Breaking Rules

17.

Thalia's POV:

I had tried so hard to explain to the principle that Harper wasn't to blame in the situation with Kendall yesterday but she'd thrown the first hit and that was going to cost her something. Douglas was obviously furious at what Kendall had said towards me but the words went in one ear and out the other since all I was thinking about was Harper. 

The way she held back until something was said about me obviously got my head scrambled with the hope that that meant she cared for me but I didn't want her being hurt. Even though it was weirdly attractive.

I was left even more confused after feeling physically unable to avoid kissing her once we were back in my classroom. Kissing her made me feel unlike I'd ever felt before. I thought I'd been in love with my exes but kissing them didn't make me feel not nearly as blissful as I did when I had Harper Carrey kissing me. We both had turns taking control when kissing and I relived each breath we shared for the rest of the long week she was suspended for. 

It's as if I was in pain being away from her which is I felt in my head was absolutely ridiculous but my heart stuck to that feeling. I had requested that she'd be able to attend soccer practise on Wednesday but Douglas refused as Kendall also had extra curricular activities to attend and she wasn't aloud, which I understood.

But even in the one week I was without her presence I found myself missing things I didn't even know I'd noticed in the first place. Like how in homeroom she'd have the same routine, walk in with her friend Amie and pass me a smile as she did, chat with some of Amie's friends as well as her soccer club friends and some of the more cliché 'popular group'. I admired that she was able to talk so comfortably with every student and be humble enough to still stick with 2 best friends even though she could be whoever she wanted in this high school. I also missed the short stories that her other teachers would tell me of how she was in their lessons when she'd said something funny or helped out a kid who was on their own or even taken extra time in talking to a teacher who wasn't usually nice to students but they couldn't help but be nice to her. 

It was impossible not to admire the girl which I knew was wrong since she was obviously my student but she was so mature and different. Special.

By Friday I was mentally exhausted, probably because there was a certain someone that wasn't there to keep my mood up but being a teacher is usually draining anyway.

I had invited Gracie and Tyler over to my house on Saturday evening thinking we could all get wine drunk and I could vent my problems to them as I hadn't been able to all week and we always made sure to see each other as a group at leas once a week. 

After my school day that Friday I went straight home as soon as the bell had gone and did all the marking I needed to before Monday. One good quality I had was completing things I put my mind to meaning once I sat down to do this marking I was going to finish it. This left me desperate for the bathroom by the time I was done so packed everything in my bag for Monday and went to the bathroom and began running a bath, collecting a glass of red wine from the kitchen as it ran.

When my bath was steaming and full of bubbles I dimmed the lighting and set my laptop next to continue re-watching 'Friends' for the millionth time. I relaxed in the tub until my fingers were wrinkly and the water began to cool before unplugging the plug and wrapping myself in a towel. I put my laptop on my bedside table so I could use it again once I was in bed. 

I dried my warm body with the towel and dropped it by the door of my bedroom to look for clothes to wear until I went to bed. The plastic bag of clothes Harper had returned was on the floor by my wardrobe so I walked towards it and took the clothes out.