Till Eternity (teacherxstudent)

Chapter 3: Goodbye Safe Haven

Like a shock that paralyzed all my senses and magnetized my attention, my eyes fixed on the old man that called my name. The hundred eyes of the seats around me turned back to judge me as the literature teacher scolded me for spacing out. It was the first time I was called out by him, yet the look in his eyes and the way his lips moved made it seem like he was suddenly releasing a long-lasting grudge against me. I lowered my head and did not even attempt to apologize, knowing that if I did so much as open my mouth I would immediately begin crying. My lips trembled and, once again, I wished I could sink into my seat and disappear. Yet… how could I lose my concentration thinking about that i***t?

Feeling annoyed at myself at lunch break, I dragged my steps up to my safe haven – the rooftop. There, I sat reading. Our school rooftop is not like most others. There are benches where I sit everyday and a mini garden where the Environmental Sciences teacher plants his experiments and grows vegetables, attempting to motivate the school board towards a more sustainable cafeteria and overall future. Of course, that teacher is Mr. Emerson who, like me, rarely gets others’ attention, though I do admire his perseverance and courage to speak up. However, due to safety reasons, the rooftop has been closed off to students but, knowing this is the only place I can feel safe and run away from my problems, Mr. Emerson pulled some strings and I got my own key to the place. Now that he is on parental leave, I have an extra permission to be up here as the garden was left in my care.

I laid down on the bench staring up at the clear blue sky. I stretched an arm out to cover the sun and observed my hand. It is not like I have ever hurt anyone, so why do they all hate me so much? My nails, short and fragile could never grow to the size of my classmates’ and I leave them free of polish. Is it my appearance? I adjusted my glasses to keep them from falling.

At that moment, I shot up at the creaking of the door. Filled with confusion, I began counting the days Mr. Emerson has been out, but it couldn’t be him, not yet. Slowly revealing himself was the last person I wanted to see.

Mr. Jones fully opened the door at last and sneaked outside. He took a deep breath. “What a view.” he said wondrously. I tired to ignore him, but he took a glance at me and smirked. “How did I know I’d find you here?”

I rolled my eyes at his fake innocence. “Maybe because the other teachers told you I come here everyday.” I murmured.

“Why’d you have to go and ruin the fun?” he chuckled and began walking in my direction.

Soon enough, he was sitting beside me on the bench. I slid to the opposite end of the seat and he slid closer, so I stood up and attempted to flee the scene. Alas, my arm was caught just before I could take a second step.

“Oh no you don’t.” Mr. Jones pulled me back down. I was forced to sit beside him, but I made sure he knew I did so unwillingly.

“You have been avoiding me ever since I came back.” he said as if he does not know the reason.

Idiot.

“Why do you think?” I shot a menacing glare at him – well, as close to menacing as I could.

He then sighed and his annoying grin faded into a serious front. “I need to talk to you.” he said.

“I’d rather not.” I tried escaping once more as he softened his grasp, but he forced me back down. I crossed my arms in protest.

“Deb,” I looked into his eyes. For a moment he got me believing there was a dimness of sadness within them. He has gotten good at lying. “I’m sorry for kissing you back then.”

“Shut it.” I ordered.

He sighed, “I just wanted to let you know that kiss meant nothing. So just forge--”

I slapped him. His shock released the grip holding me in place and I used this opportunity to escape. Tears filled my eyes. The more I wiped them, the more they rolled. Why am I even crying? I hated that kiss, so why?