<<What's in a name?
That which we call a
rose by any other name
would smell as
sweet.>>

Unfortunately, in the end, the floor did not swallow me; rather, I sank into the eyes of the woman who had just crossed the threshold of the door.

The words of my English teacher come to my mind and I wonder in what sense I have impressed her...
In any case, a smile that rises from the embarrassment and from a strange joy of seeing her, illuminates my face.

My classmates get up to return to their seats: action that I hope is enough not to make miss Signorelli say anything about what she heard.
By the way... how much and what does she have heard?

Teacher Giovanna leaves without saying goodbye and just nodding her head to the magnificent miss. Signorelli. I understand the advanced age of this Giovanna, but where did she leave her education? Next to the tube of glue that she uses to stick her dentures?

Teacher Signorelli gives me a very sweet smile, different from the one that two hours ago addressed us the science professor; point first: this smile is directed exactly straight to me. Second point: It's like there's something untold between us...
When she sits in the chair behind the desk, l feel her smell very strongly and I can't help but take it in my lungs.
As she begins her epic lesson, I pause to analyze her beautiful face for the second time since I've known her.
She has two big eyes with a sweet cut of a very warm brown, which look like those of a deer. They remind me of the color of honey and give me the warmth of the winter fireplace.
I love her light makeup, in fact she has only a little blue pencil line on her eyes, matched with her t-shirt and a thread of mascara. On the cheekbones, which would make even a Hollywood actress envy, has a layer of blush and on the fleshy lips has nothing. The hair is under the shoulders, shaped into soft waves of the same color as her eyes.

I still don't understand what's happening to me...
I have never, and I mean never, stopped too long to look if a girl was beautiful or not, and l didn't even care. But with this woman it's different: I can't take my eyes off her body.

Is she aware of the effect it has on me?
Probably yes.
And the phrase she may have heard before certainly doesn't help.
I come back to the real world when I hear my name come out of her mouth:

<<Charlotte, can you stand up to come to the blackboard?>>

Here I am, blushing like a fool, what then? For a request to go to the blackboard?

Great Charlotte! You really have to look like a casual and smart girl!

I waste no time and nod immediately, getting up to walk towards the blackboard. She explains to me that I should have simply copied a summary map on the life of the author of the Iliad, named Homer.

Okay Charlotte, you can do it, if a little while ago you survived having her face half a meter away sitting in front of you, now why wouldn't you do it?

She gets up and gets closer and closer to me looking into my eyes, and I understand that I can't do it.

Damn, she is gorgeous!

She gives me her book, on which the table is printed and, as she passes it to me, our hands touch. My already shaking hands start to tingle and it seems that the contact lasts longer than expected, but I'm the one who interrupts it. My cheeks are burning, not to mention my fingers, which already miss the warmth caused by her touch.
To avoid appearing rude, I quickly thank her for the book and start writing.

It takes me about 10 minutes, then the bell rings and my classmates go out to go to the machines and watch the older boys and girls, enjoying the break.

Eda asks me to join her to get a packet of crisps, but I tell her that I would join her shortly afterwards. I take my backpack, rummage inside and find what I was looking for: a wipe. I clean my hands of the chalk I used to write on the blackboard and, when I go to throw it away, I put my back to the wall, there I realize that miss Signorelli and I are completely alone.
I look at her for a split second and notice that her eyes are already on me, l don't know since when...

She opens her mouth and thanks me for the favor as if I had climbed Mount Everest for her, instead of copying a simple map. I smile at her warmly and leave the classroom with my heart pounding.

Eda and Miriam join me immediately afterwards and make embarrassing jokes about me and teacher Signorelli. Miriam says:

<<I think someone here is already the Italian teacher's pet.>>

And then Eda adds:

<<That's a big deal! Charlotte, why did you blush when miss. Signorelli approached you?>>

And now what do I answer? The truth is: I don't know either.

<<What are you saying, girls? She treats us all the same, and then, well... I didn't turn red, it was your impression, Eda, that's all.>>

<<Of course, of course.>>

The two cousins ​​say together.

Break flies by and when we get back, the teacher has already left. This makes me sad: I'm sad I didn't say goodbye to her, but at least I'll see her the day after tomorrow. Not that I care that much, in the end...

*Three months later.*

The months fly by at the speed of light and, in the meantime, many things have happened: I was elected class representative together with Josef; the science teacher, miss. Ferrante, and I bonded really well. In fact, after each lesson, we often stop to talk about anything; I also discovered that we have the same zodiac sign: Sagittarius.
I have met all the teachers and I must say that I am very satisfied with them and with the grades I am getting.

As far as friendships are concerned, because, being very extroverted, I didn't have any problems. Eda, Miriam and I have become really close and we are a sort of trio, which works because the two of them are cousins.
Then there are Alice, Miranda and Paola, who often go out with us after lessons.
I also got close to Josef, even though it seems to me that he looks for every possible excuse to talk to me, touch me, see me outside school, even ending up in ridicule.
The next time he exaggerates, I'll tell him something: I don't want him to get strange ideas.

I have a lot to say about Prof Signorelli: my thoughts have been full of her for the last three months, for the whole damn day. I tell everyone about her; I even confessed to my two cousins ​​what looking at her and having her close to me makes me feel; how her parfume has become my new drug, and how much I miss her when I don't see her. I explained to them that I have never been interested in a woman, let alone one seventeen years older than me.

During her lessons, she and I never take our eyes off each other; she always asks me to lend her my school supplies or to get her a coffee from the vending machines; sometimes we even talk after class. Or rather: she speaks, I just nod, because I can't say many words when I'm close to her.

At the moment I couldn't feel better, leaving aside the stress that school causes me, clearly, but it's as if there was constantly something implicit between me and her, and l fucking love this tention between us.

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Hi, my dears, I hope I'm not boring you... I'm really very insicure about my ability to entertain with a story written by me, in fact your opinions would be very helpful to me. If you like, write to me what you think. Thanks in advance. 💜