Teacher's Pet

by C. E. Starkweather

  He nodded. "Go on."

  I told her about Amber and how I called out for help.

  "He killed her," I sobbed. "He killed her and it's all my fault."

  "Amber? Amber Lewis?" Ferrell asked.

  I nodded.

  "Amber Lewis isn't dead. She's here in the hospital."

  My heart soared. "Amber is ok?"

  "Well, not quite. She's stable, but we won't know the extent of her head injuries until she wakes up."

  Amber wasn't dead. Alex was here. My parents were on their way. I took a deep breath and found the strength to go on.

  "After he...after Amber was gone, he came back into the room and raped me...anally," I whispered. Alex's jaw clenched.

  The door burst open and my parents came rushing in. "Oh my god," my mom sobbed. "Oh Jadia, thank god."

  I jumped off the table and flew into her arms.

  "What happened?"

  I shook my head and hugged my dad tight.

  "It's ok, princess. We're here," he whispered in my hair.

  "Don't call me that, daddy. Please don't call me princess ever again."

  He nodded. "Ok, sweet pea."

  I laughed through my tears and hugged him tighter.

  Officer Ferrell cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Jadia, but I need you to continue. Do you want your parents here with you?"

  As much as I never wanted to let them leave my side again, I couldn't let them hear what David had done to me.

  "It's ok, honey," my mom said. "We'll be right outside until you're finished." She shot Ferrell a dirty look and they left. I wondered what that was about. I cleared my throat and forced myself to continue.

  "He raped me...a lot. Over the weekend. I can't..." I started sobbing hysterically. Officer Martinez turned off the tape recorder. "Why don't we take a break. Do you want some water?" I nodded.

  "She needs food, too." Alex said. "Look at her. I can see her bones."

  I didn't argue. The officers left and my parents came back in.

  "Jadia, who did this to you?" My mom asked, stroking my hair.

  "Dav...Mr. Hayes," I replied softly.

  "I'm going to fucking kill him," my dad growled.

  "Stand in line," Alex muttered.

  My mom held me while dad paced the room furiously. The two officers came back into the room with a bottle of water and toast. "Where's Mr. Hayes?" Alex asked. The two officers exchanged a look and I felt my heart sink.

  "We haven't found him yet. He might have seen the police activity on his street and bailed. We have an APB out on his car. He won't get very far," he assured me. I shook my head. Until David was behind bars, I wasn't safe.

  A female doctor opened the door.

  "Jadia Galvin?"

  "Yeah," I replied.

  She walked in and closed the door behind her. "I'm Dr. Nguyen. I need to give you what's called a rape kit. Can everybody step outside?" Alex looked at me and I nodded. I didn't want him here for this. I closed my eyes as the doctor poked and prodded at me. She took my vitals and drew blood. I felt like a pincushion. "When did you first have unprotected sex?"

  I thought hard. "Thursday."

  She nodded. "Good. I'm going to give you some ulipristal acetate."

  "Huh?"

  "Fancy term for the morning after pill. It's effective up to 5 days after contraception. As far as STD prevention, we'll get you on some antibiotics."

  "Ok," I said.

  "Your vitals look decent, considering. Your blood pressure is a little low. I'm going to start you on an IV. I think you're a little bit dehydrated. I'd like to keep you overnight for observation."

  I sighed. "I just want to go home."

  She finished writing in my folder and snapped it shut. "I'm sure you do. You've been through a lot. You can go home first thing tomorrow if everything checks out ok. Do you have any questions?"

  I looked down. "When will it stop hurting?"

  She smiled sympathetically. "Physically? You should feel better in a day or so. Mentally? That might take awhile. I suggest you get a good therapist. It'll help a lot."

  I nodded and she left the room. Ferrell and Martinez came back into the room with Alex. I finished telling the story of how I thought David was coming home to kill me but it turned out to be Alex. The scraping sound I heard had been Alex forcing a window open. Alex explained how he suspected something was wrong when David got upset at the mention of my name. "Like he was angry that I even mentioned her. He clearly hated me. I never knew why until I realized that he was jealous. That's why I broke into his house. I heard Jadia crying and found her in the bedroom."

  Ferrell nodded. "Smart thinking." Martinez shut off the recorder and they left, promising to keep us updated with any news on David.

  My parents came back in the room. "I have to stay overnight," I sulked. My dad nodded. "That's probably a good idea. We need to make sure you're ok."

  "Can you guys stay with me tonight?"

  "Of course, honey," my mom said.

  "I'm staying too," Alex said automatically. My dad raised his eyebrow.

  "Alex, you don't have to stay," I said.

  "Jadia, I'm not leaving you. I'm not going anywhere. Unless you want me to."

  I gave him a small smile. "I want you to stay."

  ===========================

  "So what's really going on with you and Alex?" Carly asked, wiggling her eyebrows. Carly had come over when I first got home and begged for my forgiveness, apologizing profusely for making out with Alex. She didn't have to beg. Everything that I had been through put things in perspective. Carly was still my best friend and I needed her.

  I rolled my eyes. "I told you, we're just friends. He's been really sweet and supportive of me. But I can't handle a relationship right now." Or ever, I thought.

  Carly was shocked when I told her what Mr. Hayes had done to me. I didn't tell her all of the details. Nobody knew that except the police and Alex. I hadn't been back to school yet, but she assured me that rumors were flying. The worst being that I was obsessed with Mr. Hayes and hid out in his house for a week and a half. Luckily, between Carly, Alex, and loud mouthed Amber Lewis (who was back at school) those rumors were shot down pretty quickly.

  Alex had been my lifeline. When he wasn't at school or football practice, he spent every free moment at my house trying to make me laugh, holding me when I cried, and hanging out with my parents (who loved him once they found out how he rescued me) when I wanted to be alone. I knew that Alex wanted me to be his girlfriend again. I just couldn't handle that right now. I needed a lot of time. David hadn't been found yet, which added to my anxiety. I didn't want to leave the house. They had found his car abandoned not far from where Amber had been found. The police were still working hard to find him. Officer Ferrell assured me that he had probably hitched his way out of town and would be crazy to show his face here again. As much as I wanted to believe him, I couldn't.

  David would never leave me alone.

  There was a knock on my door.

  "Come in!" I shouted. My mom walked in with an envelope. "Mail for you, hon."

  "Thanks, mom. Can Carly stay for dinner?"

  Mom laughed. "Why do you even bother to ask? You know the answer is yes." She smiled at Carly and left.

  "When do you think you're coming back to school?" Carly asked as I opened my letter.

  I shrugged. "I want to, Carly. I want to have some sense of normalcy again, you know? But it's hard. The thought of everybody looking at me and knowing what happened is too much."

  "Well I need you to come back soon. I miss sitting with you at lunch."

  I pulled out my letter and stifled a sob. "No!" I screamed. "Oh God, no."

  "Jay, what the fuck?" Carly cried, picking up my letter. "Oh shit," she whispered. She grabbed me and held me still as I sobbed hysterically. The letter was typed with only one sentence.

  If I can't have you, nobody can.

  If I wasn't sure before, I was sure now. David was coming back for me
.

  PART 2

  RUINED

  "David, stop," I moaned. He grinned with a maniacal gleam in his eye.

  "I'm going to fuck you till you bleed."

  I sobbed as he shoved himself inside of me. I tried to move my arms but they felt like they weighed 100 pounds each. He held my head in place and stared straight into my eyes. "You're mine, princess," he whispered. "You're mine. You’re mine," he repeated with every thrust. "Mine."

  "Stop!" I screamed. "David! Stop! Stop!"

  David grabbed my arms and started shaking me.

  "Stop!"

  "Jadia! Jadia, wake up!"

  I gasped and thrashed and was finally able to swing my arms. "Jadia! Jadia, it's daddy. You're having a nightmare. Calm down."

  "No," I whimpered.

  "Shh, it's ok, sweetie. You're ok." He rocked me back and forth as I sobbed and held me until I calmed down. Mom left came back with a cup of tea. "Did you take your sleeping pill tonight?" She asked, handing me the cup.

  "No. I don't like the way it makes me feel."

  She sighed. "Sweetie, you can't keep waking up in the middle of the night like this. When's the last time you slept through the night?" I shrugged. Sleeping through the night wasn't that big of a deal. I hadn't been back to school, so my days were filled with about an hour of take home work and I laid around the rest of the time. The truth was, I didn't want to take the sleeping pill because I wanted to be alert if David came back.

  It had been two months since I had escaped from David. Knowing that he was still out there made me a nervous wreck. I couldn't go outside farther than the back porch. I couldn't eat. I had lost my curves and my new "skinny" clothes hung off of me. I had nightmares almost every night. I was scheduled to see a therapist once a week, but the panic attacks I had when I left the house were so bad that I had only actually made it there twice. I didn't care. She didn't understand me anyway.

  Mom sat on the bed. "Sweetie, this isn't working out for you. For any of us. You're not living. You're existing."

  "So sorry to inconvenience you," I snapped.

  Mom shook her head. "You know that's not what I meant. Jadia, you have to snap out of it. I'm calling a therapist who makes house calls for people afraid to go outside."

  I almost laughed. "So, a shrink for super crazy people? Awesome."

  "Nobody thinks you're crazy," dad cut in. "But your mother is right. You can't keep going on like this. You need help. And you're going to have to go back to school sooner rather than later."

  "I know," I said, sighing. "I'm just scared." The thought of going back to school where everybody would stare at me and know what happened to me was almost unbearable. It wasn't fair that David had ruined my life so horribly and he was still out there.

  "You know we can transfer you to a new school. Give you a fresh start," dad said, ruffling my hair.

  I shrugged. "Maybe." A fresh start sounded like a good idea. But I didn't want to be in school without Alex and Carly, my two best friends.

  "Think about it. Now drink your tea and try to get some sleep." He kissed me on the head.

  "Ok. Good night. Love you guys."

  I laid in bed trying to think about anything but David. The nightmares were so real. I could still feel his breath on my face telling me that I was his.

  "You're mine, princess."

  I sighed, took a sleeping pill and tried to sleep.

  ==========================

  I woke up the next afternoon feeling groggy and confused. I looked at my clock. 12:15. I probably shouldn't have taken that sleeping pill so late. I stumbled down the stairs and found my mom sitting at her computer.

  "Morning, sweetie. Or afternoon, I should say," she said, glancing at the clock.

  "I took a sleeping pill," I mumbled.

  "Really? Good. Did it help?"

  I shrugged. "I didn't have any more nightmares. But I feel like shit."

  "Probably because you're not supposed to take them at 2am. Try taking one BEFORE you go to bed," she teased.

  "Hilarious, mom," I muttered.

  She ignored my sarcasm. "I made you an appointment with Dr. Schor tomorrow at noon. I really think you'll like her. Try to be awake on time."

  I could already feel the nerves building in my stomach. I hated therapists. I really didn't want to see her. Arguing was useless though. My parents had already made up their minds.

  I laid on the couch and turned on the TV. Daytime television was awful. I fell asleep watching the news. Every day I prayed that there would be a story about a handsome young teacher who was found dead and rotting in the woods somewhere. I couldn't get that lucky.

  I woke up to my mom shouting at me. "Jadia! Alex is here!" I rolled off the couch and made my way into the kitchen. Alex stood there with a paper bag and a smile on his face. "Hi, Jay," he said, bringing me in for a hug and a kiss in the head. "I brought food."

  Alex had become my best friend, besides Carly. It was comforting to know that he cared so much about me. "I'm not very hungry," I said.

  "I know. But I got you a present. And I can't give it to you until after you eat."

  I smirked at him. "Fine. Hand it over."

  Alex pulled out two hamburgers and about two pounds of fries. I raised my eyebrow. "I'm aware that I'm going to end up eating most of it," he assured me with a wink. I smiled. I didn't smile a lot these days, but Alex brought out the best in me. He sat down, unwrapped a hamburger and ate the whole thing in about 3 bites while I laughed at him. "So good," he mumbled through a mouthful of food. "You want that?" He asked, pointing to the other hamburger. I shook my head and nibbled on the fries.

  "So what's this surprise?" I asked.

  "I'll show you in a minute. What's going on with you?"

  "Mom scheduled a therapist to come tomorrow. Seriously not looking forward to that."

  He finished the rest of the second hamburger. "Why?"

  "Because," I replied, grabbing another fry. "I don't want a complete stranger judging and dissecting me. How can somebody who has no clue what I've been through pretend to understand me? It's bullshit."

  Alex studied me for a second. "So how are you feeling?"

  "Oh God, are you my new therapist?"

  He chuckled. "No, seriously. I want to know how you're doing. Are you happy? What's the highlight of your day?"

  "Seeing you," I replied shyly.

  "Well, obviously," he said, grinning at me. "What else?"

  I thought. "I don't know. Sleeping?"

  He nodded. "Ok. So besides seeing me for two hours a day, the biggest pleasure in your life is sleeping?"

  "Pretty much."

  "Sorry to tell you, but that's pretty pathetic."

  My eyes filled with tears. "Thanks, Alex. Thanks a lot."

  "Jay, I didn't say you were pathetic. The way you're living your life is pathetic. You can't argue with that." I looked down and didn't answer. Alex moved his chair closer to me and grabbed my hands. "Are you happy?" He repeated.

  "No," I whispered.

  "Do you think Mr. Hayes would want you to be happy?"

  My head snapped up. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

  "Just answer me. After everything he did to break you down, do you think he would want you to bring yourself back up and be legitimately happy?"

  I shook my head. "No," I said, tears spilling down my cheeks.

  "Then he wins. Don't let that bastard win, Jadia. You fought so hard to live. Don't let him dictate how you live your life. You're stronger than that."

  I started crying and he pulled me into his lap. "It's ok. Don't cry," he comforted me. I stood up and wiped my tears away. I was so sick of crying.

  "I know I'm letting him win. I want to be happy. I just don't know how."

  "See the therapist tomorrow, Jay. Keep an open mind. She's only here to help you."

  I nodded. "Ok. I guess it's worth a try."

  He stood up and grabbed my hands again. "Want to know the highlight of my
day?" He whispered.

  "What?"

  Seeing you smile," he answered. My face turned bright red. Alex laughed. "And your blush. So damn cute. Come on, I'll show you your surprise." He headed for the front door. I stopped short. "Outside?"

  "Yeah. It's in my car. Come on." I shook my head. "I...I can't, Alex. Can't you just bring it to me?"

  "Nope. Come on." I didn't move. "Jay, I promise, nothing bad will happen to you. I won't let it. Come on," he pleaded. With shaking hands I grabbed the butcher knife from the knife block. Alex raised his eyebrows. "Seriously?"

  "It's this or nothing," I snapped. He shook his head at me. "Alright. Come on, Lorena Bobbitt." I stifled a giggle and relaxed a little bit. He led me outside and walked me to his car. I looked around, waiting for David to pop out at me. Where could he hide? The bushes over there? I could probably run away before he reached me if he was that far away. Unless he had a gun. "Hold on. It's in here somewhere." I jumped at Alex's voice. I had made it to his car without even realizing it. I looked around my empty street and suddenly felt very vulnerable. "Alex, please, let's go back inside."

  "Hold on! I got it!" He shouted from his backseat. I started to shake. I clutched the knife. Alex pulled the small bag out of his car. "Here...oh, shit. Come on." He put his arm around my shoulders and hurried me back inside. "Sit down," he ordered, helping me to the chair. "Put your head between your knees."

  I cupped my hands together and breathed into them. Tears fell at my feet. When I was finally able to catch my breath, I slowly pulled my head up. "Here," Alex said, handing me a glass of water. "You're as white as a ghost." I gulped the water and felt a little better. "I'm sorry, Jay. I didn't know it was that bad."

  I shakily nodded. "It is. I keep thinking that he's out there waiting for me. Watching until he finds the right moment to attack." I laughed through my tears and shrugged. "I guess I do need therapy."

  "Well, here," Alex said, changing the subject. "Open your present." I opened the bag and pulled out a cell phone. "It's under my plan. In case you were worried about him somehow finding your number. The only ones who have the number are me and Carly."

  "Thanks, Alex."

  The police had confiscated my old cell phone as evidence and I had never bothered to get a new one. It didn't matter anyway. The only people I talked to anyone were Alex and Carly, and Alex came over every day when he wasn't at football practice and Carly had come and gone as she pleased since 3rd grade.