Work Text:
Time Out.
So here's the thing.
Me and Mr. Belding, it was never what you'd call a normal teacher-student relationship. I scammed more in that school than anyone else ever got away with. And he knew it, too. He caught me more times than you can count and yet, he seemed to love it. I close my eyes and it seems like I'm back in school, and I hear him yelling, "Zack Morris!" and ordering me to detention.
Detention. It seems like I spent years of my life in that place. Not that we ever actually did any work there; it was mostly just me and sometimes Slater, and Mr. Belding pretending to frown at us but really, he was there because he wanted to be.
Who am I kidding, I loved it too. I don't know why I did some of the things I did; I was a creative kid, okay? But whenever Mr. B caught me, it made it worth it. He noticed me.
High school passed so fast and some people would think it's kinda weird that I remember the principal. But how many other kids have the claim to fame that I did? He named his child after me. Little Zack Belding, who'd be, what, 15 now? I haven't seen him in years.
I always thought I'd have kids of my own by now. Things don't work out how you think they will, though.
I used to think I'd be a star. That I'd always have the gang: Screech, Slater, Jessie, Lisa and of course Kelly, and they'd always back me up in whatever scheme I dreamed up. And Belding would come racing after us, making sure I didn't get into too much trouble. Looking out for me, I guess.
He did that a lot. Stepped in behind the scenes and made sure I never actually ended up in jail for anything I pulled. Even though he seemed endlessly frustrated with me, he still wanted me to be my best. Gave me opportunities that no one else would have given to the smart-ass kid who seemed to cause nothing but trouble.
Sometimes he just stared at me. There were a couple of times that I'm sure he wanted to hug me but he never crossed 'that' line, the invisible one that existed because he was a teacher and I was his favourite student. And I knew it.
And now I'm sitting here in a bar, drinking, and he's across from me. And he's looking at me with soft eyes and hell, I'm drunk, and Kelly left me, and I realise that out of all the people in my life, he's the one who cared for me the most.
And I think he's about to kiss me.
Time In.