Teachers Pet

twenty

"Oh my god, where the hell have you been?!" Flo shouted as I swung the door open. I tried to hold my hand up and stop her but that only stirred her on more. "Don't even try to tell me some bullshit- wait." She stopped, walking over to me right as I threw my bag beside my bed. "Have you been crying?"

I nodded, "I'm fine though." I attempted to deflect. Why did I think that would work with her again?

"No. If you're crying then somethings wrong." Flo guided me over to my bed, sitting me down as she picked up some makeup wipes from my desk. "What happened?" She pulled a damp wipe from the pack, lifting my face with her index finger as she cleared the makeup from below my eyes, including my foundation. 

"Two things actually."

That seemed to pique her interest before seeing the monotone look on my face. "Bad first." Placing another soft swipe, my mascara was finally lifted from my skin. "Always tell someone the bad first. It makes the good news so much better."

I let out a laugh, "Okay well, Tom is uh, he's married."

"What?!"

"Ow!"

My head flung back from the surprise fingertip that had slipped. "Sorry!" Flo apologized, bringing a tissue to my watering eye. "He's what?!" 

"Well, he was married," I confirmed, grasping the tissue from her hand and tending to my own injury. "I walked in on him and his ex-wife mid-thrust." I could see Flo attempting to hold in a smirk, "That term would be funny if the circumstances were different, anyways-" Flo shook her head, focusing back, "What did you do?"

"Well I screamed, then I cried. Then I left and kissed Bobby goodbye."

Flo nodded, "Aw he's so cute."

I nodded, "And then when I was walking home..someone picked me up which might be the second part of my news...." 

"Alright.." Flo sat on our desk chair, skeptical. "Is this someone I know?"

I nodded, "Pretty well." 

Attempting yet failing to gauge her mood, I came out with it. 

"It's Chris."

Her mouth dropped slightly, a look on her face that I couldn't quite read. "Flo?" She stayed still, not moving. I tapped her shoulder with my index finger twice, still not causing her to move. So I continued, "He brought me back and we kissed." That didn't work. "He said he missed me." Still nothing. "And I told him I missed him too."

"And do you?" Flo questioned, eyeing me carefully yet with a slight hope in her eyes that I was lying. 

I shrugged, "I don't know. I think I do."

"You think you do?" Nodding, I stood and walked over to my dresser, picking out a pair of thin sleep shorts and a dark green tank top. "Do you recall the last time you got back with Chris?" I ignored Flo's question, slipping off my dirtied clothes from the day. "You were admitted to the hospital for a broken collar bone and a face I could hardly recognize." She answered for me, "Oh, and two broken ribs not to mention."

"Look, I get it, Flo." I sighed, turning back. "But that was over three years ago. He's.."

"Don't you dare say-"

"Changed." Flo dropped her head back, closing her eyes in frustration. "That is exactly what I didn't want you to say."

"Why?" I questioned, "People can change." I pulled the tank top over my head, huffing as I sat down on my bed. "Aaron changed. He used to be a dick and now he's actually here for me."

Flo scoffed, standing up and walking over to her desk and leaning against the wooden frame. "Don't blame me if I don't trust your judgment much."

"Excuse me?" I snapped, my brows furrowing in confusion. 

"I mean you thought Tom was a good guy and look at what happened.." She tilted her head, "You caught him cheating only a few hours after you told him you loved him."

I felt bile rise in my throat. Blood was rushing too fast in my head and my heart ached like it had skipped more than a beat. My body hurt as did my mind. Standing up, I hastily grabbed my bag and stuffed my feet into a pair of sneakers. 

"What are you doing?!" Flo shouted, making me scoff as I picked up my phone from my bed. "Viviana!" Florence shouted as I ran from the room, my bag lazily drooped over my shoulder. "You can't leave! It's the middle of the night!" But I ignored her and kept walking down the steps. "Vivia-"

"Stop!" I shouted, surely loud enough for the entire dorm to hear. "Stop trying to make this better! You're the one who just made me feel like a fool after I already confirmed it in my head!"

"Viv, I didn't mean it." She shook her head, "I'm sorry-"

"What's going on out here?" Lizzie walked from her room on the first floor, looking at the two of us with worry in her eyes. I kept my eyes on Flo, "Ask her. She's the reason I'm leaving." Without another word, I ran from the dorm, causing the door to ricochet off the brick wall of the building. 

Lizzie must have said something to Flo because, by the time I was down the block, they hadn't come outside. I walked and walked, my ankles were straining and my stomach had this nauseating pressure. 

It was well past two in the morning and I had passed some not-so-nice people that I was just thankful didn't stop to inspect the reason why I was crying. I couldn't call Aaron, he'd be mad. I could call Chris but we just started to see each other again, I couldn't go crazy on him this late at night. And I couldn't call Tom. I knew he wouldn't want to talk. Not when he had her. 

But the way he always spoke to me. Like I was the only woman in the world he'd ever laid eyes on. Everything about him screamed pure but so corrupted in the way he ravished my body. Maybe, just...maybe?

Without another thought, I whipped out my phone and dialed. The cool night air was brisker as I waited, sitting down on a park bench still in my thin pajamas. I knew it was a bad idea, but I couldn't help it. He had always been there for me. My breath stalled as the line answered, "Hi."

"Hey baby."