Hooked ~A Student/Teacher Love Story~

Chapter 7

Here's Chapter 7 :)  Enjoy, what few fans I have!

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I love storms.

Ever since my younger years, I’ve had a strange fascination with the forces of nature.  Lightning and thunder kept me up at night, but not out of fear.  I couldn’t sleep because all I wanted to do was watch the storm ensue.

It was raining the second time that Mr. Donnals had to drive me home.  Just a drizzle that soon turned into plain old rain, not harsh but not light either.  It was enough to distract me the whole car ride back, and though my teacher continually tried to engage me in conversation, I shot down all his attempts.  He got the message eventually. 

We arrived at home quickly.  I thanked him for the lift and hurried across the green lawn under cover of my hood.  To my surprise, he didn’t follow me, instead just taking his briefcase into his own house without complaint.  Maybe he finally decided I was a big girl and I could take care of myself.  Whatever the case, I didn’t mind his absence.  This way, I could finish my homework and get a good look at the storm without distraction. 

I’d typed up about half a page of my novel when a deafening crash shook the house and made the lights flicker.  I looked up from my computer screen and glanced out the window.  It was nearly pitch-black out.  I could barely make out Evan’s house across the street. 

Over the noise of the storm, I heard the front door creak open and a voice call my name.  Mr. Donnals.  Apparently he couldn’t stay away for long. 

Clicking the SAVE button on my document, I shut down the laptop and headed downstairs to have a word with my English teacher about boundaries. 

“Haven’t I asked you to stop breaking into my house?” I asked, facing the soaked man, currently peeling his wet jacket off. 

“It was necessary,” he retorted irritably.  I blinked; I’d never heard him annoyed before.  Even the idiots in class couldn’t irk him (try as they might). 

“I’m here to warn you that we’re under a tornado watch. On the radar, Peoria is the big dark red spot.” 

I blushed.  He was worried about me.  I’d scolded him for sneaking into my house when he was only doing it to protect me.  Boy did I feel like a bitch. 

“Oh,” was all I could think to say.  Lame, I know. 

Crash! A flash of light blinded us, the thunder with it instead of behind it.  The storm really was right on top of us.  The lights flickered and then went out, leaving us in darkness. 

“Could I stay here a while?” my neighbor asked, chancing a peek out into the ferocious storm. 

“Sure,” I replied.  He smiled nervously at me and proceeded to fix his damp clothes.  I held up a finger to stop him, an idea striking me, and ran to the bathroom to fetch him a towel.  Gerard accepted it graciously when I handed it to him, drying his hair, now a darker shade of brown because of the rain.