Lean on Me Page 8

  She pulled out her history book and began re-reading the material they’d been going over. Gradually, the students began piling in, the teacher following the last student in and closing the door behind them. Bri sat in the back row, trying her best to keep herself out of view. It wasn’t long before the teacher killed any hopes of that.

  “Bri,” Mr. Hodgens said.

  Bri’s eyes closed, an aggravated sigh escaping her. She looked up, trying to keep her face out of the direct light, though it didn’t stop a few scattered gasps among those closest to her.

  “Yes?” she said. Her voice carried, but it crackled a little with nervousness.

  “Hood down, please. I like to see the bright shining faces that I come in to teach every morning.”

  Panic surged through her. She had no idea how to handle the situation. Finally, she decided on something to try. “I’m a little light sensitive today, Mr. Hodgens.”

  “Dare I ask why?” he replied flatly.

  She thought how to respond. He assumed she was drunk, or high like most of the other students would have been had they claimed “light sensitivity”.

  “I was in a car accident and suffered a concussion, among other things.”

  A terrible snorting sound followed by the huffing of a strangled laugh rang through her ears. Two female students to her left tried to hold their laughter, a male student quickly following.

  “Piper – what exactly do you find amusing about a car accident?” Mr. Hodgens asked.

  Bri looked over, her vision skewed by her hood. Piper’s eyes locked on Bri, the girl’s bleached white-blonde hair shimmering in the light. She sat tall at her desk, her naked legs in her mini-skirt crossed; the top leg swinging back and forth with excitement as she smiled.

  “Oh, nothing. Nothing is funny about a car accident. If that’s what actually happened – but I don’t think it is. It’s not what I heard,” Piper said, giggling again as she finished.

  “I don’t care to hear gossip in my classroom,” Mr. Hodgens said. “It’s pointless and you’d do well to remember that, though I highly doubt you would.”

  Bri couldn’t help but smile at his comment toward the popular girl.

  “Well, I heard her parents beat her senseless and kicked her out of the house,” Piper added, ignoring the teacher’s previous comment.

  “Piper!” Mr. Hodgens scolded.

  “And where exactly did you hear that?” Bri asked, anger rising in her chest.

  “Your own boyfriend told me that. Oh! I’m sorry. Your ex-boyfriend. The one that dumped you after cheating on him with that scummy Matt kid. You remember him right? Your baby-daddy? Slut.” Piper’s nose turned up in an over exaggerated look of disgust before she turned forward, her hair flipping lightly over her shoulder as she did. “Isn’t that why your own parents beat the shit out of you? Because you’re pregnant with some douchebag’s child?”

  “That son of a bitch,” Bri snapped.

  “Girls!” Mr. Hodgens snapped. “My desk. Now.”

  Bri could feel her hand twitching. She couldn’t decide what she wanted more: to choke the life out of Mike with her bare hands, or to bitch-slap Piper in her collagen-filled mouth. She took a calming breath, reminding herself that she was suffering from hormones.

  Baby’s angry, she thought to herself, almost drawing a smirk as she pictured that in the literal sense. She managed to calm herself, silently thanking her unborn child for being her saving grace and somehow stopping Mommy from backhanding the girl beside her.

  “Would someone like to tell me what the hell is going on? And Bri, take the hood off.” Mr. Hodgens was no longer in any mood to joke around. He was angry.

  Bri took her hood off, pushing it back around her neck. There were still dark bruises on her neck. Bruises that probably wouldn’t heal for days yet. Her hair was a mess, though it was tied up to make it easier to wear the hood. Mr. Hodgens paled when he saw her usually delicate face, beaten. She had stitches along her brow and her nose was still badly scraped, but scabbed over. Her eyes were a sickening shade of green mixed with purple, the green the first sign that she’d seen that she was actually beginning to heal. Her cheekbones were bruised and she’d been lucky her jaw hadn’t needed to be wired shut. As Mr. Hodgens looked her over, the very same thought occurred to him.

  Mr. Hodgens took a deep breath, realizing that he’d been holding it. He’d never seen a woman of any age, much less a child, beaten so terribly. Movies could never have done the real thing justice and it almost brought tears to his eyes. He knew without a doubt these were not the injuries resulting from a car accident. These injuries were made by human hands – or worse… objects. He wasn’t exactly sure what had happened, but he planned to find out.

  “Bri…” He paused for a moment, not able to find his words. “Is Piper right? Did your parents do this to you?”

  Bri knew she needed to tread lightly. If they knew her parents kicked her out then they would arrest her parents and put her in a foster home or they would force her to go home. Regardless, she couldn’t take the consequences of either of those fates. Being forced to live with the very people that hated her so badly they abandoned her, flesh and blood forged from within their own bodies. Or being auctioned off to the first poor soul willing to take on a “delinquent” pregnant teenager.

  “No. My parents did nothing like that. The idea that they did is ridiculous.”

  Piper laughed again. “If I had a little bitch like you for a daughter I’d beat the hell out of you, too. It’s already out there. Just tell the truth. They will probably get a medal.”

  Mr. Hodgens lightly grabbed Piper by the arm and escorted her to the door. “Leave. Until you can stop being a foul-mouthed, spoiled brat and learn to treat others with respect, you no longer deserve any. You’re getting zeros for the day as well seeing as how you won’t be here to complete your work.”

  Piper’s eyes widened. “My parents will kill me! I have to keep at least a 3.9 or they freak out!”

  Mr. Hodgens cocked his head to the side. “Would your parents then beat you? Would they deserve a medal for it?”

  Piper looked disgusted. “How dare you…”

  “No. How dare you… You can dish it out, but you can’t take it. I’ve had enough with kids like you tearing down others just because you think you’re better. News flash, sweetheart: you’re not. You’re mortal like the rest of us. And until you learn that little fact, you’re not welcome back into my class.”

  With that, he slammed the door in her face and walked away, moving back to Bri.

  “That was incredible,” she said softly. “Thank you.”

  Mr. Hodgens opened his mouth to reply, but was distracted by the chatting around him. He looked out to the sea of faces watching intently for what would happen next. “Mind your business and turn around. Or you’ll all receive no credit for the day.” Everyone quickly looked down, scared he would make good on it.

  “I swear, my parents didn’t do this,” Bri said.

  He nodded. “Let’s walk down to my office and we’ll talk about it. I want the story. The real one. Got it?”

  She nodded, trying to blink away tears. How would he take the star football player being an asshole that committed a heinous gang-style assault on his pregnant girlfriend? Would he believe her? So many things were about to go very right, or go very wrong. And with her luck, she had a bad feeling it wasn’t going to go very well.

  Once in his office, he demanded Bri tell him the tale. She had gotten no more than just a few minutes in when he called down to the main office to request a substitute finish the rest of his class. Bri was thankful that she didn’t have to speed through it, though she didn’t exactly like the idea of telling every detail, but she did.

  Fear tingled through her entire body as she remembered that night; as she remembered how terrified she was for her baby. Mike may have thought she’d lost the baby, she had no idea. But once she began really showing, it would be obvious. Would he come after her again?
These thoughts pushed her forward, worry not for herself, but for her unborn child. She had to make sure that he was locked up so that her child would be safe.

  Bri spared no detail. She told Mr. Hodgens everything from how he pressured her into sex all the way until the terrible beating she suffered. She conveniently left out her parents throwing her out on the streets, but she felt bad about it. She knew that he was just a man trying to help her.

  “I know this is probably hard to believe,” Bri said. “With him being the star player and all, but I swear it’s true.”

  Mr. Hodgens shook his head. “It might be hard to swallow for some around here, but not for me. I believe it. I believe it because I’ve seen him grab you before. I’ve seen him grab a handful of other girls as well. You’ve all been extremely lucky. I know that it may not seem like it now, being sixteen and pregnant and nearly being beaten to death, but you really are lucky.”

  Bri’s eyes widened a little. “Oh, no. I know how lucky I am.” She began rubbing her stomach. “I may not be an adult yet. I may not have planned or wanted a baby, but I do want my baby. Whether I planned for her or not, this is my baby. I helped make her. And I was terrified that she was ripped away from me that night. I was scared to death she was going to die. I was scared to death that I was going to be too weak to live – killing my innocent baby in the process. But I didn’t. She didn’t. We survived. I do not at all underestimate just how fortunate I am. How fortunate we are.”

  Mr. Hodgens didn’t respond at first. Bri could see the awe on his face, the sincerity.

  “You are a very strong young woman, Briana Grace.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Hodgens.” Bri smiled then, her face stinging a little as she did, but she managed to ignore most of it.

  “Are you in much pain?” he asked. “What am I asking – of course you are.”

  She nodded. “I am. Yes. The medication isn’t very strong because of the baby. I didn’t want anything that would hurt her, no matter what kind of pain I was in. So I am doing my best to deal with it. As long as she’s safe, I really don’t mind.”

  He smiled. “You’re having a little girl?”

  Bri smiled, blushing. “Actually, I don’t know. I just have a hunch. I haven’t had that ultrasound yet.”

  Mr. Hodgens nodded. “Well, a mother knows her child. Maybe you will. Either way, that baby will be strong – like you. He or she will get all of the very best things of you.”

  Bri’s eyes began to water, though she managed to force it back. She hated being such a crybaby, but the hormones left her with almost no emotional filter whatsoever.

  “Thank you. You couldn’t possibly know what that means to me.”

  He walked over and laid his hand gently on her shoulder, mindful of her sore body. The contact made Bri relax, as he’d hoped. It was just a simple gesture, but an effective one.

  “I’ll be right back. Unfortunately I need to discuss this matter with Principal Ripley.”

  Bri took a deep breath, bracing for it. She didn’t at all like the fact that this story was quickly going to circulate. It wasn’t because Mr. Hodgens was a man for gossip. It was because he was bound by law to report a matter so serious. Once it left that office, it was only a matter of time before some random student overheard one of the faculty members discussing it.

  The door closed behind Mr. Hodgens and the room immediately felt empty and alone. She hated teachers’ offices. They were always so cold and intimidating. She was just happy this little meeting wasn’t taking place in the principal’s office.

  The time ticked by. In reality, it had only been about thirty minutes, but it seemed like an eternity for Bri. Eventually, the door opened and both Mr. Hodgens and Principal Ripley walked in. She was an older woman. Very tall and oddly shaped. She wore glasses and her hair in a bun. She looked exactly like what one would imagine a principal to look like. Feminine suit and all.

  “Hello, Miss Grace,” Principal Ripley said. “I understand that there has been a rather violent assault committed against you.”

  Bri resisted the almost uncontrollable urge to snort and roll her eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “These are very serious accusations you’ve placed against Michael Rhodes. Do you have any proof?” she asked, voice cold and distant.

  Mr. Hodgens brows furrowed, his head immediately snapping over to look at the woman, obvious shock on his face. “I’m pretty sure the bruises and broken bones are more than enough evidence, wouldn’t you say?”

  She shrugged. “Not necessarily. What I meant to say was, how do you know it was Michael?”

  Flashes of that night immediately began penetrating her mind. Him pinning her to the wall, his disgusting breath on her face. The terrible things that he said to her. This woman was building a rage within Bri that made her want to grab Piper and kiss her right on the mouth. Bri’s hands began to ache terribly. She looked down to see that she was gripping the arms of the chair so hard that her knuckles were turning white.

  Bri decided to answer before she ripped them off the chair entirely. “There was no mistake. He confronted me and asked me about the abortion. He’d demanded that I have one.”

  “And why wouldn’t you? You’re only sixteen. You’re an incredible student and one of our star athletes. Is this problem why you quit the basketball team?”

  Bri’s eyes widened as far as they would go. “Why wouldn’t I? Why wouldn’t I have an abortion? Because it’s my child! I helped bring this child into existence! I am not against abortion, but I’m also not for it. I think it’s up to the individual and this individual decided it was not at all the right decision. Besides, I’m too far along! What is the matter with you? Are your precious sports teams all you really care about?”

  Principal Ripley was becoming visibly angry, not liking being spoken to like a child by another child. “You are far out of line. But given your unfortunate condition I’ll let it slide. This time. And yes, the reputation of this school is something that I deeply care about. It is our reputation that has taken us to state and won plenty of titles!”

  Bri didn’t contain the eye-roll that time. “No. Reputation had nothing to do with it. It was your students that won those titles. Not reputation. And right now you need to be worrying about more than the future of your stupid football trophy. You need to worry about the fact that you have an attempted murderer in your school and on your team.”

  “That is hearsay, Miss Grace, and until you have proof there is nothing that I can do. We can call the police if you’d like. They will call him in here and talk to him. To you. We will all talk it out. They may even take him down to the station. But we both know that he will walk. If you have nothing to prove it with then there is no way he will stay in jail, especially once his father’s money gets ahold of a lawyer.”

  Mr. Hodgens had had all he could take. He stepped away from Principal Ripley and behind Bri. “This is beyond all violations of code of conduct and you know it. If she said a fairy princess jumped out of the janitor’s closet, punched her in the head and then waved a wand to impregnate her with a three-legged blue unicorn, we have to investigate. You know damn good and well that boy has a history of violence. It’s gone on long enough. This has to be stopped. Get his ass down here. Get the cops down here. This needs to be handled. Properly.”

  Miss Ripley stared Bri down, not liking one of her subordinates trying to dominate her in front of a student. She sighed heavily, angry. “Fine. I’ll make the call.”

  Mr. Hodgens leaned down next to Bri as Ripley made her exit. “I’ll be with you the whole time. He won’t touch you. But I must say, Bri… I’ve known you since your freshman year. You’ve never been one for lying. That’s why I’m here. I’m going to bat for you. Don’t let me down. Nothing but truth – understand?”

  She nodded. “I swear.”

  “Then you have my full attention. Are you hungry? Thirsty?”

  “Thirsty, actually. My throat is a little scratchy.”

  Mr. Hodgens smi
led. “Don’t tell the hard ass, but follow me. I have hot cocoa in the teacher’s lounge. I think some is in order here, don’t you?”

  Bri only smiled, excited for the cocoa. As she walked down the hall, she saw Matt coming through the front doors, late for school. His eyes locked on her, but she quickly looked away, following closely behind Mr. Hodgens. Matt started to follow, but he lost her in the teacher’s lounge. He wasn’t sure why she’d followed Hodgens in there, but he wasn’t about to do the same.

  I’ll catch her later, I guess, he thought.

  Chapter 8

  The rest of the day was like a circus. Mike’s parents and lawyer, none other than Cal Jenkins, the father of her classmate, Samantha Jenkins, showed up as predicted, and completely dominated everything. They threatened to sue the school and the local police for a list of things Bri could hardly put the definitions to, let alone remember. After everything was over, and the cops had gone over everything, despite the physical marks they said that there was nothing tying Mike to it. There wasn’t enough physical evidence. There were no defense marks on him or any of his friends and there was absolutely no evidence of a fight.

  Bri’s memory kept wandering back into that room… Watching Mike play a brilliant part. The doting father fighting to save the life of his unborn child.

  “She came to me and told me that she was pregnant. Yeah, I’m young. I don’t have any business having a baby right now, but I wanted it! My dad said the best time in his life was when he found out my mom was pregnant with me. I wanted that for myself!”

  “So what happened?” the cop had asked.

  “She told me that she was planning to get an abortion. She even asked me for the money for it! I tried to tell her that abortion was illegal at this part of the pregnancy in this state. She’s too far along. She said her parents would kill her. They’d never accept her being pregnant at this age and she had no idea what they would do. She wanted the abortion, but I just couldn’t go through with it. She was so angry.” He turned to Bri then, absolute remorse on his face. “Bri, I’m so sorry. I just couldn’t let you go through with it. I’m so sorry, but I just want a family. I always have.”