Lessons of the Heart and the Liquid it Pumps ||

14: Paging Doctor Aiden

“Shane likes you.” Aiden said as he finally climbed into the car. I’d been waiting for at least half an hour.

I rolled my eyes. Like I didn’t know that already? “He doesn’t even know me.” I pointed out. “If he did then he wouldn’t like me.”

“True.”

Aiden hadn’t even questioned me about my disappearing act yesterday. He hadn’t even bothered to check in on me after he got back from school. Not that I had honestly expected him to. If I didn’t make it out in time for his ride home then I was supposed to find my own way back. That’s how it’d always been. He more than likely figured I’d just stayed late after school.

The truth was that delinquent boy and I had ended up going to the old style movie theater and watching 60’s flicks in a theater with no one else but hard of hearing elderly people. It had been a much needed break from reality for me. We didn’t talk much and when we did it wasn’t anything deep. Like the vampire comment. He hadn’t even missed a beat when I admitted to being bitten. I think that the boy, whose name I did not know, had found me only vaguely entertaining and therefore didn’t really care.

So I’d gotten dropped off at my duplex shortly after school had ended in his car that surprisingly could actually move without being pushed and also had a nice stereo system. All in all things had gone all right. Now as Aiden drove us to school I began to feel the familiar sense of unease creeping over me.

It was already Wednesday and the dance was on Friday night. Shane would either be pursuing the idea that I had suddenly become interesting and he should take me to the dance or he’d ask more about why I’d seem so upset yesterday when I’d ran into him in the hallway. Neither of those two scenarios seemed to pleasing.

And then there was Mr. Marrs. How would I face him? I looked down at my scabbed finger. Why it hadn’t healed like my neck had I wasn’t sure. Perhaps the dreams were just my minds way of warning me about the truth? I wondered as I absentmindedly touched my empty earring holes. I’d chosen to go without any.

“Hey space cadet I asked you a question.” Aiden’s frustrated voice broke through my zoning out and I turned my eyes from the window to his face.

“Huh?”

“I swear there’s something wrong with you.” He grumbled and shook his head as he pulled into the parking lot. “You’re even worse than usual.”

I shrugged. “Maybe you’re just finally realizing how hopeless I am.” I offered as a solution as I climbed from his car and started for the school building. He fell into step beside me.

“Isa?”

I glanced over at him as he held open one of the big doors for me. “Yeah?”

“What happened to your hand?”

So he had noticed after all. “I got bitten by a dog.” I lied. It was true I’d been bitten, just not by a dog. Aiden didn’t need to know that much though.

We trudged down the hall already pushing it on being late for class. “You really have lost it.” He muttered and shook his head.

I smiled evilly and shoved him up against the lockers. “Yes and I’ve got rabiessssss.” I teased baring my teeth at him as though I would bite him.

Even Aiden couldn’t help but chuckled as I pinned him up against the locker making pathetic attempts to bite at him. “Circle circle dot dot I’ve got my rabies shot!” he countered and ducked under my arms as he bounded away from me.

“That only works for cooties!” I yelped as I chased after him, the final bell ringing.

He laughed and skidded around the corner nearly falling and I followed suit close behind. “Oh I don’t need a cooties shot.” He looked over his shoulders and waggled his eyebrows at me.

“Nurse demands you’re fully immunized!” I said with an evil grin as I snatched hold of his sweatshirt and yanked, sending him tumbling to the ground. As I loomed over him he stared up with a pissed off glare. I ignored it however and jabbed him in the ribs with my fingers. “There! All better!”

I did a taunting twirl and bounded off well aware of the fact we were acting like idiots. “Doctor has to give nurse a shot to!” he threatened following close behind as we neared our first hour class.

I yelped with a laugh as his hand barely missed grabbing onto my back as I hurled myself up the stairs the classroom door just up ahead. “Nurse is entering the sterilization chamber so doctor is too late!” I giggled gleefully as I beat him up the stairs and yanked open the Door to Mr. Marrs room panting hard.

A few seconds later Aiden stumbled in behind me both of us out of breath. I shot a look over to him and he glared back mouthing ‘this isn’t over.’ With a threatening stare. I stuck my tongue out before realizing that the entire class was watching us. Mr Marrs stood at the board having already started class.

“Isadora, Aiden you’re late.” He informed us. As if we didn’t already know. I thought sourly.

“Sorry man we tried to rush straight here.” Aiden said with a mischievous grin as we both tried to control our panting. 

I avoided Mr. Marr’s eyes as he looked at me. “Yeah. Sorry.” I mumbled. I wasn’t really sorry. I was glad Aiden had been a temporary distraction.

Surprisingly Mr. Marrs let it go easy. “Take your seats. Page thirty seven.” He instructed us after deciding it wasn’t worth it to push the matter further. Smooth and perfect his voice caused my body to act up screaming at me to get away. For the first time I agreed with it. My body wasn’t crazy afterall. It was perfectly sane. I was the prey and my teacher the predator and all of my senses knew it before I even had.

As I slid into place next to Aiden he pinched my thigh. I jumped surprised my knees banging into the desk as I did so. “Asshole.” I hissed at him as I ignored the awkward glances from the people around us.

He didn’t stop though. Every opportunity he got he would pinch at my thigh or my sides. Had we not been in the middle of class I would have slugged him. “He keeps watching you.” Aiden whispered into my ear after yet another one of his pinches.

I followed his gaze to Mr. Marrs who was engrossed in the passage he was reading. “Maybe he realized I’m a nurse in disguise?” I asked teasingly before jabbing Aiden in the ribs. Hard. He seemed to get the message and ceased his pinching.