I’ve been by her side for forty-one days now. It physically pains me knowing that she’s laying with all those tubes in her because she tried to save me. It should be me on that hospital bed, not her. I got off easy; only a scar from where I was grazed. She is in comatose and has all the muscles in her shoulder torn. It’s just not fair. I want to scream to the world about how I feel towards her, but I can’t. Off of that for now though. I should probably introduce myself and start from the beginning.
My name is Alex Walker. I was brought up in a good family, and it made me follow good values and make the right choices. I was ninth in my high school class and went on to Boston University to fulfill my passion, chorale music. It wasn’t until my tenth year of teaching that I began to question the right and the wrong.
She was a sophomore in high school. She was quiet and shy, but somehow loud in her own way. Her name was Cora. With me being the new teacher, I knew no one. She took over the attendance of Chorale. I wanted to get to know her, to understand her story. But a month into the school year, she left for a nearby technical school. I never found out why she left Scottsdale High. However, she visited once, and for the first time since she left, I was at peace.
The next year, what would be her junior year, I saw her name on my roster. I started to think of why should would come back after doing so well at the technical school. All of this was taking precedence over my wife. I was anxious for the school year to start; just so I could see her. Most people would think I’m crazy, wanting to see and truly get to know one of my students. There was just something about Cora that made her intoxicating. I don’t know if it was the way she carried herself or just her as a whole. All I knew was that I wanted to get to know her.
It was a month into the school year when all the music festivals were happening. I could tell that Cora was not truly enjoying chorale, but it was all due to the people sitting around her. A week before Shorelines, she came up and asked if she could sing the tenor part for the festival. This is an abnormal request because tenor part is mostly for males. I, however, knew that she could sing in the bass clef. Come the day of Shorelines, I was nervous. I knew that I shouldn’t have been, but I was because I would be spending more than half a day in her vicinity.
It was also this day that she opened up to another girl. To hear her laughter was true music to my ears. I was standing being the other girl, listening to their conversation. This other girl said something along the lines of “it’s called a tit pocket” as she hit her chest. Cora then looked up at me with wide eyes before her beautiful laughter filled the air. I played along, pretending to be uncomfortable with what was said. Walking away, I stood near the entrance, my eyes on Cora.
It was also at this time that I started to notice Cora glancing at me during class. I began to say some innuendos as I was teaching, and each time I said one of these, I could see her cheeks turn red. She was also sitting next to the other girl from Shorelines, Rachael. I could sometimes here Rachael making not-so-innocent comments about myself, making Cora’s face light up with the beautiful blush.
Slowly, Cora began to ask if she could come down during her study halls to help organize music. It was the days that she would quietly hum or sing that I realized that I, Alex Walker, was falling for my student.
Right before the first winter concert was when she asked if she could have an independent study with me during E period; the period that I’m teaching the middle school chorus. Without hesitation, I agreed to let her. That night, I knew I had feelings for Cora when thoughts of her invaded my mind.
All this made me question what change really was…
Change (n.)- the act or instance of making or becoming different.
