My heart dropped to my stomach, my entire body shaking. "You want me to leave?" I asked, refusing to believe my ears.
"I hate repeating myself." She folded her arms across her chest. "Leave."
I didn't need to let myself get humiliated any further. I turned and ran away from the office, holding my wounded finger to my chest.
But even that did not hurt as much as Ms. Duval's words. She had said it like I was nothing but a nuisance to her, something she badly wanted to get rid of.
Looks like my reality had already deviated from the plot and I had no idea what to do.
I yelled when I bumped into someone, which wasn't surprising because I'd been running without watching where I was going.
"Mary?"
I looked up to see Charlotte with a smile on her face which quickly turned sour when she saw the tears streaming down my face.
"What happened? I thought you were working on your project with Isadora?"
I shook my head, all my composure finally crumbling. "Ms. Duval asked me to leave, that she never wants to see me again."
"How did…" she looked around. "Come here. I was going to take a dip now that the Sisters have retired for the day. I was hoping for some quiet time alone but it looks like you need it more than I do."
She saw my hand, it was still bleeding.
"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, inspecting it.
Instead of answering I burst into another round of tears.
"Don't cry." She used her thumb to wipe the tears from under my eyes. "Let me clean it up, the clinic should still be open."
I nodded and let her take me to the clinic. The pain when she disinfected it was nothing compared to the ache in my heart. All I could see was the look of disgust on Ms. Duval's face and it sent a piercing pain through my heart each time.
"Do you think I'm disgusting?" I asked Charlotte who paused what she was doing and gave me a concerning glance.
"Why would you even ask that?" She put the first aid box away. "Don't tell me Ms. Duval told you that."
I looked away. "You must think I'm pathetic."
Charlotte said nothing as she dragged me out of the clinic.
"Where are we going?" I mumbled, stumbling as she dragged me through the courtyard. Luckily no Sister was in sight. She didn't stop until we were at the back of the school.
"Don't tell me you want to murder me and throw me back in that ditch?" I asked, fear setting in. The moon was high and bright in the sky illuminating the pathway.
"Forget romance books. You should write a murder mystery, your imagination is too colorful," she retorted, finally stopping when a small river came into sight.
"What is this place?"
She was already unbuttoning her shirt. "My little secret. I found it when I was trying to run away from school last semester. I only come when I want to clear my head." She was down to just her underwear.
"What do you want to clear your head from?"
She turned her back to me. "Help me."
The material of her bra was cotton and it was soft under my touch. I hadn't realized I was taller than Charlotte until now. Her head was only slightly above my collarbone, and her tanned skin shone under the moonlight.
It was a bit hard unclasping the hook with my injured finger but I managed to get it done.
There was a shiver in Charlotte's voice when she said, "Thank you." Her pants came off next and then she was completely naked while I tried to avert my gaze from her body.
"What are you waiting for? Take your clothes and take a dip with me." She went into the water. It was hard not to notice the way her nipples hardened in the cold water. "You need my help?"
I shook my head but she still got out of the water. "I forgot about your finger." She helped me take off my clothes, hesitating when my underwear remained.
I gave her a small nod and she unclasped my bra.
"I can do the rest myself," I muttered, unable to look at her.
I took off my remaining underwear and joined her in the cold water, hissing when it bit my skin. "I don't understand why we're swimming when it's cold out."
She went under water, doing a few laps before circling back to me. "What happened with Ms. Duval?"
I gulped, then explained the situation to her. "I mean, it was just a glass cup, there's plenty more inside her fridge. I don't know why she reacted like that."
"Maybe it wasn't about the glass cup. I've known Ms. Duval for sometime and all the time she taught us, she never lost her temper. Not even when we acted like spoiled brats towards her."
"Do you think she's doing all these to push me away? Maybe she's realized I'm not as lovely as—"
Charlotte put her index finger on my lips which cut me off. "I won't tolerate you comparing yourself to someone that's dead. Besides, you wrote their story yourself and it has come to an end. You're the author aren't you?" she brought her hand down. "Maybe it's time for you to move on and write your own love story."
"But Ms. Duval is the love interest in my story."
"That was before, the Mary she's in love with is gone. There only remains you, in this moment, with your past behind you. Let it go Mary." She put her palm on my cheek. "Let Ms. Duval go. Find yourself first and love will find you."
"But what am I if not all this love I have for her? I think I just have a habit of liking people who will never like me back."
"Oh, darling. Are those feelings even yours? You think you love her because of the story you already wrote, but now I'm telling you—you have the chance to make things different." She cupped my chin.
"What you're looking for is right in front of you." She closed the distance between us. "Why don't you give me a chance?"