The Final Wait

Chapter 11

Song: Moving Forward

Artist: Kyle Lionhart

Chapter 11

Like Business, Lochlan skipped Psychology. Octavia was glad as she didn't have a sense of discomfort over her shoulder the entire time. It was a good way to end the day after what happened in the cafeteria. She was sure Lochlan wanted to rip her to shreds. If it wasn't for Tyson, she would've let him.

Mr Redrum had a reading session of Breedlove's book at the start of every lesson. The class was in chapter three, but with such a busy weekend, Octavia hasn't made it past chapter two. She was only lucky when she wasn't chosen to summarise part of the chapter they've read. The class discussed how the brain was studied only made her think of last night. 

Bechett didn't look all that bad on stage. She couldn't register how someone as relaxed and carefree had the ability to attempt those things. The stereotype of a rock star faded through the decades. Fewer groupies and trashed places, more in-depth music and reality spoke through music. She hated how he used his looks as a way to seduce girls when he had someone like Doe.

Octavia's hand shot up and Mr Redrum stopped explaining brain activity. He looked at the girl in the centre of the room and sighed, 'Miss Mora, please lower your hoodie before we continue.'

Octavia huffed but obliged. When her hood came down, she felt exposed. Everyone had their eyes on her, curious about her interruptions. 'Why... or how does the mind conjure up the ability to do such bad things?'

'Ability... interesting word to use.' Mr Redrum stepped between the isles and stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. 'Define, bad things.'

'Well, things such as lying, violence, murder, rape... those things, I guess.'

'There are many factors to consider, Miss Mora. People's experiences, emotions, motives, nature and nurture. Who influences them and who they're willing to impress and commit to.' Mr Redrum tilted his head. 'It's difficult to understand the mind of a serial killer or rapist. It's basically the human brain trying to understand its self and what triggers such wrongdoing.'

'Is there always a reason? Can't it happen? Like... on instinct?'

'Everything happens with reasoning, Miss Mora. That instinct was once a thing then emitted to action.'

'Action...' she trailed off and thought of what would've happened if she let Bechett drive. She looked up at Mr Redrum and nodded. 'Thanks, sir. It's nice that we can discuss things like this.'

'It is. Back in my day, topics like these were seen as taboo and you were hushed or punished if you ever thought about it.' he shook his head and walked to the front of the class. 'We'll be doing chapter four for the next few days but, write a summary about chapter three.'

The class continued on in silence, but Octavia thought over Mr Redrum's words. He had a point. Maybe Bechett acted the way he did because other girls agreed and wanted to get with him. She wanted a ride. 

Neither of them knew each other's intentions, and that's why she acted the way she did. On instinct to previous experiences that built up into a thing. A thing where she stayed clear of any physical contact with a guy she'd just met. A thing that stayed with her until someone proved her otherwise.

Tyson drove her home that day, and she didn't know how to repay him. There wasn't anything he already had. He didn't mind though when she got out of the car and offered her a ride every morning. She refused and said it was a onetime thing. Unless she missed the bus again.