Survival [completed]

Morning runs

I wake up feeling disorientated. The nightmare I just witnessed still has me paralysed in my current position. Slowly I begin to calm down and can move my hands. I turn my neck and hear a crack from it. I look around wondering where I am. My eyes try to adjust to the darkness. I knew I was in my room but where. I feel around me and realise I’m on the floor against the bed. I hadn’t moved from where I had sat since yesterday. Wow. I had dragged myself from the door cause my mother was literally ready to break it down trying to get in. She saw me crying and left without another word.

I look at the clock on my night stand: Four-thirty in the morning. How long have I been asleep? My face feels stiff  and puffed up from all the crying. I move it around getting rid of the stickiness. I stretch out feeling and hearing multiple cracks from my joints. Tristan’s kiss surfaces and my heart contracts at the thought of it. I want to kiss him again. I melt at the fresh feeling of kissing him. I realise I can't and sadness nearly sinks my heart. 

Before long my logical side wakes up and assumes her control over my brain. She slap sense into me and pushes the thought of the kiss away. I had to run. That always helps. Going back to sleep was lost hope so running was the next best option. Plus the roads will be empty, I loved that. No disturbances. 

I stand up and stretch a good cat stretch and feel my stomach groan in pain. It was healing but the bruises and pain surfaced. I decided to head out with my sports bra and shorts since no one will be around to see. I loved the feeling of the wind slapping against my skin. 

I leave my room and tip toe downstairs heading to the kitchen. The house is so quiet. My parents are sound asleep and that sense of freedom brought joy to me. After having a glass of water I put on my running shoes and take off running. Again, as I run, I lose myself to my thoughts and begin sorting through things. The cold from the morning air embraces me as I run. I’ve already ran half of my route and am running back past Mr Stone’s street when I hear him calling me. I stop and turn to face him. What was he doing up now? It was what, five in the morning? 

“Morning Star” He greets me smiling. 

“Morning Mr Stone.” I greet nervously. 

I have the protection of the darkness to hide myself in. But Mr Stone walks under a street lamp and I can see that he too, like me has been working out. “Morning jog?” He asks.

“Er yeah” I say not wanting to leave the comfort of the darkness. 

“A little too early for a teenager to be up, exercising on top of all that” He notes. 

“A little too early for a man your age to be up too isn’t it?” I ask. 

“Well, countered. Why’re you hiding in the dark, stand under the street lamp, I’m not gonna bite” He says jokingly. 

I curse internally at his question but move to the next street lamp. Mr Stone watches me as I walk and stand still. His eyes roam over my body but stop short at my stomach. Shit. The bruises were still there and well exposed. Double shit. 

“What happened?” He asked shocked.

I look at him as fear and worry fills me. Crap. What do I say. “I bruise easily….” I lie. 

“So you have these all over you body, how?” He asks concern filling his voice. Shit. 

“Hanging with guys can be a little rough.” I lie. I prayed he would just let this go. 

 “Tristan did this to you?!!” He asks exasperated and a little angry.

 “NO! God no! Tristan would never hurt me. Just forget it okay? I’m fine.” I say getting defensive. 

 “Do your parents know?” He asks concered. 

 “Yeah” I lie. Of course they knew, they gave it to me. My errant side comments. 

 “And they haven’t done anything?” He presses. 

 “They’ve spoken to the boys.” I say. “Like I said everything’s fine.” 

Mr Stone looks at me suspiciously. “Right. You can always come to me if things get out of hand Star…” He says honestly. For some reason I felt like I really could come to him. It was unlike all the other times teachers have said they’ll help if I told them what was going on. It was just like how Jasper and Tristan say it. I felt like I could actually trust him. 

 Instead, I offer him my win-the-adults smile “Thank you. I’ll keep that in mind” I say. "I should probably go...don't want to be late for school and all that." I say still smiling. 

I turn and run back to my house. It was still early and that sucked cause now I have spare time. Usually if this was the case, I'd just skype Tristan and wake him up. But now I can't do that anymore. The very thought of it pierced my heart. I plugged in my music and blasted it as I slowly showered and dressed for school. Somehow, I managed to use up all my free time and I went down for breakfast. 

 "Morning." I greet my father who was already at the dinning table eating having his coffee and bread. 

 "Morning. How was school?" He asks me. 

"It was okay, just like all the other schools." I say carelessly and sit down across from him. He stares at me like I was implying something. 

"Excuse me?" He asked narrowing his eyes at me. 

"I meant that it was the usual first-day of school..." I trailed off knowing that you'd never fight with your bestfriend of your whole life and kiss him on the first day of school. I try to think of something to tell my parents so they'll be satisfied..."My english teacher lives near us you know? I didn't know it before, obviously, but I'd seen him moving in on Sunday when I went for my run." 

 My mother turns from the stove and looks at my father "There's a new english teacher?" 

 My father looks at her and shrugs "It's not that Mrs Sherry anymore?" He asks me. 

Did I mention my parents did a through check of the school, it's history, it's teachers and even tried to find every detail of the teachers teaching me. They did it for every school. 

"No..she's been hospitalised for some reason. So it's a guy now." I say realising I shouldn't have mentioned this at all, remembering that Mr Stone didn't want my parents to know about him. I gulped down my orange juice and stood up, "Erm, it's going to be late...should we leave?" I ask my father who was looking at my mother. They were doing that thing where they were communicating silently. 

When I spoke, his attention snapped back at me and he too gulped down his coffee and stood up. "Right. Okay. Come on." He says and walks to the door that led to the garage from the kitchen. The car ride is silent and short. I end up reaching school much earlier than necessay.