~My Teacher Hits Me~ (Book 1)

Chapter 13: Battling the Nightmares

A/N Dedicated to achicachica for the comment on the previous chapter and for being so supportive of this story. :D You're awesome!

Rylan was running and she couldn’t remember why. Terror coursed through her body, making it impossible for her to stop shaking. Where am I, she wondered. Finally looking around, Rylan realized she was running through the empty, dark halls of the school.

“Cupcake?” Blake’s voice wafted down the corridor.

Rylan pushed herself faster, even though her shoes padded loudly on the floor, giving away her location. She caught sight of the exit doors and slammed into them; neither budged because they were locked. Rylan turned so she was facing down the hallway. Any minute Blake would come around the corner at the other end of the hallway. Rylan could feel it. Her mind screamed at her to hide.

Frantically, she glanced around the corridor for some place she could conceal herself. The hall branched off to her left and to her right. She noticed the supply closet on the left side of the right corridor and quietly padded over to it. She twisted the knob and the door swung open. Rylan slipped inside and pulled the door closed right as Blake turned the corner.

Blake smirked as if this were the best game he had ever played. “Are we playing hide and seek now, Rylan?” His voice echoed down the corridor.

Rylan backed against the door and covered her mouth with her left hand in an effort to keep calm and quiet. She listened as the echo of Blake’s footsteps grew louder as he got closer to her hiding spot. After a few moments, everything went silent. Rylan forced herself to hold her breath in case Blake could hear it. All of the sudden Blake started humming “Happy Together” by the Turtles. It sounded creepy and sinister coming from him.

His footsteps started again, but this time in the opposite direction Rylan was. Rylan let out her breath. She waited until she couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore before she opened the door and peeked out. No one was in sight. Quietly, Rylan slipped out of the door and closed it.

“You should really find more original hiding places.” Blake said.

Rylan spun around to face him in terror. Before she could think to start running again, Blake pinned her against the wall, his hand closing around her throat.

“I thought I told you to keep your boyfriend out of things.” Blake hissed.

Rylan gasped for air and clutched at Blake’s arm, trying to pry it from her neck.

Rylan awoke, clawing at her blankets and trying to breathe. Finally she removed the sheet that had tangled itself around her neck, cutting off her air-flow. For a few minutes, she sat there focusing on breathing in and out. A nightmare, it was just a nightmare, she told herself. Tears came to Rylan’s eyes. It wasn’t enough that Blake terrorized her at school, now he had to be a part of her dreams as well.

Rylan turned her head to look at her clock. It was only four in the morning on a Saturday. Rylan knew she’d never get back to sleep after that nightmare. She was glad for the weekend, but only because it meant time away from school. Rylan tossed her covers aside and walked to the bathroom. After using the facilities, Rylan went downstairs to find something to do. Her dad would be up in two hours. So, she had one and a half hours of waiting around before she needed to start breakfast.

Rylan looked helplessly around the kitchen. Her social life was coming apart, yet somehow she’d managed to keep her troubles away from home. Rylan knew eventually she would have to tell her father everything. Every time she looked at him, she saw the worry etched into his face. He could tell something was wrong, but Rylan continued to deny it.

She moved into the living room and sat on the couch where she stayed for the next hour and thirty minutes. Then Rylan stood and fired up the stove so she could cook eggs, bacon, and sausages. Her dad came down a few minutes later.