Music between us (teacher/student)

Chapter fifteen!

            Few minutes later there was a knock on my office door. My office was separate from the classroom. I stood up and let Michelle in. She held a bag containing a few strawberries.

            “Was the line so short?” I asked. It usually takes much longer to get lunch.

            “I don’t know. I got some strawberries from Emily,” she replayed as she sat down on the sofa, dumped her bag on the coffee table and put her feet up too. “Look, I’m sorry about the homework, I had a lot on my mind. Why do you have to single me out?” She asked. She didn’t seem angry at all though, on the contrary, she looked pleased. I was imagining things.

            “Sorry about that, I just want you to do well. And I needed to talk to you about Friday,” I said that second part in a whisper but she heard it clearly. I was nervous, but I needed her to understand my part of the story.

*Michelle Smith’s P.O.V.*

My heart started racing in my chest. I needed to know what he meant when he said it, and why he said it. I was nervous, but I just sat there still not making a sound. He moved to sit next to me on the sofa and I put my feet on the floor. I didn’t look at him when he started talking.

“Miss Smith...” he started but I cut him off to tell him to call me Michelle. “Michelle, I’m sorry for what I did and said. You’re right. Even though I saved your life once doesn’t make me your guardian angel, but it makes me feel kind of protective of you none the less. I feel the need to keep you safe, and I’m sorry. It’s just how I’m built. And about that other thing, I didn’t mean that. I guess I just wanted to make you feel better but then I realized it must have just made me look like a pedo and made you scared. It was just a spur of the moment thing and meant nothing.” He said and I still didn’t look at him. I could feel tears threatening to come bursting out so I turned my head to the other direction. “Say something,” he pleaded and buried his head in his hands.

“Thank you for clarifying that Mr. Stone. I’m grateful. But I have to go now, finish this homework. And I won’t be making tutoring after school, I have…this thing. Bye,” I said. My voice started off robotic, but towards the end I could feel it cracking and tears got past my eyes and ran down my face. I didn’t let him see them though; I just stood up and walked out. He made no effort to stop me whatsoever.

I ran to the girl’s lavatory and locked myself in a bathroom stall before letting my tears run freely down my face. How could he say that to me? Was he trying to torture me? Do I mean nothing to him?! I felt useless and empty. I was scared too. It was all such a mess.

I rubbed the necklace from my dad with thumb and index finger of my left hand. My right hand went up the back of shirt and traced the scars on my lower back. I needed to pull myself together before I could go to the next class. This wasn’t my ideal start to the week.

In the hallway I met up with Matt. I needed to talk to him about his ‘problem’. I just don’t know how to. I don’t know what to say to this.  I have never dealt with anything like this before. I was scared.

We didn’t say a thing all the way to chemistry and we took our seats in the middle of the classroom. Jim flashed us a big smile and gave us instructions for the class. I wasn’t paying attention at all.

*

When I finally got home I saw mum and Sam at the kitchen table. I walked into the kitchen to say hi but stopped as soon as I saw that Sam had my dad’s Superman cup again. I walked over to him, took it out of his hands and he gave me a surprised look.

“It’s my dad’s,” I said and gave him a meaningful look. He just nodded as he understood. I poured the coffee into the sink and got him a new cup. Sam thanked me, and I thought that he might not me that bad at all.