I Won't Give Up (Teacher/Student)

Chapter 7

Seven

My bare feet pounded against the wooden floor as I ran through the halls and searched for somewhere to hide. He wasn't far behind me, angrier than usual, and intent on breaking every bone in my body. I had embarrassed him, let another man threaten him, and then had the audacity to try and leave him the day after. My luck had officially run out and so had my time on this planet.

I rounded the corner and stepped into Dustin's room, groaning slightly as the open wound on my left side ached with my every move. My fingers went to the cut and pressed onto it, causing blood to ooze between my shaking fingers. I looked around the room, whimpering because there was nowhere to hide other than the closet that Dustin would check first. I ran inside anyway, praying that Dustin wouldn't come into his room, but knowing that he would. He wouldn't leave this house until he found me.

I pressed my back to the wall and pulled the hangers of clothing in front of my body. My breathing was ragged, mixed with choked sobs that crawled up my throat and refused to go back down. I brought a hand to my mouth when I heard Dustin's footsteps approaching the room. He was going to kill me. I knew it from the moment I stepped into this house and saw his eyes. They hated me.

"Diem, aren't you tired of this game?" His voice was playful, but I would be stupid to ignore the angry edge to it. I bit down on my lip to avoid crying out as my side continued to sting. Dustin was in the room now, but he wasn't moving. There was silence, except for the ringing in my ears.

"You know, Dee," he was near the closet now, "next time you try and hide, don't leave a trail of blood." Dustin ripped the door open and his eyes landed on me. His hand grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked me out of the closet. I screamed as he flung me across the room, my side knocking against the floor and making it more difficult to breathe.

He walked over to me, tall and menacing, and lifted me by my arms. The sudden jolt of my body sent pain to my wound, causing me to hiss. Dustin brought his hand back and smacked me across my face, causing me to collapse again.

"Please, don't," I said as I used my knees to lift myself and held onto my side. Dustin smiled and titled his head, kneeling down before me. He reached over and held onto my chin, causing me to flinch.

"Don't beg, Dee. You've always been a fighter. That's what I love about you."

"I can't fight anymore," I said, dropping my head. The tears I had been fighting back escaped my floodgates and spilled onto my cheek. "You broke me."

"No," he said, running his hand through my hair. He twisted it in his hand and pulled me back, a slow smile stretched across his face and he drew his hand back. "Not quite yet."

I jumped up and screamed, blinking rapidly as the light in the room suddenly went back. I wasn't in Dustin's room anymore, but Mr. Livingston's bed. My hands ran across my face and down my body, examining it for the cuts I thought were there, but there was nothing, only soreness around my arms and throat from Dustin's hands last night.

The door flew open and I screamed again, scaring Mr. Livingston who was standing at the door with his arms up. He flicked on the light and looked around the room, his eyebrows pulled together as he searched for the source of my discomfort. Carefully, he walked over to me and eased himself onto the bed, gesturing for me to come forward. He pulled me onto his lap and pressed my face into his chest, leaving his hand in my hair. His gentle touch contrasted from the one that I had just escaped. It had felt so real that my scalp was tender underneath his fingers.

"You're okay, Diem." He rocked us back and forth, holding me tightly against him, and his words caused me to break into uncontrollable sobs. Mr. Livingston froze against me for a moment before he ran his hand up and down my back. I wasn't okay. I couldn't escape Dustin. Not in real life or in my dreams. There was no peace or resolution in sight.