Dream Catch Me (Student/Teacher)

Dream Catch Me - Chapter Thirty Five

I didn't stir until late the next morning, where I found myself pretzeled under my covers with an extra blanket thrown on top of me. My clock read 11.30 and I knew I had already missed half of school. I didn't bother to move from the comfort and safety of my bed and rather just tucked myself further under the covers. A note crumpled under my ear as I carelessly flipped my head on the pillow. I pulled it out from underneath me and read it.

'Sleep!' it demanded in Alex's sloppy handwriting.

I turned back over and tried to do what his noted said, but I couldn't. Especially after being asleep for over 12 hours already. Alex had placed a glass of water and some painkillers by my bed and I gladly popped them back and waited for them to kick in before I attempted removing myself from the bed. I could feel my injuries were healing faster, and I wished the bruises from my face would yellow and disappear soon.

I spent the day lazing around the apartment, answering worried texts from my friends and Joe, making my lunch and a few snacks from what was in the cupboard, studying, and of course preparing and planning things for the shop. I know Alex and Joe must've decided things last night without me, and I trusted their judgment to know it would be something sensible. I couldn't make all the decisions after all.

I saw papers spread out on the counter that said builders would be coming on Thursday to knock down the separating wall, plaster over it, and paint and be all done by the next Tuesday. I was giddy with excitement to think how June's dream was coming true, so much so I had to see how she was doing. I demanded June's phone number off Joe in a txt and after sending it he replied not 20 seconds later with the home number.

I dialed and the phone rung about ten times before a shaky voice answered. "Hello?" she asked. I had to remember to speak loudly and felt stupid for almost shouting in my apartment. "Hello June, it's Jane! How are you?" June made a sound of delight in finding out it was me who had called and insisted she was doing fine and feeling great. "How are things coming along?" she asked me, wondering about the shop. "It's a surprise June!" I insisted despite her pleas. She asked about school and how I was doing, to which I gave the automatic answer, trying to forget yesterday even happened.

"I saw Joe lately," she started telling me. "He couldn't stop talking about you." I knew she was teasing but I could hear how smug she was even through the phone. I didn't have to see the smirk on her face or the knowing eyes to know she was teasing me about my crush on Joe. I let the old woman have her fun, and insisted there was nothing, reminding her that he was my teacher.

"Oh dear, love is love. Don't let it get in the way." I laughed it off, but wondered where she had got the idea of love from. Joe and I were good friends in his eyes. He may the odd comment that made me think otherwise, along with the kiss we shared, but love? Not to him. I could only guess that the warmness and strength I felt around him was a crush, and the empty feeling I had when I was away from him was missing his presence. But love? Who knows. I'd never been in love before and I wouldn't know it if it crossed right in front of me.

We both hung up after a short conversation as June insisted she had another doctors appointment. I wished her luck before hanging up. The apartment was silent with the exception of the few cars rushing past below on the street and it bothered me, the silence caused me to think about you know what. I walked over to the stereo and turned it on, listening to the radio on the 'old school' channel. It reminded me of my childhood, where mother and father would play their music loud so the windows shook and you could feel the bass run through your body to the tips of your fingers.

I lay down on the brown leather couch and carelessly sang along to the words of song after song. It was only after I suddenly felt stupid after singing about 'one love' by bob Marley that I turned the stereo down and had it playing in the background. I was so bored I felt like tearing out the hair from my head but I continued to wander around the apartment discovering new items that had been added. A tv, a DVD player and a large bookcases stuffed with novels and books of all sorts. Ellie must've brought them with her I concluded because they as hell weren't Alex's! I picked up a romance novel and thumbed my way through the pages.

It caught my attention when I noticed the name 'Joe' and I sat down to start reading it, immediately engrossed. As I read page after page I became hooked, reading about the difficult relationship between Joe and the main character Cassia. I was so invested in the forbidden romance I hardly heard the keys in the lock and the door open. It was only when the door slammed shut carelessly that I jumped and threw the book across the room. I quickly sat up and hid my hands behind my back, not wanting Alex to know I may have been reading something even remotely girly.

"Hey!" Alex shouted above the quiet music and rushed over to me. He had a sports bag slung over his shoulder and his hands full with various shopping bags, struggling to fit past the small gap between the couch and table. "What is.... This?" I asked wearily as he dropped down all bags at once onto the wooden floors. "Go on a shopping spree?" I teased. He rolled his eyes and ignored me. He sat down on the opposite couch and suddenly had a serious voice to match his now stern face.

"You know it's your birthday tomorrow?" he asked wearily. I laughed, thinking he must be wrong. But as I pulled the phone from my pocket and checked the date, it did in fact say 24 of July, meaning tomorrow would actually be my birthday. "Well, I guess you're right." I muttered and stood up, intending to leave Alex alone with his purchases. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Sit back down." I did as I was told by his stern voice.

"When was the last time you had a birthday party?" I thought back as far as I could remember and could faintly recall a party in which there were fairies, presents and party games. I remember being so excited, being able to finally meet a fairy. I hoped she could talk to the tooth fairy for me so I could have my teeth back. I chuckled now at my younger naive self.

"I guess I was about 5 or 6. Remember fairies?" he nodded and smiled with a glint in his eye. Alex reached down beside him into a black plastic bag, disguising what he was presenting. Before I could see it, he quickly hid it behind his back in a flash of colour, and put his other hand into the bag to produce something else. "Are you ready?" he prepared. I squinted my eyes in caution but nodded slowly anyway.

Alex brought out his hands from his back and showed me what he had. A bag of balloons that had '18' printed on them were in his left hand, all multicoloured. In his right hand were candles that were also '18'. "You know what this means don't you Jane!?" he was standing now, brought up by his own excitement. "A party!" I was too shocked and surprised to reply, and my mouth just bobbed open and shut trying to find some words.

"Listen, you don't have to even lift a finger Jane! I want to give you this party. Pleeeeease!" Alex tried to reason with me before he dropped to his knees, chucking the '18' party items carelessly over his shoulder and throwing his hands together to beg. After I watched him continue to beg on the ground I decided to play him a bit more. "What kind of party?"

"Only a small one, your friends, my friends. You know? Small but classy but most of all fun!" his voice was getting panicked, thinking I might actually say no. "Fine," I concluded. "On one condition: you let me study while you plan this." he nodded enthusiastically and fist pumped the air as Ellie walked into the apartment. "She said yes!" he yelled out to Ellie, and she too jumped up and down. While they hugged I went back into my room, becoming a hermit for the night.

It was after 8 when both Alex and Ellie knocked on my door. "Come in!" I called out, and they both entered but looking extremely suspicious, entering with a large box covered in birthday paper. I groaned at the sight of it as Alex handed the box over to me, grinning from ear to ear. "This is From Ellie and I as an early present. We figured you'd want it sooner rather than later. And we aren't taking it back so you better love it." giving no clues as to what it was he stepped back and wrapped his arm around Ellie's waist. I admired the happy couple before they instructed me to rip open the paper "like it was on fire!" as Alex said.

Under the thin layer of balloon patterned paper, the present revealed itself and I gasped. I stared at the shiny cardboard box that displayed a new laptop. It was a moderately expensive model as far as laptops go and I stared in disbelief at Alex and Ellie as they both stood there grinning like idiots. "Are you serious?" I demanded. "This is unbelievable!" I exclaimed, making both of them chuckle as they watched me open the box like a kid on Christmas.

I pulled the laptop out of the box and carefully out from between the polystyrene protection. I flipped open the lid and admired the pristine keys and screen. "I already charged it for you, so now you can study on it tonight." Alex explained. I jumped up from the bed, carelessly scattering papers and pens onto the floor. I went over and hugged Ellie first. "Thank you so much Ellie," I said, meaning every word of it. She chuckled and wished be a happy birthday for tomorrow. I had only just met her, yet she had gotten me the best gift I had been given ever and I knew she would become something like a sister to me, especially with how much Alex loved her.

"Hey!" Alex complained. "I got it for you too! Where's my hug?" I chuckled and let go of Ellie, throwing my arms around his neck instead. Alex bent down and kissed my cheek, "For all the birthdays I missed. Love you Sis." he pulled back and smiled at me, letting me know he meant what he said. "Thanks Al!" I used his old nickname I had for him from when we were little. He immediately changed his expression, "Now get studying." he ordered jokingly.

"Dinner's soon!" I heard Ellie call out from the kitchen. Alex told me that was his cue to go and help, leaving me and my laptop to become acquainted with each other. I pressed the power button as it gleamed a bright blue in my darkening room. The screen came to life, as did I. I still couldn't believe I had a laptop all to myself, even as a kid I didn't have access to a computer, meaning we had to find our own games and toys to play with. Not like nowadays where kids rely on technology to entertain them.

The desktop flashed and a picture showed up, letting me know Alex had already had a play with the laptop. The background was an old photograph, and even the pixels of the computer couldn't bring into focus the two small children in the sand pit. A small blonde haired boy was holding a digger as the younger darker haired girl next to him held the spade, piling sand onto the truck. The young girl had the same hair colour as I, and so did Alex and the young boy.

I inspected it closer and recognised the old house in the background as our family home. The background was one of the only photographs I had seen of a younger Jane in years. The others all hidden away or thrown out. Alex must've found it around the house. Seeing the two children who seemed close playing together in the sand pit, made me think that it was how Alex and I were now. I was helping him pile and on his digger, metaphorically speaking.

I pottered around on my new toy for an hour, setting up folders and actually starting some study. I found it easier to type out than write out, and my hands definitely found the change easy. I logged onto the school's site and then found my way to my email account. I hadn't checked it much, mostly because I didn't use it. But now I could use it to send my homework and assignments in.

I opened the inbox to find among random emails from teachers about assessments I'd already done, an email that caught my eye. As I hovered on it, my suspicions were through the roof but I clicked to open it anyway.

To: Jane (Student number:10002)
From: Shannon Pascoe (Student number: 09033)

Jane,
I know we haven't been friends and to be frank I know I've been a bitch to you. I thought you were trying to steal my man away from me. But after you warned me about him, I thought long and hard about it. I watched you to see if you were spending any time with Mr Lewis, but I saw it was mostly with that other teacher at the book store. I know you had no intention of taking Mr Lewis, but at the time I didn't know. It wasn't until I saw my best friend Naomi come out of his classroom looking messed up that I had my suspicions. I started to follow him instead, find out what he was doing and what I found out wasn't good. First off, he's in a gang. The tattoo on his wrist? Gang tattoo. Secondly, I saw girl after girl walk out of his office after lunch and at one point two girls at a time. But I saw him watching you, through the window to the courtyard. Jane, you need to be careful. I know you shouldn't take advice from someone who you don't trust but I'm doing this because I know he's dangerous, and I'd hate myself if I didn't say anything.

I'm moving away. He caught me watching him at one point and I knew I had to get away. I know it's cowardly and possibly a bad idea, but after knowing what he is I have to leave. I'm going to stay at my aunts up north to finish high school. I hope maybe after I come back home, we'll be able to call each other friends.

I hope you'll be careful,

Shannon.


I took a deep breath, trying to take in and absorb all of what she'd written. Mostly what she told me I already knew. He was in a gang and capable of horrible things, and all the girls too. But I never expected Shannon Pascoe, the girl who despised me, to be telling me to be careful. The only new news to me was that Lewis had been watching me. It made me shiver and look out the window. If he had been watching me at school, he could've followed me home.

I jumped up and closed the curtains on the darkened outdoors, but not before I inspected the dimly lit street. I felt remotely better but needed to be around people to feel safer, as if people would help take my mind off it. The timing couldn't be any better when Ellie called out, "Dinner!" I shut the laptop screen down gently and placed it on my dresser, hoping that when I came back I would feel less jittery and more settled.