Nightmare {h.s | au}

1.11

I was gone before people were down for breakfast. There was a note on the counter about things staying warm in the oven so no one had to cook and everyone would know I had left early. The reason I was at school was for one purpose only.

“I’m afraid I can’t switch partners, Eden. And that’s final,” Miss Vent said for the fiftieth time.

In response, I frowned and went back to the table to normally work at to finish the project before I’d have to report to homeroom. Everything looked perfect, and instead of being black and white, I had colored it so that the heart was damaged with more detail. The only thing I needed to do really was sign and spray. Miss Vent wouldn’t want me to do it inside but…

After I signed my name in the lower right hand corner, I sprayed it down, earning a sharp glare. Then she was moving to open up a window so that the smell would fade out before her first hour. I picked up the canvas and examined the hand clenching the heart, hurting it but trying to look so pretty doing it.

This is how I imagine an abusive relationship. First, they share their heart with the other. Things are fine until someone starts to hurt just a little bit. That’s when they start squeezing that heart. Slowly but surely they continue to squeeze until finally the heart is nothing but a bleeding mass on the ground. It’s a gradual thing until someone is left heartless.

I walked over to Miss Vent’s desk and put it down. She looked away from her computer once for a short second and then back again as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Automatically she picked it up to examine it, see everything going on. I stood there for a while until the ten minute bell rang. Miss Vent looked up then.

“We’ll talk about this after school. See you after lunch,” she said.

I nodded, grabbed my things, and walked quickly to homeroom. After plopping down in my seat, Angelina pulled me into the conversation behind me about this upcoming game. We’re playing against the Rams so it was bound to be a winning game. Finally I realized it wasn’t about the game but a party that would be going on after the game at Kyle Barkley’s place. I knew I wasn’t in the mood for another party…so I lied.

“I can’t make it. I’m taking Sam to go see our aunt this weekend,” I said, looking as earnest as possible. It was hopeless to lie to Angelina like this because she’d see right through it. And I knew she did too because she gave me this knowing look but no words were said.

My phone buzzed in my back pocket. It was a dull roar so no one looked to me to see what was going on. I pulled my phone out and saw Harry’s name there. After unlocking it, I read: I want to see this aunt. –H.

I shook my head and shoved my phone back into the back pocket of my ripped skinny jeans. Again it went off but I chose to ignore it this time. As inconspicuously as possible, I looked over to Harry to see he was blatantly playing on his phone without a care in the world. Mr. Crank had already looked over him and saw him with his phone. Apparently he was past the point of caring and we were only in the third week of school.

Mr. Crank was never one to care too much as long as everyone stayed in line. He’d been pretty chill when he first started but would sometimes just go way off of the rails. After he got married, he cooled down even more and just let things breeze over him. It worked well with our class but not so much with the other classes that wouldn’t stay in line.

“Eden,” Bennett said. I turned in my seat to face him. His big brown eyes stared at me with humor and I knew this one was going to be bad. “I don’t have a library card, but do you mind if I check you out?”

I tried really hard not to laugh at the absurd pick up line that had clearly gotten the attention of those around us. Some were snickering, others smiling, and Reece looked ready to snap Bennett’s neck. It was a candid moment of how everything was before England. Everyone was laughing and having fun, Bennett and I would do anything to make Reece mad, and no one had a worry in the world.