The Air I Breathe (Student x Teacher)

Chapter Four: Today, I Say Goodbye.

Five and a half months later:

The school was huge and eery, having been built centuries ago when the popularity of gothic cathedrals was at an all time high. It was once a place of worship, and in a way it still was, since it was now a catholic high school.

It was also the place Ruby dreaded going to the most.

A deep sigh left her lips as she stared up at the building, much too sluggish to go inside and get any work done. She wasn't in the mood to deal with anyone or anything, much less the nuns whom despised her and the students she didn't care to know.

It wasn't like she ever was in a mood for living and interacting, anyway.

Her eyes were empty as she thought of the white powder waiting for her at home, ready to be dissolved and injected into her veins, waiting to kill her. She'd measured out the exact quantity needed for an overdose, one that would take her away with warmth and peace. It was two months ago that she'd made the decision to take her life, but today, the emptiness got too much and she decided she had to go.

It would be okay if she left, she'd distanced herself from everyone who loved her; she'd distanced herself from her own mother, foolishly thinking that her death wouldn't hurt as much if she did.

A sad smile crossed her face despite the lack of feeling within her.

Today was her last day of school.

She pressed the black buzzer besides the double doors, debating on whether to walk back home or not, there was only two periods left anyway. Then she thought about the secretary, Regina, whom was her only friend at school. The point of coming to school today was to say goodbye to her, and she decided she couldn't leave without seeing her face one final time.

Maybe something would happen that convinced her not to leave this Earth, but right now, her mind was set. She was itching to go home, to catch the train that would take her to South Dakota, where she would take her life in a beautiful forest filled with memories of a time when she was happy.

It would take a long time for her family to figure out where she went, but by then, it'd be too late. She hoped that in that forest, no one would find her, since it had once been a place that she'd hide when the world became too much.

The speaker buzzed several times until Regina's annoying voice finally emitted from it, bringing Ruby out of her perturbed thoughts.

"Why am I not surprised that you haven't been to school?" She instantly reprimanded, causing Ruby to release a deep breath. "Winter break ended a week ago! Why did you even bother coming today when there's only a period and a half left? Oh, and it's Friday! Go home, Ruby."

"You're lucky I even showed up today." Ruby grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.

Ruby and Regina Washington had a love-hate relationship, sometimes they were friends and other times they just couldn't stand each other. She was the only person in the building Ruby liked but hated at the same time, her attitude was of a seventy-year old lady who had a broom shoved up her ass. Other times she was sweet and the only person who seemed to care about her, and in those moments, Ruby realized she liked her a whole lot.

She was nice to look at, too: she was young and beautiful, twenty-two years old, with a tall and athletic body that Ruby once desired to have. She had been drawn to Regina because she reminded her of her first love, Catalina, and loving someone she couldn't have meant that she was a sucker for blue-eyed blondes.

They brought her home, for just a moment.

"I wanted to see you!" Ruby whined, sighing. "Let me in, Reg! It's cold."

"You wanted to see me?" She scoffed. "Yeah, right."

"I haven't seen you in almost a month. Why wouldn't I want to see you?"

The door unlocked as soon as those words left her lips, and Ruby smirked at the fact that Regina was a complete sucker for her affection. Every time Ruby said or did something sweet, the older woman became putty at her feet, all because Ruby was usually a cold person who didn't show any emotion.

Ruby guessed that it had to do with her feeling special.

She pulled the door open, hissing when she was hit by a burst of cold air. She swore to herself as she sank into her jacket and began to walk towards the office, the chilly air almost painful, and she scowled at the fact that the school was colder than the snowy outdoors.

Regina was the only one in the office when she arrived, and her cheeks were flushed. Ruby instantly smirked, knowing it was because of what she'd said to her, causing the woman to narrow her eyes.

"You're a manipulative bitch." Regina muttered, pulling a piece of paper from the printer and  handing them to the short girl in front of her. "Your schedule."

"Thanks." Ruby hummed, looking through it, raising an eyebrow when she spotted an unfamiliar name. Everything looked pretty much the same besides her history course which had another teacher assigned to her, and she remembered that her former teacher was on maternity leave. Ruby hadn't even realized she was pregnant until she announced she'd be leaving, her mind always too far away to even notice her protruding belly.

That, and she rarely ever went to school.

"I know."

Ruby squinted at the name next to the history course, head tilting slightly.

James Alexander.

It had a nice ring to it, and she smiled sadly at the name James. It was a name she hadn't liked before since it was as basic as one could get, but it reminded her of him, the man she'd met in the pouring rain.

She'd spent the last five and a half months wishing she'd see him, just one more time.

"James Alexander," Ruby breathed, looking up at Regina. "Have you seen the guy? Is he new?"

"Oh, you have him?!" She squealed, causing Ruby to cringe. "He's been teaching here for about two years but didn't come back last semester because of something that had to do with his family, I can't really remember. But he finally returned, thank God. I'm going to stop by your class and drop things off for you everyday just to lay eyes on him."

"Why? Just talk to the dude and ask him out, why do you have to use me as an excuse?" Ruby asked warily, never having seen the uptight woman act this way, causing an irrational fear to strike her heart.

This meant the man had to be beautiful, and she knew a beautiful man who went by that name, whom she knew as Santiago. But it couldn't be possible that he could be her teacher, what were the chances of that?

Plus, the guy had been rich and handsome, and teachers weren't rich. 

The thought left as soon as it came, falling into oblivion.

"I don't want to seem desperate, even though I obviously am." She shrugged, saying these words in a duh tone.

"You know," Ruby said cooly, and Regina's face instantly turned pink, knowing the girl was going to say something embarrassing. "I'm jealous, this guy's got you head over heels and he's only been back a week. I've been trying all year, and you barely even notice me."

Regina's mouth dropped, her cheeks reddening.

"Ruby..."

Ruby winked at her, "Kidding."

Regina threw a paper ball at her, "Stop playing with me, you b***h!"

The bell rung then and Ruby sighed, "I'm too lazy to go to class."

"You're always too lazy to do anything." Regina said, her face suddenly concerned. "Sometimes I feel like you're not even alive, like you're just a corpse walking around with no feelings. I feel like one day you'll just disappear."

"You'd like that, no?" Ruby asked, resting her elbows on the counter that separated them, resting her face in her hands. It upset her to hear those words, she'd heard them before, leaving Cat's lips the last time she'd seen her. "Is my corpse cute, at least?"

"Of course I'd like that, there'd be no one to annoy me anymore." She said, and despite the fact she was kidding, Ruby's empty heart felt heavy. Then the blonde pet down Ruby's wild hair awkwardly, never having been one to express affection much. "I'd miss you, though."

Ruby smiled cutely at her, "So... is my corpse cute?"

"Oh my god," Regina flushed, then looked away in embarrassment. "... Yes."

The bell rang again, signifying that Ruby was late to class.

Without saying a word, Regina pulled a blue slip that excused her from being late and signed it.

"Here you go, little girl." She said, handing it to her. "Don't forget to tell Mr. Alexander that the cute secretary, Regina, had to talk to you before class."

"Regina..." Ruby grabbed the blonde's hand without thinking, pulling her slightly until she was leaning over the counter. She met her half way, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek, one that made the woman freeze and turn an unhealthy shade of red. Ruby smiled at her when she pulled away despite not feeling a single thing on the inside, and it frustrated her that she couldn't, not even when she was saying goodbye to one of her only friends.

"Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Regina gasped, snatching her hand away and holding it to her chest. "You're such a flirt, I told you that you have to get out of school first before anything happens!"

Ruby knew that the reason Regina was so mean to her sometimes, was because she liked her and didn't know how to accept the fact she was bisexual. At first, Regina absolutely hated Ruby because of what she made her feel, but Ruby had wormed her way into her heart anyway.

She had a habit of doing that; making people who didn't want to love her, love her. 

"Sorry. I promise I won't bother you, anymore!"

Then Ruby dashed out the door, the smile instantly leaving her face, and she thought about how at least the last memory Regina had of her would be a good one. She began to wonder what Mr. Alexander looked like for her to act similarly to a love-struck teenager, especially since she'd only ever gotten flustered over Ruby and no one else. He was probably a bland white guy that so many girls seemed to like at this school, and Ruby often wondered why they liked guys who wore nothing but polo's and khaki's, especially when they didn't seem to give them the time of day.

Maybe those guys were attractive and just not Ruby's type, but after her ex of two years... it was hard to be impressed by anyone else.

He had been gorgeous.

That, and she'd once met a man who took her breath away, whose beauty wasn't something you could compare anything to. Perhaps the moon, maybe the stars or the striking explosions they caused at death— but nothing less than that. She still remembered the way he'd made her feel, it was the only thing she could feel these days even if it was within a memory.

He'd truly become her favorite memory, she recalled him everyday.

Not a single soul roamed the gloomy halls which were cold and unwelcoming, the walls made of gray stone and matching floors, the only lighting supplied was luminescent lights hanging from the ceiling that always seemed to be flickering. The energy of the place was enough to give one chills, people were rarely ever late to class so they could avoid being stuck out in the halls by themselves.

Ruby was the only one who didn't mind, enjoying the quietness around her, the only audible sound being the squeak of her boots and her humming. She found classroom six, which looked more like a church than a classroom since it had rows of benches instead of tables, there was even a huge window with stained glass.

She couldn't remember what it pictured, but she was pretty sure it was angels.

Classroom six was thought to be haunted by bad spirits, there were stories of people staying alone during detention only to be attacked by something paranormal. Every time Ruby heard that being said she had to scoff, their fear only proved how much of a guilty conscious they had.

She arrived at the wooden double doors after walking for what seemed like forever, knocking softly in hopes that she'd go unheard. She waited impatiently, crossing her arms and puffing out her cheeks. Then she gave a satisfied smile when the door wasn't answered, shrugging and turning to walk away.

After all, she'd only come to say goodbye to Regina.

Then to her disappointment, the doors opened before she could walk away. She cursed in her mind before turning on her heel, facing the opened double doors and the person standing between them.