Chapter III:

Plastic

I've contemplated my ability to discern right from wrong, and distinguishing the line between dreams and reality. My fingers tensed when I was the last one sitting at the front again.

No.

Only the whispers of the icy air caught my attention. The land can only tease me with cold weather; if it were colder it still wouldn't snow.

Mother nature never spares me when I need her most.

I saw the substitute leaving through the administrative. I almost sighed in relief before he turned around.

"Ah, at it again I see Michelle?", he mused as he walked towards me.

"Want me to give you a ride?", his eyes held ignorance to my feigning expression of interest.

"No", I said as my lips expelled billows of warm air.

"I'm sorry but that is not an option."

I sat on the passenger side of his car, staring out the window.

How did he?

"Lovely day isn't it. I believe that specific color of blue is called phthalo blue", he said cheerfully as his eyes perused the road.

"Huh?"

"Did my words catch you off guard? I don't think your mind can wander that quickly? We've been only driving for only ten minutes." He gave a glance at me through his hooded eyes, clearly unable to understand the puzzlement that my features hold.

"No I'm fine."

"Good." His smile sent shivers down my spine.

I almost squirmed in his presence.

"Is something bothering you? I turned off the music this time just in case you were bothered by it yesterday." His grin never wavered under my gaze.

"No it's-" My mouth stammered as I tried to maintain a steely resolve.

"I'm sorry if I'm that annoying."

When I blinked my eyes, the classroom came into view as I tried to shake off my oncoming headache.

"Class, there are different characters that change throughout the story or remain the same as they were in the beginning." His voice echoed throughout the classroom, the whole room was dimmed as he was followed by a spotlight illuminating though a small hole in the ceiling.

The people in the classroom clamored as he went on with his speech.

I thought I was supposed to go home.

One of the students raised their hand to catch the attention of the teacher.

"Yes." His pacing stopped as he walked closer to the ignoble student; the student's voice only secured his role. He quickly cleared his throat before speaking," What if the character refuses to change, even though it had every knowable opportunity to?"

I expected the class to laugh at him for such a ridiculous question, but weirdly they all became silent as his words reverberates against the tan colored walls of the room. It stopped once the substitute turned to look in my direction and spoke.

"Such an arbitrary question should only be answered when there is no more reason to question the character itself."

It was as if his words carried weight as everyone and everything vanished within the instance he talked, aside from the one desk he leaned over and my own.

The white space held infinite depth and value as his suede shoes clacked on the reflective flooring.

"I believe one such as you should stop chasing after me and move on." His expressionless face brewed a fire within me as I stared at the gloss of my desk.

"How could I? Even if I don't want to what difference would it make? You're only toying with me! Just tell me what is-" My voice caught in my throat as he smirked through his dark locks.

"You really think it's that difficult." His icy voice held me in place as he slowly walked towards me.

"You tried every opportunity to run I know, but your only chasing an infinitely harder task if you continue." My eyes hardened as he towered over me.

"You secured your fate that day. I get it, you were still young so there was no avoiding it, but you have to forgive and forget." I gnashed my teeth as he continued.

"You cannot believe that such a thing would drive you this far to where you are now. I find it more or less laughable you could still believe such garbage-"

"It's not like I have a choice to throw things away!", my voice rumbled as my legs threw me up and around to face him.

He smirked. "Oh really?"

His cocky expression wanted me to throw everything I had to destroy him.

"Yes! How could anyone live like that? A naive child who knew nothing about the world was shoved into the reality she was faced with. Helpless, scared, confused! I didn't understand a god damn thing with that fuck! He would ramble on forever and ever. Never did he stop to think about what he did to me and my mom. He never did anything for crap! So what if he was her blood? She rewarded him, loved him, threw everything at his feet! So, what did he do? He threw insults in her face and acted as if he had a place in this world. I really don't understand why she had even the ability to love such a monster." My face was shadowed in the outburst.

"Because he was her son." His voice held resonance as he gripped my shoulder.

"And he cannot help his irrational behavior. And even if he could it won't change where you are now." The truth behind his voice bothered me.

"Now it's time for you to wake up."

The sheets around me coiled as I looked outside.

"He lied."

My face took in the array of colors.

"It would change." Tears collected near my eyes as the emotions in me waned.