Breathe (Under Edit)

Chapter 10

I sit in the middle of class listening to them. Their so irritating, their voices are just, ugh! I press my eyes shut and turn up the music. After a song, a soft hand falls to my arm. Looking up I see Ms. Hale sitting before me with a kind look on her face. It was a dream. The whole date with her was a dream, I told Ariel about it in my dream too. I know this because I asked Ariel about it and she had no idea what I was talking about. Every encounter with her were dreams or fantasies, even the coffee shop. She said she was fine and left. Maybe I was just hoping that they were arguing a lot.

"Hi Abby," her voice is low. I send her a small smile indicating that I am glad to see her. My dreams get mixed with reality and I just got to be careful. The kids are still yelling in the intense game. My muscles tighten at them then relax. She noticed my action and asked them to be a bit quieter. I remove both my headphones and turn off the music.

"Can I talk with you after school?" Under the table, I pinched myself to make sure this wasn't a dream. The only response I could handle was a nod.

She sits there at her desk oblivious to my existence. I gently knock on the door. Her eyes sparkle from the light reflecting off them as she looks up at me. A genuine smile spreads across her lips. With her hand, she motions me in. As I walk to her desk the door clicks shut behind me shutting us off from the rest of the world.

"Hi, Abby." I give her a small smile and look down at my lap. The chair groans from her adjusting in it. "I wanted to check up on you. You've been more withdrawn than usual. You're in your head, a lot." She looks at me with worried eyes. Everyone else has accepted this new me. Why does she care about me? My aunt and uncle have been slowly giving up on me.

"Is everything OK?" I nod, keeping my face down. Her eyes stay on me, I feel them studying me closely. "Abby, you can talk to me if you ever need anything. You know that right?" Again I nod still not looking her in the eyes.

"I know." My voice is soft and fragile. Memories of those dreams surface and I begin to squirm in my seat. Reality sinks in. She's never going to date me. I'm her student! I'm a nobody! Once I leave her class she forgets all about me. A bit of anger begins to grow enough to speak up with confidence.

"Was that all you wanted to talk about?" This time I look into those beautiful hazel eyes. Her body relaxes as she leans back in her seat. I watch as her shirt lifts up enough to expose her smooth tan skin. She gives me a kind smile. I watch her run her hands through her long brown hair pushing it back. I bite my lip as that confidence slowly slips away. I struggle to stay connected with reality as I look at her gorgeous body.

"I just wanted to let you know that my door is always open if you want to talk, or just relax and escape for a bit." We were standing by the door. How'd we get over here? Her hand rests on my back.

"I'll see you tomorrow?" I nod and we part at that doorway. Walking down the halls I shake any thought out of my head not wanting to slip away. Not now, not right now.