strange love (halsey)

8

"Class, today were going to have a discussion on how Frida Kahlo's lifestyle influenced the art that she made. Does anyone have any points they want to start off with?" I asked the class, clapping my hands together and taking a seat at the edge of my desk facing them.

"Wasn't she bisexual?" A student from the back remarked quietly, not thinking that I could hear. He laughed immaturely and high-fived his friend beside him.

Raising my eyebrow at him, I retorted, "Yes, thank you, Steven. Kahlo was bisexual, but what does that have to do with her art? Most of her works were self portraits."

His cheeked burned brightly as he looked down at his feet in embarrassment. Everyone around him chuckled silently, so I silenced them and asked someone else to give a valid point for our discussion. A usually quiet girl by the name of Eva raised her hand hesitantly. Smiling, I nodded my head at her to proceed.

"Frida and her husband Diego had a toxic marriage. He cheated on her quite often, so most of her self portraits were inspired by the pain she was feeling from his actions," Eva spoke quickly, fumbling with her fingers.

"Great point, Eva," I smiled.

Bella cleared her throat from her seat in the front of the classroom and spoke without raising her hand. I raised an eyebrow at her as I listened to her sharp tone.

"Poor Frida. She had a disloyal partner who tore out her heart so many times. Why did she even get back with him?" She spoke to herself, earning a wave of approval from the class. They all began to whisper among each other. For some reason, I felt that Bella wasn't just talking about Frida.

"Settle down," I spoke over them. "Well, Bella, sometimes love overpowers the negative aspects of life. Frida was willing to look past everything and stay with him. Plus, she even had her fair share of affairs in retaliation."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, crossing her arms against her chest. The student beside her started laughing at our conversation.

"Maybe her husband was into older women since Frida was so much younger than him. He probably wanted someone more mature," She spat, staring me straight in the eyes. I felt anger boiling within me as she continued to speak. "Maybe he wanted someone who was sexier or just better all around. He fucked so many women that poor Frida lived her life in added pain."

"That is enough, Isabella. Watch your language or else," I spoke through clenched teeth. I could feel the eyes of all thirty students burning holes into Bella and I.

"Or else what? You'll send me to the principal? Spank me? Call my mommy?" She retorted, gasps sounding around her in response. My jaw dropped and I could feel my heart rate increasing.

"Get out of my classroom. Now," I raised my voice at her, pointing at the door. She smirked and grabbed her things before walking triumphantly out of the classroom. Bella was trying to rile me up and it had worked. A little too well, too.

My students remained silent for the rest of the period, not a single one of them daring to speak. I sighed and ran my hand over my face, knowing that this discussion was over. Looking at the clock, I realized that we still had half an hour of class left.

"Have a free period for the rest of the class. Listening to music and watching movies are always allowed, but only with headphones. If you want to draw or paint anything, the materials are all in the cabinet in the back. I'm going to step outside for a few minutes, so try to keep the volume down," I spoke tiredly, giving up on today's lesson. They cheered silently and occupied themselves with something to pass the time.

I cursed under my breath and made my way toward the door, stepping out to see that Bella was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, come on," I groaned, scratching my forehead. "Where the hell did she go?"

I began to walk down the hall, my heels clicking against the tiles and echoing around me. Jumping up at the sound of her voice, I turned around at its suddenness.

"Relax, I went to the bathroom," She rolled her eyes, meeting me at the end of the hall. We stood before the double doors, Bella stepping back to lean against the lockers. The classrooms at the end of the hallway were empty, so I was glad that no one would hear us speaking. I crossed my arms against my chest and eyed her in disappointment.

"What the hell were you thinking?" I snarled. "If you thought I was going to stand up there and take your attitude, you were wrong."

"I was wrong about you, definitely," She smirked, knowing how to push all my buttons. "You're just a dishonest, disgusting human being."

Raising my eyebrows at her, I felt my heart sink into my stomach. My hands began to shake and my lip threatened to quiver, but I stood tall and pushed everything aside.

"Are you still upset about what I did? Get over it, Bella. I messed up and we both know it, but you can't continue to rub it in my face. I know what I did was terrible, okay? I lose sleep over it every night. I don't need you reminding me every goddamn day," I spoke shakily, pointing my finger at her. My eyes burned and began to blur with incoming tears.

"Then why did you do it?" She asked quietly, staring at me. "Why did you deliberately choose to hurt me?"

Sighing, I wiped my eyes quickly before the tears could roll down my face.

"I didn't want to hurt you," I choked out. "I was confused about everything and I know that's not a good excuse, but you know that I care about you. I shouldn't, but I do."

"Fuck," She whispered to herself, laughing and wiping her tears away. Bella didn't expect to cry, but her tears came just as quickly as mine did. "Look what you're doing to me."

I stepped closer to her and raised my hand up to her face, using my thumb to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. I felt her breath on my hand as I traced over her lips, staring longingly at them. It took everything in me not to crash my lips into hers and run my hands all along her body. The craving and desire for her still burned strongly within me.

"I want to kiss you so badly, Bella. I want to feel your skin," I whispered, still staring at her lips. She purposefully licked her lips, knowing that it would send me off the edge.

"Do it," She dared me, pulling my body into hers. I gasped as her hands gripped my hips tightly, her nails digging into my skin. I wanted to push her away so that we wouldn't get caught, but I was selfish and wanted the pleasure from her touch to remain.

"I-I can't," I stuttered. "Not here, not now."

I looked around in panic as she ran her hands over my butt, massaging it through my jeans. She smirked and continued, running her fingers along my waistband. I stared into her eyes as she did so which only fueled my desire even more.

The bell rang, making her push me away quickly. I muttered profanities under my breath and stepped far away from her, staring at her with hungry eyes. Classroom doors flew open and students rushed out, the sound of their constant chatter filling the hallways. I kept my eyes on Bella, mouthing something very important to her. She nodded her head and response, then turned away to walk to her next class.

"Meet me at my house tonight."