Free For A Moment

"I don't really know you ; it's not often that I'm greeted by an attractive young woman trapped in small cage and hidden away from the big bad world who needs her. Erin, please let me help you. I know I haven't been the best at being a Knight." As a delicate smile spread across his face, he reached out his hand wanting to grab hers. Shaking her head she took a big breath and stared him in the eyes. "Don't know me? Look mate we've known eachother over a year and this pretending we've only just met stuff won't just clear the air. It won't make everything better again so stop. You're not some dapper young knight saving damsels in distress. You're just a muppet who does paper rounds and moans through every second of it. Grow up Blake." "Okay I've been less than a Knight." The words showing any indication of being in the wrong seemed painful for him to utter. She sighs, looks to the floor and looks back at Blake. "Okay, okay, I've been a right pain and nothing you deserve but that doesn't mean that I don't care about you...look are you alright?" 'No' she thought 'You've crushed all happiness with your presence and words. Why are you still here?' "Yeah, I'm fine." Blake shook his head with an attempt to keep his cool headed reserve with a shaken smirk, "Well don't act weird around me in college yeah?" Erin spent two months keeping this encounter to herself until she finally vented her frustrations to a friend she met in her first year at the college: "And then in my head I was like how could you honestly say that? Be nice to me, spend time with me and my family, leave me for someone else and then add on - oh by the way doesn't act weird around me in college. "Yeah, I don't agree with that." A second voice added "Who does that?" she continued to rant. "People who don't have much else to do but make lives difficult for other people." The other girl slumped her head into the palm of her hand. "Like, you are not right in the head. Like it's not just me is it Louise? That's just wrong. Like I'm 17, not 12. I thought when I came here everything would be... I don't know...better?" She tried to think of something that held some kind of positivity "It's not all awful though, you get to see your friends, you get to leave your house and go to a different town 5 days a week. You getting the 30 back home today?" "Yeah I am." Erin checks her phone "We should probably get to lesson otherwise Liz will get annoyed and take away our extension on our essays." "Yeah okay." Louise dropped her head and picked up her things. "Almost forgot my phone like the genius I am." Walking out of the music rehearsal studio like the undead being sent back to their coffin, their bags were carelessly slung on their shoulders and their coats hanging of the strap - as a cleverly constructed coathook. Erin let out a huge sigh as she slumped into her chair and dropped her bag to the floor. "Afternoon Liz, I finished my song written in ternery form, I emailed it to you" Liz smiled "Thank you, I'll look over it this week." Liz stood from her seated position and addressed all of the students. "Alright class, our next project is to perform as a musical ensemble. I'll need two of you to arrange the rehearsal schedule...let's see we'll have Erin and," Erin's thoughts were occupied with one phrase - 'Not Blake, not Blake, not Blake' she willed with all her might. "Amy" she announced decidedly. 'Yes!' Her body was filled with relief, though little did she know that feeling was only momentary. A voice from the back of the room chimed in: "Liz, Amy isn't here today and no-one has been able to get hold of her." Liz pursed her lips and picled up a notebook from her desk, "Right.... Blake? What about you?" "Yeah alright I'm up to that" He winked at Liz. Erin slammed her heard against the desk and had a mind filled with dread. 'This is a recipe for disaster. I think Liz must have heard me talking to Louise about all this and it's all one big conspiracy to bring me down to the depths of a fire filled dungeon. You absolute spanner Liz why pair me with Blake it's just my luck why.' "You got a twitch going on with your eye there Blake?" Louise quizzed with a smirk, "For a second there it looked like you winked inappropriately at another student during a lesson." Liz showed great disappointment and tiredness but tried to sound authoritative: "Blake. There's a time for everything. And is not the time nor the place for that." Louise chuckled lightly and tried to hide her smug expression. "Hey Liz this feels oddly quiet and tense should we just carry on with our write ups?" Lips moving and words without meaning took surrounded the embodiment of stress - thinking to herself: 'Maybe it won't be so bad, maybe we could do most of the work online and we won't even have to speak to eachother in person. It'll be a catastrophic disaster please for the love of mongeese...or is it mongooses? Mongii? Or maybe its - ' "Erin?" "Sorry what was that Liz? I got distracted."