Page 33 of Life Lessons

“It’s important, Mr Caine. It’s about yourfavouritestudent.” This grabs my attention, my hackles rising.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. I don’t do favourites.” My eyes slide to the right and manage to catch the end of the race, Abbie and Harley coming in second. He grabs her in an attempt to swing her around but their tied ankles makes for more of a squish of her chest in his face, which he looks even happier about. I secretly liked that shithead really, but now I’m going to have to fail and drop him from my class.

“Sure you do.” Harriett smirks, following my eyeline. “I need to talk to you right now, in private. If you want her to keep her precious reputation intact, that is.” I slowly rise to my feet, towering over Harriett who tries to hide her small flinch. She swallows thickly, looking for her bodyguard anxiously.

“I don’t take kindly to threats,” I growl. Over her head, I notice I’m catching the attention of many eyes, including Thornton’s. Grimacing, I round the bench to put some space between us. “You have five minutes.” A tick beats in the bodyguard’s jaw, his beefy arms crossed as I pass into the tunnel leading towards the locker room.

Harriett rushes to catch up, gesturing for me to follow her to the left and away from the main areas of the stadium. Probably for the best for this conversation, although with her hound trailing, I need to be careful what I say. For all I know, he’s wearing a mic somewhere in his unnecessary suit. Leading me through a network of rooms I’m surprised she knows about, we step through a heavy metal door that leads into a back tunnel. There’s nothing back here but noisy pipes and old machinery. So much for trying to record me, I smirk to myself.

Harriett finally stops, twisting an old-style circular opening mechanism on a heavy door. I peer inside the dark boiler room, a curse on the end of my tongue when the bodyguard slams into me from behind. I fly forwards, crashing onto the floor and scrapping the length of my shins and forearms. I’m plunged into darkness before I manage to roll over, the sound of metal scraping metal piercing my brain as the lock is twisted back.

“What the fuck are you doing?! Let me out!” I jump up and pound on the door, ignoring the pain shooting through my fist. The warmth coating my skin tells me I’m bleeding, but I don’t have time to think about that. I shout and bellow until my throat is hoarse, screaming the ways I’m going to make Harriett pay for this. She’s beyond expelled. I’ll sue. I’ll fucking sue for whatever I can. False imprisonment, defamation of character, being a rich little slutbag that can’t handle her jealousy like a normal, mentally-stable person.

Stepping back, I take stock of my surroundings. It’s dark, other than the irritating flash of a red light illuminating the chunky boiler at the back of the room. I begin to panic about the heat radiating from it and lack of fresh air until I spot a vent in the top corner. A relieved breath leaves me as I lean against the door. The vent isn’t big enough for me to fit in but at least running out of oxygen isn’t the height of my problems. Starvation, however, that’s up there.

I pat down my pockets, now remembering I left my phone and all other belongings in Danny’s desk. Shaking my foot, I push off the door and start to look for a tool or something to pry the door open with. Surely that bitch won’t leave me in here too long, unless for once she knows what’s good for her. After searching the entire room and coming up empty, I slouch down against a shelving unit and hang my head between my knees. This isn’t how I intended on spending my morning.

Suddenly, from somewhere within the tunnel outside, the chime of an announcement sounds from one of the tannoy’s speakers. I scramble towards the door, pushing my ear against the metal. It takes me a moment to recognise the voice, but when I do, ice floods my veins and clamps around my heart.

“Can I please have everyone’s attention? There’s something that needs to be said which can’t wait a moment longer.”

Rushing over the finish line with a lot more coherency than I was expecting, I look over to see that Jackson and Trixie make it over the line just a fraction before us. Although I am not surprised given that Jackson is practically carrying Trix and just running with her leg attached to his. I kinda wish I had watched the race instead of running in it, but before I can think of that I feel Harley pick me up and swing me around, clearly forgetting that our legs are tied together. All he manages to do is smother his own face with my tits.

I expect him to drop me straight away, but he lingers, clearly liking having his face in my cleavage. I, however, am not a fan so I push away and yell at him to untie us. As he bends down to untie the knot, I look around for the only person whose opinion I really care about. Jett.

I want to see that look of pride on his face and see how pleased he is that we came second. I’m even expecting his jealous, murderous expression at the fact Harley got a little too close to my boobs, instead I see nothing. I cast my eyes along the rows of competitors, then teachers. I even look in the parents and spectators stand, but he is nowhere to be seen.

“There is a four hundred meter sprint race next, and then we are up again. I’m going to get a drink. I will meet you at the start line soon. Is that okay?” Harley asks, as he eyes up the drink table. I think his attention is more focused on the blonde girl with very short shorts and extremely tight bra top that is having a drink.

Just as I’m about to answer him, Jackson starts walking very quickly towards the girl. Harley turns and runs to catch up, shouting something about seeing me soon. I can’t help but chuckle as they reach the girl and start shoulder bumping each other out of the way as they introduce themselves. I have never seen two best friends have the same taste in women as they do.

Walking towards the contestant seating area, I continue to look around. I even find Danny and Sam, who I expect Jett to be with, but he isn’t. They appear to be casting their eyes around for him too. I know watching me was important to him, so I like to think it must have been something big to pull him away.

As I sit down and grab my water bottle, I look around again, and my heart sinks when I see he is nowhere to be seen. I can’t believe how much I have come to care for this man over the last couple of months. He literally has kept me going most days. Like this morning, when we were in the shower getting ready for today, he lovingly washed all of me. When he got to my scars, he kissed them and told me the scars made me more beautiful. It’s the most naked I’ve ever felt, and as his eyes devoured all the pieces of me that I hate so much, I hid my gaze from him. So, he kissed a path, then used his tongue all across my scars and up to my aching pussy, torturing me until I looked him in the eyes and truly saw that he was telling the truth. Seeing a strong, no nonsense man on his knees, looking at me like I hung the moon feels fucking amazing. He restored the confidence I lost almost a year ago.

Tonight I plan on showing him exactly how much I care for him. I told him we were ordering take out, and that I had something special planned. What he doesn’t know is that it involves some incredibly sexy black and purple lacy underwear and a few sex toys we have been talking about trying. He is desperate to take my ass, and I may just let him. But first, I plan on plucking up the courage over dinner to tell him exactly how I feel. Three words, eight letters. No matter how terrified I am, he has to know.

I’m running through all the possible scenarios in my mind, trying to ignore all of the negative ones that my brain likes to throw in. It’s my head’s way of reminding me that no matter how much happiness I find, I’m shrouded in darkness. Before I let one of those scenarios pull me in, I become distracted by Trix bouncing down to sit next to me, as she throws her arm around me.

Trix shouts far too loudly next to my ear. “Did you see that? I can’t believe we won. I may actually pass Phys Ed at this rate!”

Her laugh is contagious and I can’t help but giggle and tell her how happy I am for her. I genuinely mean it. I never entered to win, although that would be epic. I entered because my best friend asked—or should I say forced—me to take part. We settle into an easy banter as we watch eight boys from the year below us line up to take part in their 400m race. They take their positions and we are just waiting for the klaxon to sound when the telltale bing bong of the school’s announcement tannoy system sounds all around the arena. I knew it echoed around all the classrooms but had no idea it sounded all around the grounds too.

Looking around, I see Mr Thornton stand up and look around hastily. Apparently they weren’t expecting an announcement. I’m not the only one who sees him getting up and dithering about. I can hear mutterings coming from the students around me. Even Trix freezes. It’s like we can all sense something big is about to be announced and from the minute I hear the voice begin speaking, my heart starts to race. I become enveloped with this overwhelming sense of doom. I look around again, desperate to find Jett, but he is still nowhere to be found.

“Can I please have everyone’s attention? There’s something that needs to be said which can’t wait a moment longer.” Harriett’s high pitched, nasal voice echoes around the grounds and now the mutterings really start.

Trixie, obviously able to sense my anxiety, links arms with me and gives me a small smile when I look her way. She leans over to whisper in my ear over the noise from the tannoy. “It might not have anything to do with you. I know the bitch hates you, but even if this is about you, it’s just gossip. Nothing she says can hurt you. So please, just breathe.”

Her words are meant to reassure me, but all they do is remind me of what a shit friend I am. The problem is that I have so many secrets, this could literally be any of them. Each one would be more fucking damaging than the last. I don’t know how I know, but the next few moments will change my life as I know it.

“As you are probably all aware, there are a lot of people in this building with secrets. Probably more than you could even imagine, and whilst I would enjoy making a lot of those public, I don’t because people deserve their privacy. Well…some people do. What I am about to tell you affects us all, and I am more than sure it will make you parents think twice about the type of students you want us all mingling with.” Harriett pauses, and gets the exact effect she is looking for, titters from all around the stands as the parents who up until five minutes ago barely knew their kid existed, now have a high horse to climb on.

“Idiot is probably making shit up,” Trix mutters, more to herself than to me. I know this is bad, and I have to try and at least salvage one relationship.

“Trix, please, we have to stop this. I think this is about me. I…I have secrets, ones I can’t have people finding—” I am cut off by the bing bong of the tannoy letting me know Harriett is about to continue.

My facial muscles start to tense as panic spreads over them, like a stone rippling as it hits water. My heart races and my lungs start to burn with the breath I didn’t realise I’m holding. My chest squeezes and spots appear at the edges of my vision, but it’s like my body can’t remember to breathe. Instead, I just wait and let the fires of panic engul my body. Either my body will fail as the panic attack wins and I will lose consciousness, or Harriett will speak and I will finally be able to breathe. I’m not sure which outcome I want more.

---