I Won't Give Up (Teacher/Student)

Chapter 6

Six

I hadn't spoken to Mr. Livingston for a week now and he hadn't spoken to me either. The whole ignoring each other thing made his class even more difficult. He avoided calling on me for questions and I found it difficult to look at him while he was lecturing. Thankfully we were on genetics and I liked the topic enough to spend extra time at home to learn it on my own. The time I needed for homework was now longer so it made it even easier to ignore him.

I didn't need another guy in my life telling me what to do and giving me their opinion without me asking. I knew Mr. Livingston was trying to help, but he also knew nothing about my situation and even if I told him, he wouldn't really understand. He already thought I was stupid and to him, leaving was easy. He would ignore the fact that I had already tried to leave, that even if I said those words to Dustin, he apparently wasn't ready to leave me. I wouldn't be free of him until he was done with me. It was no longer my choice, but his.

I just prayed that he would make that choice before I ended up getting hurt badly.

For the entire week, I slept on the couch and refused to give up my spot for Mr. Livingston. On a couple of occasions, Jackson came to the apartment late at night. Some of those nights I was still awake and Jackson would make us a nighttime snack, usually his specialty (a sandwich), and we would stay up talking. He would tell me about his day at work, mainly conducting traffic stops or filling out paperwork, and I would tell him about whatever happened at school that day.

For some reason, talking to Jackson was much easier than talking to Mr. Livingston. Maybe it was because Jackson was closer to my age and more relaxed, but it was probably more likely because he didn't know anything about my situation with Dustin. Outside of Dustin, Mr. Livingston and I got along really well.

Because of sleeping on the couch, my body had really begun to hate me. I decided that working out would help me loosen up and feel more relaxed later tonight. I settled myself in front of the living room TV and put on a program for my core because it was my weakest area and the workout I loved to avoid the most. I kept the program on mute and placed headphones on as I went through a series of exercises that required both standing and sitting. Towards the end, my gray sports bra was soaked in the front and my abs were begging for me to stop.

As I approached the final exercises, focused on a variety of planks, I was breathing loudly and groaning. Seconds before I collapsed on the ground, the front door burst open and an angry Mr. Livingston and an amused Jackson walked into the apartment. When Mr. Livingston's eyes met mine and then looked at the TV, his shoulders relaxed.

"Why the hell are you guys barging in here like you own the place?" I asked. I pushed myself off the ground and gulped down my water.

For a second, it looked like Mr. Livingston wanted to smile. "I-uh," he said.

Jackson stepped forward and placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Let's just say Caden here thought you were getting a different type of workout."

I pinched my eyebrows and looked between the two of them. Jackson gave me a lopsided grin and I then realized what exactly he meant.

"Why the hell would anyone think that?"

"Diem, the sounds you were making leave little to the imagination," Jackson said, earning a slap from his brother who was not amused since the beginning of the conversation.

I was grateful that I was already red in the face from my workout because it masked my current embarrassment. Apparently my grunts and groans were perfect substitutes for sex noises, and Mr. Livingston was not a fan of the thought of me making those noises in his apartment. He really thought that I would bring someone back here and get down and dirty in his living room? Oh god, he thought Dustin was here.