The Hornet

Leonard and Lewis had a bet, so David had to hear all about it.

“She must have done something; must have been pretty bad.”

“Bull. She’s so straight. No chance.”

At least they were no longer in the library. David was sitting in the cafeteria when they both came in arguing about something that he knew too much about. Their librarian, Ms. Milton, was a complete mystery to them and they did not like it. She had joined the school only a year ago and all the boys had developed their own theories about her. That’s what happens when there is at least one woman on staff who is pretty hot, does not look like someone’s tired and disappointed mom, and can make glasses work far too well. David was not as obsessed as the others, but he understood it. His girlfriend already mentioned that she would “dump him like a sad idea” if she caught him ogling her (Jade had a way with the language she used). But ogling? He wasn’t Leonard or Lewis. He was in the honour stream and grades that guaranteed he would have a pretty good future, if he had no screw-ups or obsessions distracting him.

But, Leonard and Lewis… They were friends, girl-obsessed, acne-covered, determinedly single because of their skin and attitude, and right in front of him on another lunch break.

“Are you still doing this?”

“David, seriously… Don’t tell me that you haven’t thought about her. Jade ain’t here.” Lewis dropped his lunch bag across from him and looked at Leonard. “Take a seat and explain things to the man.”

Leonard seemed reluctant to sit down. He put his books down on the table and looked around before taking a seat.

“Okay, here’s the thing: we know some people on the school board.”

“Leonard, your mom works in an office there. That’s your people?”

“Dave, let him finish.” Lewis dug into his sandwiches.

“Thanks. Now, like I said, we know someone in the school board. We can find out about transfers and hires if we ask. No real rule about this.”

David had calculus after the bell rang, and for the first time he was looking forward to being in class.

“Ms. Milton shows up in the middle of the year. No notice that we were gonna change the librarian or anything. Just had her show up like that without a word? Bull… Something must have happened.”

“And?” David was waiting for the bell.

“And, that’s all.” Leonard lost his smile. “Just seems weird to me.”

“Could keep digging.” Lewis had peanut butter breath and David was glad there was a table between them. “Could probably…”

“Guys, if you have a thing for her, you should probably just ask her out.”

Leonard and Lewis had to laugh. Even David was pleased with his joke.

“Eww! A librarian. Just not on, man.”

“Too old.”

“Whatever.” David finally heard the bell ring. “Keep up the good work.”

He was beginning to wonder if he needed new friends.

*

She was not an unattractive woman. David had a few girlfriends by their sophomore year, but never really considered himself an expert on women. But Ms. Milton was…special. Not too tall; the perfume she wore was not too heavy (could have a chat with some of the girls in his grade about how to wear it); she always had information he needed when he was working on projects and assignments, but nothing really sparked there, not even the glasses that were becoming a fetish for his friends (Leonard always went after the eggheads in their grade; Lewis always talked about going after the eggheads and did nothing). They were going to graduate soon, and that would be that. It could be another pleasant memory to take to college, or at least one out of many unpleasant ones.

But then she wore that outfit.

It started with something he heard in the bus stop line when two jocks were giggling and mumbling about something behind him (he never knew their names):

“Yeesh! Like a bumble bee on her!”

“A bee you wanna bang, right?”

“Gross! She’s old enough to be my mom.”

“Yeah, that’s…yeah…”

That was all he heard before he got to the school and Leonard and Lewis talked a little bit more about this.

“You gotta see her, man. You got a free period?”

“Seriously, what…?”

“Just go in.”

Leonard had the question answered when David walked past Lewis’s finger to the library.

And he saw it.

Now, he was not an expert on women, and did not really like to judge anyone on their looks (Jade was in his thoughts), but Ms. Milton was now a very different looking woman.

Her desk was right by the main entrance, so he saw her before he stepped in. And David had to stop.

It was a dress that captured every curve and stretch of her body as she walked over to a shelf and replaced a book. And it was the colours that she chose that got to him. Did she really not think about what people would say when they saw her? Did she really think black and yellow was a good look?

David walked into the library, trying not to make too much noise as he stepped inside and found a desk.

“Mr. Arman.”

Yeah, she knew his name. He was always at the same desk on these free periods and had asked too many questions about too many books when he had to finish up his work.

“Hi, Ms. Milton.”

“You are back for another assignment?” She was dazzling with those glasses (his mother wore something similar when she was a young lady; retro and stylish).

“Oh, no. I have an essay this time. Something on enti-…enny…?”

“Entomology?”

“Oh, yes, that’s it. I always have a problem with the pronunciation.”

“Okay, well, if you need any books, you can use the Dewey…”

“Right, we have the code, so, I just have to read up and come up with an idea.”

“I see.” Was she disappointed? “Well, keep up the good work.”

“I will.”

David realized how quiet the library was, even during a free period. There was no one else on the floor and he decided to sit as far from the entrance as he could.

What was he thinking?

What was she thinking?

David looked at the notes he had in front of him. They were all a wash of ink and pencil scratches that he could put into some sort of order if he did not have his brain distracted by something else… Something he had not considered before.

Ms. Milton was a woman.

She was not…young (was it late 30s, early 40s), but she took care of herself. It was hard to imagine her not having an interesting life outside of the school (it was hard to focus on his notes). David had no other teachers that seemed to have whatever it is that Ms. Milton carried with her as she worked daily and dealt with all of the nonsense that came with being around teenagers.

So, why were those jocks…?

David looked up.

Ms. Milton was on a stepstool looking at a shelf of science books, her dress very tight on her hips as she leaned forward.

She wore this before.

That would be a terrible mistake at their school. Wearing anything that the student’s recognized as a repeat would brand you forever (there was a reason why one math teacher became Ms. Hermes). He looked over her carefully and studied her anatomy.

Just like an insect, he thought.

A hornet.

That was the insect that he had in mind as she moved through her shelves. The curves, the motions, the shift in colours and even the glasses made it seem like she was part of that family. And David knew hornets. They were no friend of other insects (bees, wasps, and others hated them), and they could inflict a lot of damage when aroused (he still shuddered thinking of a photograph he saw of someone with multiple hornet stings on their face and arms). An interesting study, too. But there was something else about her…

“You need any help?”

Ms. Milton somehow managed to get behind his desk while he let his thoughts flow.

“Oh, no, I just…I need to pick something for the assignment.”

“Ah, entymology.”

“Yeah. Maybe I should pick ants or flies.”

“Or maybe…hornets?”

David froze at her wicked smile.

“Don’t worry, kid. I have heard it all before. ‘The Hornet’ followed me here; ‘The Wasp’ at my old job at the Main Branch. Never really heard ‘The Bee’ before, but that might happen. People can be mean. Maybe that’s how I keep finding myself getting different jobs. Maybe I should be more careful with my clothes or just how I look. Just maybe.”

She leaned in close and David finally noticed her perfume (something rich with flowers and something sweeter in the mix).

“And maybe that is how I get ‘em in here.”

She almost laughed out loud, and the bell for the end of the period would have covered the noise. David just looked at her grin and had to return one.

“Okay, well, thank you, Ms. Milton.” He shoved his papers into his knapsack, hoping that he was not sweating too much.

“You are always welcome back here, David.” She walked slowly back to the desk. David had to follow behind her at an agonizing pace and left without looking back.

“And you should always be true to yourself, kid. No matter what people say.”

For the rest of the semester, he wondered about the behaviour of insects, and all the secrets of a beautiful librarian.