A Dangerous Life [Teacher/Student]

Drawing The Line

He left. He was gone and I was crying when Eli came back. Eli came back…like he always does.

“I’m sorry baby; I shouldn’t have antagonized him like that. I pushed him…away from you.” I cried like a baby into his chest. Everything we had; our whole relationship, our friendship, our budding romance, all gone just like that. We were back to square one, teacher and student…nothing more.

I couldn’t handle that, maybe at one point back in time I could’ve but not now. I can’t do this. I can’t see him every day spent time alone with him in his class room and pretend to be just…no not when I was so close. I cried some more, devastated.

“Hey,” Eli whispered. “Maybe we’re just over reacting.” I sniffled and looked up at him searching for hope. “He just said he wanted to redraw some lines right. Maybe he’s just saying that him coming over to your house can’t happen again. Maybe he’s just trying to stay away from me.” That could make sense. “Just go to school tomorrow and feel out what’s going on, if you’re not sure just ask him. Ask him what he meant by what he said and if in the worst case scenario it is what we think…then we’ll figure out what to do. Okay?”

“Why are you being so nice?” I asked confused. “I thought you would be jumping for joy hearing that he didn’t want to…”

“Because…” he took my face in his hands and forced me to look in his eyes. “As much as I may not like him…I love you more. The only reason I don’t like him is because he’s better for you then I am. You were right when you said that I was just like them, and no matter where I run…whether I take you with me or not it’s going to catch up to me. I’m running away from myself. I can’t do that anymore. I used to want to be around you all the time because you brought the best out of me. You brought out a side of me that I wanted to be around all the time, you suppressed the horrible parts of who I am, but I need to learn how to do that myself and stop relying on you to do it. I love you Riley, and I hate seeing your cry. I’d do anything to make sure you never cry again…and if that’s being with him instead of me.” He paused as a look of pain crossed his face. He swallowed it and looked at me with sincerity and love. “Then I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that happens.” I smiled.

“Did you really sleep with Johanna?”

“Yeah but that was years ago. I just wanted to make him mad.” He shrugged. I laughed and shook my head. Eli always knew how to make me smile. He just needed to figure out how to stop making me cry.

“Merry Spring!” Hannah announced bouncing down the hallway. I looked at Ty confused, but he just shrugged. Hannah was wearing a…unusual outfit. To be blatantly honest she looked like Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. All she was missing was a tiny dog.

“What the hell are you wearing?” Ty laughed.

“It’s the first day of spring.” She looked down and twirled. “You don’t like it?”

“No,” I chuckled trying to swallow a laugh. “You look cute.” She smiled and pulled something out of her little basket. It was bunny ears.