"Mary-" He was still holding her, but suddenly she found his touch unbearable.
"Please!" She shouted, pulling away from him.
"I-" He began. His face was filled with pain, as if she'd beaten him, "I'll go. If you really want me to."
"I do." She said firmly.
Turning to go, he looked back at her one more time, imploring her to change her mind.
"Go!"
Then, with that, he was gone.
Mary had sat by herself for a long time, until all her tears had dried up. She cursed herself. After all the weeks of worrying, after deciding that she couldn't bear to live without him, still as soon as she saw him she had to start a fight. There was some kind of insanity that just took her over, and she couldn't stop the words from spilling out.
And now, he was gone again, maybe forever. All because she couldn't trust him. She didn't even know where to find him to apologize.
But even despite all her recriminations, she couldn't let it go. Alex was keeping something from her. Surely she wanted to trust him, deep down. He was just making it so difficult.
All these thoughts ran through her head as she sat and waited. Another wave in the ocean of her mind rushed forward and swept the thoughts away. Calmness settled over her.
The sound of a door made her open her eyes. A short rotund woman in a burgundy suit waved for her to follow her into the office she had just exited.
Her thoughts plunged forcibly into the present. She was here because she received a complaint from the principal about one of her students. Somehow, she knew who it would be before she even laid eyes on them.
And of course, there he was. Billy Anderson.
"What sort of trouble is Billy in now?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Teaching high school, she never saw students for more than an hour and a half a day. The chance that she would have to talk to the principal about any one of them was very small. She had already been in this office six times so far this year because of Billy, and it wasn't even October yet.
"Please!" She shouted, pulling away from him.
"I-" He began. His face was filled with pain, as if she'd beaten him, "I'll go. If you really want me to."
"I do." She said firmly.
Turning to go, he looked back at her one more time, imploring her to change her mind.
"Go!"
Then, with that, he was gone.
Mary had sat by herself for a long time, until all her tears had dried up. She cursed herself. After all the weeks of worrying, after deciding that she couldn't bear to live without him, still as soon as she saw him she had to start a fight. There was some kind of insanity that just took her over, and she couldn't stop the words from spilling out.
And now, he was gone again, maybe forever. All because she couldn't trust him. She didn't even know where to find him to apologize.
But even despite all her recriminations, she couldn't let it go. Alex was keeping something from her. Surely she wanted to trust him, deep down. He was just making it so difficult.
All these thoughts ran through her head as she sat and waited. Another wave in the ocean of her mind rushed forward and swept the thoughts away. Calmness settled over her.
The sound of a door made her open her eyes. A short rotund woman in a burgundy suit waved for her to follow her into the office she had just exited.
Her thoughts plunged forcibly into the present. She was here because she received a complaint from the principal about one of her students. Somehow, she knew who it would be before she even laid eyes on them.
And of course, there he was. Billy Anderson.
"What sort of trouble is Billy in now?" She asked, folding her arms over her chest.
Teaching high school, she never saw students for more than an hour and a half a day. The chance that she would have to talk to the principal about any one of them was very small. She had already been in this office six times so far this year because of Billy, and it wasn't even October yet.
