the book of fluff (that usually isn't)

scared

can someone please explain to me why this book has almost twenty thousand reads

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trigger warning: abuse

Mitch watched Scott concernedly from his perch on his desk as the boy attempted to do his work. However, his phone kept buzzing from its position in Scott's backpack, and he flinched harder every single time. Mitch wondered who was texting him, and whoever it was, why they scared Scott so much.

Mitch had noticed things like this quite a lot this school year. Sometimes, Scott would come to school with a black eye, or a busted lip, or even both. He limped as he walked, and he had countless injuries that were hastily covered up with makeup. He always left as soon as the bell rang, and whenever Mitch spoke to him, he could see fear deep in Scott's icy depths. As Scott's teacher, Mitch was concerned — after all, it was his job to protect his students, and he certainly felt like Scott needed protecting.

"Hey, Scott? Could you come here, please?" Mitch said as the final bell rang, his voice gentle and kind so Scott would know he wasn't in trouble. Scott reluctantly set his bag down and walked timidly over to Mitch's desk, gripping at his shirt in an effort to hide his trembling hands. "Y-Y-Yes, sir?" Mitch offered him a kind smile, folding his hands neatly in his lap. "Is everything okay at home? You seemed a bit distracted today, Scott." Scott quickly nodded, wrapping his arms around himself. "Y-Yes, sir. E-Everything's fine."

"Are you sure? You can talk to me. I just want to help."

"Yes, sir. I- I'm sure." Scott's voice shook as he tried not to break down and spill the whole story.

Mitch hesitated, but he nodded. "Okay. But can you tell me who was texting you? Do they know you're in school?"

"Y-Yes, sir." Scott knew he had to get home quickly, his heart hammering in his chest.

"So why were they texting you?"

"B-Because I..." Scott's mind raced as he tried frantically to think of a lie. "Because I f-forgot to do their h-homework."

"Why can't they do their own homework?"

"Be-Because it's m-much easier to b-beat me up and f-force m-me to do it, s-sir."

Mitch frowned slightly, feeling his heart break for this poor boy. "Aw, you poor thing. That's why you're always covered in bruises..."

Scott's breathing hitched and he held himself tighter, his gaze flickering to the clock before he forced it back to Mitch. "Y-Yes, sir," he whispered nervously, his breathing ragged and shaky. Mitch noticed and tilted his head slightly. "Do you have somewhere to be?" he asked, and Scott nodded shakily, trembling harder. "Y-Yes, sir." Mitch frowned and shook his head, forcing his questions aside. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. You can go." Relief washed over Scott and he stuttered out a thank you, trying to pick up his backpack. However, his hands were shaking too much and he was breathing so fast he was practically hyperventilating. "Scott? Why are you shaking so much?" Mitch asked concernedly, unable to help it. Scott jumped and glanced fearfully up at him, then over at the clock again. "I- I'm just- just b-being stupid," he whispered, trying to gather his stuff.

Then, suddenly, the door to the classroom opened. Scott glanced up and immediately flinched violently, dropping the stuff he'd managed to pick up. Mitch sat up straighter, frowning at the strange man who walked in. "Scott Richard, I've been waiting for an hour," the man growled, completely ignoring Mitch. Scott's breathing hitched and he finally managed to pick up his bag, even though his hands were shaking harder than ever. "I- I'm sorry, I h-had s-school—"

"Shut the f*ck up. Did I give you permission to speak?"

Mitch's eyes widened as the man's hand rose as though to hit Scott and he quickly got up, moving in between them. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't talk to him like that." The man's eyes darkened, but he crossed his arms over his chest instead. "Who the f*ck are you?" he spat, but Mitch remained calm. "I am Scott's English teacher. I asked him to stay behind for a few minutes so I could talk to him." The man scoffed and rolled his eyes, shoving Mitch aside so he could get Scott. "Whatever, f*ggot." Mitch fell into his desk, but he forced himself to get back up again and quickly scampered in front of them. "I can't let you leave with him, sir." Scott whimpered quietly as the man dug his nails into his wrists, shrinking into himself. He wanted to die.

"Excuse me?" the man snarled, his eyes darkening more. "Scott made me wait. He knows he's supposed to be home by four every day, but he wasn't, so he gets a f*cking punishment. Get out of the f*cking way." Mitch's gaze flickered to Scott, who had his gaze on the floor with tears streaming down his cheeks as he trembled violently, and he drew himself up to his full height — which, granted, wasn't anywhere close to either Scott's or the man's. "No."

The man shoved Mitch out of the way, causing the teacher to fall back and into the hallway. Scott whimpered and wiped at his eyes, feeling even worse. The man began to pull Scott out of the classroom, but Mitch picked himself up again and rushed in front of them. "Let go of him." The man let out a growl and released Scott to punch Mitch hard across the face, knocking him to the floor. Scott squeaked and covered his mouth, tears falling faster. "S-Sir, please stop—"

He cut off with a cry as the man punched him too, covering his cheek with his hands. The man growled again and straddled Mitch, who was laying on the tile, and began landing punch after punch. Mitch weakly tried to defend himself, but it was no use. Scott's eyes widened and he quickly tried to stop it. "Sir, please, stop it! Stop!" His cries alerted the other teachers, and they peeked out of their rooms to see what was going on. Immediately, their eyes widened and they rushed out to stop the man. All of those hands were much better than just two, and they managed to get the man restrained. The school police officer took the snarling man away, so Scott fell to his knees beside Mitch with tears streaming down his cheeks. "M-Mr. Grassi? A-Are you okay?" he asked, his voice thick with tears. Mitch groaned in response, and Scott sobbed softly as he tried to help him up. "I'm s-sorry, th-this is all my f-fault—"

"No, it isn't. Don't say that," Mitch told him, even though his voice was filled with pain. The other teachers helped to clean him up, questions about what had happened tumbling from their lips. Mitch waved the questions off and simply kept silent.

Mitch's wounds weren't as bad as they looked. The teachers finished quickly and went back to their work after some coaxing from Mitch, and finally him and Scott were alone. Scott was still crying, but he wasn't trembling as hard, even though his arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach as though in an effort to protect himself. "Who was that?" Mitch asked Scott quietly, holding the ice pack over his eye like he'd been instructed. "My boyfriend," Scott whispered, keeping his gaze on his lap.

"Your boyfriend?" The surprise in Mitch's voice was evident.

"Y-Yes, sir."

"Well, he's not a good boyfriend, is he?"

"No, sir." Scott's voice was barely audible, and he avoided Mitch's eyes.

"You poor thing... Do you have anywhere to go?"

"I lived with him, sir."

"Oh. Well... Do you have any relatives? Brothers, sisters, parents...?"

"They disowned me, sir."

Mitch's heart broke for the poor boy. "Aw, baby... You can stay with me if you'd like."

"I couldn't burden you like that, sir. You've done enough."

"It's fine. You won't be a burden, I promise. I'd be happy to take you in."

Scott hesitated, peeking up at him. "Are- Are you sure?" he asked timidly, and Mitch offered him a small smile and a nod. "Of course. You can stay as long as you'd like." Scott sniffled and hugged Mitch before he could stop himself, his tears soaking Mitch's shirt. "Thank you so much..."

"Don't worry about it, Scotty," Mitch said gently, rubbing his back. "Now, let's get you home, yeah?"