The Curious Enigma of Miss Stillman

 SENESTIVE CONTENT: Contains swearing and sexual jokes.

John found it near the Rugby grounds.

It was around 8:30 am when he saw it lying there, the black book with a red strip attached to it. At the front, read the word Diary. He, Ben, and Ollie were outside. Leaning against the black brick-slabbed cricky wall near the school's main entrance door. They watched the stream of students heading into school through it. A wash of black trousers and red jumpers. The boys usually did this every morning to avoid getting crushed.

“Do you think it's coach's?” asked Ben as he flicked away a cigarette. His uniform crumbled, his shirt untucked. John considered him his best friend.

“ Why coach? It could be Elilijah's! Though I have not seen him in weeks,” replied Ben. His red jumper was well pressed, and his black pants did not fit his lanky frame, as he stood a foot taller than the other two. John did not consider Ollie "a best friend," only someone who tagged along with Ben since they had known each other before.

“Yeah, they told me he was ill,” said John. Like most boys, he stuck to the code. But he made an exemption to his hair, bleached blonde much to the chagrin of the teachers. But he somehow got away with it.

“Well, open it then,” said Ollie

“What, no way,” said John, “if it was the coach's, it could be plans for the season. I think I will give it back to him”.

“We get it, John. Coach hates you,” Ollie did, snatching the diary, “ didn’t have you desperate AF to get on the team,"

“Bro wants to be CEO of the field,” laughs Ben,

As Ollie was about to open it before John snatched it back.

“Bruv, I found it, so it's mine,” John said, putting it back in his bag,

“So you gonna hand it in?” asked Ollie; John rolled his eyes, and he went to look at his phone.

“Sheesh, fair dos bro, if you want to be the teacher's pet, that's fine by- hello, Miss Stillman!"

The three boys straightened as Miss Stillmam made her way up to them. Her long pristine brunette hair followed behind her. She wore her usual long green roll-neck knitted jumper dress.

“Hey boys, wondering have you seen a black book anywhere? It has a red cord attached to it. Near the rugby grounds?”

“No, miss,” said Ollie quickly, failing to hide his cigarette behind himself.

“Nah, miss,” said Ben.

John's head was down, eyes fixed on his phone screen.

“John?” asked Miss Stillman; John just shrugged and muttered under his breath, “No, miss.”

Miss Stillman signed. She placed her hand on her forehead, her eyes darted around the schoolyard, now almost empty of students.

“Well, John, if you or your friends find it, please hand it into me or the principal’s office…. And DON'T be late for class,” said Mrs. Stilleman, leaving John, Ollie, and Ben alone in the courtyard.

***********************************************

Attention school! The principal said over the loudspeaker, If anyone has seen a black book with a red strip, please hand it into the principles office.

It was recess

“Miss Stillman's diary, man, bro we have hit the jackpot!” said Ollie, leaning against the lockers, arms crossed. John, too, leaning against his locker, was on his phone. Ben had his arm around Janet, his on-off-on-off-again girlfriend. She didn't wear the red jumper. Instead, she had just her shirt as tight as she could get away with tucked into her black skirt.

John once joked with Ollie that Janet was Ben’s fuck buddy, which Ben, when he heard it, did not deny.

“Are you not gonna open it then,” asked Janet.

“He ain't gonna open it; he simpin for Miss Stillman hard,” said Ben.

“She is someone I would smash, to be honest", said Ollie.

“Shut the fuck up, Ollie,” snapped John, playing with the phone, not even looking at the screen.

"Yeah, man, leave it; if he doesn't want to read it, then it's valid," said Ben trying to nibble Janet's ear.

“Then why not hand it in then, or to Miss Stillman?” asked Ollie. John said nothing.

After some time, Ollie asked Ben and Janet,

“What do you think is in it?” since John was, again, pretending not to hear.

“I bet she it is about her fucking a student," said Janet, “you know the last senior, Matthew, I heard from my friend Jess that Miss Stillman had been trying to meet someone for a while. I knew this because me and Janet had her 2 years in a row right? She was so fucking depressed, then one day she was bussin, and we all knew right away but didn't say anything, we be thinking, "she finally got dicked down," we also got less homework!"

“Thats sus Jan…” said Ollie

“Then why did Mathew transfer?” asked Janet, eyes fixed on Ollie, her hands resting on Ben's shoulder.

“I heard from another friend," began Ben, " she saw Miss Stillman on tik tok doing the Cannibal dance,, shes the ultimate milf.”

Janet slapped Bens's shoulder in disgust, “ Hotter than me?

Both Ollie and John laughed while Ben grinned sheepishly,

“Nah bae, nah,” he said quickly.

John put the phone away and reached into the bag to take out the diary. He looked at it intently when Janet grabbed it. She threw it wide open and began to read.

“Give it back, Janet!”

“Wow!” she said, “wow, the drama!”

“Give it back!”

John managed to grab the diary back; Janet shrugged and returned to Ben's arms.

“What did it say?" asked Ben.

Janet giggled and went to her phone.

“Girl’s honor bae!” said Janet, and as John was putting back the dairy, she added, “I did see Johns's's name, though!”

John turned around quickly, “What, what did it say?”

Janet crossed her fingers, winked,

“Girl’s honor!” She kissed Ben's tongue deep, “See yah after school bae!” and rushed down the corridor.

“It’s cap man, don’t listen to her!” said Ben. John looked down at the diary again; he turned to the front page and saw the name Katie Stillman in the top right-hand corner.

********************************************************

“Why are we waiting,” said John anxiously.

“I just want to ask her about something,” said John's mother; they were both in the car, the engine on; John, as usual, was in the front seat on his phone, the diary was still in his back he had not touched it all day. Her mother was wearing the patterned scarlet drip-flowered African dress. She liked to wear it during the week. John had no idea why....

“ KATIE!” she yelled to Miss Stillman, who was walking to her car. Once she saw Jon’s mother, she beamed and rushed up to her. Jonn's mother rolled down the window, and Miss Stillman's head poked in. John, from the corner of his eyes, noticed her polished skin. Light-reflecting in.

“Nicole! High long time,” she said, smiling, “hello John.” John nodded, eyes on his screen.

“ How are things? I heard you were moving on to a different school?"

“Ah well, nothing concrete yet; I am still a temp, maybe after this term. But have no plans to leave just yet. Fingers crossed." 

“ That's wonderful,” said John's mother, “ you know I understand you are doing extra maths lessons."

“Yes?”

“ Well, John, you know, he's a smart boy, but he struggles in Maths, a lot actually, and I was wondering if you might be able to arrange some extra lessons?"

“ Hmm,” said Miss Stillman, “ I think that would be okay; I will have to check with the school first. Is that something you would like, John?”

John shrugged his shoulders while his mother laughed.

“Teenagers! We have all been 15! Let me know so we can arrange it, maybe over tea?

“Would love that," said Miss Stillman. John could feel her trying to catch his eye. He turned his head to face the window on his side. "Ugh, it's been a stressful day. I could use a good tea!”

They both laugh s they say their goodbyes and wave to each other doing so. John's mother begins to drive the car out of the school lot.

“You know, you could be more polite; she has been very helpful to us,” she said. John said nothing. After a while placed his phone away and dug into his bag for the diary; his hand brushed over the rough leather texture; he could feel the hair, coarse like skin. He took a deep breath and opened the diary.