The day passed with me hanging from the edge of my seat because sitting on my sore ass still hurt. And no matter how much I tried to catch Ms. Duval's eyes from across the room, she just wouldn't look at me.
It made me wonder if I had done something to upset her again.
I was about to corner her in the cafeteria when one of the girls from my class blocked me, two other girls flanking her sides.
"I'm afraid I've never had the chance to introduce myself," she said in a chirpy voice. Her hair fell down in pin straight strands that stopped just below her shoulder.
It made her look unapproachable and deadly with the sneer on her face.
"I'm Isabella." She pointed to the girl on her right. She had silver white hair that clashed perfected with her icy blue eyes. "This is Celeste."
Of course, the girl looked like the gods had given her as a gift to mankind.
"And Valeria."
This one had curly brown hair that framed her doe eyes, but I knew the cruelty that laid behind her innocent facade.
"I'm Mary," I mumbled. "How can I help you?"
Isabella took a step towards me and I had to back up, bumping into Charlotte in the process.
"A little birdie told me you missed your morning class." Her eyes narrowed at me. "Where were you?"
Charlotte tugged at my arm. "Just ignore them, let's go."
"What's it to you?" I asked, standing my ground. I wasn't going to be the shy scared girl I used to be. Only because they looked like they couldn't throw a punch.
Isabella leaned into me, her words so low that only I could hear them. "I believe you saw something you shouldn't have. I'm just here to make sure you know how to keep your lips sealed."
She straightened up. "Or do I have to teach you?"
Oh.
She was the one making out with a sister because they thought everyone had left the dorm. That was very careless of them.
I nodded. I wasn't in the business of ratting people out. "Your secret is safe with me. But be careful next time. Anyone could've walked in."
She nodded. "I better not hear this from someone else."
With that they walked away. I looked at the table Ms. Duval had been walking to but she was gone.
"What was that about?" Charlotte asked, looking. "You're not in trouble with them, are you?"
"No."
"Good. Because those girls are the most vicious people I've ever seen in this school. They got a girl expelled last semester after breaking her legs. Everyone knew it was them but no one said a thing."
I gulped. Looks like I misjudged them.
"I'll be sure to stay away from them."
.
.
I waited till everyone had gone to bed before slipping out again. I wanted to know if Ms. Duval was ignoring me and why.
We had a great night, and became closer after our conversation. I couldn't think about anything I'd said wrong.
Her office was locked so I went straight to her apartment. I sighed in relief when I saw her lights were on. That meant she was around.
I was about to knock when I realized the door wasn't locked. I pushed it open, my eyes immediately narrowing in on shoes that couldn't belong to Ms. Duval.
I closed the door quietly after me, sweat breaking out on my forehead when I heard a stream of laughter coming from the bathroom.
With dread in my blood I pushed the door open, a gasp falling from my lips when I saw Ms. Duval in the bathtub with another girl. She had a cigarette in one hand while the other disappeared into the water. Doing God knows what.
"Mary, what are you doing here?" She didn't sound surprised. "I don't remember calling for you."
"I…I…" No words could form on my tongue, not while Ms. Duval was completely naked in her bathtub with someone that wasn't me.
"Does it still hurt? I can give you the ointment if you want. Hold on, I'll grab it for you real quick."
Rage boiled under my skin as I watched the girl turn briefly to kiss Ms. Duval on the cheek. "Hurry up, I don't want the water to get cold."
Ms. Duval flashed her a smile before getting out of the tub. She didn't bother with a towel, just walked into the room butt naked to get the ointment for me.
"Who is she?" I asked, struggling to keep my eyes away from her bare body. This was the first time I was getting a proper look.
Her muscles were lean and taut as she bent down to open the drawer by her bedside. I looked away. I couldn't think straight when all I could imagine was me licking the droplets of water off her skin.
"She's from the other class, I don't believe you've met her. Although I fail to see how that concerns you." She stood up, ointment in hand as she studied me. "What's the problem Mary? Why are you here?"
"You didn't talk to me the entire day so I wanted to know if we are cool." I scratched the back of my head, hating that I felt like a petulant child. "I wanted to be sure I didn't upset you."
She put a hand on my shoulder. "Oh, Mary. I'm not angry with you, I just want you to focus while you're in school."
I looked in the direction of the bathroom.
"She's from the other class. You won't know her."
My head suddenly felt heavy on my shoulders. "Why is she here?" I looked up. "And in the…are you fucking her? I thought it was just us. I mean you've kissed me a couple times, I'm sure you've felt the tension between us."
I'd wanted to handle the matter in a mature way but the minute I started talking the words wouldn't stop coming.
"You brought me here, you took me to that same bathroom. You…"
"I was merely taking care of my student," Ms. Duval said calmly. "I'm sorry if you read any meaning into it."
My head was spinning. I hated that I was freaking out while she stood there in all her perfect naked glory, speaking like I should be okay with what was happening.
"But…you kissed me. You…" I blinked several times but even that couldn't keep the tears at bay. "This story is about us. It should be just us."
She shook her head. "No. This story is whatever you make of it. Like I said before, you don't have to play into the relationship I had with Mary. You're your own person, I want you to understand that before anything else."
"But…I do."
She shook her head. "Go back to your dorm, I'll see you in class." She placed the ointment in my hand and went back to the bathroom.
The sound of their laughter haunted me as I made my way out of the apartment. There was no way I'd imagined all the times we've felt connected.
She was my first kiss, the first person to make me feel alive. And yet…she had abandoned me like I was a passing thought. It shouldn't end like this.
I'd been so ridden with despair that I didn't hear the footsteps that had been trailing me. It wasn't until I was about to enter the dorm that a fabric was pulled over my head, thick and smelling like dust.