Hearts in the Shadows (wlw teacherxstudent)

4th Chapter

[Marina's POV]

The ringing of my phone pulls me out of sleep. School. Fuck, what time is it?

I sit up too fast, and it feels like my skull's about to crack open. My head throbs in sync with my heartbeat, each pulse driving a fresh wave of nausea through me. My throat's dry, and I taste last night's bad decisions on my tongue.

A hangover. Great.

I glance around, disoriented. This isn't my bed. Hell, this isn't even my room. Then I spot Gym Girl next to me, still passed out.

Fantastic, Marina. Just fantastic.

My phone's still buzzing, so I answer it. Gym Girl - what was her name again? - stirs beside me, her body shifting under the sheets.

"Yeah?" My voice is hoarse.

"Rise and shine," Sara's overly motivated voice cuts through the fog in my brain.

"Sara, why are you calling me this early?" I mutter, standing and grabbing my clothes from random spots on the floor.

"You called last night. Very drunk," she says with that usual mix of concern and amusement. "Figured I should wake you up. No way you would've gotten up in time for school."

I roll my eyes even though I know she's right. "I called you? Never mind. Thanks, I'll see you later, yeah?"

"Of course. Bye babe." She chuckles, and I can practically hear her shaking her head at me. She babies me sometimes, and I hate it, but I know I'd be screwed without her.

"Good morning," Gym Girl says, her voice soft and sleepy.

"Right." I barely look at her, focusing on getting dressed. "Bathroom?"

"First door on the left," she mumbles.

I head out of the bedroom, splash some cold water on my face, and try to wake up. When I glance in the mirror, I notice the bruise on my neck. A hickey. Great. I'll have to ask Sara about last night because I sure as hell don't want to hear any more from Gym Girl.

I look at my reflection, noting the mess of my hair and the dullness in my eyes. Another night, Another mistake. I shrug off the annoyance, not bothering to dwell on it.

It's the same cycle: chase away boredom with reckless decisions and deal with the fallout later. The hickey is just a reminder of yesterday's choices, nothing more. I've dealt with worse.

I turn away from the mirror, brushing off any lingering thoughts. There's no use in overanalyzing - what's done is done.

"We should do this again," her voice comes from the doorway. She's in a robe, looking all too comfortable.

I don't even turn around. I keep brushing my teeth, staring at my reflection like it holds the answers. The longer I stay quiet, the closer she gets, placing a hand on my lower back.

My eyes flick to hers in the mirror, my stare cold. She pulls her hand away, finally getting the message.

"What do you think you're doing?" I say, wiping my mouth and heading back to the bedroom to grab my stuff.

She follows me, confused. "What do you mean? Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, I got somewhere to be."

"So that's it? Again?" Her voice climbs, annoyance creeping in. "Seriously?"

"I don't know what you expect me to say." I motion between us. "This? It means nothing. You mean nothing."