Teacher's Pet

by C. E. Starkweather

  "Jay, you can't blame yourself for that. He's insane."

  "Yeah. But if it wasn't for me, she'd still be alive."

  "That's ridiculous," he snapped. My eyes filled with tears.

  "Alex, please don't yell at me right now. I can't handle it. I am seriously close to losing it."

  He reached over and held me. "I'm sorry, sweetie," he said softly. "But you can't feel guilty for him being a murderer. You just can't." I nodded. I wished it was that easy.

  He turned off his car. "Want me to carry you in again?" He joked. I cracked a small smile. "Yeah, kind of."

  He ran around to my side of the car and scooped me out of the seat. I laughed as he carried me inside. My favorite thing about Alex was his ability to make me smile even in horrible situations. He set me down in front of the receptionist. My good mood disappeared when I remembered why I was here. I cleared my throat. "I need to get checked out. I got drugged. And punched in the face." The receptionist (who was different from the one who was here last time) gave me a funny look. "Fill this out," she said, handing me a clipboard.

  Alex and I sat down while I filled out the paperwork. I wondered where Carly was. I stifled a giggle. Alex raised his eyebrows at me. "What's so funny?"

  "The receptionist is probably so confused. I'm the second girl who came in today drugged with a head injury."

  He grinned at me. "Big day for such a small town."

  I handed my paperwork to the receptionist and waited. After a few minutes Carly came out. "Jay!" She cried, running toward me. I jumped up and hugged her. She pulled back, tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you're ok. I never thought I'd see you again."

  I sniffed, wiping away my own tears. "I can't believe it either. They got him, Carly. He can't hurt me anymore." I had to say it out loud to convince myself that it was true.

  "Thank god," she breathed. "What happened to your face?"

  "He punched me. Luckily that's all he had time to do."

  The nurse poked her head out of the room. "Jadia Galvin?"

  Alex and I stood up. "Can you meet us at my house?" I asked Carly. "Tell my parents what happened and that I'm ok. We'll be there as soon as we can."

  The nurse took my vitals and we waited for the doctor.

  "How are you holding up?" Alex asked. I shrugged. "I'll be ok," I said softly. "I just want to go home. This has been the longest day of my life."

  Dr. Nguyen, who had treated me last time, came in. Everything looked fine. She told me to put ice on my face to keep the swelling down.

  As we pulled into my driveway, I felt a sense of relief. I could walk from the car to the door and be sure that David wasn't watching me.

  As I got out of the car though, that sense of relief turned to dread. I could feel that something was wrong. I ran toward the house as fast as I could. I threw open the kitchen door. "Mom! Dad! Carly!" I screamed.

  All three of them came running into the kitchen.

  "Oh, thank god," I sobbed, flinging myself into my dad's arms. "I thought something had happened to you guys."

  My dad stroked my hair. "We're ok, sweet pea. The question is, how are you?"

  I sniffed. "I'm ok," I said. "I'll be ok."

  Alex came in, looking concerned. "What's going on?"

  I shook my head and walked over to Alex, wrapping my arms around him. "Thank you," I whispered. "Thank you for being my hero again."

  He leaned down and kissed me on the head. "I'll always protect you."

  "I love you," I whispered.

  "I love you too, Jay."

  None of us were very hungry, but my parents ordered us pizza. Alex left with the promise to be back in an hour, and Carly and I went upstairs to be alone for awhile. I opened the door to my bedroom and gasped.

  All of my drawers were open. My jewelry was spread out on my dresser and my underwear was thrown on the floor.

  My eyes filled with tears as I realized that David had gone through my most personal things. Even in jail, he was still fucking with my life.

  "What the hell happened in here?" Carly asked.

  "That asshole went through my stuff. Probably looking for the engagement ring." I wiped a tear from my eye.

  "Oh gross, what the hell is that?" Carly asked, looking at the bed.

  I looked and saw a pair of my dirty underwear on the bed. I walked closer and saw that they were wet.

  I yanked off my bedspread and threw it in the laundry basket. "That fucking sick asshole," I muttered.

  "Is anything missing?" Carly asked.

  I shook my head. "No. Nothing important anyway."

  My sadness was giving way to anger. I was furious. After everything he had done to me, this somehow made me the angriest. I wished I could see him again and beat the shit out of him.

  I didn't tell my parents or Alex about what David had done. It was too embarrassing. After we ate, Carly left and my parents went to bed early. Alex and I went to my bedroom. I laid on the bed and he sat next to me.

  "I still can't believe they got him," I whispered. "I feel like he's still out there."

  Alex laid next to me and pulled me toward him. "I know. He'll be in jail for a long time. You don't have to worry anymore." He kissed my cheek. "I'm sorry for yelling at you before. I just don't want you to blame yourself for Mr. Hayes killing that woman. It's not your fault."

  "I know," I said softly. "I just feel like the only reason he killed her was to have a place to keep me." I rolled over and looked up at him. "Thanks again for saving me. I don't want to think what would have happened if you hadn't gotten there when you did."

  He bent down and kissed me. "Don't think about it anymore. It doesn't matter. You're safe."

  I laid for awhile, comfortable in his embrace.

  "Alex?"

  "Yea baby?"

  I rolled over and straddled him. "I need you."

  His eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

  I pulled off my shirt. I was still wearing the hot pink lace bra that David had given me.

  "Holy shit," Alex said.

  I stood up and pulled my pants off. "I need you," I repeated softly, straddling him again. I took his hands and put them on my hips. "I love you. And I need you to help me make new memories. When I think of somebody touching me, I don't want to think of him anymore. I want to think of you." I started slowly grinding on him.

  "Jadia, are you sure about this?"

  I nodded. "Yes, Alex. Please. I need you."

  Alex grabbed my hips and flipped me over, kissing my neck. "Tell me when to stop," he muttered. He kissed his way down my chest and stomach. He sat up, rubbing my hips. "This ok?"

  I nodded, lifting my hips to him. He pulled off my panties and stared down at me. "You're so perfect, Jay."

  He reached up to unclasp my bra. "Leave it," I whispered. The idea of Alex touching me in something that meant so much to David was strangely liberating. Alex gently rubbed my clit in circles. He slipped a finger inside me. I gasped.

  "You ok?" He whispered.

  "Don't stop," I whimpered, moving my hips with his hand.

  Alex's touch was gentle and loving, the opposite of David, who was angry and demanding. I rubbed his erection over his jeans and unzipped them, pulling him out. I gasped. "Holy shit."

  Alex smiled proudly. And with good reason. He was huge.

  I was suddenly nervous about him fitting inside me. I took a deep breath and let it out. "You sure you want to do this?" Alex asked me.

  I nodded. "Yes, Alex. I want you."

  He opened his wallet and pulled out a condom. "If you need me to stop, tell me, ok sweetie?" I nodded.

  He rolled the condom on and laid on top of me. "I love you, Jadia."

  "I love you too, Alex."

  He looked into my eyes. I didn't feel the fear or anger I felt with David. Alex's eyes were filled with love. He slowly pushed inside me. "Oh!" I gasped.

  He stopped. "You ok baby?"

  I nodded. "Keep going."

  He pushed all the way inside me, th
en slowly pulled out. The first few thrusts were painful. After a minute the pain gave way to pleasure. He stared down at me and kissed me. "You feel so good," he whispered.

  "Oh God," I whimpered. It felt amazing.

  He made love to me slowly and tenderly. I didn't feel the selfish urgency and humiliation that I felt with David. This was completely different. I felt…loved.

  I brought my knees up and he drove deeper into me. The sensation was like nothing I've ever felt before. "Faster," I muttered. "Go faster." He picked up speed and put more pressure on my clit.

  Oh God.

  "Oh!" I cried. "I'm gonna…I'm gonna…"

  My muscles clenched around him and my body exploded with the most amazing feeling I've ever felt.

  "Fuck," Alex muttered, staring down at me, my face twisted in ecstasy. He finished with a groan and laid on top of me, catching his breath. He rolled onto his side and watched me.

  I suddenly felt shy. I pulled my sheet over my naked body. "Was that ok?" I asked.

  He laughed. "Holy shit, that was amazing. Are you ok?"

  I smiled. "Yeah. I'm perfect."

  He snuggled up next to me. "Good thing your parents' room is across the house. You were getting pretty loud."

  I giggled. "Was not. And any noises I made were your fault anyway." He smiled proudly at his ego being stroked. We laid cuddling for a few hours until Alex had to leave. It probably wasn't a good idea for my parents to catch us naked in the morning. After Alex left, I laid in bed thinking. So much had happened today, but the only thing I could think about was how much I loved Alex. I thanked God for that.

  ==========================

  Tomorrow was the first day of David's trial. I wasn't scheduled to testify until the day after, but I was kind of looking forward to the trial. I needed closure. I needed to look David in the eye and tell him that I wasn't afraid of him anymore.

  I dressed and ran downstairs. I had put on a few pounds since David had been in jail. My cheeks were starting to get a healthy glow again. I felt good. I had also gone back to school a week after David had been caught. I was determined to get my life back on track as soon as possible.

  "Hi guys," I said to my parents, grabbing a grapefruit. I stopped when I saw them staring at me. "What's going on? What's wrong?"

  They exchanged a look.

  "What happened?" I whispered nervously.

  "Sweetie, sit down," dad said. I shook my head. "No. Tell me what's going on."

  Dad nodded. "It appears that David Hayes has been offered a plea bargain. He accepted. There won't be a trial."

  I gasped. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I cried. "How could they do that?"

  Mom smiled sympathetically. "They try to offer plea bargains to avoid the costs of going to trial. I'm sorry, honey. I know you were looking forward to the trial."

  "Well what did they offer him?"

  "35 years," mom said.

  I started sobbing. "It's not enough. He should be in there for life. He KILLED someone. And he ruined my life." I picked up my bag and stormed out of the house.

  I picked up Carly and told her what had happened. "I'm so pissed. I can't believe it. I needed this, Carly. I needed some kind of closure. I needed to see him get sentenced. Now what?"

  Carly shook her head. "I’m so sorry, Jay. It's not fair."

  We drove the rest of the way in silence. We met Alex at my locker and I told him what happened. He hugged me. "I'm sorry, sweetie. At least he's going to jail for a long time.

  "Yeah, till he gets out and finds me again. 35 years isn't that long."

  Alex smiled. "Maybe I've been watching too much TV, but a young, good looking teacher who raped his student is probably not going to last too long in jail."

  The thought made me smile. I hoped that David's entire time in jail was as miserable as possible.

  "Thanks, Alex. That actually made me feel better. I just wish I could see him one more time."

  Alex shrugged. "If you want to see him, why not just visit him in jail?"

  I shook my head. "I can't do that."

  "Why not? I'll go with you if you want."

  I thought about it. Why couldn't I visit him in jail?

  I smiled. "You know what? That's a good idea. Can we go after school?"

  "Sure, sweetie," He replied. He grabbed my hand and walked me to English. Knowing that I was going to see David after school made me nervous. But I hoped that after I saw him I would feel some kind of closure.

  In English, I talked to Amber, who had also been called to testify, about what had happened. She wasn't as upset as me. She was more grateful that it was over with. Although he had tried to kill her, he just smashed her over the head and dragged her body away. He didn't torture her like he did with me. She was nervous about them cross examining her ulterior motives for going to David's house that day. I told her about my plans to see David after school.

  "Are you sure you want to do that? Why don't you just let it go? He's in jail."

  I sighed in frustration. I was so sick of people telling me to 'let it go.' They had no idea what I had been through or what I was going through.

  "I can't just "let it go,' Amber. He may be in jail, but it doesn't change the fact that he's still controlling my life. I need this to be able to move on. I need to look him in the eye and tell him that I'm not afraid of him anymore."

  She shrugged. "If it will make you feel better, go for it. Give him a giant middle finger from me while you're at it." I almost laughed.

  The ride to the prison was somehow both the longest and the shortest ride of my life. I was looking forward to seeing David and getting some closure. I was also scared that my visit would backfire and make me feel worse. The thought of looking into David's eyes again was terrifying. I hoped I could do it.

  Alex pulled into the visitor parking area and we sat for a minute. "I can go with you, you know," he said.

  I shook my head. "No. I have to do this by myself. Besides, he might not even want to see me. And if you're with me he definitely won't want to see me."

  He pursed his lips. "I'm worried, Jadia. That this will do more harm than good.

  "Alex, I have to do this. If I want to have any chance at not feeling like a victim anymore, I need to do this. I'll be fine." I pulled him in for a kiss. "I'll be back soon. I love you."

  "Love you too," he sighed. I got out of the car before I could change my mind and walked to the door.

  Being inside the prison was pretty uncomfortable. Knowing that this was the home of murderers and rapists made me uneasy. I walked to the counter.

  "Name?" The lady snapped at me.

  "Jadia Galvin."

  "Who are you here to see?"

  "David Hayes."

  If she knew anything about my situation from the news, she didn't care. She took my ID and I had to walk through a metal detector and have a pat down. I felt like a criminal myself. I sat down in a chair, waiting. I wished that Alex had at least come with me for this part. I was starting to lose my nerve.

  "Jadia Galvin!"

  I stood up quickly and sat at the window where the guard directed me. I took a deep breath and willed myself not to have a panic attack when I came face to face with David again.

  David came around the corner, almost stopping in surprise when he saw me. A slow smile spread across his face. He sat down at the window and picked up the phone.

  "Hi, princess."

  I closed my eyes and reminded myself that he couldn't touch me. I had the upper hand now, and I was here for me, not for him. I opened my eyes.

  "Hello, David," I said coolly. "You look fucking terrible."

  It was true. His few months in prison had taken a toll on him. He had lost weight, giving his face a gaunt look. His stubble had grey in it. He looked hardened already.

  "You've only been here for a few months. I'd hate to see you in a few years. Or 35."

  He smirked at me. "I know you didn't come here to rip on my looks. What do you want? You miss me?"
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  I laughed out loud. "No, not quite. But I did want to see you one last time. I have a few things to say to you."

  He sat back, looking bored. "Go for it."

  I forced myself to look him in the eyes. The eyes that he made me stare into as he raped me. As he told me that I was his whore and his property. The eyes of a murderer. I took a deep breath.

  "I'm not afraid of you anymore, David. You can't and won't ever touch me again. You will sit in jail, rotting for the rest of your pathetic life. I hope that when you inevitably kill yourself in here, you'll think of me. And know that it will be the happiest day of my life."

  He stared at me for a minute, then pretended to yawn. "Anything else?"

  I narrowed my eyes at him, almost shaking with anger.

  He leaned forward. "Let me tell YOU something, Jadia. You belong to me. Forever. You're still my fiancée, even if you stupidly lost the ring. I'll be out of here when I'm 61. And when I'm free, the first thing I'm going to do is find you. And…"

  "I fucked Alex," I interrupted him.

  The smile slowly fell from his face. "What the fuck did you just say to me?"

  "I fucked Alex," I responded casually. "A lot. You know, Alex, my boyfriend? It was pretty great. I didn't know how good sex could be when it's, you know, consensual. Oh! And the best part is that he fucked me in the hot pink lingerie that you liked so much. Thanks for buying that for me. It was a little uncomfortable at first, because his dick is so huge."

  He stared at me, furious.

  "But really, who am I to tell you about huge dicks? I'm sure you're learning a whole lot about them in here. You could probably teach me a thing or two."

  He jumped up and pounded on the glass. "You whore!" He screamed. "You stupid fucking whore!"

  I dropped the phone and jumped back. He pounded on the glass, screaming at me until two guards came and took him away. I smiled and waved goodbye to him.

  I got into Alex's car, grabbed him and gave him a huge kiss.

  I pulled away and he raised his eyebrows at me. "What was that for?"

  "For being my hero. And because I love you. Let's go home."

  EPILOGUE

  Carly and I laid outside by my parents' garden, soaking up the sun. "I can't believe we just graduated college," I said. "I never thought I'd see the day when I was done with school forever."