Sunshine (Student/Teacher Romance) 18+

45 Pt. 5

Thomas scares me so deeply my skin crawls. And why? He doesn't have power over me, but he's always made me feel that way. He's always gotten his way no matter how hard I kicked and screamed. No matter how far or how often I ran.

He always caught up to me.

Graduation is less than 6 months away.

Finally. The finish line I have been trudging toward my whole life, but not without Thomas trying one last attempt at ruining it for me.

At keeping me stuck here. With him.

"Hailey, no," I blurt out as she hands the woman the dress I swear I left hanging on the rack in the changing room. I almost didn't notice.

I didn't expect it.

She must have picked up another in my size when I was battling my raging thoughts.

She shakes her head at me promptly, swiping her credit card and my eyes bulge at the outrageous grand total on the small screen. "Me and Ty totally crashed your birthday getaway. It's the least I can do, seriously."

My lips part, ready to go to defense. Ready to talk her out if it, tell her no because I really can't stand to take anything from any one.

But I let out a breath and instead, a small thank you.

"Happy birthday, Ari."

I held that shopping bag firmly to my side the rest of the outing. I don't have an entire wardrobe as it is. Just a trash bag of clothes that get me through each week, and my Rocket Rudy's uniform.

I remember going to Maya's and envying her walk in closet.

"I literally have nothing to wear," she'd say, spinning in circles and pushing around beautiful dresses and blouses and coats and everything else normal people usually have in a closet.

And don't even get me started on her shoes.

Hailey takes a big spoonful of lemon chicken and rice and her eyes just about roll back in her head. "Yummy. Oh my God, try this."

She pushes her fork in my face, and I hastily bite off the single piece of chicken. "Yeah, it's pretty good."

"Sorry, it's just...usually I don't have much of an appetite, but since I've gotten pregnant food is just amazing."

I smile faintly, watching her scarf down her meal and wonder if we'll actually make it back to the lake house before she needs to run to the bathroom again.

She has to know it's going to come back up, right?

But the way she's devouring her bowl, it's almost like she doesn't care.

I really like Hailey. I'm actually glad that they came, even though I know Abel isn't exactly ecstatic about it.

Becoming friends with his sister is probably top of my birthday gifts. Feeling welcome, feeling like I could be apart of a real family someday.

Feeling like Abel and I could actually have a future.

Maybe.

"You know, I love my brother." She smacks over her food, reaching for a napkin. "I really do, and we have such a great relationship, but I've always, always, always wanted a little sister."

Me too. Really just a sibling, period.

To have someone else around to get through life with. Someone who probably gets it, because they've been there. They've seen it, they experienced it.

There not only to share the burdens, but to share the split seconds of laughter I never had. Maybe they would have been the laughter, or the light.

I always thought having a sibling would have made things better. Or at least more bearable, but then again it's probably better that it's just me. That it's one less person who had to live this life I've lead.