The Unlucky One

Chapter 15

-Mr. Edwards' POV-

I was in the doorframe of the passenger side of my car, slightly leaning against the frame. I will not lie, the bluntness of Elodie's tone, and the question she had just asked me caused my heart to flutter. These past few weeks have been hell on earth for me, and I'm sure it has also been the same for other people affected by the grocery store tragedy.

But in all these weeks of being back in town, even after the incident, I had never felt weaker than I was in this moment. Let me tell you this straight, my heart does not flutter. And I had never felt it move within me so violently as I had only moment ago.

The longer I took to string the right words together to form a response, the more her face sunk. I was afraid that if I spent anymore time proposing what to say, her somber expression would deteriorate and it would leave a permanent mark etched on to her face.

She was in my car again. Your student, Harrison. You've managed to get your brightest student into your car, twice. The faculty would love to hear about that, wouldn't they? Completely appropriate to have a mini sleepover in your car with your student the night before too.

She leaned against the seat, her eyes boring into mine with that look of hope she always seemed to shine. Her cerulean eyes were still glossy with previous tears that had yet to fall. They brimmed at the very edge. She hardly blinked fast enough to let them fall. The beautifully long lashes she had batted slowly and menacingly as she looked up at me. I'm sure she had no idea what she was doing to me, while awaiting my answer.

Her hair was in her face, her lips were full and slightly open. She took deep breaths, her body still shaking from before. She always seemed so deathly nervous. And of what? Me? This was not a problem, but if she was afraid of me for any reason I would want to know so I could eliminate that immediately. I cared for her too much to frighten her away, which seemed so incredibly easy to do.

Oddly enough her arms were placed at her sides instead of being folded in front of her stomach, or even neatly placed on her lap as usual.

Elodie had such power, and I didn't think she was the slightest bit aware that she did. She had such an affect on me that it scared me. The faces she made, the way she spoke, the way she acted in general was far different than any student I've ever taught. Or in a more vast way of putting it, she is far different than any person I've ever encountered.

And it wasn't like I hated being around her. For gods sake, she's the only person I can actually talk to. I am the only teacher affected by the incident that occurred weeks ago; and she happens to be the only high school student in Ridgemont. All of the other people there were adults, elderly people, or children.

If that incident were to never happen, I'm not quite sure that she would be who she is today. The very thought of not knowing her made me feel uneasy. She lost someone that day, and so did I. We can relate to each other on a personal level. She knows she can talk to me, and I know I can talk to her. But would I ever tell her my problems?

God no.

She is already plagued with a vast amount of worries, you can literally see it. The way she holds herself, you can almost see all of the weight she unknowingly piles into her shoulders. She adds on more and more and does not seem to have a limit. I could never add onto the weight on her shoulders, my problems are my own. If I complained about my worries to her, I'm sure she'd collapse under all of the pressure above her.

Even though I don't plan on complaining to her about my problems, she better tell me about hers. It is obvious, and I know she has them. I remember seeing her in the store with her sister for a few messily seconds, and she was happy.