Breaking Boundaries

Chapter 12 - Easy Target, My Ass.

"A question within a statement. If you can pick something strange and diabolic, what would it be? Something out of the ordinary that find others questioning you. It could be anything. I need one from all of you. There is a way to win this game, but I will tell you that later. Go." He sits on his desk, one leg up, and peers at all of us. We're all in daze, thinking, coming up with something incredibly smart. But, not everyone has a wise brain to do so. I hear a whisper in my back.

"Here's a clever one. What would it be like to fuck him discreetly after class? I bet no one can answer that." She giggles with five other girls following suit.

"If we humans lived under water, and sea creatures lived on the land, how would that please the world? Role reversed." Cara chimes in, stroking her chin. Klaus smiles.

"The ocean would be overpopulated. I don't think that's even possible. We probably would live the same way but just differently," a girl named Josephine says.

"But then what would we eat?"

"Other fishes, I guess."

"That's cannibalism. We don't eat humans here so why eat fishes if we were one?" The class grew still for a moment. It's the most impossible thing to ever be created but her statement had a valid reason. Would there ever be such violence and injustice as it is now? Would the land be overpopulated like the ocean? How would they live?

"Same reason as sea creatures under water feast on their own like. If hunger strikes, nothing really matters on what you eat. The ocean is a extremely limited with other choice of food." Joseph, round glasses, skinny body boy says. It's a very smart answer. The class grows silent again.

"You have the potential to win, Cara. Anyone else care to beat her in this game?" Mr. Benton looks around, trying to find enlightenment through someone else's brainstorming. Then a girl named Julia speaks up. She's one of the fives who laughed at the comment Susie made on Klaus.

"What If Romeo and Juliet never existed? There would be no such thing as love." A statement. The class gapes at her, struck. Yeah, she had a smart thing to bring up. Romeo and Juliet are worldly known. But, does anyone know that love neither began nor ended there?

"Romeo, and Juliet began the love saga. Isn't it?" Jason says. The class whispers, shrugs, but has nothing to say. So, they all agree. Mr. Benton chuckles.

"That's a good one. But, I'm afraid you're wrong." The class gasps. And in that moment our eyes connect with unspoken words, but open action of closure. He fails to hide his smile because he knows I have the answer to that. I smile at him.

"Layla and Maj. By Nizami Ganjavi. Between Qais ibn Al-Mulawah, and Layla that took place in the seventh century. Shakespeare was inspired by the story thus came with Romeo, and Juliet. Love existed then," I point out.

"That's interesting!" Jason comments.

"Not in America. Romeo and Juliet was an original," snobby, Molie says. What did she know about originality?

"Did you know Layla, and Majnu came out one thousand years before Romeo and Juliet? Many stories adapted from that." I smile because Molie has nothing else to say. The class has their full, undivided attention on me.

"Give us another one, smarty-pants. I bet there is none," Julia snaps. I smile. She wants to win but she can't. I've read numerous amounts of historic love stories.

"Orpheus, and Eurydice." Julia rolls her eyes at me, and I shrug. Cara snickers.

"Orpheus, and Eurydice is actually a really great story. For our next class, we're starting a new era. Gear up because long pages of essay is coming up. For your homework, read, Jane Eyre. We're going to discuss that. Class dismissed." Couple groans later, the class empties. I take my time putting my things together.

"Didn't peg you to know about Orpheus, and Eurydice. Impressive." He says. I look up and find him on the same spot in the same position as before, looking at me. I blush, completely floored by the way he's looking at me. I put my last book into my bag.

"I know my books, literature, and history," I smile.

"Book smart but not street smart," he counters. I look away, my smile falling.

"I know nothing about the streets. I lived my whole life in fairytale and books." But he knew that already. Swinging my bag over my shoulder, I walk up to him. When I'm in front of him, I look down. Biting my lower lip, I fidget with my fingers.

"What is it, Ms. Vogel. What's bothering you?"

"The drug...what was it?" My voice comes out as a whisper. His jaw clicks before he regains his posture. Without answering me, he takes my hand and checks my pulse. I bite back a smile despite everything I'm feeling.

"Why do you ask?"

"I don't know. I guess it's been bothering me. I mean why me?"

"Easy target. Stupid drunk, provocative clothes, pretty face. Could be a lot of reasons." His comment throws me off guard. I know I made a mistake and let my guard down. The guard that I had been keeping up for the longest I can remember. But, I never asked for trouble. I yank my hand away from him. I fight the tears but I know I won't be able to hold on to them much longer so I turn quickly and walk out the door without a backward glance.

How dare him.

Getting into my car, I slam the door and turn the key into the ignition. My old, rusty car doesn't start immediately. In fact, it sparks but does not start. Frustrated, I try hard four times by turning the key and finally it starts. I need to either get this stupid car fixed or start walking. I can't afford to buy a new car at this moment.

My lips quiver but I refuse to cry. His words play over and over again in my head and the most I hear in repetition are his bitter word, easy target. Did I ask for it? No. But he made me sound like a whore, maybe. Or something worse, I don't know. It didn't feel good and it definitely didn't sit right with me. I wished he never even came to my rescue. I mean I got out and even though I was out if it, I could have made it home. Right?  Maybe then he wouldn't have judged me like he is doing now. I'm a complete idiot.

Hurt, humiliated, and embarrassed, I stop the car and think. Should I completely avoid him because maybe he's right, or should I justify myself? I need a shower to get myself right. When I do get home, I walk straight to my bathroom and sit on the toilet with my head down.

I don't need to justify himself because even he knows I'm not stupid. But he likes to make assumptions about me that are hurtful so screw him. Maybe I need to completely avoid him to make things more easier for him. He brought me home, took care of me and that's it. He acted like a civilian, that's all. He hasn't told anyone, I'm not in trouble, I'm fine so shouldn't that be it? Except I can't help but to question.

He took the damn drug bottle. Why? To taunt me more? To remind me of my stupidity? Or to examine it because he's an Anatomy teacher? I couldn't figure it out but it made me more upset. Stepping out of the bathroom, ignoring the urge to shower, I sit on my bed and close my eyes.