Free Run to Me by Erin Golding Page A

can’t see
myself wanting to talk openly about obsession with him staring at me the entire
time.
    Why do I feel so uncomfortable?
    I look up at the sound of footsteps and voices rumbling
down the hallway. A group of kids appear at the door. A couple of them glance
at me but most are too involved in their conversations. I watch them saunter to
their desks, careful not to acknowledge Paul at all. Matt and Reggie arrive and
head straight over to him.
    ‘Hey. We were looking for you. Thought you’d
fallen in the dunny,’ says Reggie.
    Paul grunts but offers no reply. I catch Matt’s
eye and he smirks at me, just like he did yesterday before running. I shake my
head at him. The stragglers are wandering into the room now, so I walk over to
the door and swing it closed behind them. The chattering turns to whispers but
doesn’t cease completely. I clap my hands loudly, twice, as I’m walking back to
my desk.
    ‘That’ll do everyone. Let’s get started. Everybody
get out their copy of Wuthering Heights ,’ I say, stopping in front of my
desk and leaning back on its edge.
    I give them a couple of minutes to settle down.
Some, mostly girls, wait patiently with me, their books lying ready on their
desks. The boys take their time, stretching and flicking each other with
rulers. Anything to delay the lesson. I don’t make an issue of it, better they
think it doesn’t annoy me. I see Matt pass something to Paul, a scrunched piece
of paper. He takes his eyes off me for a second to glance at the page, then his
head flips up to shake nonchalantly at Matt. I turn away before he sees me
watching.
    ‘OK. So what does everybody think of Wuthering Heights ? Is it convincing?’
    There is silence as they all look around at each
other. Some shrug, some lower their heads, hoping that will stop me from
calling on them.
    ‘OK. Easy question. Hands up who likes this
novel?’
    A scattering of hands reach into the air. Becky
is the only one who seems confident in her response. Her whole arm is raised
straight up, like a confused ‘Hail Hitler’. I point at her.
    ‘Why do you like the novel, Becky?’
    She drops her arm and smiles broadly. ‘Coz it’s
a love story. I mean, a true love story you know? Catherine and
Heathcliff loved each other even through death.’
    ‘That’s right. Theirs is an eternal love and...’
    ‘Excuse me, Miss?’
    It’s Paul, raising his hand to interrupt me. I
allow myself to look at him.
    ‘Yes Paul?’
    ‘I think I changed my mind about Heathcliff.’
    He is smirking at me.
    ‘Oh yes? Not a loser anymore?’
    He has the book in his hands, bending and
squeezing it.
    ‘Yeah, I mean, there is something weird about
him. He seems totally messed up, and it’s all because of Catherine, right? I
mean this woman must be some hottie to make him go nuts over her.’
    He pauses to look at me with raised eyebrows.
    ‘I kind of get him,’ he says, resting the book
on his desk and crossing his arms. ‘I get how he is so obsessed with Catherine.
Can’t get her out of his mind.’
    I can’t believe it. He’s given me an in for my
discussion on obsession. I straighten up and move around to the whiteboard. I
try to collect my thoughts as I write ‘OBSESSION’ with the blue marker.
    ‘That’s right, Paul,’ I say, turning back to
face the class. ‘Heathcliff and Catherine do share an obsessive love. Now what
is it about this obsession that creates madness in them both?’
    Sarah raises her hand. ‘It’s the dark side of
love. Obsession, I mean. Coz in a way it’s wanting to control the person you
love, rather than just accepting them, maybe?’
    ‘Hmm. That’s one side of it,’ I say.
    ‘I don’t think that is love,’ says
Melanie, shaking her head. ‘Obsession in this book is cruel and damaging. I
mean, they ruin each other. And for what? How can that be love?’
    ‘Yes, Melanie, they do destroy each other, but I
think that is what Emily Brontë was trying to portray. As Sarah said, the