The Art Teacher

Prologue

Tom was awoken again as he heard crying coming from the other room. He sighed, and turned on his lamp, making his way to the room next-door. As he was about to get up, a hand pulled him back.

"That's the third time she's done that, the last 3 times I went in there she wouldn't stop" the person whispered.

"I know Lily, it's all part of having a child, I'm not just going to leave her" Tom replied. Lily sighed and rolled over.

"You're not going to come and comfort our daughter?" Tom asked, but there was no reply.

Tom walked out and into the room. He gently picked up the baby girl, and pulled her into his arms.

"Shhhh-shhhh-shhh" he cooed while gently rubbing circles in her back. Her crying died down almost immediately and Tom felt her head gently drop onto his shoulder. He gently placed her down in her cot again and decided it would be best to sleep if her room for the night.

He quickly went back to his bed and grabbed his blanket and a pillow, to find Lily up and putting some things away.

"Lily?" he questioned as she turned around.

"I can't deal with this anymore" Lily replied.

"What?" Tom said confused, he moved to close the door so he didn't wake his girl again.

"I'm sorry Tom, this baby and your job and everything it's too much for me to handle, we're not even 21 yet and we already have a child, we've wasted our whole lives already and I can't deal with it anymore, she's going to restrain me in so many ways, I can't handle it" Lily replied.

"So you're just going to leave. Leave me with the baby, she doesn't even have a name yet, this is not even her second day home from the hospital. Do you expect me to look after her myself, we're supposed to be a team Lily, we're supposed to look after her together!" Tom snapped back, his hands in his hair. "Even if she was an accident, she could be the best thing that's even happened to us!"

"There is no "us" Tom, and I carried that child for 9 months, 9 bloody months, and now I don't even want to spend another second with her crying like this" Lily screamed.

Lily was right, crying could be heard again and Tom couldn't believe what he was hearing. He never thought someone could be so selfish. He never thought Lily could act so selfishly. 

"Alright fine, go." And that was the last thing Tom ever said his ex girlfriend before she left. Tom slept with the baby that night. It was 3am and he knew he couldn't cry in front of her. He laid her down on his chest and as he was about to turn off the lamp, she opened her big brown eyes to look at him. Her eyes were still a hazy colour, having only been born recently. Yet the colour was so distinguishable. They weren't as dark as his eyes, but she definitely got those traits from him. It was then as she was staring back at him, that he promised her he would never ever betray her or let her go. She blinked and being so close Tom noticed the swirls of lighter colours through her eyes, and he decided to call her Hazel.