Maia is head over heels in love with her abusive boyfriend Jake. She's risked everything for him. Her family, friends, home, even her own identity. But when she meets Oliver, a mysterious, famous gymnast, she begins to realise what it's really like...
I sat down in class and felt my heart thud in panic when I saw Jake sitting down behind a desk. His dark brown eyes were staring intently into mine, as though he was threatening me. They had an eerie demeanour which always made me feel afraid. I masked my anxiety with a smile and jumped out of my seat to take one next to Jake, like a puppy responding to their owner. My muscles tensed when he slid his hand down the desk and onto my thigh, gripping it as though it was a piece of meat. I bit my lip to distract myself from the pain. The intentions were clear - he knew exactly what he was doing. To others, this would look like a boyfriend simply caressing his partner. But in reality, he was purposefully hurting me and letting me know that he was angry.
Without hesitation, I looked up the second the door slowly creaked open, and felt my heart race when Oliver appeared, softly smiling to the teacher before heading towards his seat. He looked at me for a second, frowned and then sat down before unpacking his bag. I couldn't help but sigh when I watched him sit down, with a soft yet unbothered gaze which made my heart flutter. His gentle expressions were so handsome. His eyes gleamed an honesty, they made me feel safe just by looking at them.
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"Why did he look at you like that?" Hissed Jake, snapping me out of my dreamy thoughts. Oliver looked at Jake for a few seconds before looking away, clearly unfazed by his aggression. I couldn't help but admire him for that. I flashed him a smile from behind Jake, but soon felt it fade away when Oliver simply looked at me and then back at the teacher.
"Just leave it Jake." I sighed as I gently covered his tense hand with mine, my way of telling him to remain seated. Jake obeyed after giving Oliver one last glare, clearly still agitated. I had to be more careful around Oliver, I couldn't risk getting him hurt. But I couldn't help myself...
"Oh! I see we have a new student." The teacher happily observed, "you're a very talented young boy!"
"Thank you." Oliver murmured. His eyes turned to me but then quickly looked away, causing me to feel a rush of joy. I could tell that he was teasing Jake, but I also wondered if he genuinely wanted to see me.
"What's wrong with that weirdo!" Jake spat quietly but angrily, "why does that son of a bitch keep staring at my girl?"
I ignored Jake and carried on listening to Oliver answer questions on being an accomplished gymnast. I was in awe over the things Oliver was telling us, he's accomplished so much yet still remains so humble. The fact that he still decided to pursue a proper education whilst being a gymnast told me a lot about him. He made me feel ashamed for never having a hobby that I felt passionate about.
"Anyway." The teacher suddenly shouted, causing everyone to snap out of their conversations and stare at miss with alerted eyes. "Today we will be learning about Macbeth. Does anyone know the story of Macbeth, or at least who created it?"
I was already lost in thought, just as lesson had already started. I could see Jake was the same. Although I felt guilty doing so, I began daydreaming about Oliver and I. I daydreamed about me holding his hand as we walked down a path in a park, which was covered in petals from trees surrounding us.
There was something magical about Oliver. He had a sort of force in the way that he spoke, yet the kind that is respectful and quiet. And in his words is a wonderful compassion, an awareness of the vulnerability of others, and an understanding of who they are. He seemed to deeply care about the world around him. And I admired that.
