Page 97 of Redemption
Chapter 29
Mallorie Jade
“Why are you so weird? Can’t you just leave me alone?” A male voice yells from down the hallway.
It’s after school and other than the voices, I’m the only one left in the building.
Hayes texted me a couple of nights ago and asked me if I would go on a trip with him and the football boys. He wouldn’t tell me what it was, but I have a feeling it has to do with what his dad said last week at his house.
It’s Friday, and the team has a bye week. I’d been locking up my office and heading to meet the bus when I heard the yelling.
Steering my body towards the noise, I soften my footsteps and slowly approach.
“I’m—I’m sorry,” a girl’s voice replies.
Awareness stiffens my spine. I know that voice.
Rounding the corner at the end of the hallway, I stop in my tracks when I see Bella standing in front of Tanner.
Bella’s face crumbles like she might cry, looking everywhere but at the boy in front of her. She takes a step back from Tanner. His back is to me, and even though I can’t see his face, I see his shoulders flinch with each step Bella takes, putting distance between them.
“Hey,” I say, calling their attention to me. “What’s going on here?”
Tanner turns his head over his shoulder to look at me, and Bella takes the opportunity to discreetly wipe at her cheeks, brushing off the tears that have fallen.
“Nothing,” she whispers, and I recognize the move for what it is—she’s protecting him.
It’s something I did for Langston over and over again, and I wish I hadn’t because sometimes I wonder if his death can be blamed on that. He was always protected—never facing the consequences of his actions—but death was not a consequence anyone could protect him from.
Tanner grits his teeth, the muscle in his jaw jumping, but he doesn’t disagree with Bella.
“It didn’t sound like nothing from down the hall. Tanner,” I say, drawing closer until I stand between the two teenagers. Nodding toward Bella, I continue, “I think you owe her an apology.”
His mouth drops open like he can’t believe I’m making him own up to his actions. “No way. She’s constantly popping up out of nowhere, begging me to be her friend. I just want to be left alone.”
Bella drops her head, looking at the floor. Heat flames into her cheeks. “I go to this school too, Tanner. I can’t help that we are in the same places, and if asking you how your day has been is bothering you, then you win—I’ll stop.”
Bella says the words like she’s eating dirt. It’s obvious how much they pain her, but Tanner doesn’t bother to notice.
“Finally,” he mutters, walking down the hallway to where the bus waits outside.
I watch him go until he disappears through the doors, my stomach a ball of anger and worry. When the door closes behind him, I turn back to Bella.
“Bella—” I start, but she just shakes her head.
I’ve spent considerable time with Bella these last three weeks. She’s one of my favorite students that comes in. She always has a smile for everyone, even when her blood sugar is off. I don’t think I’ve ever heard her complain about anything, and she doesn’t do that now. She just stands there, letting the silent tears slip down her face.
So I do the only thing I can think of to help her—I wrap my arms around her, pulling her to me to hold her.
Her head drops to my shoulder, and I rub my hands over her hair, offering her the only comfort I know—the comfort I wish someone would have given me when I was in this exact position with Langston.
“I’m going to tell you something, Bella, and I want you to listen to me. I love your heart. I love that you want to be friends with Tanner, but I need you to realize that you can’t save everyone. Tanner is going through something hard right now, and we can keep extending our hand, offering him help—but we can’t make him take it.”
Her tears soak into my shirt.
“Do you think it’s me? Sometimes I can be annoying—everyone says so.” Her voice is broken—the voice of a kid who doesn’t know where she fits. It’s one I know all too well, too.
“No, honey. I don’t think it’s you. Everyone has their struggles, and we all deal with them differently. Tanner is just dealing with them in a way that isolates him. Don’t, for a minute, think it’s your fault.”
