She had watched him ever since he helped her that day. No one else did… but him. The moment she looked up and saw him there… smiling. Those beautiful brown eyes that she could just drown herself in for hours. Yes, she was popular and the fact that someone like him helped her out made her fall ever so deeper for his love and attention.
It started off slowly. Staring at him from time to time to start off with, and then slowly it became more and more infectious. She started thinking about him all the time. She thought it was normal, but she found herself switching classes, and then campuses just to be near him. Then it got to the point that she would crave him. Her day wouldn't be complete if she didn't see him, she got photos of him when he wasn't looking and kept and cherished them like a family heirloom. To her, he was her lifeblood and she needed to look after him, even if that meant sealing him away from everyone else. He had to be hers. It was written in the stars… especially now since… since she could tell he was deteriorating. The bags under his eyes. The gradual weight loss. The out-of-control brown hair that had grown like vines in the past few weeks. But she knew that before that had happened, he had a girlfriend, and he was obsessed with her too, and they both seemed to love each other a lot. It was as if they were made for each other. She knew well enough not to get involved with other people's relationships and become a homewrecker. He looked happy, and that was all she wanted… then. After she left him. It was Lysa's responsibility… to see him happy. She needed to see him with that beautiful, wide, teethy smile. She needed him to be ok. Anyway possible…
He felt empty ever since that fateful day. He had just finished a lecture and was about to leave and find her, when his friend tapped him on the shoulder.
"One of the teachers are waiting for you outside, bro," He whispered seriously. He felt a shiver down his spine, as he followed him out into the hallway.
"Is everything ok?" He asked to the teacher, with a tint of worry.
"I'll tell you the situation when we get to my office," she answered.
The journey to the office was completely silent. Usually, the teachers would start some small talk, such as 'How was your day?' etc. However, what bothered him the most was the stares from other students. It was as if he were going to be expelled.
'I'm not going to be expelled, am I?' he wondered worriedly. They reached the door to the office, and she held it open for him. The teacher smiled sadly as he slowly entered the small office. She sat silently in the office seat and turned to look at him with a stern look on her wrinkled face.
"So, we know that you had a relationship with Leora in your class," she started without taking off eye contact, "Am I correct in saying this?"
"Yes?" He answered. He had so many questions floating in his mind.
"I'm just going to say this… I have a feeling that stalling myself will just make it worse for you," She said softly, she inhaled, "Early this morning… early this morning Leora unfortunately… lost her life."
It felt as if he was ripped from his body. The room was deadly silent, apart from the sound of his heartbeat gradually increasing speed.
'She has to be lying?' he thought, 'Right?'
"You're joking?" He answered sarcastically.
"I know this may be a lot to hear, but as a teacher I wouldn't lie about this," she answered calmly keeping eye contact with him, "I know that you'd want to know since you two were… close."
His face then went a bone white. His breathing was off. His eyes blurry. His mouth drier than a desert. He felt no feeling at all in his hands, or his body. He felt nothing.
"Can I leave?" He asked plainly, as the grey began to dull his eyes.
"It is fine for you to cry," she said as reassuringly as possible, "We have counsellors if you need to talk to anyone. We are all here for you."
"Can I leave?" He repeated blandly. He could feel the colour gradually drain from his eyes, as the room went to a pasty black and white.
"Yes, of course," the teacher answered sadly, stepping out her chair swiftly to open the door. As he was about to leave, she quickly tapped his arm, "Remember. You aren't alone."
He felt as if he were outside his body. Everything was happening from a third-person perspective, and his body was running at cruise control. His emotions were too raw for him to handle, yet he had to remain composed as he returned to his room. The only thing he could think about was her beautiful, innocent, face.
'It couldn't be true,' He thought, as he fumbled his keys unlocking the door. He looked down, as his hands were shaking as if he were ill. The door clicked as he went inside. He slowly closed the door behind him. Looking suspiciously beforehand to see if anyone was walking in his direction. When the door shut… he collapsed. He couldn't support himself any longer, and he could feel the colour and life drain away from everything as he silently wept.
After Leora left him, Lysa started meticulously planning. She hated Leora, how could she do this to him. Cause him so much pain… She needed to see him, watch him, look after him, see his cute, adorable, priceless smile. Any way possible. She started, firstly, orientating her classes, so she had at least one class with him a day. She positioned herself so he wouldn't notice her watching him, and she began doing the classwork and homework during her free time so she could watch him as much as she could in-lesson. One evening, she knocked on the cleaner's door.
"Yes," He asked aggravatedly, as she opened the door to the cleaner's office. A dull man sat with his feet on the desk of his cramped office. His glasses were murky with dust and his suit was clearly the only one he had. It didn't matter to her though. Associating herself with the cleaner was a key part to her plan, and it didn't matter if he had cockroaches coming out his ears. She needed him. For that boy she always loved. Sometimes she questioned herself, but she knew in the end that he was her lifeblood. He was what she needed and craved.
"I was wandering if you needed an assistant?" She asked politely with an innocent smile, pushing the pure blonde hair from her face. And after that one question she was put to work. Cleaning hallways and toilets, and as she gradually gained his trust, she began to do bigger jobs – with the cleaner of course at first. Once she had grown accustomed to that she began to do them on her own, and along with those 'bigger' jobs came her own, strictly janitorial, skeleton key. At the first possible opportunity she copied the key, and then, to not look suspicious, worked for a few weeks longer before resigning abruptly. The cleaner liked her, and he always gave her looks, as if he were thinking of something indecent, but she didn't care. As long as he didn't harm her beloved it was fine. It was all going smoothly.
She never believed in violence but there was one occasion… after class she was walking with a group of girls when a conversation accrued.
"I feel sorry for him," One of friends began staring at him longingly, "He looks so alone, and I couldn't imagine what he's going through…"
"It's fine," Lysa interrupted, "I'm sure he has someone to talk to."
"But still… he looks so lonely, and just look at him… his eyes…"
"He looks fine to me, I think you're just overanalysing," Lysa retorted. The fire that burned in her heart grew larger as her friend continued to stare at him.
'How could she!' she thought angrily, 'No one is allowed to look at him that way… but me!' She knew that if she let someone even talk to him then her plans would be ruined, she had to solve this problem - quickly.