teacher ((h.s))

chapter fifteen

Ellie strode confidently to the counter and slammed a piece of paper onto it. Nina looked up from her phone to see what the commotion was in front of her. Ellie only stared back up at her.

"What was that for?" Nina answered, despite Ellie not saying anything verbally (her eyes said enough).

"I'm glad you asked!" She smiled sweetly and flipped the paper over to reveal colourful letters and a misleading picture of a sheep. She pointed excitedly at the terrible drawing of a fish. "I'm in the school play and I want you to come and see me be a fish!"

Nina was honestly touched that Ellie genuinely wanted her there, because she rarely ever invited her family to see her perform. She wasn't really sure if it was because she was stage fright or if she didn't like her family. Nina never really asked. All she could so was smile at the hopeful girl and nodded.

"I'd love to, Ellie," she patted her shoulder and tilted her head to read the scribbles on the page (apparently it was meant to be words). "When is it?"

"In two weeks from now," Ellie said. "The 22nd."

"I'll be there," Nina switched to the calendar on her phone to remind herself not to make any other plans on that day. "What time?"

"Two-Twelve."

Nina blinked. "You mean... Two o'clock?"

"Yeah, whatever."

She made a mental note to teach Ellie how to tell the time in the near future.

Ellie was a good kid. As much as she was bossy and sometimes unsympathetic, she was a good kid. Sometimes she wondered whether Ellie was a bully or not at school because she likes to be in charge; which means if things aren't going her way, she'll make them go her way. She wasn't very good at communicating feelings, either, because she never ever talks about school when she's with Nina or her parents, for that matter.

She had good grades. She was gifted in English, but hopeless at Art. She liked to draw, though. She wasn't good at drawing, but she loved when Nina showed her some of her old sketchbook work because it made her fall in love with drawing even more. Ellie was a good kid.

She just didn't have the best luck in life. Her mum was constantly working and her father was located in Europe, operating businesses overseas. Ellie spent more time at Nina's and Mr Thompson's house combined compared to her own house, which Ellie never really refers to as home. She calls it her 'house' a lot, but never her home. To her, it's the place she goes before being dropped off at someone else's house - almost as if she was a parcel in waiting. For a girl her age, Nina thought, she shouldn't be as closed off as she was. It wasn't fair that she didn't get to see her parents often and she wanted Ellie to always know that she wasn't alone.

"Hey, Ellie?"

She looked up from the page, fingers sprawled above her drawing of what could only be a deformed cow. "Mhmm?"

Nina paused for a moment. "You're a good kid."

Ellie looked at her for a few beats before shrugging. "I know."

Nina laughed. "You do?"

"Yeah. I love me!"She giggled before turning her page around to show Nina her creation. "Now be honest with me - do you like my drawing? It's a dog. I like it."

*************

"What? No way."

"Seriously."

"I don't believe you."

"Don't have to. It still happened."

"Nina, you did not meet Hugh Jackman in Tesco's."

"Deny it all you want. It happened."

Nina was driving Harry back to his apartment after work and they had somehow gotten into the conversation of meeting famous people in strange places. Harry claimed that he knew somebody who met a Kardashian in Central London (although he didn't care to ask which one).

"Hugh Jackman wouldn't step foot in Tescos."

"Um, says who?"

"Um, says his bank account." Harry clasped his hands together and stared at the road ahead. "He could do so much better. Bet he shops at Sainsbury's, or something."

Nina would be lying if she said she didn't smile a bit at the mention of the supermarket she and him shared a moment in. She could still remember what it was like to have his hand in hers.

"Yeah." She added, completely forgetting what they were talking about in the first place. She had a habit of forgetting things when she was around him. "So, how's Lily doing? Is she okay?"

"Oh, yeah," he switched his phone on. "She's great. She's off school for a bit, though. She was devastated when she realised she was missing practice for her school play."

"Lily's in the play?" Nina turned a corner and the roads became more familiar. "How cute, what is she playing?"

"She's a princess, I think." Harry flicked his focus to Nina. "Is Ellie in the play?"

"Yeah, she's a fish." The car slowed down in front of the block of flats. This was the part where they would come up with some sort of excuse to stay in the car longer, but before Nina could even think about coming up with a time consuming topic, Harry piped up.

"Do you want to come inside?"

And, okay. Panic sirens were going off in her head. Because this wasn't what she was used to.

Usually, it would go like hey there's my house and then she would be like oh, yes I see it too and then he would be like right then, i'll see you at work and then she'd say bye and then she'd leave, but now he's asked her to come inside. As in, come into my personal space.

Nina suddenly realised that if she were to go into his flat, she would have a hard time leaving. Any time that she spends with Harry is the sort of time that she wants to live in forever, and so the worst thing that could possibly happen is if he has to kick her out of his home. It would look even worse if she cried.

She cringed at how emotional she was. Sometimes when Harry did things, she just wanted to burst into tears. For an example, there was an occasion where they were eating ice cream and he happened to have a bit on his nose and, God, she thought. He was being so adorable that day she would be lying if she said her eyes didn't well up.

She then thought that she would almost be trespassing. How many other women have been into his apartment? She was ready to ask him that precise question, until she realised that she was yet to answer his.

"I, uh, cant," she internally groaned. "I've got to go to... work."

Harry looked across at her with disheartened eyes, silence drifting between them for a few uncomfortable moments before he spoke up again.

"Ok." He offered a tight-lipped smile and, just like that, got out of the car. Panic sirens were once again going off in her head because they work in the same place and it was currently 6:28pm. What excuse could she possibly have to save herself?

"Stupid." She muttered to herself, closing her eyes and resting her head on the steering wheel.

******

It happened like it was almost planned. It was almost like the Gods in the sky decided that today would be the day Nina suffered and purposely set fire to her path.

Nina had just left the pharmacy and was walking towards her car. She felt for her keys in her hip pocket, then began to panic when her hand wasn't met with the sharp bumps of metal. She placed the small bag on the hood of her car and began a frantic search for the keys, when she felt the presence of someone next to her.

"So," Nina turned around and felt her stomach plummet. "You like Harry."

**********

sorrynotsorry