~My Teacher Hits Me~ (Book 1) [Rewritten]

Chapter 16: The Danger of getting by

Mr. Quinn jumps forward and reaches for Rylan. She squirms and tries to evade his grasp but Mr. Quinn fists the fabric above her shoulders and throws Rylan against the wall of the stall. Rylan cries out as the sharp edge of the miniature trash cubby digs into the small of her back painfully. She struggles to get her footing as Mr. Quinn's hand closes around her windpipe and lifts her so that her toes can't reach the floor.

"You couldn't just let it go! You couldn't just keep your mouth shut, could you?! Well, who's listening now?" He taunts.

Rylan chokes and gasps for air. She throws her arms out in front of her and pushes against Mr. Quinn's chest. At least she can tell herself that she didn't let him kill her; she fought back.

"You broke my fucking nose!" Mr. Quinn yells.

He hits Rylan's arms away, then lifts his arm and backhands her across the face. The action forces him to drop Rylan and loosen his grip around her neck.

"How does it feel?!" He shouts, then continues hitting her.

Rylan attempts to block the blows that jab every inch of her face and torso. She screams. A rush of adrenaline allows her to jolt forward and slam Mr. Quinn against the other wall of the stall. Then she trips out the door, clutching her side where a particularly painful blow had hit. Mr. Quinn recovers quickly and exits the stall close on her heels. He grabs her hair and sends her sprawling down to the floor with a strong shove.

The tile rushes up to meet Rylan faster than she can prepare herself. She tastes blood when her face plants against the floor and her teeth bite into her cheek. Rylan uses her hands to sloppily push herself up even though it makes her head spin. She turns to look at Mr. Quinn just as he takes a step toward her.

"Wait, please! Don't do this! I won't tell anyone else, I swear! We can both walk away right now." Rylan pleads.

"I think we're past the point of no return, don't you?" Mr. Quinn remarks. "There will be too many questions and I don't trust you. If I get rid of you, the problem goes away. It's kind of nice how that works, isn't it?"

"They'll know it was you." Rylan whispers, terrified that this statement will mean nothing to him. It's the only threat she has left.

"How? Is your friend outside going to tell someone? Please." He scoffs. "No one even knows I'm here. If your friend really cares, why hasn't he come looking for you?"

"If I disappear, they'll still investigate you. My friends know everything. You hurt Dani too. It doesn't matter if you silence me. Others will speak up."

Mr. Quinn laughs. The sounds startles Rylan.

"You still think you know me. What do they have? Words? The police deal in evidence. Even if they investigate me, they won't find anything." He outstretches his arms. "I'm a standup guy."

"You're a psychopath."

Rylan scrambles backward on her hands and butt. Mr. Quinn grabs her ankle and drags her back toward him. Rylan flips over onto her stomach and kicks at Mr. Quinn while slapping her hands onto the tile in an effort to crawl away. Mr. Quinn doesn't give up so easily and forces her legs down into an immobile position and grabs her hair roughly.

Rylan screams and hopes someone, anyone will hear. Her head slams down onto the tile once and then again. The action feels like her skull is splitting in half. Rylan goes silent as her head cracks against the ground a third time. Her vision swims blurrily in front of her eyes and her eyelids flutter crazily as she tries to keep them open.

Mr. Quinn lets go of Rylan and stands. Although Rylan's ears are mainly hearing white noise, she can still hear her teacher speaking.

"I can't have you telling on me, Rylan." Mr. Quinn steps over to the row of sinks, blocks the drain, and turns the cold water on its highest setting.