The English Teacher ➳ Emison

Chapter 23 | Secret Gestures

Emily blew her nose on an unused tissue, throwing it inside the plastic bag on the side of her bed. A shiver ran through her body, and she coughed lightly, rubbing her tired eyes. She was absolutely freezing, even though she was stifled in the warmest blanket in the house.

Yes, she had gotten the flu from visiting Alison, but in her opinion, it was a small price to pay. Her mother might've been obsessing over her this past day, and she might've been under the influence of five different pills, but she wouldn't have taken it back for the world.

She sat up with her back against the headboard, unscrewing the lid off the bottle of pills her mother had left her before popping one into her mouth and washing it down with some water. She placed the glass back on the bedside table and was about to lie down for a nap, when the doorbell rang downstairs.

She glanced at the clock, seeing that it was only 2 PM. She wasn't expecting her mother back from work until around 5. Perplexed, she pulled herself out of bed and trudged down the stairs, running her hand through her hair and fixing her PJs to look somewhat presentable.

It was probably Hanna, she mused to herself. The girl had a habit of taking any viable excuse to skip school and using it. It wouldn't be the first time she visited one of the three of them in the middle of the school day when they were sick, just as a means to be absent from Algebra or PE.

She opened her door and the sight in front of her made her eyebrows lift in shock.

"Paige?" she questioned, attempting to keep the disdain out of her voice. "What are you doing here?"

Paige, who was holding some sort of 'get well' basket, shrugged innocently, "Heard you were sick."

"No, I mean, what are you doing here? Why are you at my house?" Emily challenged, not a trace of hospitality in her voice.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," Paige expressed caringly, but the imploring tone of her voice made Emily realize she wasn't just talking about the flu.

"I'm not," Emily uttered lowly, "and now we both know why."

"I gave you countless opportunities to come clean, Emily, and you didn't take a single one," Paige pointed out patiently.

"Oh, you–" Emily's spiteful retort was cut off.

"Can I please come in, so we can talk?" Paige asked gently.

"No, Paige," Emily answered coldly, staring directly into Paige's eyes. Her words were deliberate and meaningful, "I don't want to see you, I don't want to hear from you, and I don't want to know you."

She brought her hand to the door handle, keen on swinging the door shut in the girl's face, but Paige's steady voice rushed to stop her, "Are you sure you want to do that, Em?"

Emily halted in her tracks, the handle still held tightly in her hand. The look on Paige's face was daring, and Emily simply couldn't believe the sheer audacity of her.

"What?" she asked in disbelief.

"I'm just saying, it wouldn't be the smartest move to slam the door in my face right now," Paige advised. Emily gazed away helplessly, clenching her jaw in anger.

"Paige..." she shook her head weakly.

"Look, you're sick, you probably just need to rest. So, I'll leave you to it," Paige assured, back to her soft voice. "But when you're all better, I'd like us to talk, Em. Without any unnecessary grudge. A clean slate. What do you say?"

Emily's pulse sped from the wrath that was attempting to overtake her. But as she looked at Paige's urging gaze, she realized the entire power was in the girl's hands. She couldn't piss her off right now. She had to do this – for Alison.