Teachers Pet

twenty-five

I walked through the hall toward class. I had made the decision that since I paid for college, it'd be the smart decision to attend. And yet with responsible decisions come the unfortunate consequence of seeing everyone I had hoped to avoid. 

Lizzie ran up to me with a bright smile on her face, Flo instantly moving away as we made eye contact. Saying goodbye to Lizzie after a brief promise to come by the dorms, I saw Aaron coming my way which immediately made me make a b-line for my class. "Hey!" He shouted, urging me to pick up my pace.

Yet with my luck, he was able to grab the hem of my hoodie before I could run into Mr. Stan's lecture hall. I yelped, smacking his hand off of me and finally turning around to look him in the eye. "What's up?" I questioned innocently, of course only getting a glare from my older brother.

"What's up? That's it?" I nodded, scratching the knuckle of my middle finger as a nervous tic. Aaron scoffed, pulling us both aside to a more hidden hallway. "People are worried about you." I ripped my hand from his grip feeling the bruises underneath my hoodie throbbing where the skin was raised. "Then those people should come to me."

"I'm one of them."

I rolled my eyes, not wanting to have this discussion. "Look, Aaron, I don't want to talk about it-"

"No," He shook his head, "You don't get to deflect. Not when you've moved out of the dorms, skipped class, and made irresponsible decisions."

"Well I'm here, aren't I?" I snapped back, hearing a couple of students walk by, making me lower my tone.

Aaron shook his head, completely ignoring the fact that we weren't alone. "I don't care. You have got to step it up." I stayed quiet, not wanting to aggravate him even more. "Your gonna go to all of your classes." Aaron pointed down the hall, "All of them." Yet before I could walk off he pulled me back, "Oh my god! Stop touching me!!"

Aaron's face instantly dropped, confusion and guilt masking his expressions. I stuttered a couple of times, attempting to say something that would make this awkward moment better. Nothing would.

"I'm sorry." He nodded, "Just one thing." My brother's voice was now at a quiet whisper, reminding me of how soft he could be sometimes.
"Where are you living? somewhere safe? Flo told me you guys had a fight and I'm not gonna ask about it...I just wanna know your okay."

I thought back to last night. The dinner, the beer bottle, the bandaids, Chris. Makeup could only cover up so much. At least I was a naturally clumsy person. Concealer was covering my split lip, as was a shit ton of lip gloss. I had bandaids covering all of the cuts going down my legs; thankfully hidden by a pair of loose corduroy pants. And a lot of foundation was masking the nasty bruise I had on my neck and wrist.

I knew Aaron would flip out, and absolutely lose his shit. He could be mean at times but he was still my older brother. "I'm safe," I nodded, pulling my cardigan tighter around myself, "I promise I'm okay.." The lie felt sour on my tongue as it left my mouth. Even though there was a small part of me who wanted to tell Aaron what was going on I knew he would blow everything out of proportion. I was okay..for the most part. 

"Alright." He let out a breath, looking me straight in the eye. "You know you can come to me with anything, Viv." I bobbed my head up and down once again, "I know, Aaron, I would tell you if there was something going on." He squinted his eyes, looking skeptical before wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace. "I just miss my little sister." I held the tears from escaping, connecting my arms behind his back. "I miss you too."

He squeezed tighter before pulling back. I could see the unanswered questions swarming through his eyes. I knew he wanted to know more. Know where I was staying. Know what happened with me and Flo. But I appreciated his respect for my privacy.