Ugly Things

When I woke up for the final time it was morning. It was seven-fifteen and I was late for school. I was surprised that my mom never came and woke me up. I expected to find a note on the coffee table about why I’d come home early yesterday. When I found nothing, I started to get ready.

My phone hummed beside me. I brushed the hair from my eyes and opened it.

Where are you? Class started already. I hope you didn’t decide to go to Mr. Mills after all. Tate, it’s dangerous.

I rolled my eyes and shut my phone off before getting ready and slamming the door behind me as I left the house. Driving would take my mind off things if I went slowly enough. It was raining, too, which didn’t help matters much.

I avoided a car accident, got to school quickly, and shut the door of my car as I got out. I was only a junior but the staff let us have our own parking spots just like the seniors had. At the very least the juniors that drove had spots.

As I walked up the steps, I saw a familiar figure leaning against the wall, staring at me. His lip curled into a smile and he waved. Elias came toward me, his green eyes distracting me again.

“You’re late,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I’ll have to give you a detention.”

I opened my mouth to tell him why I was late then closed it, realizing what he was doing. I smiled and tilted my head at him.

“Is that so? Well, then I guess I should be late more often.”

I knew what I was saying was wrong on so many levels but I couldn’t help it. The way he looked at me with those eyes was making my knees shake. He grinned at me and I suddenly forgot how to breathe.

“I have the morning off,” he told me, dragging a hand through his shaggy, brown hair.

“You’re a teacher,” I reminded him. That fact never eluded me but it was irrelevant at this time. “Can you do that?”

“It’s easier than you think,” he said. “What class do you have now?”

“Math.” I wriggled my nose. I walked by him and he gripped my arm.

“Come with me,” he mumbled. My hair that was a little lighter than his, the hair I hated because it was dull and boring, was wrapped around his fingers. I bit my lip.

“I have to go. I need to talk to Aria.”

“She can wait,” he instructed. He released my hair and touched my cheek. I shivered. Then he dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine. “I don’t want to see you later. I would like to see you now.”

“I can’t,” I whispered, my arms trembling at my sides to go around his neck. “I’m already late.”

“You’ve already got detention,” he breathed against my cheek, “if you get any more, I’ll make sure they’re all with me.”

I closed my eyes and allowed my fingers to touch his hair. Elias made a small growling noise in the back of his throat and stepped back from me. I automatically thought I did something wrong before I realized where we were; outside, in the open, where anyone could spot us.

“This is risky,” he said, stepping back. He fixed his shirt and hair and looked at me. “Text me later.” He left me standing there, completely dumbfounded.

The walk to class was hazy. I had half a mind to go find Elias and allow him to take me wherever he wanted to go. But the other part of me, the good part, still knew that this was incredible dangerous.

My hormones raced as I suddenly caught sight of him; he was standing a few feet from me, talking to another teacher. He didn’t look at me as I walked by, and I wondered why, if he claimed to have the morning off, he was even here at all.

“Miss Stewart,” Elias murmured, keeping his eyes on the person he was talking to. “I’d like to see you in my room later for your detention. Please don’t forget.” The man next to him looked confused. I bet he wondered why he was here too.

I nodded, hoping he could see me in his peripheral, and left just as the bell rang, signaling that the first class had ended.