Chapter 17. She said, 'let her go.'

Mrs. Turner's hooded eyes examined the class down her crooked nose and proceeded with her lecture. It didn't matter that continuous shuffling, clicking,  sniffing, and murmuring filled the void of her high-pitched voice when she turned to write something on the board or nobody bothered interrupting her or answered her indirect questions.

The only thing Adana could focus on was her growing discomfort as a lone drop of sweat traveled down her back and between her breasts. The little bulges right below her high-waisted skirt gathered moisture in between each other. A shower sounded like heaven to her at this point.

A unified round of thankful sighs sounded through the class when the bell saved them from the torment that was History.

She assembled the notebooks on her desk and stayed back letting the more eager students wrestle their way to the doors. No use risking grinding clammy bodies with others.

Walking as fast as the chafe caused by the friction between her thighs allowed her,  she turned a corner and the final exit out of the hell called school appeared.

"Hey Pumpkin!"

That voice. A brief flashback of pain flaring behind her head at being pushed against a locker replayed in her mind. Just ignore it. A few more steps, and the voice and the voice would cease.

"Hey, you deaf or what?!" Now it held an edge of outrage and frustration.

‘Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore! ’

The chant prevented her from bolting and risking looking like an idiot in front of the students lazily standing at their lockers. Their attentions were switching rapidly to her but she kept her head down.

Two more steps. . . and. . . A low hiss left her lips as large hands held her arms with a vice grip, shaking the life out of her.

Off-white converse feet first came into view under denim pants, and leading up to a checkered skirt and finally, narrowed baby blues stared into her soul.

"Where did you think you were going?" He all but growled, the once cracky uneven voice had now given way to a low rumbling voice.

"I-I won't let you do this again."

A thick eyebrow lifted after her claim but only for a second before morphing into a steely grimace.

"Oh, it speaks."

No. This was how it had started in the third grade; him questioning her. Sometimes just taking her things and playing with them eventually ruining them and laughing because she hadn't fought back.

Well, not today. It wasn't entirely her fault she found herself this way. She wasn't God or rich.

Skipping meals, drinking water and exercising had only helped her lose a few pounds according to the bathroom scale but her body remained the same. Her outfits seemed even tighter now that she thought of it.

"I'm not an 'it' and please let go." Her voice came out calm but her heart hammered away mercilessly at her ribs.

"What if I don't?" He jerked her again. "What're you gonna do about it. Fight me?" Then he laughed in her face, remnant stench from a cigarette burned her nostrils.

A loose ring of students circled the two of them and the snickering and insults were being thrown at them. Her to be precise.

Her vision clouded and she caught her lower lip in her teeth. It was happening again. The way it did the last time. No one bothered to report to the teachers about it all for cheap entertainment.

"She said to let her go." That once soft, trembling voice was now firm,  almost threatening as he stepped forward, hair in a bun for the first time.

Both their heads turned to the source of the voice and the noise around them died within a second, tension thickening the air.

Sean eyeballed the boy only a little taller than him with a scowl but tightened his hold on her arms which filled his hand and squeezed.

She flinched at the pressure on her forearms. "You're hurting me."

"And you think I care." He spat back and they locked gazes.

"I'm gonna say it one more time," he warned taking a small, slow step forward, "let her go."

"What are you?" Sean let one of his hands release her to face him and she hissed at the way he pushed her shoulder forcing her to turn with him. "Her bodyguard?"

"Sean, please." The dams burst and warm liquid spilled freely down her face. That was all it took for the climax to hit.

The boy charged at him and Sean let go of her second hand to connect with the boy in a headlock.

Sean got the upper hand,  pinning him down and giving blow after blow and the boy blocked them and succeeded in protecting his face before getting him at a weak moment, flipped him on his stomach, placed a knee on his back, and tugged a tight fistful of his hair,  and pulled up so he had a hazy view of the girl he had been abusing.

"Take a good look at her," he hissed and pulled on his hair making him claw at him but failed as he was pinned perfectly to the cold floor. "Never treat a lady like that or you'll be questioning your existence the next time you do."

During his warning, Sean had regrouped and jerked him off, and landed a heavy punch at his jaw. The sickening crack from his nose caused him to bring his hand up to cradle it.

"What's happening here?" Mr. Monroe's shrill voice had both of them scurrying apart to glare at each other.

"Three of you. In the principal's office. Now!" He turned to what remained of the students around them. "The rest of you,  Detention for two weeks,  now scram."

A disappointed agreement resounded in the hall as they scattered,  walking to the class meant for detention.

***

"Does anyone care to explain the reason behind that behavior?" Principal Diane leaned forward on her desk with hands beneath her chin, considering the trio from above the rims of her wiry glasses.

Silence met her request and she tried again. "I can imagine this coming from you Mr. Sachs but Mr. Roberts? Now that's news."

"He started it," Sean lied unblinking and directed his poker face at the straight-faced principal.

Adana was quick to interject. "Sean you liar."

All three heads snapped to her and principal Diane leaned forward with keen interest.

"Is that so?" It was a rhetorical question. "Then tell me exactly what happened down to details."

And she did just that, narrating every action and word,  to Sean's dismay. As her tale drew closer to the part of the fight,  Sean sank deeper in the huge leathery chair and the boy remained silent still holding an ice-pack to his nose.

"And that was what happened Mrs. Principal."

Principal Diane's head remained tilted to the left as if expecting more but Adana was done. She inhaled and let the breath go slowly as if she couldn't comprehend the events.

Diane finally rested her back in her chair with a sigh. "And you're sure this was what went down?"

"Yes."

"You're free to go missy but be careful next time."

Not knowing what to be careful about,  she breathed a thank you and exited the now heavy with silence room stalling for time by taking deliberately slow steps but the silence remained constant until the door clicked shut behind her.

Lake.

Lake just fought with Sean. This was something she wouldn't be surprised with if it had come from Storm but Lake? Why would he get his hands dirty with someone as manipulative as Sean? Knowing him for the longest time ever, scenarios, where he would lie without a trace of remorse, flashed through her mind.

She wanted to wait to thank Lake for. . . everything; Standing up for her,  going out of his way,  and now getting into trouble.

The time would continue ticking and there was no need to waste it. Maybe she would get a chance to tell him everything tomorrow.

Successfully exiting school,  she boarded a bus to the junction nearest to her workplace.

There it stood, old but stylish and appealing, a sense of welcome and serenity but also bustling with activities.

You would've pitied the door which kept being pushed open and slammed shut by the workers who were rushing back to work and other idle people just hurtling to maybe get a slice of cake.

A little jingle announced her entrance and Diego delayed taking the order from three girls tactfully flirting with him and ate up the distance between them to engulf her plump form with strong arms. The hug said 'I'm glad you're here, cause this work is crushing me.'

She laughed despite the awkward angle at which he bent just to be on the same level as her. "Glad to see you too."

Then she threw herself into it, asking the customers what they needed and stopping to recommend homemade delicacies to the affectionate mothers with hyperactive toddlers in tow.

In the farthest corner of her mind,  something nagged at her and those dark eyes and rich chestnut hair in a bun, sitting beside Sean in the principal's office pushed to the fore of her thoughts. What punishment would he take on for her?

Saying a silent plea to the seven seas that it wouldn't be anything serious, she brought herself to the present, flashing a smile at a customer as she exited the still busy café with her sleeping son in a trolley.