"Mrs. De Luca?"

Amy turned her head at the sound of a male voice. She was certainly not expecting the young god who walked through the office door. She just assumed that Mr. Cooper would be an old, balding, grey-haired man with rumpled clothes and a pocket protector. Instead, he looked to be about 36, had bright blue eyes, chiseled features, and was wearing a faded denim shirt and khaki pants. No nerd he!

"Wow! I mean yes. But it is Ms., I'm not married. In fact, why donŐt we drop the formalities? Call me Amy."

"OK. In that case, please call me Jeff." He sat down in a chair facing her and flashed a breath-taking smile. "You sure that you are not MariaŐs sister?"

Amy laughed and self-consciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Hmm, no ring, no photos of the family. Gotcha. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you. Well, let's talk about Maria. Were you aware that she has been struggling with Geometry? Since I am new here, I am not sure about the normal protocol of when to call a parent in. But I did want to alert you to her situation before it was too late." Jeff handed her a slip of paper with a tally of Maria's grades.

"She hadn't mentioned any problems, but then again, I don't think I would have either if I had been in her place. What do you suggest we do?"

"I recommend she gets a tutor. We have a peer-tutoring program here, and I would advise her to sign up. I think you should get on her a bit, make sure she understands the consequences should she fail a class. She would have to go to summer school at the very least."

"I am sure that is one option she will not like. I'll get right on it. Thank you very much, Jeff."

"No problem, uh, Amy. Nice to meet you."

Amy got up and walked to the door. As she was about to leave, she turned around to face him. "I was thinking. Since you are new to Roswell and all, and I am sure a bachelor like you is not into cooking..." She paused to be sure that he did not correct her on the word bachelor. "And in an attempt to butter you up for my daughter's sake, I wonder if you would like to join the two of us for a home cooked meal?"

It didn't take long for him to respond, "That sounds great. When?"

"Tomorrow? 6:30? We live at 140 Encino."

"Ok, see you then."

Maybe Maria had done her a favor after all, Amy thought.

**********************

Maria was bummed to find her mom's Jetta in the driveway when she got home from school. She knew that her mom had met with Mr. Cooper, and she was not in the mood for a lecture. She walked in the door and was surprised by a cheery greeting.

"Hi hon. What's shaking?"

"Not much, you know, just the usual . Well, I better get upstairs and change for work."

"Not so fast. We have a bit to discuss. Like, why didn't you tell me that Jeff Cooper was so dreamy?"

Ittook Maria a minute to recover from shock. "Jeff? You call him by his first name? And dreamy? Ick, mom, he is so old!"

"Old? Hardly! He is so tall, and has such thick hair. I had to control myself to keep from running my fingers through it. Do you know if he is single?"

What was going on here? Her mom was sounding like..like her! "OK, I can't believe I am saying this, but back to me. Did you two discuss me, or were you too busy drooling over him?"

"Yes, he said that you should get a tutor from your peer-pool or something. If you don't get your grades up, you are on a direct route to summer school. So, you better do what he says. Oh, and by the way, I don't think the attraction was one-sided. He is joining us for dinner tomorrow night."

Now this was bad news."You gotta be kidding me."

"Nope. So I'm expecting you to be on your best behavior. I've got a feeling that he could be the one."

"Where have I heard that before? Whatever. I gotta go."

I would be rich if I got a dollar each time she said that one, Maria thought to herself as she ran upstairs to her room.

**************

"I cant believe it! Your mom and Mr. Cooper?" Maria knew she could count on Liz to react properly to her horrible news. She had taken her aside as soon as she arrived at the Crashdown.

"I know. She was so weird. Like, all she could talk about was how dreamy he was."

Liz giggled. "Dreamy. Are'nt our folks queer? My mom still says groovy. What's worse is when she tries to talk like me."

"I knowshe is not like a normal parent, but I have never seen her act this bad before. Does'nt she know that I could combust or something if I saw one of my teachers in my living room? It is a violation of natural law! Some boundaries are not ever meant to be tampered with."

Liz put her hand on Maria's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Cheer up. Hey, if she marries him, then you are sure to pass Geometry!"

********************

"Amy, this lasagna is outstanding."

"Thanks. An old family recipe."

Yah right, Mariathought. She bought it at Lilly's Market. They were seated around the De Luca'skitchen table. Mr. Cooper had arrived promptly at 6:30 bearing a bouquet of tulips. He looked somewhat different from the way he did at school, but Maria could'nt quite put her finger on it. Could he be nervous? Her mom certainly was. It had taken her an hour to get ready, and she was wearing a red and blue checked sundress instead of her regulation blue jeans. She looks like June Cleaver! Who is she kidding?

"So, where were you living before you moved to Roswell?"

"I was teaching at a school in Denver. Had been there for a couple years and decided that I needed a change. A friend told me about a job opening at Roswell High, and here I am."

"Well, Maria is lucky to have you as a teacher. God, when I was at R.H. I had Miss. Jenkins for Geometry. She was a horrible, horrible woman. I still get the willies when I think about her."

"Not if you judge my teaching in terms of Maria's current grade performance. But with some extra help, I am sure she will catch up."

Maria gave Mr. Cooper a smile which did not quite reach her eyes. She got up from the table and brought her plate to the sink.

"Why don't we have our tea in the living room? Jeff, you like jasmine tea? Don't worry about the dishes, Maria will take care of them. Put on some hot water, hon."

Her mom went into the next room. Mr. Cooper picked up his plate and brought it to Maria. He put his hand on her back and said in a low voice close to her ear, "Thank you."

It was a brief moment, but Maria was spooked long after she finished the dishes and retreated to her room. She did not even come down to say goodbye to Mr. Cooper.

*******************

The next day Liz caught up with Maria just after third period. "So, how was it?" "Ugh. Mom was just so disgusting. She was doing this whole fake 1950s happy home-maker thing. And he was eating it all up, literally and figuratively. Well, at least it won't last. I am sure she cant keep the act up forever. He'll go running for the hills as soon as Amy's true colors show through."

"Of course it won't last. Your mom goes through guys like I go through Kleenex."

"You know, though, there was something about Mr. Cooper which just made me feel so..." "Fantasizing about older men now, Maria?" Michael had suddenly appeared and caught Maria in mid-sentence.

"Yah, well, with guys like you around I don't have any choice." She turned to Liz, deliberately blocking Michael with her backside. "I gotta go to Geometry. Later."

************************

"Ok, who would like to give a go at the proof on the board?" Mr. Cooper's eyes scanned the class.

Please don't call on me! Please don't call on me! Maria crossed her fingers under her desk. How could she be prepared after last night? She was certainly in no shape to study formulas, of all things.

"How about Maria?"

So much for luck. She threw Alex a look of desperation. He pointed to his watch and mouthed "one more minute." Good. She slowly eased out of her chair and walked to the font of the classroom. She was writing the given part of the proof out when the bell rang. Thank God, because that is all I know.

As she was leaving with the rest of her classmates she heard Mr. Cooper asking her to stay behind for a minute. He waited for them to be alone before he spoke.

"I'm sorry that I put you on the spot just now, but I donŐt want anyone to accuse me of playing favorites."

"Favorites?"

"Because your mom and I are going out. Have you signed up for a tutor yet?"

"Yes, George Spencer."

"Good. And I want you to know that I am always available to help whenever I am over." He gave her a wink.

"Oh, uh ok. Thanks." What was going on? He made it seem as if he and her mom already had a "thing" together. They only had one date, and it was'nt even that. Don't you have to go out for it to count as a date? I definitely don't like this.

********************************

Two weeks later Mr. Cooper was still hanging around Maria's mom. They were now in the pattern of spending at least every other evening together, often eating dinner at the De Luca's. Maria tried to get early warning on those evenings so she could either schedule a shift at the Crashdown, or hang out at Liz's house. This night was no exception. She had stayed over at Liz's until 11:00, when she figured the coast was clear to go home. Since their conversation the day after the first date, Maria had not discussed the whole Mr. Cooper situation with Liz. She only knew that Maria was spending a lot of time at her place because she did not like to eat dinner with her Geometry teacher.The other part, that he gave her the creeps as a person, was an unmentionable.

As she pulled into her driveway she noticed that Mr. Cooper's Audi was still parked out front. She walked into the dimly lit hallway, and got a glimpse of her mother passed out on the couch with her head in Mr. Cooper's lap. He was out too, with his legs propped up on the coffee table filled with what looked to be at least six empty beer bottles. Both faces were bathed in the flickering blue light of the TV. This is just great. Maria quietly walked up the stairs to her room. The last thing she wanted to do was catch her mom and Mr. Cooper in a compromising position. She changed into an oversized Tori Amos t-shirt and then walked into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

When she was done, she opened the door and her heart almost stopped. Mr. Cooper was standing directly in front of her. "Oh, God! Mr. Cooper!" Maria brought a hand to her chest. "You startled me, I thought you were asleep."

"Sorry. I think you woke me when you came home. I need to wash up before I leave. What time is it?"

Maria noticed that he did look pretty messy. His shirt was untucked, and he was barefoot. He was also a bit unsteady on his feet.

"Around 11:30." She tried to walk around him but he stopped her by putting his arm around her shoulder. He reeked of beer.

"Hey, where are you going?"

"To bed. Excuse me." Maria unsuccessfully tried to brush his arm off.

"Oh, c'mon. Let's talk. I know that you find this whole situation strange, but I want us all to be friends." His arm curled her in to face him. "You know, I bet your mom looked a lot like you when she was your age. You both have the same mouth, did you know that?" He brought a finger up to Maria's lips.

"Wha--what are you doing?"

"Shh, don't want to wake your mom. I just want a taste of those lips. I've already had dinner, and now I want my dessert. You are a little spit-fire! You know, your struggling is only getting me more excited." He backed Maria up and tightly pinned one of her wrists to the wall. "Stop it, you are hurting me!" As he started to lean in, Maria kneed him in the groin. He bent over in pain, and she managed to wrench her wrist from his grip. She raced to her room and locked the door before he was able to regain his balance.

Sobbing, she threw herself onto her bed. He was still out there, she could hear him panting outside her door.

"Maria, hey let me in. I...I just want to talk to you. Look, I think this is all just a misunderstanding. C'mon, let me in."

"Leave me alone." she whispered.

"Maria. Maria." There was a long pause before he continued. "Are you crying in there? Let me in, I'll help you feel better."

Oh God, why won't he leave me alone? "Go away. Go away, or I'll tell my mom about this."

She heard the sound of his hand smacking her door. "You are going to tell your mom? To hell you will. And who do you think she would believe? She would only think you were lying because you don't like her dating your teacher. She loves me, she said that tonight. You better be careful, little girl. It could get very ugly if you started rumors about me. It would be the word of a 16 year-old up against that of an adult. Yes, be very, very careful!" He hit the door again, and then it was quiet.