Chapter Six

Aimee pops her head in the door and glances down at us. ''Sorry to interupt, but I wasn't sure how much longer ya'll were going to be. Didn't know if I should go ahead and grab both of us some food."

Viktor, I mean Mr. Belikov responds to Aimee with a chuckle and says "My apologies to both you ladies. I didn't quite mean to hold you up this long."

''No worries. I just didn't want to meet the hangry Breann." She laughed and I feel the blush reaching my face. Traitor. I laugh to myself as another grumble comes from my stomach as I reached down and try to rub away the hunger pains that I someone managed to ignore.

I look up to the loud chuckle from Viktor...and by the way I need to get myself in check and refer to him in the proper context as would a student would a teacher, but again something that comes and feels natural when it comes to him. And it should not. At all. 

"I would most definitly not like to meet this hangry Brenna myself." he laughs. "I'll leave you ladies to it then."

I jumped out of that chair and had my bag faster than you could blink. And as I started to walk off, he reached out and grabbed my wrist and speaks softly "I would very much like to speak with you again. If thats alright?"

I study him for a quick moment and before I can make a complete thought I found myself nodding my head yes a before I could second guess myself and change my mind. He let go of my wrist, smiled that sexy, dimpled smile of his and I turned away and headed up towards Aimee at a quick pace.

Her eyes were all but bugging out of her head when I reached her and I had to smile as I realized how much she would have loved to have been the one sitting there with him. Hell, from what I gather from knowing her for such a short period of time, I know she wouldn't give a second thought on speaking her mind and telling him exactly what she would want him to do to her or vice versa.

It's probably why I am so drawn to her as well. She speaks where I would typically freeze. Just like how I froze earlier when the professor stopped us from the leaving the room.

I truly do hope we become good friends. It would be nice to be around someone, that I would hope, help me come out of my shell a little bit. I truly hope she sticks around long enough to rub off on me.

Getting out into the hall I want to keep walking and not even talk about what just happened in there. She stops dead in her tracks and I have to turn and look back at her to try to get her going and maybe she can tell my the look on my face that I'm not really wanting to talk about any of it. She looks at me in awe because I am not spilling and says ''Girl, we need to talk! Like first off I know that was more than a meet and greet in there. It lasted too long. I can even see you were crying. What the hell happened?" She walked up beside me. "If he intentionaly made you cry, just say the word and I'm going back in and Mr. McSexy will get a piece of my mind, real quick!"  

I reach over and put my hand on her shoulder "Calm down there, woman!" I laugh. ''It's all good. You don't need to be running off and be my knight in shining jewerly. I'm fine. Well, not really. I need some damn food in my stomach, like asap. I don't think I can wait another minute. So can we get moving, pleeeaase.''  All but dropping down to my knees and begging because I actually feel myself getting sick.

She smiles at another grumble of my stomach and shes says "Lets go, but don't think I'm not going to ask you more questions later and don't leave out the juicy details either." she chuckles.

I just roll my eyes. Thankful we are finally headed off to where the food is.

Making it to the cafeteria didn't take as long as I had thought it would and we headed for the assembly with a line up of some simple food choices. There was quite a few there that didn't look edible to be honest, but beggars can't be choosers. Especialy when you are as starving as I am. Ended up snagging a small premade hoagie, bag of chips and a bottle of water. The costs weren't too bad and now that I have seen their choices and prices I'll be able to figure out how much I'll will have to put aside for a weeks worth.

After paying we headed outside and plopped down at one of the shaded tables by a huge oak tree with random names carved into its bark. Which was always something I had seen and thought it would be nice to have someone to mark your territory with somewhere in the world and surround it with the national symbol of love. You see carving on trees, benches and bridges. And if you couldn't carve they would spray paint or draw. Of course it was vandalism, but it was still something to come back to. Some place that would always hold that memory for you. Keeping it safe. And even if it fades, just as some relationships and things do. The memory lasts. Permenantly seared and carried with you forever. A bit poetic really.

Managing to hoover down my food and drink about half my water rather quickly while I was off day dreaming about another thing lacking in my life. Which is also the same length of time Aimee took to ask me again about what had happened back in the classroom with Professor Belikov.

"Okay, you're fed. So spill, girlie!" Glaring at me with concern and curiosity in her eyes. Also knowing she won't stop until she gets what she wants. I decide to fill her in. A little at least. 

''Not too much to spill. He must have read my file and he ended up asking me some personal questions and its just things that I would rather not talk about. Hence, why there were some tears shed. Not his fault really. It just threw me off and I wasn't really prepared for it. He also wanted to know if I was happy here."

"What did you tell him?" she asked.

"Honestly, what was I supposed to say? I kept things simple and answered bare minimum. I do like it here and it's definitly an improvement from where I used to be. It's actually really refreshing not being worried about certain things. Don't get me wrong, I worry, but it's for other reasons. Ya know, normal adult worries and I'll take that any day. Hands down.''

"Any chance you will fill me in on what he read in that file or the things in your past that you are obviously trying to escape?" Concern was filling her eyes and it was more than I would expect from someone that you just met.

Man, today has not turned out how I thought it would have and we're only halfway in. If it wasn't for this scholarship I may have contemplated moving again, but I know I can't afford that even if I wanted to. And besides did I really even want to entertain that idea. No. Not really. Frankly, I honestly feel I'm where I'm supposed to be and I haven't felt that way in a very, very long time.

So, if I am going to be fair to myself and to this new and fragile friendship thats blossoming between Aimee and I, then I am going to have to be honest from the get go.

"Listen, I like you. I see in you the person I would like to be and I am beyond thrilled to be sitting here with you right now."

She interupts "Why does it come off like you're breaking up with me or something?"

I laugh. Hard. "It does, doesn't it?!"

She continues to look at me questioningly.

"Aimee, I am not 'breaking up' with you.'' Chuckling again I tell her "I'm just saying that I value your friendship and I don't want it to end before it has even begun. I don't have much experience in friendships. Maybe a long time ago I did, but life happened and now I am struggling to get some part of my old self back. Which is another reason I moved away and why I am sitting here right now with you. It would be nice to have some type of normalcy. What everyone seems to have had and that I lacked."

"Oookay. So, you're not breaking up with me?" She smiled. "I get it. You moved here to escape and to find the old you. But girl, maybe you can just be a new you? Ya know, like maybe not keep running from whatever it is that you are running from, but to blossom like a lotus flower out of the mud."

I had never looked at it any other way then to just run and leave. Escape the madness that was always knocking at the door. Maybe she was right. As a matter of fact, I knew she was. I needed to let myself breathe here. Whats the point of leaving the locations of your past hurt if you are going to still live in it mentally. I needed to let myself become who I have wanted all along. Strong. Independant. A survivor.

Damn. What a sweet revelation.

I looked over at her and I was in awe. She woken up a part of me that had all but given up and knowing she was right. I made a decision right there that I was going to be the biggest damn lotus flower a girl could be!

"You are right. Absolutly right. Things have changed. I am not there, I am here. I am in the now and I want to do better. Be better. And ya can't do that if you keep living in the past."

She grins "See, I'm a genious!''

As we both were laughing we got up and grabbed our things, threw out our garbage and headed out of the lunch area and into the main courtyard. 

It felt nice to just laugh and have a weight lifted off me.

But then it hit...there is no way to stop the nightmares. And if they keep up with adding new things that may or may not be real. What am I going to do about that? Theres nothing to do. Not a damn thing. 

Back to square one.

Aimee stops next to the closest enterance. "We actually are running late and this is the class we don't have together so I gotta leave you and run to make it to mine.'' Shes says. "Go through this door and down the hall on the left you'll find room B050...thats your Calculus class. I'll see you in about an hour right here. Is that okay?''

We must be running late because she is a litte antsy. "Gotcha. See you in an hour." At that she takes off in a jog and I continue on through the door behind me only to run right into Mr. Belikov....