The Teacher's Pet | Slowburn MJ FanFic

• | Chapter Sixty-Five | •

| Three Days Later...

That day passed in such a blur, Riley could barely remember what happened. Everything felt so distant and it was almost like she was having an out-of-body experience. The sirens from the ambulance and police cars sounded far away, but they were only just mere feet from where she stood.

She had watched helplessly as Michael was rolled away on a stretcher, Javen zipped in a body bag, and frightened students were led to safety from their hiding places. She remembered being asked questions from a cop or two, but she couldn't cajole the memory of the exact questions or how she even answered them. She wasn't sure she even answered any at all.

She recalled having Michael's blood on her hands, arms, and clothes; the strong metallic smell was deeply embedded into her nostrils and she couldn't shake it. Words from her best friends went in one ear and out the other. She hardly paid anyone attention, not even her parents that rushed to the school and bombarded her with hugs. She didn't even think she hugged them back since she was still in such a state of shock. Her memory and mindset was a complete mess at this point, and it was giving her such a headache to try to conjure up all that happened that day.

Some of her family, including her favorite aunt on her mother's side, called the house to check up on her, but she refused to speak to anyone and stayed in her room most of the time. She neglected her needs until Michael's voice echoed through her mind and she somehow found the strength to get up from bed. Her grades were beginning to slip again so close to the end of the school year; her life felt like it was falling apart once more, and this time she didn't have Michael's help or encouraging words.

One of the few things she still had of him was the pendant that she absentmindedly twirled between the pads of her fingers as she laid curled in her bed next to the giant stuffed teddy bear. She also didn't rid the bloody clothes, even though it brought the reminder he had died in her arms. The paramedics were able to revive him, but she couldn't erase how lifeless he looked and it brought more tears to her eyes.

She felt her bed sink in and she was briefly confused until she raised her head up to see her father. James gently stroked her disheveled hair and softly smiled.

"Hey, pumpkin." He said and she gave a weak smile in return. He hadn't called her that since she was a young kid. "How are you feeling?"

She shrugged, then turned her attention back to the wall she had previously been staring at. She hadn't spoken much either and it worried those close to her.

Her father sighed and continued stroking her hair. "Actually, I came to tell you some good news."

He waited for her to say, "What?", but nothing came out. Her eyes lowered to the sheets.

"Um, your mom and I decided to take some more time off of work to take care of you." He watched as she looked back up at him again in disbelief. "I know we weren't completely there for you before and this won't make up for it, but you're going through a lot right now. You need all the support you can get and we want you to graduate on time with your class."

Riley still stared at him in surprise as she never thought she would see the day. But her shock didn't last long and she was now staring at the seams on her comforter with gritted teeth. It took to this point that they finally decided to push their work aside and tend to her. She was thankful but angry at the same time. Where were they when her brother died? What about before that or when she was being stalked? She had the obvious signs dangling right in front of them when Javen was controlling her life.

She moved her head from her father's touch and exhaled quietly.

"Riley." He tried to call but she buried her face into the teddy bear that still held Michael's cologne. The memory of him almost made her cry again. He frowned but agreed silently to give her space.