Targeting the Teacher

Part 21

Chapter 21

Jaxon rolled over on the bed, nearly falling in his haste.  No matter how many times he turned, no matter how long he closed his eyes, he couldn’t sleep.  Every time he was close, his eyes would snap open on their own violation, as if they were waiting for something that hadn’t quite happened yet.  He sighed as he flipped onto his back.  On the ceiling above him, small glowing hearts stared back.  He frowned at the objects, wondering how they had come to be. 

When Amy had walked around this room, stopping to run her hand over one thing or the other, he had seen the happiness in her eyes, but he had also seen the sadness.  So, why was the room still decorated like this?  If she felt sad every time she looked at it, why hadn’t her parents changed it?  Jaxon had a feeling that the reason was Amy.  For whatever reason, she had most likely asked her parents not to change it.  For whatever reason, she let the room bring her bittersweet happiness.

Once more, he closed his eyes to the glowing hearts, but when he did, images flashed through his mind.  Images of Amy laughing at him, images of her staring down her parents with determination in her eyes, images of that false smile she tried to slip by them.  He wondered how many people noticed how fake that smile was.  He wondered if they all saw the hurt deep in her eyes, etched at the corner of her lips.  He shook his head in frustration.  Of course they saw it, and not only did they see it, but they also knew the cause for it.  They knew why she tried to smile even when she was hurting.  They knew why she dreaded seeing her ass of an ex. 

Jaxon didn’t know anything, and when they had first met, he was fine with that, but now, he wasn’t.  As much as it freaked him out to admit it, he liked Amy.  The longer he was around her, the more he wanted to know.  It was a dangerous feeling, one that he shouldn’t allow to grow, but despite himself, despite the panic that beat in his chest, he couldn’t help himself.  Every time she smiled at him, he wanted to find a way to keep that expression on her face.  Every time her green eyes flashed with anger, he wanted to push her buttons more.

What he didn’t want was to be laying here, eyes now open on the adjoining door, wondering what she was doing.  What he didn’t want was to be awake when he was dead tired.  Another sigh, this one full of frustration, fell from his lips as he swung his feet to the side of his bed.  He’d be getting no sleep anytime soon.  His eyes scanned the room, wondering what he could do in the meantime.  His brain was foggy with sleep, his eyelids felt heavy, and he knew that he wasn’t up to facing off Amy’s family.  Around them, he needed all of his wits, and at the moment, he was definitely lacking in the wits department. 

Walking towards the small table in the corner, he flipped on the lamp.  Dim light flew through the room, letting him see the small objects that decorated the table.  In a photo frame, two girls smiled back at him.  Now, Amy was stunning, but in her teenage years, she was beautiful. Her innocent smile, her large eyes, everything about her would be a teenage boy’s dream.  He rubbed his thumb across the photo and had to smile.  He almost felt bad for the girl standing next to Amy.  She paled in comparison.  Her dark hair and dark eyes might have seemed exotic to some, but for Jaxon, he couldn’t stop staring at Amy. 

A light knock sounded in the room, and without having to think, his eyes jerked towards the adjoining door.  He waited for a moment, waited to see if she would knock again.  When no noise met his ears, Jaxon almost thought that he had imagined the noise.  He was just beginning to think that he had wanted her to knock so bad that he had conjured the noise on his own, when another small tap met his ears.

He took two large steps and without hesitation, pulled the door open.  She stared at him with the large eyes in her teenage photo before smiling.  Glancing down at him, a blush immediately coated her cheeks.  “Um, I saw the light.”