Page 54 of Jagger
By the time we were finished, a little bit after dismissal time, I was mentally drained. I walked out of Michelle’s office, to find Brad slumped against the wall in the hallway outside her door. He immediately straightened and scooped me up into his arms without a word.
“I heard,” he whispered. “She’s gonna be OK now, Molly.”
I couldn’t even muster the energy to talk to him. I had spent most of the past three hours trying not to scream, or sob, or throw things, only giving into my tears once the officer had escorted Anna to the caseworker’s vehicle for the trip to the hospital. Michelle, Amanda, Susan, and I had sat in Michelle’s office crying ever since.
I drew back and looked at Brad with a sad smile, grateful that he knew me so well. He walked with me back to my classroom so that I could gather my things. I noticed that I had a few texts from Cole, and remembered we were supposed to go out to dinner and then for a ride on his bike.
“I’m supposed to go out with Jagger tonight. I need to call him to cancel. I’m not up for going anywhere.” I told Brad. He gave me a sad smile and squeezed my hand, then sat down on the edge of the desk to wait on me as I pulled up Cole’s number in my contacts.
“Hey, Angel,” he greeted me, and I closed my eyes as the sound of his voice filled me with a sense of peace I hadn’t felt for hours.
“Hi,” I said shakily. “Um, can I take a raincheck on tonight? I’m sorry it’s so last minute, but today has been…really bad.”
“What’s wrong? Are you sick again?” he asked, and I could hear the worry in his voice.
“No, we just had an incident with a student, and…” I stopped speaking as my voice broke, and I swallowed hard to hold back the scream that had been building inside since Anna first started talking in the hallway outside my classroom after lunch. “It’s, uh, it’s a long story. Honestly, I just can’t … “
My voice broke again, and I started to cry. Brad quickly took the phone, and I listened as he explained to Cole a little of what had happened today. I quickly composed myself and took the phone back from Brad.
“I’m OK. It’s just been a really hard afternoon.” I assured Cole. “I just don’t think I can put on a happy face to go out in public tonight.”
“We’ll hang out at your place then. Do you want me to come to pick you up from the school? Are you OK to drive?” Cole asked gruffly.
I started to argue, to tell him that he didn’t have to come over, but the truth was, I really needed to see him. I needed him to wrap me in his arms and hold me until the ice that had formed in my veins when I first saw those bruises started to thaw.
“Yeah, I can drive.” I said softly.
“I’ll meet you at your apartment in twenty minutes then, Angel. Drive safely.”
I picked up my purse and messenger bag and followed Brad down the hall and out to the parking lot.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you home?” he asked as we came to a stop next to my car, and I shook my head, wrapping my arm around his waist to give him a hug.
“No, I’ll be fine. Thank you for staying with me though. I’d better hurry if I want to get home and repair some of this damage before Jagger comes over.” I gestured to my tear-ravaged face with a grimace. I was not a pretty crier, and from past experience, I knew my eyes were puffy and swollen, and my nose was so red I could have led Santa and his sleigh.
“You still look beautiful. Call me if you need me. I mean it, Molly. Call me, OK?” he asked softly, dipping his head so he could look into my eyes.
“I promise. Love you, sweet cheeks.”
“Love you, too, baby doll.”
I drove home on autopilot, with the horrible images from today flashing in my mind. This wasn’t the first time I’d had to get Child Services involved for one of my students, but the previous case had been for neglect, when the child told me he had been left home alone all evening while his mom went on a date, because his babysitter had canceled at the last minute. His mom had left a scared five-year old boy alone for six hours at night, with no way to reach her or anyone else, so that she could go to a party. That had been bad enough, but that student hadn’t been hurt, thankfully. To actually see the proof of the physical abuse that sweet little Anna had endured broke my heart.
By the time I made it up to my apartment, I was numb. I dropped my purse and bag on the floor by the door and shuffled into the bathroom. I washed the remnants of my makeup off my face and placed a cool cloth over my eyes in a vain attempt to get rid of some of the puffiness around my eyes.
I heard a pounding on my front door and jumped at the sound, before tossing the cloth next to the sink and hurrying to the door. I’d already given Cole the security code to get into the building, so I wasn’t surprised to see him standing there when I glanced through the peephole, and quickly let him in.
“Oh, Angel,” he said softly as he cupped my face and peered down into my eyes. He drew me into his arms and kicked the door shut behind him, then just held me as we stood in my cramped little entryway. He slowly stroked a hand up and down my back as he held me close, and I breathed in the faint scent of his now-familiar body wash and cologne, along with the leather of his cut. After a few minutes, I eased myself from his arms and led him into the living room.
He sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap, where I slowly began explaining the horrifying situation. Cole didn’t say much, but I could feel the tension increase in his body the longer I talked. When I described the injuries to her back from the belt buckle, his grip on me tightened and he let out a long string of curses.
“Please tell me her so-calledparentsare in jail tonight?” he demanded roughly.
I sighed deeply before answering. “I don’t know. Malik, the resource officer, called for detectives right after he saw Anna at the school. They were all going to the hospital with Anna and the caseworker to find out the extent of her injuries. We only saw her back, but she said she was whipped on her bottom and legs, too. Based on what we saw, one of the detectives mentioned to Malik that he would call in for a warrant, but I don’t know anything more than that.”
Chapter 14
Jagger/Cole
