A Proscriptive Relationship

:A Proscriptive Relationship: 39

"You may have dug your own grave, but the one who gave you the shovel to do so is Heywood," Lance pointed out, a scowl appearing on his face.

"And the one who chose to stay in it is me," I returned.

"What if you bury yourself alive?" Lance demanded.

"I don't even know what that's supposed to mean!"

"What if you end up in deep trouble? Or dead?" Lance explained. "Holly, do you realize I could have died the other night?"

"I know! I'm not stupid."

"You need to space yourself from Heywood," Lance told me, a dead serious look on his face.

I immediately shook my head. "No, it's too late for that. They already know who I am, it's not like not interacting with Mr. Heywood will change anything now."

"Then don't get any closer."

Well, too late for that. He basically said he had feelings that he shouldn't have for a student. Or, in simpler terms, love. A blush quickly rose to my face and I stared down at my feet. It seemed too impossible, but there was nothing else I could think that he could have meant...

Lance narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. "Holly... did something happen between you and him?"

"W-what? No!" I responded quickly, waving my hands in front of me. "Ha, are you kidding? No way..."

Lance rolled his eyes. "Holly, don't lie. You're an open book, I can see right through you."

"It doesn't matter, because he thinks I think he's gay, probably."

"... I don't think I want to know now."

"Good," I responded, running a hand through the tangles in my hair. "Let's just say, it's something that could be favorable for me..."

"He's confessed his creepy, pedophilic, love for you?"

I scowled at Lance. "First, it's not pedophilic, because I'll be eighteen in about two weeks. Second, he'll only be four years older than me then, and third, it's not creepy. And no, he didn't say that... directly."

"Directly?"

"That's what I said."

"So he hinted at it?" Lance prodded, a frown slipping onto his face. "Holly, if the gangsters find out if he has feelings for you, won't that make it worse?"

"What? Why would that make them want me more? That's... That's..."

"Holly?"

I stared at Lance, a look of alarm on my face. Shawn wanted Mr. Heywood dead partly because Mr. Heywood stole his girlfriend back then... so what if for revenge he wanted to take me from Mr. Heywood because he thought Mr. Heywood cared about me? But where would Shawn even get the idea Mr. Heywood cared for me? I'd been with Jeremy the first time we met...

"Hello, Holly?"

I snapped out of my thoughts and caught eye contact with Lance. He frowned at me, a worried expression on his face. I quickly arranged my features into a nonchalant expression.

"I understand how you feel about him, and it's not like I'm going to stop you two from being together," Lance started, a sigh escaping his lips, "but I'm more worried over our safety than your love life."

"If they already think something is up, why would it matter?"

"Because they might not have proof right now, and they could get it."

"They're not going to wait around until they have proof, Lance," I responded, rolling my eyes. "They're gangsters. Once they decide on something, I doubt they're going to stray from it."