"Harder, please." I panted.
"That's hardly advisable on your first time, Louise." Adam whispered.
"I want to remember this." I replied as I felt him push harder. My breath spiked, feeling the intense sensation scatter throughout every nerve in my body. "I want to really feel it."
"Alright," He replied, a little hesitant. "But if you felt the need to scream, you better provide me some sort of heads up so I can stop."
Oh my God! We've been at this for hours! Why won't he just do it?
I rolled my eyes. "Just make sure that bottle doesn't break on my foot, Adam."
He chuckled. "Just so you know, and I'm telling you this due to my profound concern for your well-being, but I haven't performed this remedy to anyone before. I'm not sure this will work."
"Your nana has done this to you countless times, right?" I asked. "You said this had no chance of failing."
"Yes, but it's an entirely different thing when I'm the one doing it." He reasoned out. "Hence, I can't guarantee you positive results. I'm not even sure I'm doing it right. But then again, your foot's already messed up terribly so I don't see how else I could ruin it for you."
"Yeah well, I can always stick the broken glasses up your gut Adam."
Adam laughed. "You know what? You've gotten completely malevolent over the time."
He pushed the bottle harder against my sprained foot like he had been for the past fifteen minutes, rolling it up and down the entire premise. I wanted to scream but I just corrugated it into a wince and a sarcastic hum. This procedure was said to expedite the healing process of a sprain according to Adam, who's had it a million times before, and this was how his nana did it for him.
"Still good?" He validated, a small hint of a smile on his lips. I knew that he was worried about my well-being but it was also evident that he was enjoying this apparent pain for me.
Nodding, I made a small gap between my lips, taking a deep breath through there and letting it out as well, followed by a small wince. "Yes, never better."
If I wanted to get well fast and catch up with all the work I have to do for the musicale, I should take every chance at wellness I could get.
"You know, you shouldn't drive three hours every day just so you can patch me up or cook me food." I told him. He had been driving to and from New York where he currently resides just so he could be someone I needed. It was making me feel equally guilty and spoiled, to be honest. "I can manage by myself."
"Look who's ungrateful now." He said, giving me a funny look.
"No, of course I'm grateful." I replied. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, Adam. I appreciate everything you do. It's just..."
"Relax." He said. "I don't expect anything in return. I'm glad I'm able to do these things for you and with you."
"That's not what I meant." I told him, looking down on the foot he was treating.
"I know what you mean." He replied with a low chuckle. "I would've done the same for Sam."
I gave him a flat look. "Really?"
"Fine, not really." He admitted. "But it's only because I'm a lot closer to you than I am with Sam. She and I didn't have the kind of history we had."
He was right. Adam and I have gone from enemies to really good friends... we've come a long way and he was friends with the band basically because I was.
"All I'm saying is," I said. "And actually failing even if I haven't even begun, is that, I'm sick of everyone treating me like this fragile little thing that could break at the sight or sound of anything associated with him."
His face turned somber, putting the bottle aside and taking a seat beside me. "Nobody thinks that, Louise. Sam, more than anyone, knows you're bloody tougher than you look. Besides, the band doesn't even know."
"The band doesn't know?" I asked. "But back in Boracay..."
"They just came, Louise." He reassured me. "Nobody else found out and nobody said anything about anybody. For them, it was just like seeing their former teacher outside of school. You can leave it to your mates not noticing anything more apparent than the sun."
Well that was the only relief I found in this God-awful mess.
Thinking about it, I've never really talked to anyone else in our band about my problem with Damon except for those who already knew. I guess amidst my misery and them taking precautions around me, I just assumed that they knew about it.
Adam left hesitantly. He was worried about me having another possible encounter or misfortune (as what he called it) with my neighbor across and the only thing that made him leave was my promise that I'd call him immediately if Damon so much as set a single foot on our front yard.
I did my evening routine, rather languidly than usual since I was handicapped. Dr. Kasikowski gave me the kind of brace that made me able to walk without damaging my ankle further and with even less pain which was good because I didn't want anyone babysitting me at my own house despite Sam's incessant offer—or rather persuasion. This was the only place I could be alone and with everything happening, I needed all the serenity I could get.
I sat on my desk idly, trying to do my homework when I noticed the lights in Damon's porch died. I guess he was home and was probably ready to go to bed. The lights on the second story just across my bedroom window were still on and from I remember when we were kids, that was his room. He probably took on their old setting and still had it as his room which I care nothing about.
I shook my head.
Why do you keep on butting your nose in his business, Louise? Focus on your own.
I couldn't keep his expression earlier at the auditorium off of my mind. That was the first time I saw him uncertain of what to say next. His face said it all. He was uncertain if he was even allowed to feel. What I saw was something I've never seen in his eyes... it was terror.
I shook my head once again, sighing and realizing I was getting nowhere with my homework so I decided to set it aside and went to bed.
Friday came a bit sluggish—and I wasn't commenting on my own movements. Subjects came as if every second was a minute and I came to fall asleep on several. Maybe it was because I didn't get enough sleep, wasting precious brain and eye rest on Damon's expression yesterday. No matter what I did, it never went away... it was imprinted on the grey matter that was my brain.
"You look like you're on crack." Sam peeped up from her eyeglasses.
I raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you have some?"
She scoffed as she returned her focus on the script before her, one of the posts of the kiosk was shading her against the sun. "Very funny, Aimee baby but I wouldn't want to replace you and your amazing vocals just because you're too high you can't keep a note or attend a rehearsal."
I pouted my lips at her. "But I'm on withdrawal I can't function properly!"
"I don't care." She said in a sing-song voice.
I laughed and rolled my eyes and then went back to my Calculus homework. Despite whatever shit I was going through right now with Damon and everything else, I could hardly imagine what it was like for us before him. I could no longer remember what we did for fun during break time before he started teaching here. It was like a distant memory I can only feel but no longer see.
"Louise Allen?" A voice said.
I looked up to see it was the cute brunette junior who was in my English lit this semester. Upon seeing her, I already knew what was gonna happen next.
"Mr. Clyde's looking for you in the auditorium. He says it's urgent."
I grunted, dropping my head backwards. "What now?"
I knew Sam wasn't going to finish going through the script anytime soon so I just left my stuff there at the table and proceeded to the hell that summoned me. Having Damon back here, this wasn't how I'd imagined and hoped things would be. Originally, I just wanted to have nothing to do with him besides being my teacher but it seems like he was hell-bent on making things more complicated than it already was.
Mr. Clyde was facing the stage when I came, his lower torso was leaning against one of the chairs and my arrival came unnoticed. I went down to where he was and sat at the chair on the other side of the aisle.
"You wanted to talk to me?" I asked, before adding salutation. "...sir?"
"I'm ready to tell you everything." He blurted out without removing his gaze from the stage. "I'm going to tell you the real reason why I had to leave."
My eyes widened at him. Suddenly, there was an ominous shiver that went through my entire body, not missing a single crook or crevice. This was the reason he omitted back in Boracay when he first explained stuff. Why would he suddenly reveal it now of all times?
"Why?" I asked. "Among all those other times I asked you for this... why now?"
"Because I'm afraid Louise!" He blurted out, finally looking at me. "I'm afraid I'm already losing you."
"That's not my fault now, is it?" I stood up to face him, my expression calm.
"Yes, it's mine." He admitted. "Things didn't exactly go as I planned. That's why I'm changing my game. It's time for the truth."
"I'm tired, Mr. Clyde." I said. "You drove me away. I kept chasing you but you drove me away. Now it's time for me to stay that way."
Mr. Clyde stood up and sauntered towards me, closing our distance. He had a voracious expression on his face and it made my cheeks grow hot. I tried to step away but he held my arms with both hands, putting me back in place.
"What are you doing?" I asked, looking away. "Someone might see us!"
"Louise..." He started. "I—"
"Well this is a sight to behold." A voice boomed.