I Won't Give Up (Teacher/Student)

Chapter 15

Fifteen

Physical separation was supposed to be the key benefit of all breakups, but I guess that was the case only when both people agreed on splitting up.

I couldn't fully complain because I was seeing less of Dustin. He wasn't driving me to school anymore or picking me up at the end of the day. I didn't wait for him after every class or spend my lunches with him. I wondered if the rest of the school noticed our distance. I didn't talk to anyone apart from Cassie and Braxton. They knew I wasn't with Dustin anymore, but I didn't entertain anyone else's questions after the pep rally. All they wanted was information anyway, and I wasn't some soap opera they could consume for their entertainment.

I never believed that a person was beyond saving. We all had something that kept us going, and all we needed was for it to show up at the right time. I tried my hardest to understand Dustin from his perspective. Had I changed in a way that set him off? Did I start loving him less?  Was his aggression only a response to my apathy?

When I first started dating Dustin, I never thought we'd reach our endpoint. He was funny and exciting, and my first ever boyfriend. I eagerly waited for every milestone in our relationship— the first kiss, the first anniversary, the first I love you. Now as we approach our demise, I realize that the end of a relationship is the final milestone. All relationships eventually ended. Some met their natural course, still fully intact and separated only by death. Others ended in mutual agreement with circumstances changing and feelings lost. The unfortunate ones ended in hatred or tragedy, leaving a sour taste and a bruised heart. The Reynolds family seemed to be cursed by the third, but an end was an end regardless of the reason why, and I was still so eager for another milestone with Dustin.

Could I really be the only person who noticed Dustin's change? It had been gradual, starting with small changes in his temper and the way he spoke. I always attributed it to him being in a bad mood, upset by a thing I did, or by something else that happened that day. It never occurred to me that it was becoming a reoccurring pattern until the pattern could no longer be broken or ignored.

I couldn't shake off my nervousness as it grew closer to dinner time. For a moment, I considered whether there was actually a dinner at all. Dustin was a smart guy, and he knew how to play my weaknesses. A promise to leave me alone was enough to get me to say yes. I could see myself being manipulated, and yet I still let it happen.

I decided to wear a long sleeve shirt and plain jeans for dinner. I was comfortable enough around his parents to know that I didn't need to impress them, and I didn't want Dustin thinking that our relationship was salvageable.

Not wanting a repeat of my last car ride with Dustin, I told him that I'd drive over to his place. When I told his parents the truth, I didn't want the awkward ride back home with a pissed Dustin.

"Where are you going?" Caden asked. He was on the couch, half-asleep with his face buried in a pillow. I wanted so badly to crawl up next to him and join him in his nap.

Things were so easy with him, but beginnings were always easy.

I smiled and pulled on a sweater. "Cass and I are going over to Braxton's to watch a movie."

"When will you be back?"

"In a couple of hours. I know you need a break from me anyway."

Caden sat up, resting on his elbow, and there was a small frown on his face. "Not true."

He stood up and walked over to me. His hands went took each end of my sweater and zipped them together. After adjusting my collar, he leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss.