I Like Me Better When I'm With You | Ackley Bridge

40|' Goodbye Mr Qureshi'

"Many of you knew Mr Qureshi well." Mrs Carter begins as she addresses the whole school in assembly. "And, um, those of you that didn't, well, you would've heard your fellow students and friends talking about him."

I feel Cory nudge me, so I look up from beside him to see his concerned look as he quietly asks me if I'm okay, and I nod with a sad smile. He throws his arm over my shoulder comfortingly, and I lean into his touch slightly, craving his warmth.

"And what they will tell you is that, if they ever had a problem, then Mr Qureshi's door was always open to them. And that no matter where he was meant to be, he would always take the time to sit and listen to them."

I look to my right and notice Jordan anxiously gnawing at his fingers, his knee bouncing up and down rhythmically. Carefully, I pull his hand away from his face and entangle our fingers together, squeezing his hand comfortingly, and he squeezes back just as tight, holding on to put his mind at ease.

Mrs Carter takes a deep breath, "We have lost a, um, very loved member of our school community. And I promise you, we will never forget him or what he gave us."

♡♥︎♡

Gradually, we all file out of the hall with a sunflower in hand to put on the floor next to a photo of Mr Qureshi in memory of him.

Me and Cory lay our flowers next to each other and take a few steps back as more people follow after us. "Can't believe he's dead."

"Neither." Cory shook his head.

"I barely even knew him." I say. "I just thought he were too far up Miss Keane's arse to give a toss about us."

"Yeah." Cory nods. "Never even got to thank him for helping our Jordan out so much. Getting him into boxing, like."

"Mmm." I hum in response, and the two of us walk over to the rugby team.

I look around at all the students mourning the loss of our teacher and take notice of my English teacher. Miss Keane. She's torn apart. It's no secret that Miss Keane and Mr Qureshi were close, me and Cory often compared their relationship to our own, but maybe we misinterpreted just how close they were. And seeing the hurt look on her face made me realize just how in love with him she was. She looks numb, as if her heart broke right there on the spot.

And this made me think, if that's what love can do to you, is it really worth it? The amount of pain and heartbreak and even control a person can have over you and for what? You give someone the power to literally turn your world upside down and sacrifice so much when they could ruin it all in a split second.

Did I really love Jordan like I thought? We broke up, and I was sad about it, but I moved on. The people around me helped me move on. And yeah, it hurt, but did it hurt as much as it was supposed to? I had Missy and Haylee and most of all Cory. They helped keep my mind off it and distracted me from everything going through my mind to do with Jordan. 

Obviously, a breakup and someone dying are two completely different things, but I can't help but wonder if I'd be this torn apart like Miss Keane if I was in her position. If it were Missy or Haylee, then of course I would be. But who else? Who do I truly love enough to smash a room up over or mourn for years and never get over? 

What truly is love to me? Will I ever get it? And after seeing the state Miss Keane's in and what she's been through.... do I even want to fall in love?

"Izzy!" Haylee exclaims in a hushed tone, coming to my side and breaking my train of thought.

"What is it, Hales?" I question, blink out of my trance-like state.

"It's Jordan. He just ran off." She states, and I begin to grow concern.

"What? Where?" I ask, placing my bag and blazer on the floor, ready to follow Jordan wherever he went.

"To the sports hall." She points in the direction, and I faintly see the door swing closed. 

"Okay, I'll-I'll be back." I tell her, and she nods before I jog in the direction Jordan went.

 ♡♥︎♡

Jordan threw punch after frustrated punch as angry tears pricked his eyes, and he released his emotions in the only way he knew how. Rage. 

I run into the hall a few minutes after he got there and watch as slowly his punches lose their rhythm and force behind them as he crumbles in front of me.

Cautiously, I approach him from behind, ducking under the ropes to our makeshift boxing ring. He holds onto the punching bag to support his weight as he throws a few more effortless punches, letting out choked sobs.

"Jordan..." My voice startles him, and he whips round to look at me, sniffling with tears running down his cheeks and more readying to fall. "Oh baby..."

I open my arms, to which he quickly runs into my embrace, wetting my shirt with his tears as he shakes in my arms. We gently fall to the floor, holding each other on our knees in the centre of the boxing ring. Jordan's sobs and yells of frustration filling the all-consuming silence of the abandon boxing club.

Planting a loving kiss on his sweaty forehead, I help soothe Jordan's sobs as he finally accepts it.

Mr Qureshi was gone.