Story Of Her Life.

I Can Trust You... Right?

Beth sobbed into the sleeve of her hoodie as she sped down the interstate. Her life had been so perfect after he was gone. He had shattered her into a million little pieces, while Mr. Conklin and her mother were left to deal with all the damage. She pulled into the hospital parking lot and hurried through the main enterance. No matter what everyone says, the emergancy enterance is NOT the most sufficient way to get where you need to go. Beth knew this from many, many years of experience.

She hurried into the elevator with an elderly woman and a thirty-something man carrying a blue "it's a boy" balloon and lots of flowers. She pressed the number four, for the surgical floor, and waited patiently. She could feel the pressure rising as the elevator did. She didn't want to confront her mother, she just wanted to be with her. She couldn't handle facing this alone. Even if Mr. Inman did offer to help, he had no idea what he was dealing with.

She stepped from the elevator and eyed the nurses' station. Her mother stood, still sporting an oporating mask around her neck, signing papers on a clipboard. She had obviously just finished a surgery, and was dealing with the loads of paperwork that followed. Probably feeling Beth's eyes on her, she looked up. She noticed the expression carefully etched on Beth's face and she knew. she dropped her papers and ran towards her daughter.

Beth knew her mother only ment the best, but she didn't know what to feel at that very moment. Her mother's arms wrapped around her, just as her knee's buckled. She sobbed into the hospital scrub top her mother wore, clutching to her petite body. Martha stroked her daughter's hair, but couldn't keep her own tears from falling either. They received stares from many patients and hospital staff members, so they retreated to an empty patient's room to their right.

"H-How c-could he be back," Beth sobbed. "I thought he was in jail? Mr. Conklin's a scrawny little guy, he couldn't take him if he tried to..." she kept crying.

"I know sweety," Martha's voice quivered. "I don't know how he's back, but we're going to be okay. He's probably just threatening us, he has to stay under the radar, otherwise the police will be all over him."

Beth tried to listen to what her mother was saying as she focused on her breathing. She used to have panic attacks shortly after the "insadent", and she thought she was over them. Obviously not.

"C'mon sweety, lay down." martha motioned as Beth swung her legs onto the hospital bed. "Calm down honey, relax. We don't need another attack. I'll get you something to help you relax."

She stared up at the tiled ceiling as her mother walked out of the room. She didn't know how to relax. She couldn't, knowing this man was around, and knew that they still lived in the same place they did four years ago, and that he knew every inch of that place like it was a contest or something.

Her cell phone vibrated. Eric.

"i'm sorry. i know i'm lame and i'm up ur butt right now, but i really care about you and want to help you. i know you're upset, and it kills me to see you that way. please let me help you?"

She laughed. He was such a pain in the ass sometimes, but hey- he was totally worth it.

When she woke up, Mr. Conklin was standing in the doorway speaking to her mother. Her cell phone read 4:34. Wow, she'd been out for a while.

"Ready to go sleepy head?" he tossed his head up as if he were trying to see over the bed, in that weird I-think-I-look-cool-when-I-do-this kind of way. He arched an eyebrow.

"Mhm." she nodded slightly, but she couldn't lift her head up. She looked questionably at her mother.

"Pretty strong drugs I gave you, so Ben was dropped off here. I asked him to drive you home, don't need you behind the wheel, high in the trees like that." she winked, kissed Ben and Beth goodbye, and was gone.

A pretty young nurse who talked unnecessarily loud wheeled in a chair and helped Beth into it.

"I don't need a chair I'm fine," Beth mumbled trying to lift herself up.

"Yes, you are dear," she spoke to Mr. Conklin about Beth's restrictions being so drugged up, and handed him the chair. "Have fun." she winked.

"I'm not high," Beth said flatly as the nurse walked out of the room super fast.

"♪I fly like papers get high like planessss...♪" Mr. Conklin attempted to sing.

She looked up at him as he leaned into her from behind, and began to push the chair.

"What, 'aint I funny?" he laughed to himself.

"I'm not laughing at any of your lame jokes anymore. It only encourages you." she stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Hey," he said, spinning her ont the elevator. "My jokes aren't lame."

"Please. I bet you spend hours after class everyday trying to come up with funny things to say and do in front of the class, which you obviously suck at because i've been hearing the same jokes for three years now."

He stopped mid-step. "You're mean when you're high." he smirked. He continued on to Beth's terribly parked car, stealing her keys and helping her into the seat.

When Mr. Conklin helped her into her home, Mr. Inman was found shirtless on the couch cradling a bag of half eaten twizzlers. He glanced towards the doorway, and froze when he saw Beth clinging onto Mr. Conklin.

"Mr. Conklin!" he hopped up. "I-I... I was just, um..."

"Chill bro, Beth and Martha explained everything, I'm not going to go to the principal and report you for creepin' on a student." he laughed trying to pull Beth up the steps.

Mr. Inman sighed an obvious big breath of relief and assissted Mr. Conklin in helping Beth to her bed. She lay tucked under her covers in a fresh T-shirt when she busted out into a giggle fit.

The history teachers eyed eachother.

"What?" Mr. Inman questioned.

"It's just-I never thought-" she continued laughing for a few more seconds and finished her sentence. "I never thought I'd see the day two of my teachers would be standing over my bed, assisting me in getting changed and ready for sleep, at like five-thirty." she giggled some more. "I should just invite Mr. Thompson and Mrs. Garcia over. Now that would be some fun feild trip, huh?"

"Dude, she's high as hell," Mr. Inman laughed.

Conklin threw a pillow at Beth, distracting her, then making his way down the steps. Within minutes, he was safely at his own home and Mr. Inman was safe to share the bed with Beth.

Just as she promised, she told Eric. She knew she could trust him, just by the way he looked into her eyes at that very moment. She quietly explained everything that had gone down that day, and how close Mr. Conklin and her really were. She tried to keep the gross details about her father to a minimum, to save him the disgust.

"I'm glad you told me," he said softly, as he ran his finger across the length of her jaw. It sent electrifying chills through her entire body.

"Me too." she replied, engulfing him in a hug.

Within several minutes, she was passed out. Her head rose and fell stedily with his chest, as his breathing evened out and sleep found them.