The Teaching Assistant

Chapter 42
The Teaching Assistant, Part 42

Part 42

Claire didn’t hang around. The moment Amelia reluctantly sat down next to Summer, the brunette prefect reminded the table to behave like the proper young ladies that they were, then went off to find her own friends.

“What kind of name is Millie, anyway?” Summer snidely asked. Placing two fingers on the corner of Amelia’s tray, the blonde teenager slid the entire thing away.

Amelia had correctly assumed that Summer’s attitude would pivot once Claire was out of earshot, but she definitely hadn’t expected the other part. “Hey!” she snapped. Whether they viewed her as a teacher or a fellow student, something like that was completely unacceptable. “That’s-” Amelia cut herself off when she realized that the phrase ‘that’s mine’ would come across as rather whiny and immature. Taking a breath and aiming for a more calm and stern approach, she reached out for the tray. “That’s not funny. And it’s ‘Amelia.’” Ashley be damned. 

Summer just scoffed. “It’s not supposed to be funny. Girls?” 

The other four girls at the round table reached forward, each taking an item off the tray. It didn’t matter that nobody stopped Amelia from gripping the tray itself; in a matter of seconds, her meal was dispersed between all five of the others. Summer had participated in the flagrant pilfering, and she outdid the others by wasting no time in taking a smug sip of the juice she had taken. 

Objectively, these girls weren’t a threat to Amelia. They were so young compared to her real age. The problem was, she was the only one that knew that. And since she was so outnumbered, and in public on top of that, there was no clear way to navigate the situation she suddenly found herself in. Being picked on by a girl who wanted to settle the score between them, all because Amelia stood up for herself yesterday. “Happy?” she asked, trying not to show how surprised and offended she actually was at the audacity. In no mood to play games, as dealing with Ashley and Claire had already been too much for one morning, Amelia pointed out, “You do realize I can just get more, right?”

Summer didn’t miss a beat. “I mean, you can. But if you get out of that chair, I’m going to have to spend some quality time with sweet Piper instead.”

The crazy thing was, it worked. 

Amelia didn’t even know Piper. The two of them had talked for a couple minutes after a single class, and that was it. She had no real reason to defend the girl, at least not to the degree that it seemed like Summer was fishing for. Except for the fact that Amelia had already witnessed how easily intimidated Piper was when up against their grade’s queen bee. For that girl to be punished for the backbone Amelia showed, simply due to a fleeting associating . . . It wasn’t fair. While it would be easy to be selfish and proceed with her escape plan for the morning, Amelia felt pressured by the teenage drama she was getting sucked into. 

Annoyingly enough, Summer had set things up so Amelia’s compliance would be readily apparent. By staying seated, Amelia was giving away the fact that Summer’s implied threat hit the mark. For a different reason than the brat assumed, but still. 

“That’s what I thought,” Summer smirked, “So, here’s what I want. To make up for yesterday, you need to show everyone that you’re never going to cross me again.”

“And how exactly will I do that?” Amelia flatly asked. Just because she had been coerced into staying didn’t mean she had to appreciate the way she was being talked to.

“Easy,” Summer replied, “For the rest of the day, you’re going to be my bitch.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’re excused. Anyway, it’ll be easy, Millie. Just carry my books for me, do what I say without making a fuss about it, and whatever. Sound good?”

Definitely not. Amelia was still appalled at how casually Summer was suggesting a catty variety of servitude. It didn’t help that no one had ever talked to Amelia in such a way, as her circles of friends hadn’t been the type. But she had also never attended an all girls school, where the dynamics and hierarchy were noticeably different than what she had ever experienced. Especially considering how young the girls at her table were; based on how devious Ashley was, the older teenagers were probably worse on average. Then again, maybe Amelia had just gotten unlucky. There were likely girls like Piper and Maxine around as well.

Instead of objecting or expressing how distinctly not proper Summer’s idea was, Amelia simply said, “Fine.” She was really just satiating the blonde for the time being. After nearly 24 hours, Amelia finally found a silver lining to the fact that her phone had been confiscated. Even if Summer had her number, which she didn’t, all Amelia had to do was slip away. If the girl couldn’t find her, and couldn’t contact her, then she couldn’t do anything else besides this temporary social degradation. 

Summer didn’t seem to be thinking about anything but the present, however, as she grinned and asked, “Yes, what?”

“Yes, I’ll be your bitch,” Amelia muttered. She had to resist rolling her eyes. How was this her current situation, when she should have been offered the job by now?”

“Thanks for saying it, but that’s not what I meant,” Summer said, “Treat me like a prefect, bitch. From now on, it’s ‘Yes, Ms. Summer.’ Okay?”

Handling Summer was one thing. The whole table was something else entirely, and Amelia couldn’t help but lightly blush at the quiet giggles as Summer’s clique watched her show the new girl who was boss at the academy. “Yes, Ms. Summer,” she reluctantly echoed. 

“Not a bad start, bitch. So, you’re going to do everything I say. For starters, give us permission to eat your breakfast. We have a big game in an hour or two, and we need all the energy we can get.”

Bitch. Amelia wasn’t sure whether she preferred that, or ‘Millie.’ Before, she would have been more torn. Now that she had been desensitized to the immature nickname from the constant use, however, it was easily preferable to the rude way she was being addressed. Especially considering Summer’s age, and how Amelia was supposed to be a teacher at a school where respect for authority was more enforced than at any public school. 

The thought of carrying the mean girl’s books was tolerable. Amelia hadn’t considered that Summer might keep her from eating breakfast. Yesterday, Amelia’s ‘breakfast’ had been more of a snack due to how Ashley and Claire had made her believe that a 7 AM arrival was necessary. That meant she hadn’t had a real meal since the dinner before, and she was particularly starving now that she had been teased with a full tray right under her nose. Trying to split the difference between her new role and her own needs, she said, “Can’t I just-”

“No. You can’t,” Summer flatly said, “Do we have permission, bitch?”

Amelia so badly wanted to snap something back. However, her breakfast had already been taken away and passed around, and she had also already begrudgingly agreed to the ‘Summer’s bitch’ thing. Backing out now would result in the same problem as before; to protect Piper, Amelia had to put up with this turn of events until she could slip away. Only now, she had more than Ashley and Claire to worry about. “Yes-” Just barely remembering the ridiculous title she had to address the younger girl by, Amelia said, “Yes, Ms. Summer.”

Apparently, that wasn’t enough, either. “Answer like a proper Westridge girl,” Summer said. She sat up with dramatically stiff posture, and even Amelia could tell that the blonde was making fun of the academy’s prefects and teachers. 

Although Amelia was the ‘new girl,’ she had already been drilled about a number of the expectations that students here were held to. While she didn’t love that she had to do such things for Summer’s sake, Amelia at least knew what to say. “Yes, Ms. Summer. You have permission to eat my breakfast.” 

“Better, bitch,” Summer smirked, “Shame I can’t write you up. You seem like the rule following type. Ooh! I have an idea.” She glanced around the room. “Perfect. One of them should be passing by in a minute. Okay, bitch. When Maxine or Charlotte are near our table, you’re going to swear at one of them. Like, ‘Fuck you, Millie.’”

The girls around the table had a variety of reactions to that. They had all seemed perfectly content to add Amelia’s breakfast selections to their own trays, but Summer’s latest idea didn’t seem to be universally appreciated. “What if our whole table gets in trouble for it?” one of the two brunettes asked. 

“Please,” Summer scoffed, “If you’re scared of getting in trouble, then sit somewhere else.” That seemed more than effective in shutting down any other potential questions. “Besides, she’s new here. Actually, forget Charlotte. You’re going to say it to Maxine.” As in, the prefect Amelia already had an interaction with. 

Amelia wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She had just signed up for the degrading role Summer coerced her into, and saying ‘no’ probably wouldn’t go over well. “What if I’m your bitch for two days instead?” Amelia offered. She didn’t actually mean it. She was just stalling while surreptitiously looking around for Ashley or Claire. While they were the ones who started all this, they also had the seniority necessary to pull Amelia away for any number of reasons. As for the two days, it was hardly different than one when she planned to be gone within the next few hours. 

Summer just grinned. “Good idea. You can be my bitch for two days. Actually, let’s make it three. But you have to say it. What are you going to do, bitch?”

Teenagers. There was clearly only one bitch between the two of them, wrong as it felt to label a younger girl like that. Still, Amelia didn’t fight it. Instead, she just said, “I’m going to be your bitch for three days.”

“Ms. Summer.”

“I’m going to be your bitch for three days, Ms. Summer.”

“Good,” Summed said, “Face towards me, bitch, and hold still.”

Amelia didn’t like the unknown factor behind the demand, but she did as she was told anyway. Shifting until she was turned towards Summer to the best of her ability in the dining hall chair, Amelia waited with nervous anticipation to see what the entitled girl had planned. 

Summer reached forward and began fiddling with the top of Amelia’s tie. Within seconds, it was loosened enough for Summer to undo the top button of the dress shirt as well. “Much better,” she said, “I think you’re ready. Do you remember what you’re going to say to Maxine?”

“What?” Amelia asked. That’s not what they had talked about. 

“Apparently not,” Summer rolled her eyes, “It’s just three little words. One for each day that you’re going to be my bitch. Fuck. You. Maxine.” Sitting back with a more prominent smirk, she said, “You have to, little Millie.”