Page 12 of Shattered Silence Duet

I bite my lip, thinking it over. I still feel sick, but beyond that I still feel extremely weary of being in a classroom full of students. The only reason I had made it through them so far was because of the twins. Even then, I didn’t make it through science without needing to run. Looking at Jasper, I point to the ground.

“Okay, that’s fine. You have gym fourth period,” Mr. Hargrove tells me, before glancing at Tucker, who claps his hands together, startling me, then rubs them with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Perfect! Then it’s my turn!” I stare at him, wide-eyed.His turn for what?“Ah, don’t worry, Sugar, I’m your gym teacher! I’ll take it easy on you,” he says with a wink. I glance around at the others, searching for an explanation.

Tucker laughs. “Really, though, it’ll be okay. You give me the old double tap if you need help, okay? If you aren’t standing by me, just double tap something so I can see, like your head,” he says, smiling at me.

My eyes dart to the twins. How does he know about the double tap?

“Mina?” Tucker calls my name, pulling my attention back to him. “You don’t have to go, you can stay here. But if you want, you could go to gym class and just watch for today. You’d be sitting on your own, away from the others. Then maybe tomorrow you can join in, if you want, that is?”

I think about it for a minute. If I sit away from the other kids, I might be okay. As much as I’d like to stay in here all day, I have a feeling they will start to push me more if I don’t at least make an attempt to go to some of my classes. Besides, didn’t my mother tell Mr. Hargrove that I was here for socialization? I give him a small nod, hoping he’ll know what I’m agreeing to.

“Alright, you can sit on the bleachers during class. We’re outside today. Can y’all show her where to go? I’ll be setting up stuff for class,” Tucker, or Stone as he says students call him, tells me in his southern drawl. His voice is so interesting and sexy. Great, now I also have a crush on my teacher, too. I bet all the girls do with the way he looks and speaks. First it was Mr. Hargrove, then the twins, and now this guy. I know it’s inappropriate to have feelings for my teachers, but it’s not like I’m actually seventeen, like other seniors. Although I can’t help but wonder what age my mother told them I was. Did she lie to get me into high school? Would they let a twenty-one year old attend? I had a feeling they wouldn’t, so they must think I’m only seventeen.

The guys start talking about a baseball team as they finish eating and I glance down at my books. I really want to finish the chemistry book, but there is no way I can read in front of all four of them. Although I had a feeling I could trust them, I barely knew them and didn’t think it was worth it. So I pull the coloring book in front of me and start mindlessly coloring it, wondering if, now that I was at school, and away from my mother throughout the day, if I could come up with a plan to get away from her for good.

Movement has me looking up, as they all get to their feet. I’m surprised when they tell me that the next period starts in only five minutes.

“We all have to get going now, I’ll be back to take you to yournext class, okay?” Mr. Hargrove asks, and I nod in response. As they leave, I expect to feel relief at being alone. It’s familiar and comfortable. But I don’t. It makes me even more anxious. That’s a new feeling. I never wanted to be around people before, then again, seeing the people I knew always meant pain and torment.

I grab the chemistry book to distract myself from dark thoughts and before long, I’ve finished and moved onto biology, and when I finish that one, I quietly grab a different chemistry book. About ten minutes before the end of class, I return all the books and pack my stuff up, waiting for Mr. Hargrove. Apparently, he doesn’t have any appointments last period, so he’s free to take me out to the field without being late for anything.

He steps in a minute later, smiling when he sees me. “Hi Love, are you doing okay?” I nod. There’s that nickname again, it must be a common way British men address women. “Did you read anything good?” I bite my lip and nod as I feel the blush rise in my cheeks. I’m not really sure why I’m blushing. Something about his attention on me causes it.

“Alright, let’s get you to gym class.” He motions for me to follow him, and we walk down the hall, side by side. Third period isn’t quite over yet, so the halls are still empty, and I’m grateful. As we step outside, I feel the breeze. It’s not as cold as it was this morning, but still a bit too cold for my thin blouse. “Where’s your jacket?” I shake my head. He frowns but doesn’t say anything else, instead he shows me to the bleachers that sit beside a large football field. “You can sit anywhere here.” He motions to the bleachers and I nod as I move toward them.

“When class is over, wait here, and either Tuck or one of the twins will come get you, okay?” he asks. I shake my head. This is the last class, and I know I’ve got to get home as fast as possible, I can’t wait around for one of them to show up.

He frowns at me, obviously confused why I won’t wait, so I tap my wrist, where a watch would be. “Time?” I nod and he continues. “Oh, you have to go home after class?” I nod. “Well, not to worry. One of us can drive you home, so you’ll still get homequickly.” He smiles at me as if he solved the problem. “See you later.” He quickly turns and leaves before I can figure out how to communicate with him that his plan won’t work.

I still can’t wait around. They can’t drive me home, if my mother saw someone dropping me off, it would be really bad. I’ll have to make a hasty exit as soon as class is over and try to avoid them so they don’t force a ride on me, as I don’t think I’ll be able to say no to any of them.

I sit at the edge of the bleachers, about halfway up, where I think I won’t be noticed by the other students. I see Tucker setting up some things on the field. He looks up like he’s searching the bleachers for something.Or someone.When he sees me, I can see a smile on his face and he waves his hand. I lift mine slightly to return his greeting. He goes back to what he’s doing, and soon he’s joined by a bunch of students. I watch as they toss around different-shaped balls and run up and down the field, doing things in pairs or small groups. Even though they’re not doing much, I know I won’t be able to do any of it easily. I’ve had such little exercise in my life, I probably have no muscle or stamina. Being locked in a basement will do that to you. I sigh and wonder if my life will ever get any easier.

I notice students heading inside and realize class is almost over. I see Tucker is talking to a couple of students with his back to me and take the opportunity to make my way down the bleachers. I decide going around the school will be easier and faster, plus I’ll avoid bumping into anyone.

With about five minutes to spare, I jog up my driveway. I might not get exercise anywhere else, but my jogs home from school are definitely going to help with my stamina, if nothing else. I pant heavily as I take my shoes off and head through the kitchen, smiling when I notice a bowl of macaroni and cheese on the counter. I look around, not sure if it’s for me or not and wait for another minute, unsure what to do. I really need to eat, especially since I threw up everything I ate at lunch.

“Mina, are you home?” I hear her before I see her. She gives methe evil eye as she comes into the kitchen, as if trying to find fault with me. When her eyes narrow, I know I’ve done something wrong. “You stupid girl, you took your braids out!” she growls. Terror grips me when I realize I forgot to put them back in my hair before I came home.Stupid!

“I’m feeling generous today. You can still have dinner, but you get one lashing. Where do you want it, your back?” She says it so casually you’d think she’s asking me what I want for dinner. I don’t want it on my back, I won’t be able to reach it to clean it, and with having to wear a backpack everyday it would be painful and hard to heal. I don’t have much choice. I point to my stomach.

“Alright, take your school clothes off. Gotta keep them clean,” she chuckles darkly. I know the drill. I pull them off and stuff them in my backpack for an easy getaway after. I stand with my back against the wall, placing my arms over my face, keeping them well away from my stomach. I made the mistake of leaving them at my sides once, and the belt marked them as well.

Squeezing my eyes shut tight, knowing it’s best not to see it coming, I hear her footsteps and the tinkling of the belt buckle. As soon as I start to wonder if she’s actually going to do it, I feel the sting across my stomach. It takes all I have not to bend over in pain, knowing that action will probably get another lashing on my back.

“Go,” she says calmly, then I hear her cross the kitchen and drop the belt back in the drawer she keeps it in.

I let out a breath as I drop my arms and quickly grab the bowl and my backpack and start heading for the basement door. Her voice halts my steps. “Oh, and if you make that mistake again, I’ll have Jeff show up in the middle of the night to give you your punishment.” She gives me a sadistic grin, then walks towards me. I quickly head down the steps, hearing the door slam and lock behind me.

I place my bag and dinner on my bed before looking at my new wound. It’s an angry-looking welt, about ten inches, angled across my torso between my stomach and chest. There is a thin slicethrough it, but it’s barely bleeding, thankfully. I grab a gauze bandage and wrap it around my torso, wishing I had some sort of antiseptic cream to put on it first.

I decide to check the wound on my arm. But as I unwrap it, the pain increases tremendously. The worst part is how hot it feels. When I finally have a good look at it, I see a small amount of pus leaking from it.Gross.I sigh. I need money, a way to get to the drugstore, and time to get there. I have none of those things. What a disaster. I wrap it back up and eat my dinner slowly, afraid it will make me throw up again, it’s not difficult since it tastes horrible.

Eventually, I lay down and finally fall asleep, trying to devise a plan to get medication and coming up with nothing. I have to hope that if I stay on my mother’s good side, she will get me antibiotics, eventually.

Chapter 7