Winter Break, Jackson knew their relationship was over. Sam had moved out of their apartment and the wedding was called off. He knew they would both be happier in the end and that it would have never worked once he found out how Sam really felt about his career choice.

Being single for the last three and half years only made his desire for Andie stronger. He longed for her in a way he had never longed for another woman, if you could call Andie a woman. She entered high school like most other freshman, in the awkward stages of puberty. But unlike most other freshman, Andie was confident about her intelligence and eager to learn. Their relationship started off innocent, like any other student/teacher relationship. Andie was one of twenty seven students in Jackson's freshman U.S. civics class. She never passed up a chance to ask questions or challenge an idea in class, she aced all of his tests with flying colors and Jackson encouraged her to register for the honors and advanced placement social studies program.

Jackson watched as the students filled up on to the stage to take their diplomas. He could feel his breath catch in his chest when she stepped up on to the stage and smiled. She was gorgeous. Andie had short choppy blonde hair that shined in the sunlight, her skin was creamy and pale but dotted with small freckles. She was average height and very slender. Only in the last year did her body begin to take a more womanly shape and figure. Her breasts were firm and high, and much larger than you would expect on a girl her size. As she walked across the stage with diploma in hand Jackson couldn't help looking her up and down. Even in a graduation robe she looked perfect.

Andie had begun high school with fear and trepidation; she knew that she was not like most of the other students. Glenbrook high school students were rich and popular, Andie was not. She and her mother had just moved in to an apartment that was on the border of two school districts and Andie was allowed to choose which school to attend. Glenbrook, being in a wealthy neighborhood, was raked much higher in quality of education than the alternative. So Andie choose it, all the while knowing she would never fit in. Her father had left her and her mother at a young age; she grew up with a mother that decided dating was more fun than raising an awkward, too-smart-for-her-own good daughter and Andie spent most of her time alone. Instead of paying for daycare one summer, her mother opted to leave Andie at a nearby public library during the days while she worked as a waitress and at nights Andie was left in the one bedroom apartment while her mother partied at night clubs.

By the time Andie was a freshman in high school she knew she did not have a normal childhood and she knew that she was not a normal teenager. Andie had little interest in boys her age, as her mother had taken to dating men not much older than Andie. She also had no interest in parties and drinking like many of her classmates. Andie had cleaned up after her mother and her boyfriends after their nights out ended in puking in the apartment bathroom. All Andie really wanted to do was get good grades in high school so that she might be able to get a scholarship and be able to attend a college far away.

After only a few weeks of class her freshman year, Andie had fallen in love with social studies. She knew that she wanted to become a lawyer and soaked up all the information Mr. Warren could give her in his U.S. civics class. Soon she was spending all her extra time reading and learning about government and law. Andie took advantage of the fact that Mr. Warren seemed to always be in his office and willing to answer all her questions and spend extra time with her on her class work.

Jackson knew more about Andie than any of his other students; he spent hours talking with her every week outside of class. She had opened up to him about her family situation and confided in him about her struggle with her mother. By the end of her freshman year, Jackson was disappointed that he would no longer have Andie in his classes as she would be taking the advanced courses taught by the more senior faculty. However, this did not stop Andie from coming to his office at least once a week for the rest of her high school career.

By the second year, Andie was fitting in better with her fellow students despite the fact that most of them came from very wealthy families and very few were as interested in education as she was. She had made a few friends and even went out on a date or two but she was never as comfortable around her peers as she was when she was in Mr. Warren's company. He seemed to appreciate her love of learning and encouraged her in a way she never received from her mother.

One day in the spring of her senior year, Andie had missed her social studies class for the first time since beginning at Glenbrook. Jackson had filled in for her regular teacher and was looking forward to having her in class again but became concerned when she was not in class. When he got back to his office after the students had left school for the day he checked the schools excused absence list which would show if Andie had called in to explain why she would not be at class, but there was nothing. Just as Jackson was getting packed up for the night and ready to go home, he heard a small sound at the door of his office. Andie was standing in the doorway, with tears streaming down her face and a small cut on her bruised lower lip. Jackson was overcome with emotion and rage, 'What the hell happened?' was the first thing that came out of his mouth and he realized his mistake when Andie covered her face and began to sob.

'Oh Andie, I am sorry, I didn't mean to yell. Come in, sit down. Don't cry, don't cry.'

'Mr. Warren, I was so scared' Andie whimpered. Jackson could feel his heart break for her.

She sat in his large desk chair and wiped at her puffy red eyes. She began to tell him about how she had come home last night to find her mother being beaten by the man her mother had been dating in the apartment. She tried to stop him and he turned and smacked her in the face yelling at her to mind her own business. Andie ran out of the apartment and called 911 from a neighbor's apartment. She had spent the whole day at the police station with her mother giving her statement and trying to convince her mother to press charges.

Jackson listened to Andie and his chest felt so tight that it might explode; he wanted to kill the man who had hit her. His heart ached for the girl sitting in front of him, she was forced to grow up so fast and all he wanted to do was protect her. Even though physical contact between teachers and students was against school policy, Jackson reached out and gently stroked Andie's straight blonde hair and brushed it out of her face as he looked in to her eyes. He suddenly felt the urge to hold her in his arms and he quickly stood up and began pacing the room. He was shocked by the emotions streaming through him; he had never let himself think about his feelings for Andie in any other way than being her teacher. Now he felt other things. He felt sympathy for her and he felt the need to hold and protect her. He looked at her and all he wanted to do was touch her.

Andie stood up, "I'm sorry, I should go, I just needed to tell someone, ya know..." She started to gather her coat and bag when Jackson stepped up behind her. As she turned, their eyes met and they were only a few inches apart.

Andie knew it was coming before he lowered his mouth to hers. She could feel his breath on her lips and when she saw him lick his lip she knew that even though she should back away or turn her head she wouldn't. She needed to feel him, like when he had touched her face so softly. His lips barely touched hers, and in a second he was across the room pacing again. As she passed him to leave the office he muttered something that sounded like 'I'm sorry'.

Jackson was sure he would never see her again. He had betrayed her. She had come to him and he had taken advantage of her, and now he couldn't stop thinking about her, about how soft her skin felt, about full and absolutely kissable her lips were. He knew it was wrong and he did everything in his power to think of something else but he was devastated by the thought that she would never come to him again. She had left so quickly, he was sure she would never trust him.

Oddly, he was not worried about losing his job. Andie was not the type of person to intentionally get someone in trouble. But he would have rather lost his job than never be able to spend time with her again. Days passed and the only time he saw Andie was across the cafeteria hall as she stood in line with some friends. He had almost come to accept that he had made a huge mistake in kissing her that night and she would never treat him the same again. It was quite the shock when he heard a small knock on his office door and looked up to see her slim body in the door way.

He quickly apologized to her "Andie, the other day... I am so-"

She cut his sentence short by asking him to look over her U.S History term paper. They sat down and began to go over the paper. Jackson figured that even if she pretended it never happened, at least she wasn't avoiding him.

Andie was so nervous standing in the door way, she had left his office that night confused and extremely excited. She had had a crush on Mr. Warren since her first class with him and so far she had managed not to act like a total dork around him. That day after she had left the police station, she did not want to go home with her mother so she said she needed some things at school and would be home later. She found herself starring in to Mr. Warren's eyes with his hand lightly touching her face and she could feel herself get warm and wet between her legs. Embarrassed, she decided she should go and that's when it happened; he kissed her. It was light and fast but she knew it happened. That night, she had dreams about Jackson Warren kissing her all over her body, worshiping her.

She knew it was silly to avoid him but she needed some time to think about her feelings, she decided she would pretend it didn't happen and hope that things would not be awkward between them. If he wanted to kiss her again, she certainly wasn't going to stop him. He never did kiss her again and it was pure torture for Jackson every time she stepped in to his office.

Every time she was in his presence, he could feel himself stiffen to the point where he had become accustomed to going over her papers with her from behind his desk. He was beginning to get that familiar feeling as she walked proudly up to him, opened her arms and gave him a tight hug. She smelled deliciously when he drew in a breath and wrapped one arm around her and whispered 'Congratulations' in to her ear. Andie pulled back and whispered 'thank you' and walked off the stage. She was officially no longer his student and he let out a long breath.

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Note: I hope you enjoyed reading about Andie and Jackson, there is much more to come for the two of them! Don't forget to vote!

xo -- KO