Blurred lines in a forbidden fairytale [Taylor x OC]

{7} and the quiet was the loudest thing

Aurora's POV:

The second I'm out of the classroom, I yank my earbuds back in, blasting the music loud enough to drown out my own thoughts. I can still feel her eyes on me, the way Ms. Swift's face softened when she talked to me, like she actually meant it when she said she cared. It pisses me off. It's easier when teachers just act like I'm a lost cause—makes it simple to ignore them, to brush off their lectures and their rules.

But her? I could tell she wasn't faking it. And that look on her face when she talked to me... I felt something. Something I haven't felt in a while, something that makes my chest ache. I hated it. And I hated the way she made me feel seen, like she actually understood.

I march down the hallway, trying to shake off the feeling. It's just a game, I tell myself. Teachers always say that crap, pretending they care to make themselves feel better. But as much as I try to convince myself, I can't shake the way my stomach flipped when her eyes met mine. Or how I noticed, in the weird afternoon light filtering through the window, how she blushed.

God, that blush. My heart thumps against my ribs, and I scowl at myself. Get it together, Aurora. She's just a teacher.

By the time I make it out of the building and onto the sidewalk, the sun's already setting, the sky turning shades of pink and orange. I walk fast, almost stomping, like I can walk off whatever's twisting inside me. I don't want to think about it, about her. But my head's buzzing with everything she said, and the way she looked at me—like she was really trying to figure me out. Like she cared about what's going on behind the attitude.
I hate how much I almost wanted to believe her.

I turn the corner and see Maya's house up ahead, the lights on in her bedroom window. My pace quickens, relieved to have somewhere to go, someone to distract me from the mess in my head. She opens the door before I even have a chance to knock, pulling me inside with a grin.

"Yo, what's up?" she says, closing the door behind me. "You look like you're about to murder someone."

I force a laugh, shrugging off my backpack. "Ms. Swift kept me after school. Apparently, I'm some kind of 'project' now."

Maya rolls her eyes, but she's smirking. "Oh, you mean your favorite teacher?"

"Ugh, shut up," I say, punching her arm lightly. "She's such a pain."

"Sure, but you don't really hate it, do you?" She flops down on the couch, grabbing the baggie of weed from the coffee table and waving it at me. "Wanna chill and forget about her for a while?"

I hesitate for a split second before sitting next to her. "Hell yes. Pass that."

We start rolling, and soon, the smoke fills the air, the tension in my chest slowly unraveling. The familiar haze settles in, and it's like everything else starts to blur at the edges—everything except the weird, gnawing feeling that's been clawing at me since detention. I lean back, blowing out a cloud of smoke, and Maya watches me, her eyes sharp even through the haze.

"So... what'd she say to you this time?" she asks, passing me the joint again.

I shrug, pretending it's no big deal. "Same crap as always. 'I care about you, Aurora. I want to help.'" I roll my eyes, but it feels forced.

Maya snorts, but her expression is serious. "She's kinda intense, huh? Like, she actually looks at you like she gives a damn."

"Yeah, well, that's her whole thing." I can't quite keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but it's shaky. "She wants to 'understand me.'" I say it mockingly, but the words feel heavy in my mouth.

Maya takes another drag, studying me. "You know, you talk about her a lot. You sure there's nothing else going on there?"

I glare at her, snatching the joint. "What's that supposed to mean?"