Mr. Grey

Chapter 45

***MR. GREY'S POV***

I decided to wait before I left the hospital, to give Danni and her dad enough time to leave without seeing me. I was surprised that her parents weren't here and something inside me said that they weren't coming.

I left about 15 minutes later, taking my time. I observed families crying with sadness, crying with happiness, and sometimes even both. When I finally got to my car I took the long route home, thinking about what happened.

I still couldn't believe Sasha died from drinking and driving.

Wasn't Danni supposed to be driving her places? Was Danni the one driving? I mean sure, it was a Friday night and I get that Sasha was just trying to have fun but driving under the influence? I didn't think she was that ignorant.

When I got home it was almost three in the morning. My body was tired but my brain was wide awake. I replayed every event that happened tonight starting from Danni's phone call up until when I pulled up in my driveway. No matter what I did I couldn't get the image of Sasha lying there with all those tubes going in and out of her. The worst part about it, I didn't have anyone to talk to. Danni obviously wasn't an option and my only other friends were the other teachers.

I took a deep breath and tried to refocus my attention. Sleeping was useless and the television gave me a headache. I was done grading papers for the year (excluding the final) and I exhausted all my reading options when Danni worked at the library.

When all else failed I turned to the one option that was guaranteed by nature to help me sleep. I grabbed the lotion from the bathroom and made myself comfortable on the bed. I pulled my boxers down and imagined Danni down there, performing the motions that my hands could only mimic.

~~~~~~~~

The school was all over Sasha's death. They had an assembly on DUI as well as suicide. They emphasized the fact that it was coming up on finals week and that the students' mental health was the school's number one priority. I saw a few students smirk at the comment and I couldn't help but crack a smile. I hated the way school worked just as much as any other student. The kids focus more on passing than actually learning.

Sasha's death put everyone in a gloomy mood. Although not many people knew her as a friend per say, everyone knew who she was and her personality. It wasn't a huge shocker how she went, but people were still upset about it. I overheard quite a few conversations about people canceling their parties or not bringing their parents' alcohol.

"Alright guys, you know the drill." I put my hands down on the table in the front and leaned against it. "Since I have nothing else to teach you, this period is yours to study for your final. Ask questions, do work, be productive." I looked around the room and not even Danni was looking towards me. "Look, I know what happened is tough. I'm upset about it too, really. But you guys need to focus on your finals in order to graduate. You've come too far to screw this up."

I went back to my desk after my little speech and checked my email. There was one sent by the principal to all the teachers.

Attention teachers,

There will be a meeting today after school to discuss the recent and future events. Feel free to bring laptop or something to write on, there will be a slideshow with important information regarding the students and finals.

Thank you,

Principal Kapo

Mrs. Kapo was a lady in her mid-40s. She reminded me of the principal from iCarly: she was strict and cared more about herself than the well being on the school.

I dismissed everyone to 5th period early. They had been working hard (or at least acting like it) and they deserved some more off-time between classes.

"Mr. Grey?" I looked up from my computer to see Danni standing in front of my desk, clutching her binder.

"Danni." I was surprised to see her, my voice obviously showed it too. "What's going on?" She seemed so nervous. Her arms were shaking from holding onto her binders so tight.

"I... I just..." She looked up at the ceiling and then back towards me. She seemed to relax ever so slightly when our eyes met. "I just can't stop thinking about the other night." She said more easily.

"I know. It's been hard." I bit the inside of my lip. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Danni nodded almost instantly and put her binders on top of my desk. I noticed marks on her arms from the edges digging into her skin.

"I don't know where to start." She pulled up a chair and crossed her legs.

"Why don't you tell me what happened? All I know is that she was driving under the influence." I crossed one leg over the other and put my hands in my lap.

Danni took a deep breath and started to explain. As the story progressed, it all started to become more clear.

Sasha was in a similar position-family wise-as Danni. Both of her parents were alcoholics but her step father (who lived in Georgia) was filthy rich, that's what paid for Sasha's overall well-being for as long as she could remember. In order to cope with her depression, she followed her parents' footsteps and turned to drinking when she was 13. Once she met Peter and they started dating, he took her to parties where there was ample supply of alcohol.

During all of this, Sasha had a nanny, Martha, who took care of her. Martha taught Sasha all the rules of life: proper ways of studying, how to wash the dishes, do the laundry, anything that could be used in everyday life, Martha taught her.

Sasha had been struggling with her grades, this I knew. What I didn't know was how serious her depression was. Apparently, the sole reason as to why she didn't commit suicide was because of Martha, who immigrated the the states from Mexico with her three children. It was hard enough to get a job in her position and she was lucky enough to meet Sasha's step father at a high-end party. She was one of the servers and seemed to catch his eye.

"How do you know all of this?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"You would be surprised how much she vents when she's drunk." Danni but her lip, trying to keep from smiling. When I smiled she couldn't help but laugh, which only made me laugh harder.

The bell signaling 5th period rung, killing our fun. "You should get going." I stayed regrettably. She nodded and headed out the door.

"Danni." I half yelled. Her hand was on the handle and her body turned to face me. "Take it easy." I said caringly. She blushed and left without another word.

***A/N***

Early morning update😬😬 hope you guys enjoyed and have a safe Memorial Day! Love y'all