Chapter 21: Timely Manner
EMMA''s POV
It was over.It was done.
Thanksgiving break ended and it marked the end of my rtionship too.
The only good thing about it was that Zach left town.
He didn’t say anything about what happened to him and I made sure that he did.
I called him at his house the next day, I told him if he even tries to say something aboutn and me, I
would tell the world that he was a psychotic rapist.
I won that battle, sure, but I lost the warn wouldn''t speak to me again.
When I saw him around at school, he wouldn''t even look at me.
Why was he being so cold? I was the one who was supposed to be mad at him.
I told him I love him and he basically said no thanks. Days and weeks passed by, before I know it,
Christmas break was upon us.
I overheardn talking to the teachers earlier today, he told them he was driving up to New Jersey for
the holidays.
"I wish I can take you with me,n said to me once in his car, right before he left for New Jersey on
Thanksgiving.
Remembering him and the days when we were together, although it was short, it always got me.
Sometimes I wondered what does it all mean? Why would people get into a rtionship only to get
their hearts broken? And then it dawned on me.
Perhaps he was that one person whose only role was to teach me heartbreak for the first time.
I didn’t feel like moping around anymore.I did plenty of that before.
I was determined to spend my days focusing myself on school, my family, and on my friends.
I can’t let this ruin Christmas! As per tradition, the girls would have a sleepover at my house the day
after Christmas.
We did our own little Christmas party and exchanged gifts.
It was a tradition we held proudly ever since middle school.
Tiff got me a pair of silver earrings and she got Carrie a cute sweater.
Carrie got us both this curated gift basket with our favorite Bath and Body Works candles, lotions, and
soaps.
I gave Tiff and Carrie some books and vinyl records, it was a mix of everything I knew they''d enjoy.
It was a great morning.
I loved my presents and I loved my friends.
We were just chilling at my room, listening to some music and talking about thetest gossips at
school, when suddenly Tiff and Carrie exchanged a look and they turned to me with worried eyes.
"So, what''s up with you, bitch?"
Tiff asked with her no- nonsense attitude.
"We''ve been dying to ask you all week long.But we figured you weren''t ready to talk,"Carrie added.
"What you guys mean?"I asked, narrowing my eyes at them.
"Oh,e on.We''re your best friends.Those fake smiles you give your parents and everyone at school
won''t work on us,"Tiff replied.
"We kinda sensed that something’s off with you.Every time we asked you ‘how are you’, you''ll just
mumble words out and look away.That''s your tell,"Carrie exined.
Damn, they really are my best friends.
"Guys..."
I started, debating whether or not I should open this can of worms.
I had been dying to tell them aboutn and about everything for months.
Perhaps now would be the right time toe clean about it all.
"If I tell you this, you have to swear you can''t tell anyone,"
"Duh,"Tiff gave me a bored stare.
"Obviously,"Carrie added.
"Okay...Remember...the bar guyfrom Emory?"
I asked cautiously.
"The hot stranger you lost your v-card to?"Tiff nodded.
"What about him?"
Carrie asked.
"I...''m in love with him...but he doesn''t love me back,"
"What?l"They eximed altogether.
"You got in contact with him? How?"Carrie asked.
"He...um...actually lives around here..."
"Wait, don’t tell me he goes to our school?"Tiff narrowed her eyes.
"Technically he does...just not as a student,"
"What do you mean-—oh!"
Tiff and Carrie gasped in unison and said, "No way..."
"Yep.He’s a teacher.The new art teacher to be exact,"
I shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Mr.Hayes?! You lost your virginity to Mr.Hayes?!"
"Guys, keep it down! My parents are right downstairs,"I quickly went to the door and made sure it was
closed shut.
"Wait a minute, the Bar Guy is actually Mr.Hayes...our art teacher, Mr.Hayes?"
Carrie was almost hyperventting.
"How is that even possible?"
Tiff shook her head in bewilderment.
"Beats me,"I sighed, "I thought I was never gonna see Bar Guy again, but there he was, inside the art
ssroom on our first day back to school,"
"Holy shit,"Tiff gaped.
"Why didn’t you tell us sooner?"Carrie asked.
"I didn’t tell you guys because he told me not to tell anyone.It could be bad, you know? He could lose
his job and everything.And I thought that was it.But..."
"But?"
"We...started talking after the homing dance.And we...kinda sorta got together..."
"Whoa,"they responded in unison.
"I really like him, you guys.I never felt this way about anyone before.But after thanksgiving, there was
an incident with Zach and...he just had enough.He didn’t want anything to do with me anymore,"
"So what, it’s over?"Tiff asked.
"Yeah...I told him I love him, but he said I was still so young, and I don’t know what love is,"
"Oh, honey,"Carrie scooted to me and gave me a hug.
"I love him.I really do.And now he wouldn''t even look at me,"
"You''re right, Carr, this was worse than we thought,"
Tiff said to Carrie as she sat next to me and hugged us both "I should''ve brought the wine,"
I ended up telling my friends everything, the whole nine yards.
Original from N?velDrama.Org.
I told them how we tried to stay away from each other, how I found his drawing of me, and how we got
together after the dance.
I told him about Ms.Diaz almost catching me in his apartment.
Then I told them about Zach and how he saw us and ckmailed me into sleeping with him.
Finally, I told them about our conversation in his car and how he broke my heart that night.
"You guys must think I’m stupid.Falling for my own teacher,"I sighed as I threw my head down on the
bed.
"Hey, I had a crush on Mr.Stevens throughout freshman year, no judgment here,"Tiff followed after me.
"It sucks.Loving someone who doesn''t love you back.I actually thought we were soul mates.
Like, ‘whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same’ bullshit,"
"Oh my god,"
Carrie''s body jerked up instantly.
"What?"
I looked at her quizzically.
"Wuthering Heights!"
Carrie stood up and started raiding my bookshelf frantically.
"Yeah Sherlock, it’s my favorite book.You guys know I quote that book a lot.What''s with your face?"
I said as I sat up and watched her pull out the book from the shelves.
"Em, I think Mr.Hayes loves you,"
Carrie was grinning from ear to ear as she flipped the book in her hand rigorously, looking for
something.
"What do you mean?"
"A couple of days ago, I went to the art room to ask Mr.Hayes for some help with my art portfolio.I
caught him working on a painting.It was a weird abstract painting, so I asked him what it was about.And
you know what he told me?"
"What? What??"
I was getting so impatient all of a sudden.
"He said the painting was about a girl he loves.How the entire world is a dreadful collection of
memoranda that she did exist and that he had lost her!"
"That''s from..."I couldn''t bring myself to finish the sentence.
"Chapter thirty three of your favorite book,"Carrie finished my sentence for me.
She held the book up to my face, right at the quote and said, "And I assume he knows that this is your
favorite book?"
I nodded my head in response.
"After everything that happened with Zach, I think he just wants to protect you, Em.I mean, what would
you have done if you were in his shoes?"
Carrie raised a very good point.If I were in his shoes, I would be worried too.And I would try to be the
mature adult and end things to protect the person I love...
"So, he loves me?"I croaked.
"All I know are the facts.As far as I know, Mr.Hayes never went after Ms.Diaz or any other girl in
town.He said he never wanted a rtionship, but he tried it with you.
He beat up a guy half to death for you.And he only broke things off when things got bad with Zach
being here.I mean, do you think he