ANN BJORN
A multi-talented storyteller, Ann Bjorn began her professional life as a computer programmer while concurrently pursuing a university degree in data processing and management. A smooth transition into antique dealing followed a life of a balanced career and family.
She now delves into fiction, which is a pleasant turn of events. Ann fights Parkinson’s disease head-on while living a resilient life near Michigan’s Lake Huron with her husband and three grown children.
Her unpredictability as a keyboard dancer occasionally impacts her writing, but her tenacity and love of narrative, which she has nurtured since childhood, shine through.
CHARACTERS
CORENNE THAYER was a junior at Lakewood High School. She was too smart for her own good. She did her work, but the material was too easy. She always got A’s in everything. She was bored with nothing to do. Quite often she would just doodle.
PHILIP ANDERSON was the substitute. He was in reality not a teacher. He was an engineer. He had agreed to take the substitute position for three months as a favor to a friend.
ADAM MCCLELLAN was Philip’s best friend since kindergarten. He was always around. Adam was an internet addict. He always had an iPad within reach.
SCOTT THAYER was Corenne’s twin brother. The twins had little in common, but they always supported each other.
THE STORY
And then their paths crossed.
Corenne looked up as Anderson stepped into the classroom the first time. Something happened. It was like lightning. There was an instant connection between them, an unexplainable attraction. Corenne’s eyes met his. She couldn’t look away. It was beyond strange. But before that first hour had passed Corenne and this guy had clashed twice. The incredible ride started.
Now Corenne had a purpose beyond the doodles: Make that man’s life miserable. The ultimate question was: Did she control the classroom, or did he control her?
The sparks flew, but then unexpectedly they were engulfed in fire they could not control. They found themselves in each other’s arms. Drawn together again and again.
***
Corenne and Sean pushed their way through the crowd to see. When they got to the front, Corenne was stunned. There, in a designer swimsuit, stood Mr. Anderson, with a bottle of scotch in one hand and a certificate in the other. Behind him hung an impossibly large fish of some kind. Under each arm was a girl sporting the smallest possible bikini. Pictures were taken, cameras were switched around, girls were switched around, and more pictures were taken. It was mayhem. Corenne pulled out her phone and started taking pictures. With each set of girls, she got pictures. She suddenly got an idea, “Sean, please, I want my picture taken with that fish.” She didn’t want to say ‘guy.’ She didn’t need to upset Sean.
Corenne was pretty sure that Anderson was not paying very close attention to the girls. He may have had a little too much to drink from that bottle. Corenne was betting that he would not have any idea that she was there.
Corenne was right. She got all the way up on the dock and next to Anderson, right under his arm. She turned to him and put her hand on his bare muscular chest. She was showing almost as much skin in the tiny bikini she was wearing as he did in the trunks. She smiled while Anderson answered a question from a bystander. Corenne made her way back down.
***
“Good morning. Please, take your seats.” The words were always the same at the beginning of class.
Everyone took their assigned seats except Corenne.
Mr. Anderson sighed silently. Here we go again!
“Miss Corenne, will you, please, take your seat?”
“I can’t.”
“And why can’t you take your seat?” Anderson inquired.
“Because it isn’t here.” Corenne pointed to the base of her desk.
“What?” Anderson got up and went to Corenne’s desk. She was right. There was no seat. It had been removed from the desk.
You did that.” She accused him.
“Well, I might have, if I had thought of it, but in this case, I am innocent.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Corenne was fuming, while Anderson was holding back laughing.
A light scraping sound from the doorway was accompanied by the faintest sight of orange. Corenne and Anderson simultaneously knew what or rather who was the guilty party.
Scott, Corenne’s twin brother, loved orange t-shirts and wore a different one to school every day. It was clear who had played a prank on Corenne.
Corenne started for the door, as did Anderson. He did not want problems in the classroom spilling out into the hallway, He had the benefits of being closer to the door, and having long legs, that allowed him to get to the opening first. He stopped a couple of feet before the door. Corenne, however, did not predict Anderson stopping. By the time she realized it, she did not have time to stop. She barreled with all her strength into Anderson. It was for all practical purposes a full-on body slam.
The class went completely silent.
The impact was hard enough to knock the wind out of both of them. Anderson, with his larger frame overcame the collision first. Corenne was still against him when he realized that she was sliding down. As he grabbed her with both hands, he knew that she had experienced a brief blackout. He put his arms all the way around her and lifted her high enough that she could get her feet under her. He said out load, “Are you all right?
Corenne didn’t answer. Anderson bent his head to her ear and whispered: “Come on, Sweetheart. You can do it!” Then he repeated, “Are you all right?
Corenne took a deep breath and nodded.
Anderson stated loud enough for the class to hear, “If you want a hug, all you have to do, is ask for it.” That broke the tension in the room, as a quiet laugh rose up.
Corenne slowly pushed against Anderson’s chest and took a step away from him. She headed for her desk. Anderson didn’t move away from the doorway. With Corenne you never knew what she may do next. “Get your back-pack and other stuff and find yourself another seat.”
Corenne got her things and looked around the room. She proceeded to go to the front of the class-room and plunk herself down in the teacher’s chair. This time the room erupted.
Everyone had something to share with their classmates.
Anderson snickered, “That is the seat you want?”
“Yes, sir.’
“Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Okay. So, teach!”
“What?”
“You are in the teacher’s seat. So, you get to teach.” Anderson sat down at a student desk in the back of the room.
***
They were both reading: Philip sat in a recliner with a murder mystery while Corenne was curled up on the couch with a physics textbook the stereo was on, but not too loud. Philip asked, “So did you buy yourself something today?”
“Yes, I did.”
“What did you get?”
“Clothes.”
“Nice stuff?’
“I think so.”
“Are you going to show me.”
“Sure.”
“Put it on, so I can see.”
“You want me to parade it for you?”
“Certainly.”
“Okay. If you insist.”
Corenne got up and went to the bedroom, while Philip returned to his book.
A few minutes later Corenne stopped in the doorway. She was wearing a snow-white teddy of lace. It covered everything, but hid nothing. Over that garment she demonstrated a short robe of see-through silk.
“What do you think?”
Philip was in the middle of a paragraph. He looked up for just a second and let his eyes move back to the text. One heartbeat later, he looked up in amazement. His book fell to the floor.
He swallowed, or rather he tried to swallow and found he wasn’t able to. Corenne entered the living room. She was moving in rhythm with the music from the stereo. When she got to the middle of the room, she did a pirouette. The movement caused the bottom of the robe to bellow out, making it virtually invisible.
Philip got up and approached Corenne. The look on his face told all. He was going to get his hands on her, and now. Corenne didn’t object. She asked, “You like?”
“Oh, yeah. I like. You call this buying something for yourself?”
“Absolutely.”
When he got to her, he lifted her arms to his shoulders, allowing him to run his hands up and down her sides. He picked her up and headed for the master suite.