Finding Oak (Teacher x Student)

Chapter Fourteen

I down right avoided Eriq. He was in love with me and how could I be around him when I too, was in love with him? School was awkward.

Home was awkward.

 

I tried to tell myself it was me making it seem awkward, and eventually I began to believe that. Things could be fine. Things could be better than fine, if I sat down with Eriq and talked.

 

Talk about what? Do you know how hard it is to explain to someone you’re in love with that you want them but can’t be with them? That you want to be held by them but some maniac with an obsession took it from you?

 

I decided instead I would give something back to Eriq. He gave me a confession, I’ll give him one. That would ease way into the conversation and soon we’d both understand.

 

It was about halfway through the week after Eriq had told me his shocking news. The school week after Bria had told me her shocking news, and the week after I had come to terms with my own shocking news.

What a weekend it was.

 

In English I slept, in Math I slept. I was so tired, but everytime I dreamed I saw the scratched out, blurry face of whoever it was that broke me, and my big eyes filled with tears. At lunch Nox took me to sit with him, away from all the girls. Which was nice because for some reason they all stared at me with curious eyes and hurtful looks. I tried not to stare at Bria-letta, who now had a foreign presence to me.

 

Nox smiled at me, his  warm and welcome looks calming me. “You alright, Oak?” He asked, typing into his laptop he had brought. It dawned on me I didn’t really know how to use a laptop, and if I did it wasn’t in my memory at the moment. Eriq had told me didn’t like technology much and tried to stay as far from it as he could.

 

I realised I hadn’t answered Nox, so I simply shrugged. “I guess so. Can I tell you something important?” I asked, needing my best friend to know what was happening. Needing anyone to know what was happening. He nodded, closing his laptop.

“You can tell me anything, Roanoke. Sometimes I feel like I already know you more than you do anyways, so don’t be afraid, silly girl.” He said. I smiled at him because Nox was like a brother, a father, a protector, friend and confidant all in one.

 

“Nox, Eriq told me he was in love with me..” I said, point blank, without hesitation. I felt a great weight lifted from my shoulders and I sighed. Nox stared.

And stared

and stared.

 

I giggled. Finally nox shook his head and asked. “How do you feel about him?” I could see him swallow hard.

 

“I feel the same way, I think.. but I can’t really feel that way, can I? I mean.. it's not right..” Nox blinked before smiling.

 

“I knew you felt that way.” He said. I laughed again, and just like that the conversation was over. But Nox still had that curious, cautious look he always had when he stared at me.

School went by and I had decided the perfect way to give Eriq a part of me, without being too out there. Eriq was sitting silently on the couch, folding his dress shirts into tight, neat little piles. it was like watching a master of some outer world sport. He was focused and smooth. I laughed a bit, before sitting with him, and grabbing a shirt.

 

“Hey Oak” He muttered, mildly surprised since I hadn’t really talked to him but to answer a math question in class. He put his hand up to my own, and gently squeezed. “Are you going to talk to me finally?” He asked, his voice light and humorous. I nodded.

 

“I have somthing to show you.” I said, plainly. He tilted his head, much like how I tilt mine. I began to slowly unbutton my uniform’s pollo top, and slip it over my head. Eriq’s eyes widened, and he swallowed a lump in his throat.

 

“Roanoke I- I don’t think you should be..” I cut him off with a snort.

“Please, I’ve got a tank top on.” I said, as I threw my uniforms top off to the side. I sat in a white tank top, but frail body still littered with cuts and scrape scars. “Open your eyes, Eriq.” I said, trying to sound forceful, but sounding meek.

 

He opened his eyes. I lifted my tank top up just enough to show him the scar that winded long across my body. He stared with interest, and a look of distance in his eyes.

 

I gently took his fingers, my stomach lurching forward into my throat and causing me to tremble. His hand was warm as I laid it against my scarred stomach. His fingers trailed slightly below my breast along the rough of the thick scar that winded across my body like a slinky, scrolling and twisting.

 

“Roanoke” He managed to choke out, his voice breaking. He didn’t make eye contact with me, so I stood instead and lifted my pleated skirt high up to my thigh. The brand that lay there, the one I had hid from him so many times before, was open and bared. The R with the arrow through it caught his attention, and he immediately grabbed my thigh, his eyes focused, his large hands gripping tight onto my skin. I gasped and pushed away from him.

 

Into my mind was a flash of the cattle brand that I knew I had once dreamed about, but that amnesia had taken from me. Eriq realised his mistake in being to rough, and assured me with a gentle caress of my cheek. “I apologise..” he muttered, before returning to look at the mark.

 

His fingers were tight around the area, as his jaw clenched. “I’ve seen this mark before, I know I have..” He muttered to himself, his eyes focused and wild. I could see the red in his face rise and steam pour from his ears. HIs temper was boiling and I rested my hand against his cheek this time, in return. He finally looked away from me, and took a few steps back. I followed hesitantly. “I don’t remember where but this symbol, someone told me about it and I swear..” He trailed off to himself. I'd stopped listening.

His anger made me nervous, but it made me feel protected by him. As he wrapped his large arms around me, and simply held me to him, I felt at peace with everything that had happened. Being abducted, beaten, tortured, caged.. I felt like things might be okay. But that feeling will pass away as I begin to truly remember everything..

*Yay another chapter up in record time c: Burn reference on the side! Leave a comment and a vote! <3*