Smile For Me

Chapter 50 - Suspicion

"Keep your head down,"Eddie told me. I sniffed and rested my chin back on the pillow, closing my eyes again. Eddie smoothed more lotion on my bum and said I had to stay lying down on the bed for the next hour, and I did as I was told. It hurt to sit properly anyway. He came in to check on me every now and then, running his hand over my leg in a way that made me shiver. He gently massaged where it was sore again, whispering small things to soothe me like 'good girl' or 'does it still hurt here?' or 'there..that feels better doesnt it?' or 'my little baby'. I obediently ate my lunch and then later my dinner, I let him change me into my nightdress and feed me my milk before bed, I let him cuddle me and kiss me when he wanted to. I did all this in hoping he'd grow soft again and let me go back to school tomorrow.

* * *
Eddie did let me go the next day, but under a couple conditions. He told me them as he dressed me in my uniform, buttoning up my shirt for me. "I'm taking earlier shifts at work now, so I'm expecting you to be waiting for me by the school entrance a little earlier too. Two thirty to be precise,"he said. I was astonished from this demand. "But Eddie, I can't just leave halfway through a lesson! School doesn't finish until three,"I protested. He pulled my tights on for me like I was a child,"Yes you can." He flashed a smile at me, or maybe it was a smirk. "I emailed your head teacher, Mr Hartman, with your mother's permission of course. We both agreed it was more appropriate that we ensure you get home safely every day, a car ride home-"
"But you already drive me home every day,"I blurted out sadly.

Eddie looked up at me from that and brushed my cheek with his fingers, he was going to speak to me in that quiet and soft, yet manipulating voice. "We don't want you just standing around in the courtyard, it's not safe for you." I felt a chill when he said that as he moved his fingers to my hair to stroke me. He's the one everyone should be protecting me from. It was almost laughable how oblivious everyone seemed to be now, they were all under Eddie's spell, his natural charm. "We decided it better if you were allowed to leave a bit early, just so you're not pushed around or...bullied amongst the other students after school,"Eddie explained. I felt a pang in my chest then when I remembered the time Anna had shoved me to the concrete in the courtyard out of pure jealousy. I didn't tell Eddie about that occurrence, he just must have guessed from my mood and the scrapes I had on my hands that day. Eddie then tucked my hair behind my tiny ear and said,"You may also go, if you promise to do what daddy has planned after school." Even though I wasn't looking forward to this surprise I felt obliged to nod. I wasn't so anxious of this though, I was suddenly scared of Anna again instead. Anna has left me alone for a week now, but I was afraid of something happening now just because I'm remembering it.

I think I jinxed myself, because Anna and her group suddenly took an interest in me again that day. It was relatively normal in the morning, I quickly kissed Eddie goodbye in the car and slipped on my bracelet when I reached the courtyard, I met up with Louise in Mrs Bailey's classroom, and we had a normal two hours of lessons. During the second lesson I managed to tell Louise the disappointing news of me having to leave school earlier now. She looked a bit disheartened from this, but tried not to show it, insisting she understood my needs for safety. But I guess she didn't really understand then. I wasn't feeling unsafe to be waiting in the courtyard or simply walking home, it was all Eddie. I didn't tell her that though.

At breaktime I noticed a change of behaviour in Breah. It was a bit cloudy today, so Abby and the group all sat in the canteen at our usual table. I think Calum was trying to strike a conversation with me and Louise, as a way to get closer to me, but I wasn't focusing on them right now. I was accidentally eavesdropping and staring at Anna's table. She was trying to sit closer to Breah, talking in her silly language like 'oh Bree!', whispering in her ear, sucking up to her, but Breah actually looked a little uncomfortable today. Her smile looked forced and I saw her secretly shift away from her. Maybe she knew now, maybe she knew I wasn't lying about Anna.