RPOV
I was right.
The next morning I had ten messages in my inbox and six missed calls. All from Jesse. I deleted the mall. When was he going to give up?I got ready for school and joined Eddie, who was waiting outside. He lived a couple houses away. We always walked together to school. It was a fifteen minute walk and most of the time we were chatting, but I was not in the mood today.
"Hey, is something wrong?" Eddie suddenly asked.
I looked up at him and smiled. "No, I'm fine."
I desperately wanted to change the subject before he'd ask about Jesse so I asked him about Jill.
"You have some explaining to do," I said.
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Last night you seemed disappointed that Jill wasn't there," I said.
"I wasn't," Eddie said quickly.
I rose my eyebrows.
"I really wasn't," he repeated.
"I was, um, just wondering where she was."
"Sure," I said shrugging.
"If that's what you want to believe."
"But it's the truth," Eddie said, suddenly looking very nervous.
"Why? You think something's going on?"
"No, no. Just...wondering," I said grinning.
He quickly changed the subject. "Now, tell me... How long have you been out there chatting with Avery?"
"Not that long," I said, feeling slightly uneasy about this topic.
"What did he say?"
"Why are you asking?" I asked.
Eddie shrugged. "Just curious. So?"
"Nothing much. He just said hi and then you came," I lied.
"And then he left."
"Who left?"We were at school by now and I hadn't seen that Lissa had joined us. I looked up at her.
"Hi, Liss," I greeted.
"Hey," she said. "What were you talking about? Was it about a guy?" Her face lit up at that last part.
"No."Lissa rolled her eyes at me.
"I heard you were talking about a guy. Who is it? Do you like him?"
"Thanks, Eddie," I said, glaring at him.
He just shrugged.I didn't want to talk about last night when Jack had found me crying. It was already embarrassing enough that he was the one to find me, but I was so not going to admit to my friends that I had been crying last night. I didn't cry. I never did. Well, except for the times I was frustrated. But no one ever saw me crying. Except for Lissa. But that had been a long time ago, when we were still kids. Since then no one had seen me cry. Until last night.
"Well, who's your secret lover?" Lissa teased.
I groaned. "There's no secret lover, Liss. I just ran into Mr. Avery last night. He said hi and left."
"Oh." Lissa sounded disappointed, but then smiled.
"Well, let me know if you find a new love interest."
"I don't think I want a new love interest any time soon," I said darkly. "If they're all going to be like Jesse then I'd rather stay alone."
"You don't mean that," Lissa teased.Oh, yes, this time I did mean it.
"Let's get to class before we're late."We went to our lockers to get our books. On our way to class, someone bumped into Lissa. She stumbled and almost fell over. I kept her upright and turned around to look at the girl who'd bumped into her.
"Hey, watch where you're going!"The girl turned around.
It was Camille. I should've known it was her. She gave me a smug smile and placed her hands on her hips.
"Maybe it's your friend who needs to watch where's she's going. She was in my way."I clenched my fists.
"You-"
"Let's go, girls," Camille said to her two friends, Abby and Natalie.
Those girls followed her around like they were her shadow.
"Hey, I'm not done yet!" I yelled.
"Let's go, Rose." Lissa tugged at my sleeve. "Let them go. You're only going to get in trouble.""But-"
"Come on, Rose," Eddie said.
"We're going to be late if we don't get going now."
"Fine," I grumbled.
Class was boring, just like always. It was like time stood still. I was so happy when it was time for lunch, because I Was starving. I sat down with my friends and kept an eye on Eddie's behaviour when Jill came over to sit with us. His face lit up like a Christmas tree when he saw her and he patted the spot next to him. She sat down beside him and gave him a shy smile. If it was possible, Eddie's smile grew even wider. Sure, Eddie. Nothing's going on. Yeah,right. You can't fool me, my friend. It was clear, though, that Eddie was not ready to admit his feelings yet, so I'll Just leave him alone about it and wait until he wanted to tell me.The rest of the day was uneventful and so was the rest of the week.
Jesse had left me alone these past days,which I was glad for. Maybe he'd finally seen reason and realised that I didn't want anything to do with him.I was glad when the last school bell rang. I could finally go home and enjoy my lazy weekend. Normally Eddie would walk with me, but today he had to go somewhere. I stayed and chatted with Lissa for a while, making plans for tomorrow, much to Christian's annoyance. After a lot of whining from Christian, they also left.I turned around and froze when I saw who was walking toward me. Oh God. Not again. I thought this was over.
"Shit," I muttered, looking around for help. I wasn't going to find it here, though. The school grounds were empty,except for Jesse and me.
"What took you so long?" he asked. "I have been waiting outside for, like, fifteen minutes."
"I didn't ask you to wait for me," I snapped. "If I remember correctly, I asked you to leave me alone."
He laughed. "You keep saying that, but I know you don't mean that. You're just playing hard to get."
I scoffed. "Sure, Jesse. Keep on dreaming."
I wanted to walk away, but Jesse blocked me.
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Home."
"Not without me."
"Didn't you hear me? I want you to leave me alone!" I almost yelled at him.
This was getting worse by the day and I was losing my patience.
"Get out of my way."
"Why didn't you text me back? I left several messages."
"I have better things to do than answer all your messages. Now let me be. I have to be somewhere."
"Where? Do you have a date?" he asked, looking angry.
"No. I just want to go home. Alone."
"You're lying. Where's Eddie? Are you meeting him?" Anger flashed in his eyes.
"I knew it. I knew you would-"
"For the last time, there's nothing going on between Eddie and me!" I wanted to leave again, but this time he grabbed my arm and jerked me back.
I gasped. "Let go of me!"
"No! Not until you tell me the truth!" he yelled. His fingers tightened around my arm. It hurt. I'd never thought Jesse would be this strong.
I whimpered. "You're hurting me. Please let me go."
But he didn't let go. Instead, he grabbed me tighter and started to shake me. "Tell me the truth!"
At this moment I was actually scared of Jesse. He had never been this angry before nor this violent. I didn't know what to do and I desperately wanted to go. I was about to ask him again to let me go, but then someone else did it for me. That person didn't exactly ask, though.
"Let her go!"Jesse turned around with me.
I gasped when I saw who was standing in front of me. Oh God. And I thought yesterday was embarrassing...
"Let her go. Now," Jack said with authority.
"Who the hell are you?" Jesse said scornfully.
"I'm a teacher here," Jack said, his voice hard, "and if you don't let her go right now, I'll call the cops."
Jesse scoffed. "You wouldn't."
"Try me." Jack took out his cell phone and that's when Jesse got scared.
"Okay, fine!" he exclaimed, finally letting go of me.
I immediately stepped away from him.
"You heard her," Jack said.
Man, if looks could kill, Jesse would be dead by now.
"She wants you to leave her alone. Then go."
"Who do you think you are? You have no right to say what I should do! This is between Rose and me!"My voice wavered as I spoke.
I was still a little bit shocked.
"Just go, Jesse."He saw that he couldn't win here so he finally gave up.
"Fine, I'll go." He glared at Jack before he turned to me and whispered in my ear, "Don't think I'm done with you. I'll find you and then we'll finish this conversation."
I shuddered and hugged myself. "Go, Jesse," I whispered.
Tears stung in my eyes, but I refused to cry this time.Jesse stalked off and left me with Jack. It was quiet for a few moments and then Jack took a step toward me.
"Hey, are you okay?" he asked, his voice now gentle.
"I-I'm fine," I lied.
"No, you're not. I can see that you're not fine," Jack said. "Did he hurt you?"
"No, I'm alright." Though I might have a couple of bruises tomorrow on my arm.
We fell silent again until Jack asked, "Is he always like this?"I shrugged.
"He's jealous and possessive, yeah, but I've never seen him like this before."
Compassion filled Jack's face.
I could see he wanted to help me, but he just didn't know how. Well, that makest wo of us.A few moments later he said what I was thinking. "I'd like to help you, but..."
"You don't know how," I finished for him.
I laughed, but it was without mirth. "Well, you're not the only one. I don't know what to do either. He just does what he wants."
"Do your parents know about this?"
"I don't want to bother my mother with this. She's got better things to do," I said. "Besides, she likes Jesse and I don't think she would believe me. And, well, my father... I don't know him."
What the hell was I doing? Why was I telling this to my history teacher?
Jack was silent for a while and then he extended his hand. "Give me your cell phone."
"Wh-what?" I asked, confused.
But when he didn't say anything else, I handed him my cell phone."What are you doing?" I asked when he started to type something on my cell.
"You aren't calling my mom, are you?" I exclaimed.
"No," he said calmly as he gave me my cell phone back.
"I just put my number in it."I stared at him, speechless. Was he kidding?
"Umm...I don't know how that's going to solve my problem with Jesse, but thanks, I guess," I finally said.
I thought he might crack a smile, but his face stayed serious. "I know it's not going to solve your problem, but if something's wrong, if he bothers you again, then you can call me - or text me, whatever you want. And if he doesn't want to leave, I'll come over myself and make him leave."
"Why?" I asked, dumbfounded.
I didn't understand why he would do this for me.
"I'm worried about you," he simply said. "From what you told me and from what I just saw... how that guy was treating you..." He shook his head and sighed. "Just let me know if something's wrong or if he's bothering you again. There should be at least one person you can tell this to."
"But I don't want to trouble you," I protested.
"Rose," he said, his voice stern. "Don't argue with me. You tell your mother and report him or you let me know if something happens again with that guy. Those are your two options."
I sighed, knowing that I couldn't get out of this one. "Fine," I grumbled. "If that's what you want."
I wanted to thank him for helping me out, but he cut me off. "You should go home now. Before it gets dark."
I nodded, turned around and walked away. When I looked over my shoulder, I saw him walking to the parking lot.As I walked home, I replayed the last few minutes in my head. Jack had given me his number. How crazy was that? Was he really that worried about me? It's not like he knew me that well. I was just his student. Maybe he was just being the nice guy he always was and trying to help me out. And I had been a bitch about it.
I'd sounded like I didn't appreciate his help.Later that night, when I was lying in bed, I pondered if I should text him. I still felt bad that I hadn't thanked himf or helping me with Jesse. But he'd only said I should call or text him if I was in trouble. Still... I hadn't been nice and I wanted to apologise. I took my cell and then abruptly put it down again. Sighing, I stared at it. Don't chicken out, Rose. It's just a text.I glanced at the clock. It was ten in the evening. He was probably still awake so it wouldn't hurt to text him right now. I read my text over and over and then decided it was alright.
Hey, I wanted to thank you for helping me today. I'm sorry for acting like a bitch earlier. – Rose
I waited nervously for a response and all the while I felt like an idiot. Why couldn't I have waited until Monday to thank him? Why did I send him a text? Maybe he had a girlfriend and if she'd read this she might get angry a thim. Ten minutes later I got a text back, but when I opened it, I saw it was not from him but Lissa. I felt a little bit disappointed at that. I answered Lissa's text, telling her she could come over tomorrow at ten to study for maths.
A couple of minutes later I got another text. I figured it was from Lissa, but this time it was from Jack. For some strange reason my heart started beating faster.It's alright, Rose. And you're welcome. Did you hear anything from him?I immediately knew who he was talking about. I quickly texted him back. He's called me a couple of times, but I ignored it.His answer came swiftly this time.
Well, next time you might want to choose a less jealous boyfriend. You deserve better.
When I read that last sentence, I blushed. I was glad he couldn't see me right now. I responded to his text and just like that, we kept texting and texting. Turns out I had a lot in common with him. Except for the western novels and the 80's music. I could not understand his love for reading and crappy music. I glanced at the clock and noticed it was after midnight.
I told him I was going to sleep now and he wished me goodnight. I even got a smiley from him. I smiled, put my cell phone on my nightstand and lay down. As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell sleep
Jpov
stared at the last message I got from Rose. Goodnight, Jack
Sighing, I put my phone away and lay down in bed. What had I been thinking when I gave her my number? I could get in trouble if the school officials found out I gave her my number. And that you've been texting with her all night.But what was I supposed to do? I'd seen the look on her face when her ex-boyfriend had grabbed her. She'd looked scared. I knew that she would never admit that, though. That was just the kind of person she was. I'd already been a little worried when I'd found her crying last Sunday. She was the last person of who I thought I'd ever see crying. After what I'd seen today I was even more worried about her.
What if I hadn't been there? What if that guy would've done something to her? I still thought it was better if she'd just tell her mom, but that was apparently the last thing she wanted to do. I didn't think she'd tell her friends either. So my only solution had been to give her my number so she could call me if she had trouble with her ex-boyfriend again. But instead, I had been texting with her about random things all night. Stupid, Jack. So, so stupid.But there was something about Rose, something...special. She had a big mouth in class and an attitude, but I knew she cared about the people she loved and that she would do anything for them. I had seen it the first day I met her in school.I was nervous on my first day as the new history teacher. I hoped everything would go well today. I had my first class in the afternoon.
The students were all silent when I entered, probably curious who their new teacher would be. Except for one girl. She was talking animatedly to a blonde girl and hadn't noticed me coming in. I cleared my throat and I finally got their attention. The girl turned in her seat, revealing her face. She looked at me expectantly. I couldn't help but thinking that she was really beautiful, with that long dark hair framing her pretty face. Okay, concentrate, Jack! Dragging my eyes away from her, I cleared my throat again and introduced myself. "Hello, my name is Jack Avery and I'm your new history teacher."
Class went well and I was relieved about that, but when the bell rang and everyone got up, I heard yelling in the hallway.
"You bitch! If you touch Lissa one more time, I'll-"
"Rose!" I exclaimed.
I'd read the list with their names at the start of class and fortunately remembered her name.
"What's going on here?"
"That bitch pushed Lissa!" Rose said, pointing to another girl who stood a few feet away.
"I did not!" the other girl exclaimed.
I couldn't remember her name.
"Rose, you can't call people like that," I said, my voice stern.
"But she pushed Lissa!"
I hadn't seen the other girl push Lissa so I couldn't say anything about that.
"I don't know if that's true, but I heard you calling..." I looked at the girl, trying to remember her name."
Camille," the girl helped me out, smiling.
"I heard you calling Camille names and that's not allowed here," I said.
She grumbled something I couldn't quite understand.
"It's fine, Rose," Lissa said. "Just let it go."
"But-"The bell rang again, announcing that class had started again. Rose and Lissa wanted to leave, but I called Rose back.
Before I could say anything, she exclaimed, "Why didn't you say something to Camille?"
"I didn't see her pushing Lissa," I said calmly, "so I couldn't say something about it. I can't just choose sides."
"But Camille is a b-"I gave her a warning look and she stopped just in time, sighing in defeat
"If someone's bothering you or Lissa, you should get help instead of fighting back."
"That doesn't help. They won't do anything about it. I've complained a lot of times about Camille, but they never punish her for what she does to Lissa."
"Well, then tell me next time," I suggested. "Before you start yelling and calling her names in the hallway."She looked at me and then nodded.
"Okay. I will," she said.
"You should get to class now," I said.
She turned around and started walking. Looking over her shoulder, she said, "Bye, Jack!"
"It's Mr. Avery for you," I called after her.
She just shrugged and grinned. And she'd never stopped calling me Jack since then, even though I'd told her over and over that she shouldn't call me with my first name.
A year later, I had stopped with my attempt to let her call me Mr. Avery.
It was useless. She did what she wanted to, always happy and full of life. Seeing her smile, made me want to smile though I kept my face serious around her – well, most of the time.
And that night when I'd found her crying... I'd felt so bad for her and I was worried. After today it seemed that myworry wasn't for nothing. If she didn't want to tell anyone else about that guy, then at least I hoped she wouldtrust me enough to tell me if she had trouble with him. Now that I'd seen how that guy really was, I couldunderstand why she was desperate to get away from him.
If he'd hurt her...I suddenly noticed I was clenching my fists and quickly unclenched them.
Okay, Jack. Stop thinking about her.You shouldn't be thinking about her that way. Don't get emotionally involved. Stay professional. She's yourstudent. You're her teacher.
I sighed. Convincing myself I was just worried about Rose and that was it, I turned the lights out and went to sleep, leaving my worries for tomorrow.
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