Sweet Like Honey

chapter two

"LAINEY?"

Isaac stared at the young girl in front of him, who had been standing at his doorstep. There was light rain beating down on her head, tapping very lightly against her scalp. The sun was still low in the sky, though, casting a smooth and golden hue over her face, but clouds were quickly shifting over the light.

"Oh, I- I'm sorry," Isaac swallowed uncomfortably, looking behind himself and into his house. "I don't... I don't have the papers graded yet."

Lainey's lips pulled into a smile. "Mr. Walker," she giggled, "I'm not here for that. I had no idea you even lived here, to tell you the truth."

Isaac laughed lightly in relief, though he was still confused as to why she was standing at his door just before 8:00 PM, three days after the last day of school.

"I was actually just coming from house to house, offering to clean them. You know, for a summer job," Lainey wouldn't stop smiling, and her eyes were wide as they grazed over his every feature.

Isaac shifted, staring at the wooden floorboards beneath his feet that were becoming soaked with the light rain.

"Oh," Isaac chuckled, leaning against the doorframe as he hesitantly took the business card that she was handing him. "Uh, thanks so much Lainey, but honestly, I think we're fine-"

"Aw, come on, Isaac," he heard his girlfriend intervene, before he turned to find her walking towards the doorway, bouncing their son on her hip.

"Amelia," Isaac spoke through his teeth, staring at her as she moved beside him to smile at Lainey. "We don't need a housekeeper."

"But, the poor girl needs a job," Amelia spoke, staring at Lainey with a warm and understanding expression across her face, "and, you know, we could use the extra help. I have work and you're going to be busy with Gavin while you're home for the summer. It will be nice to have some extra hands."

Isaac flicked his tongue over his bottom lip, not willing to argue in front of his student.

"We'll think about it-" Isaac went to close the door, but Lainey interrupted him.

"You must be Mr. Walker's girlfriend," Lainey politely reached out to shake Amelia's free hand, her eyes darkening as they flickered up and down his girlfriend's body. Almost immediately, her demeanor shifted, and Lainey looked to Gavin who was cooing at her. "And you must be his son! What a cutie-pie!"

"Lainey, thanks so much for stopping by, but we're-" Isaac desperately wanted to put a stop to this conversation, but Amelia interrupted again.

"I'm sure we're going to give you a call, sweetie," Amelia grinned, oblivious to the way Lainey was narrowing her eyes towards her. Amelia turned to glare at Isaac, while he lowered his head in aggravation.

The rain was getting slightly heavier, and he didn't understand why Lainey still wanted to be outside. He hoped that Amelia wouldn't ask her to come inside.

"Great!" Lainey suddenly clapped her hands together, and Isaac felt her eyes burning through him. "I can start whenever you need me to."

"Have a great night, Lainey," Isaac spoke up, before practically slamming the door in Lainey's face.

He inhaled a breath of relief while Amelia stood before him, her mouth agape at the way he had treated the younger girl. But Isaac had a strange feeling whenever Lainey stared at him - something tickled every column of his spine whenever she was around.

"That's no way to treat a teenage girl who's just trying to make some money for the summer. I mean, I used to be just like her - I always wanted to babysit and housekeep for my neighbors," Amelia said gently, placing Gavin on the ground so she could tie her unruly curls into a bun.

Isaac shook his head, pinching the bridge of his nose in a failing attempt to ease his pulsing temples. "Do you see the way she was staring at me? At you, too? She's just creepy."

Amelia licked her lips and narrowed her eyes at him in disbelief. "That girl seems like the sweetest angel. I've met some of your students before, and none of them were as respectful as her."

"All right, maybe I'm just being paranoid," Isaac concluded, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch.

Amelia giggled and walked into the kitchen, while Isaac placed his elbows on his knees and threaded his fingers through his hair. He decided he would take this time to get some of the papers graded, before his son, Gavin, waddled over to him. There was a toothless smile across his lips as he then jumped into Isaac's arms.

Isaac chuckled as he watched Gavin rattle a plastic lion around for a few minutes. He then looked over to the window next to him, staring at the purple, transitioning sky. The rain still tapped against the glass, growing heavier by the second.

"It's really coming down hard out there," Isaac observed loudly to his girlfriend, before he suddenly jumped.

Confusion muddled his thoughts and his heart began to pump rapidly against his ribcage. There was a figure standing at the end of his driveway, just standing, and he looked closer to find that the figure had long, stringy hair. The girl was soaked, and it didn't take long for him to realize that it was Lainey.

"What the fuck?" Isaac whispered under his breath, reaching over for his glasses on the nightstand.

"Watch your language in front of Gavin," Amelia scolded, before tilting her head at him. "What's wrong?"

Isaac slipped his glasses over his eyes, giving him a clearer vision of the girl standing at the end of the driveway.

"Who is that?" Amelia asked, moving beside him to look out the window. "Is that your student? What is she doing just standing there?"

"I- I don't know," Isaac mumbled nervously.

"Well go out there and ask her what she needs, you're her teacher. She obviously needs something, she's standing in the pouring rain," Amelia told him. "Maybe she's locked out of her house, or something."

Isaac sighed heavily while moving Gavin from his lap and standing to his feet. He didn't want to talk to Lainey, but he knew that Amelia would be upset if he didn't.

So he trudged over to the coat hanger beside the door and pulled his large windbreaker over his t-shirt, grabbing a flashlight off the table as well. The night was falling rather quickly, and Lainey didn't look like she was going to leave any time soon.

He swung the door open and stepped out, the rain instantly pounding against his glasses and fogging them up. He turned the flashlight on and walked slowly over to Lainey, who continued to stand there and stare at him.

"Lainey? Is everything okay?" he asked, shining the flashlight on her.

Mascara ran down her cheeks, and her arms were folded over each other. Her teeth chattered, as she was only wearing a white t-shirt and denim shorts.

"L-Lainey?" Isaac tilted his head, unsure of how to handle the situation.

Lainey continued to blankly stare at him, her eyes piercing into him. He heard Amelia swing the door open and run onto the front porch.

"Why don't you both just come back inside?" Amelia called out, her voice echoing against the silence of the street. "It's only going to get worse out there."

Isaac's eyes widened, before he quickly looked to Lainey, who had a devilish smile across her lips.

"N-no, wait a secon-" Isaac tried.

"Oh, I would just love to come inside, Mr. Walker," Lainey said, her tone harsh. She then began walking towards their front door, pushing past Isaac on the way.