Teacher's Pet

by C. E. Starkweather

  Alex turned to me and pulled me in for a hug. "You ok?" He whispered. I shook my head.

  "He's a dick," Carly interrupted. "Nobody likes him. That was awesome how you slapped him, Jay. He totally deserved it."

  I sniffed. "I'm fine. Let's just go."

  Carly left for gym and Alex walked me to English. I stopped outside the door. All I could picture was walking inside the door and seeing David sitting behind the desk. "I can't...I can't go in there," I said, panicked.

  Alex smoothed my hair, and as if reading my thoughts, said "He's not in there, Jay. Mr. Driscoll is covering the class."

  "Yeah," I whispered. I started to shake.

  God, please don't have a panic attack right now.

  I felt another arm around my shoulder. I looked up and saw Amber smiling at me. "Come on, Jadia. It's cool." I nodded and let Amber lead me away. "See you at lunch!" Alex called after me.

  I sat down and Amber sat next to me. "How are you?" She asked. I ran my hand through my hair. "I'm ok. How are you? Are you fully recovered?"

  She nodded. "Yeah. All I have to show for it is a bald spot, but my hair covers it pretty well. He broke my arm when he dumped me, but I got my cast off last week."

  My eyes filled with tears. "Amber, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that he would try to kill you."

  She grabbed my hand. "Jadia, you can't feel guilty. Nobody knew how crazy he was."

  "Yeah, but when you came he had already...I already knew he was insane. I shouldn't have said anything."

  She shook her head. "I don't blame you. At all. So you need to let go of your guilt."

  I impulsively hugged her hard as she laughed. I felt so much better that Amber didn't blame me for what happened. I still felt guilt, but I definitely felt better.

  ==========================

  David hummed to himself as he rifled through Jadia's drawers. He was a little disappointed in her bras and panties. Basic and practical, not sexy like the ones he had picked out for her. A couple of lacy pieces, but no thongs. He would have to go shopping again. It was too bad that he couldn't take her stuff from his house, but he hadn't been able to set foot in his house in months.

  He stopped looking through her undergarments and started looking for what he had come here for in the first place. She had to have her engagement ring around here somewhere. If she had hocked it, he would be furious. She clearly had no appreciation for the ring's symbolism. When he got her back, he would teach her a thing or two about manners. The thought made him smile. He could teach her a few other things while he was at it.

  He subtly glanced out the window. The not so subtle police cruiser was still parked across the street. David laughed out loud at how easy it had been to get past the officer. The guy clearly didn't give a shit about anything but his newspaper. He continued his search for the ring. After searching through her jewelry box and all of her drawers, he found nothing. He felt his rage growing. Jadia was going to pay for this. He laid down on her bed and thought of creative ways to punish her. He grew hard thinking about it. He reached in her laundry basket and pulled out a pair of panties. He shrugged. Why not? They would be gone after today anyway. He rubbed the panties on his cock and jerked off.

  ==========================

  My morning classes weren't bad. It was kind of overwhelming at first, but everybody was being pretty cool. Except for my altercation with Dan this morning, everything was going pretty smoothly. I sat with Alex and Carly at lunch. Amber came over and sat with us. Never in a million years did I think that I would end up being friends with Amber. I felt bad about all the times that I had talked about her behind her back, even though she didn't used to be very nice to me either.

  "So are you guys together?" She asked, looking between Alex and I. I looked at Alex, waiting for him to answer. He smiled affectionately at me. "Pretty much. We're taking it slow." I smiled back at him.

  "Ugh," Carly interrupted. "Dan Harris is staring at you."

  We all looked over to see Dan staring at me with a creepy smile on his face. I shifted uneasily.

  "That's it," Alex snapped. "I'm gonna go whoop his ass."

  "Alex, no," I said, putting my hand on his arm. "Don't get in a fight. If you get suspended you can lose your scholarship."

  "I hate that fucker," he muttered. "Why is he being such a dick? Why would he make this harder for you?"

  "Because he's a bully," I replied. "He sees me as a victim. He thinks I'm an easy target. Don't worry. He won't do anything. He's just trying to upset me." I smiled and waved at Dan. His eyes widened and he looked away as we all laughed.

  My afternoon classes went by pretty quickly. I had done my schoolwork at home, so I wasn't too far behind. I was grateful that none of my teachers treated me like a victim or acted any different around me. By the time the final bell rang, I was feeling pretty good. I met Carly at my locker. "Let's go shopping," I said happily. Carly gasped. She loved shopping. "Seriously? You hate shopping!"

  I laughed. "Yeah, but my clothes don't fit me anymore. I just need a few things until I get back to a healthy weight."

  "Yay!" She squealed. I just have to stop and talk to Mrs. Tesco for a second."

  I waited for her outside the classroom. She came out 10 minutes later.

  "Sorry I took so long," she said. "She's helping me write my college essay for UCLA. It's so stressful. I have no idea what to write about."

  "You'll figure something out," I said as we walked to my car. Most of the cars were gone by now, except for the kids who had after school sports. "You're probably the smartest person I know."

  "Well, duh," she said, laughing.

  I giggled as I unlocked my car and sat down. I stopped laughing abruptly as I saw that there was a note on the windshield.

  I gasped. "Carly, look."

  She jumped out of the car and snatched up the note. "It's probably from that asshat Dan. Don't even read it."

  I shook my head. "No. If it's from David, I have to know if he was here."

  She sighed and gave me the note. She was almost as nervous as I was. With shaking hands, I unfolded the note.

  To my dearest Princess:

  I choked back a sob. It was from David.

  I want you to know that I forgive you for leaving me. But it's time for you to come back. You belong to me.

  Love always, your fiancée

  "Oh, God, no," I sobbed. Carly grabbed the note out of my hands and read it. "Maybe it's a joke?" She asked hopefully. I shook my head.

  "No. Nobody knows that he called me Princess."

  Carly gasped. "Jay, drive. We need to get out of here. He was here."

  Tears spilled down my face. I fumbled with my keys.

  "Go right to the police station. We need tAAAH!!" Carly screamed as she was ripped out of the car.

  "Carly!" I screamed. I yanked my door open and fell out of the car. "HELP!" I screamed. I pulled myself up and immediately felt an arm around my neck and a cloth over my face.

  I felt his breath in my ear. "Hi, princess."

  I gasped for breath before everything went black.

  ==========================

  Carly woke up to somebody slapping her in the face. She gasped and looked around. There was a crowd around her. "Carly! Wake up. What happened?" Alex was shouting at her. She shook her head, confused. "Where's Jadia?!" He shouted.

  Carly gasped as she remembered the note and being pulled from the car. "Mr. Hayes," she croaked. "He took her!"

  Alex turned and ran while a teacher started asking Carly questions. She ignored him. She had to find Jadia. She tried to stand up and immediately fell back down, disoriented. What had Mr. Hayes done to her?

  I opened my eyes and felt nauseous. Where am I? I'm so thirsty. I'm going to throw up.

  "You up, beautiful?"

  I gasped and tried to sit up.

  "Don't bother fighting. You won't get very far. I had to tie you up," David said calmly.

  "Where..." I croaked, coughing. He put a glass of
water to my lips. "Drink this."

  I drank thirstily until he took the glass away. "Where am I?" I whispered.

  "Don't worry about it," he said. "We're just making a quick stop before we head out. I need some rest if I'm going to drive all night." I looked around. I was sitting on a bed in what looked like a dirty apartment. The bed didn't have a headboard, so my arms were tied in front of me. My feet were tied together. The air smelled like stale cigarette smoke. David sat across from me, staring. I stared back. His dark, shaggy hair was now platinum blond and spiky. With his dark eyes and dark facial stubble, he looked crazy. "You hungry?" He asked. I shook my head. "Well, you need to eat. You're so thin," he said, rubbing my thigh. I gasped and tried to back away, but there was nowhere to go. I thanked God that he had kept my clothes on this time. He grabbed my hand. "Where's your ring?"

  I yanked my hand out of his grasp. "I don't have it."

  He narrowed his eyes at me. "Yeah, I see that. I asked you where it was."

  "I threw it in the fucking garbage."

  He grabbed my arms and yelled in my face. "God dammit, Jadia! That ring was expensive. And it was a symbol of our love. Why would you do that?"

  "All it was a symbol of is your insanity!" I shouted back. His eyes widened and he slapped me in the face. I gasped as my eyes filled with tears.

  Don't cry. Don't give him the satisfaction.

  "What did I tell you about calling me crazy?" He asked quietly, pushing me back on the bed. I tried to roll away from him, but he put his weight on me and held me down. I couldn't hold it in anymore. I started crying softly.

  "Shh," he said, kissing me on the cheek. "I'm sorry for slapping you. It's ok if you lost the ring. You're still my fiancée. That's all that matters." I stared at the wall as he rubbed his hands down my body. "You lost too much weight."

  "Then don't touch me," I whispered.

  He chuckled. "You're still gorgeous. You just need to put on a few pounds. I'll get you there." He grabbed my breasts. "Your tits still look great though." He bit my nipple through my shirt. I gasped and he laughed at me. "I missed you, princess." He sat back up. "We'll have time for that later. I need to talk to you." I stared at the wall, waiting for him to continue. "I need to know what happened with Alex."

  "What do you mean?" I asked.

  "Did you fuck him?"

  I considered my options. If I told him no, he would think that I still belonged to him. On the other hand, if I lied and told him yes, he would be furious. I didn't want to ever see David furious again. "No," I whispered.

  "So I'm still the only one you've been with?"

  I nodded.

  "Good." He smiled at me. "Our problems aren't so bad that we can't work through them." I felt slightly relieved that he didn't seem to want to kill me. Not yet, at least.

  "I got you something," he said, smiling lustfully at me. "Wait here." He ran into the other room.

  Oh God, please no.

  He came back with a hot pink thong and bra.

  "Just like the one you wore when we made love for the first time. I've imagined you in this so many times."

  I felt the bile rise in my throat. I took a few deep, shaky breaths and willed myself not to throw up.

  "I'm going to untie you now," he said. "I think you know better than to try anything." I sat silently as he untied my hands and feet. I rubbed my wrists and wiggled my toes, trying to get some feeling back.

  "Put this on," he said excitedly, thrusting the underwear at me. I shook my head. The excited look on his face quickly turned to anger. "Put it on or I'll put it on for you."

  I reluctantly took the lingerie. "Where's the bathroom?"

  "Change here," he responded. "It's not like I've never seen you naked before."

  "Fine," I muttered. Arguing with a psychopath was futile.

  I turned around and quickly undressed, throwing on the lingerie as fast as I could. I turned back around. "Happy?" I snapped. "Hell yeah," he answered, rubbing his erection. Ugh. "Put the boots back on."

  I sighed and pulled my boots back on, zipping them up.

  "That is so fucking hot," he whispered. "Come here." I crossed my arms over my chest and walked over to him.

  "Lay down on the bed."

  My eyes filled with tears. "David, please."

  "Lay down on the god damn bed," he repeated angrily.

  I laid down, staring at the ceiling. David sat next to me. He took my arms and put them over my head and bent my knee. "That looks hot. Stay still." I heard a click and sprang up. He was taking pictures of me with my phone. "What are you doing?" I cried. "Are you kidding me?"

  "Just letting Johnny Football Star know who you belong to," he answered casually.

  "Leave Alex out of this."

  He shook his head. "Too late."

  "Fuck you," I whispered. His head shot up and his face turned red. "The fuck did you just say to me?"

  "Fuck you!" I yelled.

  He nodded. "Ok, if that's how you feel."

  He propped my phone up on the dresser against the wall. "I was just going to send him the picture of you. But since you're apparently feeling so bold, let's have some fun."

  I jumped off the bed. "What are you talking about?"

  He grabbed me and dragged me back to the bed. "I'm going to fuck you, princess. And he gets to watch."

  "Get off me!" I cried, kicking at him.

  "Shut the fuck up," he whispered. "Fighting's only going to make it worse. Just enjoy it."

  "HELP!" I screamed, pushing him away and stumbling for the door. "HEEEELLLLLP!" He grabbed me and punched me in the face. Pain exploded down my left cheek. "Stop," I whimpered.

  He carried me back to the bed, throwing me down and climbing on top of me.

  "You're mine, princess," he whispered, hooking his fingers in my panties and pulling them down. "Forever."

  The door burst open and police flooded the room. "Don't move!" One of them shouted at David. I gasped, pulling my panties up.

  "Hands behind your head," the officer snapped at David. He slowly put his hands behind his head, staring at me the whole time. The officer handcuffed him and hauled him up off of me. David was still staring at me.

  Alex came rushing into the room. "Jay! Are you ok?"

  I nodded. Alex grabbed a blanket and covered me with it. "Did he rape you?" He asked, glaring at David.

  I shook my head. "No. He was going to. He was recording us…" my voice hitched.

  Alex hugged me tightly. "It's ok," he whispered. "He won't hurt you anymore. Ever."

  David watched Alex hug me with a look of fury on his face. I hugged him even tighter.

  "How did you know where I was?" I asked.

  "I put a GPS app on your phone. Just in case. Thank God I did."

  "What took you so long?" I whispered.

  "This is an apartment complex, sweetie. The exact location is hard to pinpoint. Thank God we heard your screams."

  I glanced up at David, who was still staring at me. The officers were reading him his rights, but I doubt if he heard them. He smiled a slow, cruel smile at me. "You're mine," he mouthed.

  I threw the blanket off of myself and stomped over to him. Before anybody could stop me, I slapped him in the face as hard as I could. "I am not yours," I spat at him. "I never was. And I never will be. Fuck you." An officer grabbed me and gently led me away. Alex picked up my clothes and I dressed quickly.

  I felt David's eyes on me as I dressed. I couldn't wait for them to take him away. "Oh, Christ," said the officer who had pulled me back from David. "Take a look at this."

  Another officer looked into the room that I assumed was the bathroom. He immediately backed out. What the hell was going on? I jumped off the bed and peeked in the bathroom. I choked back a sob.

  Laying on the floor was the lifeless body of a bleached blond. Her empty eyes were the most horrifying thing that I have ever seen. The realization that that could have been me, and probably would have been eventually was more than I could handle. I
gasped for air and blacked out.

  ==========================

  I woke up with my head on Alex's lap. I shot up, looking around. "Where's David?"

  "They took him away," Alex said. "It's over, sweetie. He's going to jail."

  I let out a shaky breath. "He killed that girl," I whispered.

  Alex nodded. "Yeah."

  I shook my head. "I knew he was crazy. I know he tried to kill Amber. But seeing her there…that could have been me. He was going to kill me."

  Alex held me as I shook. "He's gone," he repeated. "He won't touch you anymore. Ever. Add murder to the charges of attempted murder, rape and kidnapping. It's over, Jay. He'll never touch you again."

  I let out a shaky sigh. "I know. I just can't believe they got him. I guess it'll take awhile to sink in."

  The small apartment was crowded with police. An officer asked me questions and took pictures of the bruise on my face and the marks on my wrists from the rope. I wanted to go home, but had to go to the hospital as a precaution. On the way to the hospital, I remembered Carly. "Oh, God! What happened to Carly?"

  "She's fine," Alex replied. "I think Mr. Hayes drugged her too." He gave me his cell phone. Mine had again been confiscated by the police as evidence. I punched in Carly's number and waited. After a few rings she answered. "Alex?" She cried frantically. "Did you find her?"

  I started sobbing. "Carly, I'm ok."

  "Oh, thank God!" She sobbed back. "What happened?"

  "They got him. We're on our way to the hospital."

  "Oh no, Jay."

  I sniffed. "I'm ok. He didn't...hurt me. Not really. It's just a precaution."

  "I'm at the hospital now. I hit my head when he dropped me. Call me when you get here."

  I hung up and stared out the window. I felt Alex's stare.

  "You ok sweetie?"

  I shook my head. "No."

  We pulled into the hospital parking lot and he grabbed my hand. I glanced over at him. "Deja vu," I whispered.

  He smiled at me. "Yeah. Except this time they caught him. You don't have to be scared anymore."

  I sighed and closed my eyes. The image of the dead blond flashed through my head and I immediately opened them.

  "He killed that woman because of me," I said bitterly.