Divided.

Divided (Part 20)

"What did she do?" Jack asked his friend Mickey. He felt sick to the stomach and his hands were sweating intensely. Jack had walked past Daisy's school window in hope that she'd get the hint and find a way out. Well she got the hint; and now it was his fault she was in trouble.

"She pushed me!" Mickey lied.

Daisy sat up on the floor and used the banister to pull herself up. She brushed the dust from her black knee length school skirt and shook her head at Jack.

"Why would she do that?" Jack asked trying to bide time, he could see the fear in Daisy's eyes and for the first time ever he had an urge to throw his arms around her and to take her away and keep her safe. She was an independent girl and Jacked liked that about her; its one of the things that drew him to her in the first place but now, now she looked timid and frightened, no more than a little girl with bruises on her knees and tears behind her eyes.

"Because she's a troublemaker," Mickey sneered and took hold of Daisy wrist, "Come on now," he yanked her arm.

"Wait!" Jack whispered, Daisy's eyes were wide open and Jack felt compelled to help her.

"For?"

"Can't you let her go?" he said steadily and shuffling his shoe, he wanted to sound casual but he was panicking right down to his core.

"Don't be soft." Mickey laughed and pulled Daisy through the fire escape door and back on to one of the school corridors, "Come on Jack we'll take her to the head."

The headmaster's door looked bigger and bigger as they approached it. A door made out of thick oak, perfectly polished and very authoritative looking. Jack walked behind Daisy as Mickey pulled her by the sleeve of her jumper.

"Do we have to hand her in?" Jack asked again as they stood a few meters away from the door. Mickey was playing with Daisy like a whale playing with a baby seal, enjoying every minute of her terror. It was like Mickey to bully girls, he didn't like them one bit and although Daisy was the first un-advanced he'd come face to face with she was easy like scooping golden syrup out of a jar with a big metal spoon. She'd run straight in to him, in to his power; she should have been looking where she was going ... and so she deserved to be punished. He didn't know how they would punish her; he'd only heard the stories that were floating around like Chinese whispers; two stories were never the same.

"Mate I'm knocking on the door."

"No" Jack said slightly louder than he'd intended too and Mickey rolled his eyes, a funny thing to do without blinking.

"Knock, Knock" Mickey said out loud as his fist bashed the cruel wooden door which caused Daisy's tears to flush down her face.

She was scared stiff.

Was this it for her?

Would they send her away?

Would she ever see her mother again? She wished she could be with her mother now; she wanted a cuddle more than anything in the world and she wanted to apologise for being so disobedient all the time.

"Jack?" She begged as she turned to face him, her face was as white as a sheet and her body was trembling.

"I don't know" Jack mouthed to her looking just as terrified. He was only an 11 year old boy after all, what could he do?