Chapter 25

**Mr Peters**

After being at the hospital I stayed at my aunt and uncle's house all week watching her father. They went out about a day ago and she didn't look any better and he looked a wreck. Not something I would have expected if he was beating her, but then again it could just be a mask. She apparently told the police she doesn't remember anything.

I sigh; I'm in school waiting for the bell for my English lesson to start. After so many minutes the bell rings. I stand and walk to my open door and wait for the students to walk in with my arms folded. One by one they walk in, the girls greeting me with a flirtatious smile and a wave and the boys just either grunt or say "sup" It isn't any of them that I really want to see. I listen to every "hi Mr Peters" from the girls hoping that one of them would be Megan but they aren't.

It is Friday of course she isn't going to be in if she hasn't been in the last few days. I feel helpless, I want to help her but she isn't giving me anything to go on. I could tell the school about her dad and tell them how I found out but it would risk me losing my job and nothing could come of it. Her father would probably get the best lawyer he could and well it would only take a few minutes for that lawyer to make me look like the abuser in the jury's eyes. So there would be no need in me losing my job and damaging my reputation as a teacher if nothing is going to get done.

I stand for an extra minute like I have done the last two days hoping to see her strolling up the corridor but no such luck. I look down at my feet and then sigh and shut the door. "Right class," I say starting my class. I get all their attention and they turn to look at me "Shall we pick up where we left off on the book yesterday?" I ask rhetorically.

One of the jocks put his hand up "it is a rhetorical question Ethan" I state. He smirks and puts his hand down.

"Then why ask it?" he asks. I sigh and then the girl in front of him speaks.

"Why do you have a small dick?" Melanie asks. The lads in the class start laughing.

"Whoa, someone's in a bad mood" he says, holding his hands up in surrender. She rolls her eyes and turns to look back at the front. Her eyes slowly move to where Megan would be sat if she was here and sigh slightly, a look of worry going across her face. "Time of the month?" the boy asks teasingly now Melanie wasn't looking at him. Her eyes grow wide from anger and now I know it is time for me to step in.

"You're lucky it's fucking not" she snaps now turning to look at him "You're such a fucking arrogant bas-"

I quickly cut her off "Melanie" I say now standing near them. He stands up taking a breath in trying to make himself look bigger.

"What eh?" he says. She stands up, her arms folding.

"You hear you're an arrogant self-centred arsehole," she snaps.

"And you're obviously a lonely mentally unstable goth with no life whatsoever," he snaps back. I raise an eyebrow. Is that even an insult?

"Oh good comeback," she says clapping her hands "you deserve a round of applause for that one," she says with a roll of her eyes. This seems to be getting him angrier as she is making a mockery out of him.

"If you two don't shut the hell up I will send you both to the principal's office," I snap, slamming a book on Melanie's desk. I'm not exactly angry at them. I would find it amusing but I'm in a bad mood. I have been in a mood since I saw Megan get carted off to the hospital. "Do you understand me?" I say loudly. They both sit down in their seats and nod "Good," I pick up my book and look at Melanie to see a smile go across her face. I look towards where she is looking, which is the door to see Megan standing there.

I feel the book drop out of my hand as she gives a small smile in my direction. I quickly pick the book up and walk over to my desk "Sorry I'm late," she says walking over to my desk. She roots through her bag and hands me a note. I don't look at the note; I just put it to the side and look at her, hoping to notice something different but what I don't know. Is it a bruise? Am I hoping to find a bruise on her? Or am I hoping to find she didn't look broken? But I can't see either of that. She still looks broken and is about to burst into tears and she has makeup on so I can't see any bruises. "Did you hear me?" she asks quietly, obviously trying not to sound rude. I nod slightly "I haven't been feeling too well that's what the note says," she says pointing to it.

"Ok...you can go sit down, I'll read it in a minute," I explained. She nods and walks off to her seat. I sigh slightly "Ok so as I was saying before the two of them decided to kick off; we will continue to read the book we are reading," I say to the class "And Melanie since you interrupted me you can read first," I say. She groans "And you can hand them out," I pause and look at Ethan "with Ethan," They both groan together and reluctantly walk up to my desk and take the books to hand out to the class.

I watch as Melanie hands Megan one of the books and Megan turns the book over to read the blurb. "Melanie you may start," I say, gesturing to her with my hand. She sighs loudly and starts to read from where we left off. I get up and walk over to Megan who has just finished reading the blurb. "Can you come outside with me for a minute?" I ask her. She looks at me and slowly nods "bring your bag and the book," I say quietly. She nods again and follows me out of the class.

She stands behind me as I shut the door and then I turn to look at her. "Are you ok?" I ask as I fold my arms across my chest. She nods with a small smile and then looks down at the floor again.

"Urm, why were you at the hospital?" she asks.

"I went to see someone and the man that was sitting with your father is my uncle," I answered. I have gone over the excuse I would use for that question over and over in my head. I'm basically telling the truth. I think I'd feel terrible if I did ever lie to her.

"Oh ok" she says and looks everywhere but at me.

"Because you've been away for so long and we are pretty far into the book so..." I pause and think for a second, "do you want to go to the library and read up to where we are in there?" I ask her. "I mean you don't have to, I'm just saying you can do that if you’d like," I say with a small smile and scratch the back of my head. She makes me so nervous that everything I say doesn't seem right.

"I'd like that," she says with a small smile.

"Ok...well can you come back just before the end of the lesson?" I ask. Why did it always seem like I wasn't talking to her as if she isn’t my student but as someone who is in charge of me? If anything it is true she is in charge of me. She could tell me to jump and I would most likely say 'how high' and that is because I'm infatuated with her. Very infatuated with her.