Breathe (student/teacher)

Chapter 7

The next week passed by smoothly, despite the fact that I hadn't talked to Ben - not after I'd found him standing in my room once I had returned from detention.

"Get out," I said angrily when I saw him sitting on my bed. "Get out now."

"Come on Al, I think we have something to talk about, don't you? You have to do it sooner or later."

Sooner or later. That choice appeared again. As usual, I picked "Later." I hung my sweater on the hook by my door and made my way over to Ben. I would force him out if that's what it took.

"I gave you two options, I know. But you picked wrong. I want to talk about this, and I want to talk about it now." His tone was firm, unwavering. I turned to the door and slammed it. Fine. We could play this game. But he had hell to pay.

"Alright." I paced back and forth in front of my bed. "Alright fine. We can talk about it." I abruptly turned my head to him, and after a moment of silence, spoke. "What the hell happened back there?"

"What? The kiss?"

My teeth clenched. "What else would I be talking about?"

He shrugged. "Lots of things, like maybe-"

I cut him off. "I'm not messing around here Ben. What the hell happened?"

He swallowed. "It's Jonathan."

"Jonathan?" I clarified. "My ex boyfriend Jonathan?"

He nodded fervently.

"What does he have to do with any of this?" I gulped.

"He's back, Al."

"Back? He never went anywhere. I was the one who left."

"Back in your life is what I meant to say."

I stopped pacing and sat down next to him. "Ben, where are you going with this?"

He sighed. "Jonathan and Kat. They're here, Alex."

I shook my head, so many questions running through my mind at the moment, but most importantly how this had to anything to do with Ben kissing me.

"Just start from the beginning," I ordered.

That's exactly what he did.

"They transferred here from Central, you know, your old school. Anyway, I was sitting in second period minding my own business as usual, when two people I had never seen before walked in. When Mrs. Rolling was taking roll call, she called upon some 'Katherine Gail' who specified that she preferred to be called Kat. And next she called on a Jonathan Holder. Those names were all two familiar, and the more I thought about it, the more of your story came back to me."

"I still don't see what this has anything to do with you kissing-"

He held up a hand. "Maybe you would if you'd let me finish."

I went silent.

"Anyway," he said, looking all too annoyed, "Jonathan was talking to Kat all hour. Said they'd gotten tired of their old school so they'd found a new one. And then, then he said something about you." Ben shuddered. Was it really that bad?

"What did he say?" I asked.

"He wants to get back together with you."

I looked at him in shock. Surely that was false. "But it's been three years. He...he cheated on me. What...how..." I was at a loss for words. "Why now?"

Ben shrugged, but I could tell he was hiding something.

"Maybe he really did love me after all. Maybe he finally realized that he'd made a mistake, cheating on me with Kat." I shook my head in disbelief. Could it be?