just getting some sun. [open]

[Brooke Gaiman]

Where was it written that teachers had to stay indoors during the weekend? Especially during the summer. Brooke would be more partial to staying inside during the winter. It was too cold to venture outside then. But during the summer, Brooke wanted to do exactly what she would’ve done had she not been working at Oasis Hill Academy. Go to the beach. Sure, she was a teacher, but that didn’t mean that she had to sit around and be bored all day. She was only twenty-four, for Merlin’s sake. She was still young enough to go out and party. But of course, being a teacher, Brooke couldn’t do that. That would be frowned upon by the Wizarding Board of Education. And Merlin forbid she get frowned upon by them.

She was walking slowly through Woodberg County. Brooke was already dressed in her bikini, a sarong tied loosely over her bikini bottoms. Frisky was dancing at the end of her leash, anxious to get to the beach. It wasn’t often that Brooke brought her puppy out to the water. She wasn’t exactly sure how much she trusted the dog not to drown itself or get itself eaten by a shark. So Brooke had to make sure Frisky stayed near the shallows, or just lazed around by the towel. Brooke was almost completely certain that her little Pomeranian puppy was scared of water, anyway. She just liked to run around like a mad dog with rabies.

As she stepped onto the sand, Brooke swiftly removed her sandals and walked down the beach. She spotted a few students, but didn’t greet them. She was young enough to know that the students wouldn’t want to associate with her outside of school. Finally, Brooke found herself a good spot to set her towel down. She let Frisky off the leash, and almost immediately the dog ran for the water. Once at the edge, Frisky took one sniff of the salty water, and ran away from the oncoming waves. Brooke smiled; it looked like Frisky was going to be spending time with the towel. She removed her sarong and dropped it onto the sand beside her towel, and made her way to the water. She kept going until she was waist deep, and lifted herself so she was floating on her back. It was good to get out of the school.

[William Baker]

Will had been swimming in the salty water, keeping far away from the splashes of the students and scarily enough some of the eyes that kept wondering towards him. It was especially disconcerting, to see students he taught staring at him in such a manner, he had jumped into the sea the first chance he got. Even on the sand, a few more were looking at the scar around his ankle, if he didn’t want to cool off and relax Will would’ve run inside by now. He didn’t want them to chase him away, he wasn’t exactly the type to run away, he would just … swim away instead. Dunking his head under the water, he emerged a moment later, wiping away the salty water from his eyes, it was incredibly refreshing. He could touch too, which meant he was probably far enough away that the students would feel out of their depth, luckily for him.

Casting an eye back to the shore, he saw a woman approaching with her dog. Of course, it was a professor, the most beautiful professor he had ever seen grace Oasis Hill with their presence. Brooke Gaiman, this was better than just seeing her run around the castle, she was in a bikini that hid next to nothing with a sarong that wasn’t exactly doing the job it probably was supposed to do. He found himself staring straight at her, his eyes going up and down her imagining himself over there with her. His feet began moving of their own accord, he saw her dog sitting by her and rolled his eyes. It was an annoying little thing sometimes, always getting in the way. Will didn’t want to say hello, he needed to, it was sad. Never had he needed something more, than for her gorgeous brown eyes to look into his and for her face – no. As if that would ever happen. He watched her enter the sea, getting closer to him, probably without realising it. Those legs, his eyes travelled down, they were so long. Will hoped he wasn’t drooling, when it came to talking to her he didn’t want to be a pile of jelly.

Will didn’t smile and tried not to stare, it was so difficult. The water came up to the middle of his thighs, roughly, Will hardly cared. He just wanted to jump her right that second. If he could he would, but the shouts of the students behind him brought him out of his oh so wonderful daydream, and he cursed whoever had distracted him. They would pay when it came to their lesson tomorrow. “Hello Brooke.” She had started floating on her back when she was finally within distance of her, he could touch her. Will could imagine, the burning touch of her skin, he didn’t realise he had even touched her until he came into contact with her arm. He had touched her and Merlin he was right. Even in the sea, she was hot.

[Brooke Gaiman]

It was relaxing just to be able to float on her back in the ocean. She could hear the excited shouts and splashes of the nearby students, and she smiled gently. She had been like that just a few years ago. Spending the summer weekends at the beach, perving on the shirtless guys, splashing around and making lots of noise so those guys would pay attention to her… it was the highlight of her time at Oasis Hill. Of course, she’d grown up since then. Brooke wasn’t about to start splashing around to get any attention. She just wanted to float there and remain lost in her little world.

“Hello Brooke.”

Of course, her little world was undoubtedly going to be broken into by someone. She then felt something come in contact with her arm. Even in the water, it had the ability to send shivers down her spine. Brooke cracked one eye open to see who had greeted her. The minute she saw his face, Brooke was no longer floating on her back. She lost her ability to float, and ended up splashing around in the water for a moment, spluttering as her nostrils got filled with salt water. After a minute or so of spluttering to get the water out of her nose, Brooke finally managed to get herself upright. Damn it. She hated that Will could still make her feel like this, even after working together for ages.

With a sheepish little grin on her face, Brooke turned her head upwards to face Will. “Hello Will”, she said. He was probably going to tease her for her little drowning performance, but that was nothing new. He was always finding new reasons to tease her. “How has your day been so far? I see you’re getting a few glances from the female students.” Brooke leaned slightly to the right to see around Will. She was right. The female students were throwing a few longing glances at Will. She didn’t blame them; he was one of the better looking professors. Even Brooke had trouble keeping her eyes off him at times.

[William Baker]

As soon as she looked at him, Brooke seemed to go into some sort of fit, water splashing on him as she tried to catch herself. Will raised an eyebrow; she wasn’t exactly out of her depth at this point. He felt a little guilty for not catching her, it was the perfect excuse, but she wouldn’t want that. Instead, he smirked and stared at her, trying not to laugh when she finally opened her mouth and as calmly as possible said “Hello Will”, even Brooke had noticed the students watching him.

She leaned around him and he had to take the chance to stare at her a little longer, while her head was turned. Once she turned back, talking about those girls Will shrugged, “Are you sure it’s not you they’re staring at?” As he scratched the back of his neck, looking down at the water, then he realised what he was insinuating. “Er. You were spluttering and coughing like a demented banshee, those girls were just worried about you” He turned around for a moment, with a harsh glare, they really had to stop staring. He turned back around, to face Brooke.

Will rolled his eyes, “You do know how to swim right? Because I don’t want to have to save you if you can’t handle a wave” Of course, Will was telling a little lie. He would love to save her, have his arms around her, hers around his as he walked with her to shore. What if she wasn’t breathing?!!? He frowned for a moment, if she couldn’t handle floating for a second, how was she going to be able to swim if there was a huge wave? No doubt there would be soon, and Brooke could hurt herself. His eyes reached the shore and he saw her dog, sitting patiently by her towel. “Can your dog not handle the water either?” He couldn’t help laugh at the dogs expense, running away from water. Then again, he would hardly want to swim with a dog right next to him.

“Anyway!” Will desperately wanted to change the subject, he had just insulted her! That was hardly what he had meant to do, getting annoyed at her, but he couldn’t help it. He tried to find something to say to her, but was drawing up a blank. What could he say to make this situation any better, it was getting awkward. Brooke was staring at him waiting. He felt like asking her what she was doing out here, but Will wasn’t her father. Who was he to ask what she was doing, she was allowed to do what she wanted, he wasn’t the boss of her. Well… In the end he just, shrugged. “Nothing” Will muttered with defeat.

[Brooke Gaiman]

“Are you sure it’s not you they’re staring at?”

Brooke blinked, looking at Will in surprise. Was he insinuating that the girls were lesbians? That made Brooke do a double take. She leaned around Will again, looking at the girls once more before turning her gaze back to him. She didn’t think they were looking at her. Not that it bothered her. To each their own, right? If the girls wanted to look at her, who was Brooke to stop them? As long as they didn’t make any advances, she didn’t have a problem with it. “Er. You were spluttering and coughing like a demented banshee, those girls were just worried about you.” Oh. Oh, well that made sense. But the looks on the faces of those girls weren’t really looks of concern. They were more looks of ‘dear MERLIN I want to jump that guy’.

Wait a minute. Had Will just insulted her? Brooke’s eyes narrowed into a glare, and she placed her hands on her hips. “You do know how to swim right? Because I don’t want to have to save you if you can’t handle a wave.” Brooke could have slapped him right across the face then and there. “I most certainly can swim!” she said, “You just surprised me is all.” But him saving her… that brought an idea to the woman’s mind. She quickly shook the thought away as Will continued on to insult her dog. Brooke’s hands tightened around her hips, her fingernails digging into her skin. “Frisky has better things to do than get her fur all salty and disgusting. If she doesn’t want to swim, she doesn’t have to. I would prefer it if she didn’t. The less Frisky swims, the less I have to wash her.”

Whatever she’d said obviously didn’t matter. Will was already trying to change the subject. Brooke shook her head, fighting back the urge to roll her eyes at the man. Merlin, he came over to her. He started up a conversation with her. It wasn’t as if she’d invited him over to chat like old buddies. Brooke and Will were anything but old buddies. In fact, the last Brooke had heard, she and Will weren’t even friends. But then, the Deputy Head changed his mind so often. Brooke lifted one arm up and rubbed the back of her neck, looking up at Will. “So… what are you doing out here, then? Escaping the school?” she asked, dropping her hand to her side.

[William Baker]

He watched her expression change, she glared at him. Broke looked angry, any normal person would be, it was sort of cute; this little woman shouting at him couldn’t be good for his ego though. Will nodded, hardly believing her, her voice was a little too high, but he could understand how she was surprised. He was fairly… surprising sometimes, if that was a good surprise anyway. Somehow, Will had managed to make her more angry than before, ‘Frisky’ That thing was called, ‘Frisky’! Well. They probably had one thing in common then, it wasn’t all bad. He shrugged, he didn’t really care if it’s fur got all ‘disgusting’, but he didn’t have to deal with that thing.

Merlin. He hadn’t said anything, but she had just asked. Why could she make it seem .. so casual! If he had asked, Brooke most likely would’ve jumped down his neck. “I was trying to, it seems everyone else had the same idea” Will smiled sadly, “How about you?” He asked, stepping a little way away from her, deeper into the sea, it was warm but the wind was cold. It wasn’t a great combination. Will had come outside to take a break, relax in the great weather. Unfortunately, Brooke had arrived and changed that, in more ways than one.

He wished that Brooke wasn’t so… breathtaking, he had always thought he could never become a pathetic pansy over one woman. It seemed he was wrong, one look and he was smitten, again but when it came to having a proper conversation, he could never seem to get it right. Will didn’t know why things had to be so complicated, when had they gotten like that. It was obvious that as Deputy Head, Will couldn’t afford to have a relationship like that while he was still at the school, it would be frowned upon by the students, the Head and all of the other professors. In particular, the male professors, he wasn’t the only one that thought about her. She was rather popular in that respect.

Therefore, Will had to set an example. There would be no way that he would ever make a move on her, as if she would even want him. Compare to some other wizards, he wasn’t exactly the best of them, he was certain of it.

[Brooke Gaiman]

“I was trying to, it seems everyone else had the same idea. How about you?”

Brooke gave a lopsided grin. “Guilty”, she said, “I was hoping to come out here and relax.” But then Will had to come along and stand there in all his manliness. He had to shine his incredible good looks on her and make her feel like a school girl again. She absolutely hated the fact that he could still make her feel this way. And it didn’t matter how bad she wanted to act on these fluttery stomach feelings. Brooke was a professional. Technically, Will was her boss. To be anything more than colleagues was just out of the question. Another rule by the oh so almighty Wizarding Board of Education.

Brooke watched silently as Will took a few steps backwards into a deeper part of the water. Brooke’s feet moved of their own accord, following Will into the deeper water. A look of shock crossed her face when she’d realised what happened. Brooke knew how to swim, but she didn’t feel comfortable in deeper water. And the fact that somehow Will had managed to get her out into the deeper water was somewhat interesting. Without much thought, Brooke moved backwards until she was once again in her comfortable depth of waist-high water. She turned her head to see what Frisky was doing before turning her gaze back to Will.

Her relationship with him was much too complicated. Brooke didn’t have any of these funny feelings for any of her other colleagues. Will had the ability to make Brooke say and do things she wouldn’t normally say or do. Exhibit A was her splashing around in the water like she was a school girl. No other man had ever had that affect on her before. She didn’t know what it was about Will. It annoyed her to no end to know that nothing would ever come of her little crush. So Brooke always pushed it to the back of her mind and told herself it was a school girl crush and that she would get over it soon. But every time she thought she was getting over it, Will would pop up out of nowhere and it would start all over again.

Brooke lifted her hands out of the water, and looked at her fingers. “I’m turning into a prune”, she said, holding her hands out for Will to see. What was she doing? Why was she talking to him like he was her best friend? She could feel herself becoming frustrated. Damn Will. He made her feel so stupid. So silly. Brooke took a deep breath and dunked herself underwater. She swam a short distance and popped up somewhere to the left of Will, pushing her hair out of her face before adjusting her bikini.

[William Baker]

Brooke didn’t want to go any deeper, they were standing just a couple of feet away. The sea floor dropped like a step, so Will was able to stand there, covered and looking as if he was just about the same height as the woman in front of him. He smiled, Brooke said she was turning into a prune and then proceeded to show him her hands. Holding them in front of him, they looked fine, no prune in sight, not even a little wrinkle. Before he could say anything she dropped into the water, Will looked around, down in the water wondering where she was going. Was his company that bad? “I need to cool off” Will muttered to himself.

He watched the dark mass in the water, barely able to make out a person beneath the waves, as he saw her coming up next to him. If he didn’t move he could probably kiss her. That didn’t happen. He moved. Her hair was wet; it was like she had just stepped out of the shower. Did she know what she was doing? Will stared at her for a second, taking in her sparkling shoulders, as the water dripped down from her hair. He berated himself for being such a pervert; if anyone knew then he would be tossed out of the school and down the Cliffside. Most likely by her.

He needed to get her out of his head, it wouldn’t do anyone any good. The thoughts he was having, they weren’t good, and they were hardly going to come true. The Board would have something to say about their relationship, he could bet they were running a fine line between right and wrong right now, between inappropriate and friendly banter. Will was probably being more than friendly. He was deputy head, none of this was supposed to happen! What sort of a man would he be if he put Brooke in that situation? It wasn’t fair at all.

[Brooke Gaiman]

Brooke shifted slightly under Will’s gaze. It wasn’t that he was making her feel uncomfortable. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She busied herself with making sure her bikini was covering what it should be covering. It was all she could do to stop herself from jumping the man right there and then. There had to be some law against making a woman feel like this. And if there wasn’t, the Minister for Magic needed to bring one in. It was a crime making Brooke feel like she had no control over herself. She was hardly acting like a professional.

It was then that Brooke realised what she was wearing. And in front of her boss no doubt. Brooke mentally cursed herself for being such an idiot. This kind of attire was inappropriate in front of students, regardless of whether or not they were in the classroom. Brooke should’ve known better than to wear a bikini. It wasn’t as if she didn’t own one-piece bathing suits. Brooke looked down at herself, suddenly very self conscious about her appearance. Damn it. How the hell were students supposed to take her seriously in the classroom if she was wandering around outside wearing practically nothing?

Brooke glanced behind her at the students who were still splashing around in the water, having a good time. She wanted to go and stand behind Will to shield herself from the students. Glancing behind her once more, Brooke walked forward until she was standing behind Will. She then placed her hands on his shoulders to turn him around so he was facing her. “There. That’s better”, Brooke said, obviously not realising how crazy she must have looked. It didn’t matter to her. She was being hidden from view from the students, and she was able to continue talking to Will.

“So…” she started, looking up at Will as she searched for something to say. The most routine question popped into her head. “What did you get up to during your summer?” It was a lame question, Brooke had to admit. Especially when you were an adult asking your boss. But where was the law saying adults couldn’t take interest in their colleagues holidays?

[William Baker]

It was like a dream. Brooke stepping closer to him, gliding through the water, a strange look on his face. Her hands touched his shoulders firmly, and he really thought she was going to lean in and no. She twirled them both around, making him face the horizon, rather than the beach, though Will had no idea why. He looked at her a little confused, trying to work out why she decided this was somehow better than their previous position. Oh dear. He really didn’t want to go there. BAD THOUGHTS. She looked up at him, with those adorable eyes, trying to think of something to say. It was like the roles were reversed, she was the one trying to think of something to say while he was the one wondering what to say.

“What did you get up to during your summer?”

Will was surprised to hear such a question from someone that was so different to the others. “It was alright, I was just helping Nathan sort out the new first years. Lazed around a little, not a lot really. How about you?” He honestly hadn’t done anything, go into the Woodberg, stay there, stay at the school. He hadn’t gone on holiday; he didn’t want to, staying at Oasis Hill was more fun. Enjoying himself with no students around, Will hadn’t seen her for the first part of the holiday and then saw her in the dining hall. It was nice seeing her, she was a great professor, muggle studies.

It wasn’t something he would ever teach, he loved showing the students what they could do, let their imaginations do the talking. He didn’t know how Brooke would feel, if he took a less professional approach. Of course. That was preposterous. She would have quite a few things to say. It was entirely out of the question. He felt so out of his depth with her.

[Brooke Gaiman]

It took Brooke a moment to remember who ‘Nathan’ was. She then remembered that that was the first name of the Headmaster. Brooke almost smacked herself on the forehead. She didn’t generally address the Headmaster as anything other than Headmaster Chapman, even though he’d insisted several times that she call him ‘Nathan’ when the setting was casual. It just didn’t feel right calling the Headmaster by his first name, considering he’d been the Headmaster when she was at school there. It made her feel uncomfortable.

So Will had spent the holidays at Oasis Hill. Obviously he was relishing in the fact that there were no students there to annoy him. He could’ve spent every day down at the beach without having to worry about the female students looking at him. She was still thinking about the looks the female students gave Will, barely realising that he was asking her what she’d done during her summer. “Oh. Well, I spent the first couple of weeks in Miami with my parents”, Brooke said, “And then I came back.” Well, of course he knew that. He’d seen her in the dining hall the day after she’d returned. She remembered the familiar flips her stomach did when she’d seen Will enter the dining hall that morning. It was rather similar to the flips her stomach was doing now.

It was then that Brooke realised how closed she and Will were standing. The closeness didn’t bother her at all. And it didn’t seem to bother Will. “It’s nice when there’s no students at Oasis Hill”, Brooke said, “Don’t get me wrong, I love the students… but it’s just so much easier to think when there’s no students around.” She looked down at the water for a moment, wondering if Will could hear her thoughts. She wouldn’t be surprised if he could, they were screaming loud enough. All she could hear in her mind was ‘oh dear Merlin KISS ME’. Brooke honestly thought she would go crazy if this continued.

[William Baker]

He nodded, Miami across the other side of the world. At least she would've had fun, gone outside Oasis Hill. He had stayed here, Will really needed to get out more. Of course she had come back, here was a moment of silence before she spoke again. He hadn't thought of anything to say in return, what was there to say without embarrassing himself further? Brooke looked between them, seeming to notice how close they were, he honestly hadn't noticed but now she had pointed it out. Will followed her movements as she looked between them, and then she continued talking. "It was nice yes, definitely quieter" He smiled.

Will shrugged, he wasn't sure if he was able to concentrate better or not because the only thing stopping him from concentrating fully was her. For two whole weeks, then after that she was back on his mind. It wasn't the students at all. Something in Brookes expression changed, as she looked at him, he swallowed nervously. Will couldn't hold it in any longer, staring into the large brown eyes, he was about to reach down and kiss those beautiful lips. However, a shout for one of the professors to come and get their dog away from them stopped in, he hadn't even leaned in.

Rolling his eyes, he turned to see a student pointing to Brookes dog, barking at the waves, and it just so happened that the student was in front of the dog. Will sighed, students had no brains. Will turned back around to Brooke, "I'm sorry Brooke, it was... inappropriate. I shouldn't have put you in that situation" Will stepped back a little further, the space growing between them. He had to be professional about this, it wouldn't do to have rumours running about the school. They would lose their jobs.

[Brooke Gaiman]

“It was nice yes, definitely quieter.”

And then he smiled. Brooke could have melted. She could feel her insides turning into goop. That smile… dear Merlin she wished he would kiss her already. She instantly pushed that thought aside. That was unprofessional. They were colleagues, and they were surrounded by students. If the students saw what was happening, rumours would fly, and both Will and Brooke would lose their jobs. For Brooke, that wasn’t really the end of the world. She loved her job, but when it came to the Wizarding Board of Education, Brooke just couldn’t care less. In her opinion, they shouldn’t lump male and female professors together in the same school if they didn’t want relationships between coworkers. Obviously the Board of Education didn’t think that through very well.

But as she looked into Will’s gray eyes, Brooke only had one thought. Board of Education be damned. This was going to happen whether they liked it or not. She held her breath as she watched Will. He moved forward ever so slightly, and before anything could even happen, there was a shout from one of the students. No! Brooke held back a groan and leaned around Will to see what was happening. Frisky had gotten excited by the waves, and was barking at them. Unfortunately there was a student standing in front of her, and the student obviously thought Frisky was barking at them. Brooke rolled her eyes and let out a whistle. Frisky immediately trotted back to Brooke’s towel and sat down, a pleased look on her face.

Brooke straightened herself up and immediately felt like something was different. She turned her gaze to Will, and realised that he’d moved away, making the space between them grow. “I’m sorry Brooke, it was… inappropriate. I shouldn’t have put you in that situation.” Yes, you should have! Brooke’s mind was screaming at the Deputy Head. For a moment, Brooke remained where she was and just watched Will. She knew he was concerned about how professional he looked. “Oh”, she said, frowning. “I don’t care.” With that, Brooke closed the space between them. She slid one arm around Will’s neck and pulled him down to her height, pressing her lips against his.

[William Baker]

It couldn't have been more than ten seconds before she was over to him again, closing that space, saying she didn't care. His pulse sped up as she closed in, Will joining her as he felt himself tugged down by Brooke, he slowly bent down. He wrapped one arm around her tiny waist, pulling her closer to him, kissing her softly. Will didn't know if he did care or not, right now, of course he didn't. So long as the students couldn't see them it was alright, but who was he kidding of course they could see. Will desperately wanted to continue, but with everyone around was it the smart thing to do, he knew what he wanted to do.

He felt so conflicted, between what was right and wrong, this was wrong, so wrong. It felt so right. Will really didn't want to pull away but he really had to go, if he stayed in the sea any longer he couldn't be responsible for his actions. He turned around to look at the students, none of them seemed to be paying attention. Will looked back at Brooke, "Ok, this can't happen Brooke" His hands moved to her shoulders, as he stared at her, "Not here, now" Wills shoulders drooped, "Ever.". He frowned, his hands dropping from her shoulders he turned around. Sliding his feet along the sea bed, Will made his way to shore.

Will would love more than anything to be with Brooke, he didn't want to walk away. He hated himself for doing the right thing, no matter how hard it was, it was the right thing. Will had to keep that in mind, perhaps a holiday really was in order. Get his head away from Brooke and on someone that he had a chance with. Brooke didn't want to be with him, it was just a kiss. She didn't care, that didn't matter. Will was making the decision, he didn't want her throwing her career away just for some silly kiss, some stupid relationship that wouldn't work out anyway. There were far more deserving wizards than him. The waves were weaker, the water coming up to his knees, the sun still going strong. At least the students were enjoying themselves.

[Brooke Gaiman]

It seemed like everything was going perfectly. For a moment there, it was. She’d taken a risk by kissing him, but she’d wanted to so bad. She couldn’t hear any shouts from the students, so she didn’t think any of them were paying attention. And then, wonderfully, Will had one arm wrapped around her waist. He was pulling her closer, kissing her back. She didn’t care that what they were doing was wrong. At the moment, she didn’t care that she was risking her career for this move. What was happening right now… it felt so right. It’s funny how things that feel so right can go so wrong within seconds.

It happened in an instant. One minute Will’s arm was around her, the next minute it wasn’t. She felt it instantly. And then, he was pulling away. Brooke’s arm fell away from his body, dropping beside her. She stared at him, wondering what on earth was going on. “Ok, this can’t happen Brooke.” Brooke’s entire body went cold. “Not here, now… ever.” Will’s shoulders drooped. Brooke’s eyes narrowed into slits. What?! Was he being serious? What the hell was wrong with him? Brooke’s hands clenched into fists as she watched Will turn away from her and make his way back to the shore. He was walking away from her?

Her mind was racing. Should she follow him? No. She’d just get angry at him. It wouldn’t end well for either of them. But she deserved an explanation, didn’t she? No. He was the Deputy Head. He didn’t need to give an explanation to anyone. And then, something inside of her snapped. All of a sudden, she was moving through the water. Her feet had a mind of their own. Within seconds, she’d caught up to Will. Without much thought, Brooke reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him around so he was facing her. “You jerk”, she hissed. He did this every time she thought they were making progress with their friendship, he turned around and did something incredibly jerky to make her hate him.

She couldn’t get anything out. She was used to Will being a jerk when it came to their friendship, but this time, it hurt. She didn’t know why. She didn’t want it to. But it did. Without a second glance, Brooke pushed past Will and stormed back to her stuff.

[William Baker]

He really didn't want to hurt her, and it seemed as if she was just going to stand there aring, but suddenly she went into bitch mode. She had run up to him -somehow- Will wasn't sure, grabbing his arm “You jerk”. He frowned, as she pulled him back around to face her. "Brooke, you don't understand" Will said calmly, as calmly as he possibly could. This was such a rollercoaster, one minute she was driving him crazy, now Brooke was going ballistic. It was one kiss, he didn't want to ruin their professional relationship, although it seemed Brooke didn't get that. Will wasn't going to explain, if she didn't want to here it, she was too dumb to understand then that was her problem.

Will would've moved, but Brooke just roughly pushed past him, he stared at her as she walked towards the shore. He wasn't going to chase after her when she was as furious as she was right now. That was suicide. "That was a little!" Will scowled, kicking the water, she was getting under his skin. Why did she make everything so difficult! "You just overreact!" He muttered to himself, "Stupid little witch"

Will slowly walked onto the beach, ignoring the looks from the other students. Taking his towel that was folded up against the back of the beach, he took his top, wand and started walking. Will wasn't going to stick around here any longer, there must be some work he had to do. Anything. To get his mind off of Professor Gaiman. She had no idea what could happen if Nathan heard about that, even one harmless kiss could land them in trouble. Will decided he did care about his job, he wasn't going to let her ruin it for him.

Even as he walked up towards the castle, he couldn't help thinking, no matter how angry she was. She still looked beautiful. At that thought, he shook his head, hitting himself with his wand, "I'm so stupid!" Will growled and muttered in frustration. "Just shut up!!"

[Brooke Gaiman]

She was still kicking herself when she reached her towel. Frisky was there, sitting patiently as she waited for her owner to gather her thoughts. Brooke couldn’t believe she’d let herself get into this mess. It was obvious Will cared more about his career than he did his own freaking happiness. But then, what did Brooke know? Will was so intent on keeping her at arms length that she’d never gotten the chance to really get to know him. So as far as she knew, Will’s career could quite possibly be his happiness.

Brooke hastily dried herself off, tied her sarong around her waist once more before clipping Frisky’s leash onto her collar. It wasn’t until she’d started walking through the streets of Woodberg County that it really hit her. She was an idiot. Kissing him like that, that was a stupid career risk! Since when was Brooke willing to risk her career for a man? Brooke groaned and tugged at the end of her hair. She felt like such an idiot. Why would she do that? Ugh. And the minute Professor Chapman caught wind of it, Brooke was out of a job. Awesome. She may as well go back and start packing now.

And to top it all off, Will probably hated her. Technically, she had initiated the kiss. But he’d responded, so he was just as responsible as her. Unfortunately, Brooke doubted the Board of Education would see it that way. Brooke groaned again, and let herself sink onto a nearby bench. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d never beaten herself up over a guy before. Never. What was so special about Will? He was a jerk. He was the jerkiest jerk. He was the king of all jerks. Jerks all around the world probably looked up to him as their leader.

Brooke stared down at her little dog. “Why am I such an idiot?” she muttered to herself.

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