Arielle immediately squirmed out from under David, and with a squeak of fear fell behind the tiny space between the couch and the wall. David hurriedly grabbed his clothes and threw them onto the couch, then jumped on top of them and covered himself with a quilt. David closed his eyes and tried his best to pretend he was asleep, but he couldn’t help peeking at who was descending down the stairs. It was Arielle’s father, David guessed he must be up to take his heart medication, he took it religiously every morning since five months ago when he had a heart attack. David felt relived and content that Arielle and he had gotten away with what had happened, until he realized Arielle’s dad was going into the kitchen. David watched as he walked slowly into the kitchen, and let the door swing closed, then when he heard her father yell he winced. Correction they had almost got away with it, now thoughts about how to explain everything away and what the percussions for what they’d done would be, were swarming in David’s head.
Arielle squeezed through the tiny crack behind the couch she’d been hiding in, looked down at David, then looked at the kitchen door. David did the same, then got off the couch, put his clothes on, and helped Arielle out from behind the couch. Arielle didn’t know what to think anymore, should she continue this secret and forbidden relationship with David, or end it and pray her feelings die. David was thinking only of how much he wished Arielle’s father hadn’t come downstairs, and how he wished they could’ve gotten caught up in the heat of the moment and made love. Arielle looked up into David’s lustful eyes, then walked slowly toward the kitchen. David reached out for her and whispered his disapproval of what she was going to do. Arielle pushed the door open to the kitchen, looked back at her best friend, teacher, and almost lover, then walked in to the kitchen to confront her dad.
“Dad?” Arielle whispered meekly.
Arielle’s dad turned swiftly around and met her eyes with his filled with confusion and anger.
“What the hell happened in here?!”
Arielle stammered a bit before she realized what she had to do.
“My boyfriend broke up with me this morning on the phone when I came in here to make pancakes, and I just lost it daddy! I‘m so sorry! Please, please say you will forgive me!” Arielle whimpered and cried, looking pleadingly into her fathers eyes.
“Well…I….um…you know what honey, just clean this up then I‘ll get your mother up and you two can talk.” He patted Arielle and comforted her in an awkward way, since he was inexperienced in teenage girl break-ups.
“Okay daddy…” Arielle said solemnly as she began scooping egg yolks into her hands.
Arielle’s dad grabbed his medication from the refrigerator, filled up a cup with some water, and walked out of the kitchen leaving Arielle to clean the mess. David had been listening the entire time by the kitchen door, and had jumped back on the couch by the time Arielle’s dad had made it to the door. David watched him walk up the stairs, then hopped up and ran to the kitchen once he knew it was clear. David found Arielle on the floor scrubbing some flour off the floor, and he bent down and grabbed her hands to stop her. She looked up at him with a saddened expression then stood up and walked over to the garbage can and threw the scraped up flour in, then continued on the counter. David was confused, weren’t they just kissing and rolling around on the floor confessing their feelings toward each other?
He walked over to her, took the wash cloth out of her hand, and took her face in his hands.
“Arielle? Why aren‘t you talking to me?”
She looked up finally at him and with tearful eyes said, “This was a mistake. Can‘t you see that now? We almost got caught! I had to make some ridiculous story up to explain my insanity for making this mess David! I lied to my father, I never lie to him!”
David was hurt, how could she think this was a mistake? Hadn’t she felt anything when they kissed? He knew he had, he felt more than he’d ever felt with any woman he’d been with.
“What are you saying?” David asked fearful of her answer.
“I’m saying that maybe you should just be my teacher, not my friend, or anything more.” Arielle said looking out the kitchen window at the tree house that she and David had built one summer long ago.
David was taken aback by the sudden pang of hurt he felt at her harsh and uncaring words, then anger washed over him.
“You know what? Fine! I’ll see you at school then!’ He said as he clenched his jaw tightly and walked away and out of the kitchen.
Arielle looked down at the floor where he’d been standing, and noticed he’d left to distinct footprints in the flour on the floor. She closed her eyes and a tear escaped them, falling right on where David’s left footprint was. She didn’t know if she’d done the right thing, she didn’t know what to listen to, heart or her brain. She heard the front door slam, and soon after David’s car started, then all was silent. Arielle thought to herself as she cleaned the last bit of flour and yolk off of the floor, “Well at least now I won’t have to pretend I just got my heart broken…”
