Forest

Her

“Let me go,” I tried pulling my wrist from his hold, it was bruising, painful, “Micah, please.”

I looked around the hallway looking at everyone as they walked to their classes, ignoring us. I tried to catch someone’s eyes, anyone’s attention, but no one even looked in our direction.

“Inesa, look at me.”

I turned my eyes back to him, feeling the tears sting my eyes. God, he was handsome. Beautiful, even.

“Please let go," I wanted to run away from him, I didn’t want him to see me cry. I pressed my lips together, watching his eyes as they fell, filled with sorrow.

“Inesa, let’s just talk?” He lowered his face, scanning my eyes.

I didn’t know what he was searching for, though he let my wrist go when I nodded softly.

“After school?”

I nodded again.

“We can meet out front?”

“Okay,” I whispered.

My eyes shifted to the ground, I didn’t want to face him. I walked away from him, releasing myself from the hypnotic smell of his cologne.

The bell rang, notifying me that I was late for class. I muttered to myself, annoyed. Though, I knew with a small smile and an apology, I would be allowed in the classroom without a hiccup. I wiped my nose with the sleeve of my sweater, drying my tears with my palm.

“You okay?”

The gruff voice startled me, and I dropped the pair of books in my arm. With a huff and a sniffle, I bent down, grabbing them with my head shaking in frustration. As I stood and adjusted them in the crook of my elbow, two fingers pressed on my chin.

I gasped, moving my eyes with my face as it was forced up. I was met with the intimidating stare of two forest green eyes. They were framed by dark eyebrows, which were broken by a small patch of white hairs in the corner of his left eyebrow. My lips trembled, I was struggling to find words, though my eyes were feasting.

The streak of white continued on the dark brown hair on his head as a straight line over his left side, making it look like he had purposely dyed it, but who would do that? He raised his white eyebrow, his lips pressing together around the lit cigarette that was balanced between them.

“You okay?” He repeated, his fingers still pressed against the bottom of my chin.

“I-“ I was frozen again by the forest in his eyes. I had never seen him before, though as I looked at him I wondered how I could ever miss him.

He was tall with broad shoulders and had tattoos up and down his arms. He scowled as he studied my face, and I held the books against my chest, my knuckles turning white as I tightened my hold.

The way he looked at me made me lose my breath, made my chest ache suddenly. How had I never noticed him before?

“Mr. Ashford!” Mrs. Jacob’s shrill voice had me flinching and pulling away from his touch. I hadn’t even heard the door open. He kept his eyes on me, not even acknowledging her presence, “Take that cigarette out of your mouth and put it out! I want it in the trash, now! I am writing you down for detention.”

He scowled softly, though he kept his eyes on me, making me blush under his gaze. Without looking at her, he pushed the cigarette off of his lips with his tongue and let it fall to the ground, stepping on it with his heavy boot.

“Mr. Ashford!” Mrs. Jacob’s stomped her foot, looking at him with a furrowed brow.

He finally broke his dark gaze from me to shoot her and angry glare before bending down to pick up the smashed cigarette from the floor.

“Ms. Aberra.”

I snapped my gaze from him, only then realizing that I was ogling him without a care. She narrowed her eyes at me, nodding toward the classroom.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, walking into the familiar classroom. I froze when I noticed everyone’s eyes on me. I felt the tears behind my eyes again, teasing me with their probable appearance.

I looked around, almost grimacing painfully when I eyed the empty desks where Liz and I sat at just a few days ago. I wanted to crumble, and run away, hide myself from the curious gazes.

Suddenly, I felt a strong, warm hand on my lower back, pushing me forward. I looked up at him, and he seemed to scowl at everyone that looked my way,

“Come on,” He muttered.

My heart broke out in a crazy spasm, but I walked forward, finding an odd strength in his touch. He walked beside me until we reached the last couple of desks that were nestled in the corner of the classroom.

I sat down, barely listening to Mrs. Jacobs as she talked in front of the class. He sat next to me, throwing his head back and crossing his arms on his chest.

Had he always been in this class?

It was the last class of the day and I could hardly keep my focus together, my palms were sweaty and my chest hurt when I inhaled. I kept my eyes away from the empty desks that Liz and I had occupied the week before, the sight of them making me want to throw up.

I regretted agreeing to Micah’s suggestion. I didn’t want to see him, let alone talk to him. How could he have done that? I loved him. He was everything. He was enough.

I guess I wasn’t.

“Inesa?”

The sound of my name in his deep and graspy voice sent a wave of goosebumps on my skin. I turned to him with my face in a frown.

How did he know my name?

His forest green eyes scanned my face, “Are you okay?”

I felt like an idiot, and I was sure I looked like one. My lips parted and I inhaled, though I was not sure what I would say. Before a word could leave my mouth, the bell rang loudly, causing me to flinch slightly.

I stood up in a hurry, gathering my things. He watched me from his seat, his look turning angry,

“Umm, thank you,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure what I was thanking him for.

All I knew was that I had to get out of there. I was suffocating. I twirled on my heels, and left him there with his beautiful eyes and intimidating gaze.