Though a heavy feeling in my gut told me that Ben was coming, I nixed my idea to warn the front office, continuing to pace down the hallway towards Aaron’s classroom. I was about six doors away when I heard the giggles trailing me. The freckled girl, the blonde and another one had followed me inside, no doubt hoping to witness a trainwreck. A favorite pastime of Woodhill girls was watching graduates visit and unsuccessfully throw themselves at Mr. Cole — these girls no doubt hoped to watch my charms fail against him as they stalked me.
Shit, an audience already, I thought with disbelief as I came to being just two doors away. But I couldn’t dwell on the thought, especially as my long strides brought me to Room 108A, Aaron’s classroom.
I breathed a sigh of relief just to know that Ben hadn’t beat me to the room, and only after did I soak in the image of Aaron sitting peacefully at his desk. He had yet to spot me, hand rubbing his chin as he marked something down in his green grade book. He looked so damned cute in his blue button up, so handsome as he concentrated on his work. I hardly wanted to disrupt him.
“Oh my God, she’s just staring.”
I heard the girls’ whispers from a few feet behind me. They hushed and shrunk into each other when I turned to glance at them, muffling snorts and giggles with their hands while daring to peek at my expression, though I was sure I didn’t have an interesting one to give them.
Swallowing, I turned back to face Aaron, who was just looking up from his grade book. I opened my mouth to say his name but before I did, he looked my way, as if he’d somehow already heard me.
“Nina.” He rose promptly to his feet, his eyes sparkling first with happiness then confusion upon catching my look. “What happened? Are you okay?” Concern escaped from his lips even as he eyed the trio of girls behind me. “What’s going on?” he asked gently.
We stood in the middle of his classroom now. I’d somehow gravitated inside, a desk away from the one I’d sat at when I was his student. I looked up at him, feeling tears immediately welling at the sight of his earnest eyes, the unquestioning way they showered me with comfort and tenderness.
“Is it Ben?” He dared to touch my forearm despite our audience in the hallway.
“I’m sorry,” I choked, nodding. “Kelsey told him about the Hamptons,” I whispered. “I don’t know if it was her idea or his, but Ben wanted to say that you were some kind of… that we started this while I was still your student and I… I got furious and went to his apartment — ”
“You went to his apartment alone?” Aaron asked, unable to hide his surprise. I could hear the girls murmuring behind us now, no doubt sensing something different about this meeting.
“I shouldn’t have but I was so angry — ”
“Baby.” Aaron frowned, wiping the tears from my face. “I told you not to worry about him.”
“Why do you keep saying that, Aaron?” I asked, frustration raising the volume of my voice. “He’s coming. He said it. He could be in Woodhill right now.”
“What. Is going on.” I heard the whisper from the hallway. I watched Aaron’s eyes slide past me to look at the girls for a second before feeling his fingers wrap around my forearm.
“Let’s go somewhere else to talk.”
Wiping hastily at my tears, I let Aaron guide my out of the classroom and into the hall, where the trio of girls gaped at us, frozen for about five seconds until I heard their footsteps start to follow.
“Aaron, I’m so sorry for putting you through this — ”
“Shh. Don’t.” To my surprise, he leaned over and pressed his lips against the top of my head. Behind us, one of the girls erupted in a squealing shriek. I couldn’t tell if she was excited or dismayed — all I knew was that the sound was loud enough to turn every one of the dozen or so heads in the hallway, even get some to poke out from the classrooms.
With everyone staring at us, I looked up at Aaron, expecting to see anxiety pinching his eyebrows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down with trepidation. But to my greater surprise, he appeared calm as ever. I observed him, a peaceful feeling unfurling in my chest as I studied his square jaw, how it was clenched but not tight, his perfect lips relaxed and just barely parted.
But as our walk came to a halt at the corner of the entrance and the main hall, I noticed how the sparkling blue of his eyes was casting over into something glacial, unwelcoming. It took me longer than it should have to follow his gaze and see what he was looking at. Whom he was looking at.
Shit.
By the time I noticed Ben, Aaron had stepped out in front of me, holding my body behind him by my hand. And suddenly, it started again — the feeling of quiet all around me, the ringing in my ears. Seeing in slow motion. I looked around at the students in the hallway. There were a few wearing expressions of genuine concern. But then there were the ones whose eyes went from shocked to hungry, their smiles — they were smiling — filled to the brim with anticipation, their damned phones out with the cameras already pointed at Aaron.
It’s over. My heart dropped into my twisting stomach. Any hope I had for this to go quietly had already been dashed and Ben had yet to touch Aaron. It was already a mess, Ms. Burke already up from her desk and standing in the doorframe of the front office, her hand out, her eyes wide with concern as she looked at me.
Only then did I realize that she’d asked me something and that I was nodding fervently in response, my lips repeating the same word over and over — yes.
“Call them, yes, call them now,” I heard my voice urge. The cops. Once my eyes confirmed Ms. Burke dialing, they flew back to Ben. His attention had turned to me, his lips twisted in a sneer. But Aaron kept his strong frame between us, his hand squeezing mine and muttering something to Ben as Ben spoke to me. My ears ringing louder, I could only read his red lips, making out the words “what he did to you,” only because he kept repeating them. God, he was already preparing his lie. He wanted everyone to hear it.
Touching my face, I tried to snap myself out of the haze, my heart beating so fast now that I felt faint. Blood seemed to be rushing to my chest only, away from my head, my feet, making me stumble despite Aaron’s strong hold.
“Nina.” I heard his voice, registered his blue eyes and suddenly, sound came crashing back in my ears. “Baby, you’re okay,” he murmured, shaking my hand lightly as if trying to wake me up. It did the trick. Ears, eyes focusing, I came to just in time to hear the blonde girl shriek again.
“Mr. Cole!”
He had barely turned back around before Ben’s fist sunk itself below his eye. One of the screams I heard was my own as Aaron crumpled to my feet. Flecked on the skin of my toes were several drops of blood — Aaron’s.