Take Me

Chapter Fifteen

"Doing what you love is freedom, loving what you do is happiness."

- Lana Del Rey

♔ Chapter Fifteen ♔

First period history couldn't have been more shitty. With Isaac ignoring me since yesterday, and Darby annoying me about yesterday, I'd just sat there, feeling stupid. Kenya didn't say anything as usual, and neither did Bobby, who tried to steal glances our way, but kept getting caught by Darby, who'd smile and make Bobby blush and look back down at his work.

"Get him arrested," Darby told me. I shook my head. "So he's just going to get away with hurting you?" I nodded. "Why? And don't tell me you love him, because that's just stupid. You don't love him, you love how he makes you feel, at least when he's not hurting you. Dump him."

"No," I said calmly.

"Why not? Look at him, sitting over there with her, acting all warm and cosy, like the smug little prick he is. Look at him, smiling, he knows he has you and her both wrapped around his little finger."

"Will you just leave it alone?"

"No, I won't," he assured me. "That's it."

"What?"

He got up off the chair suddenly, and my eyes whipped around to find Isaac smiling our way. I grabbed at Darby's arm, to keep him there, to stop him from doing something stupid, but he pulled me off of him and stormed over to Isaac's table.

"What do you want?" Isaac asked. Darby punched him straight in the face, so hard that his chair swung backwards and he fell down with it. His nose was spewing blood.

Isaac stood up as fast as he could, swinging for Darby and catching him in the gut. When Darby bent down to clutch at his stomach, Isaac kneed him in the face. In those few seconds, Isaac had thought he'd won, but right then, Darby grabbed at the fallen chair and whacked him in the back with it, sending him down to the floor. He kicked him in the side, again and again, and all I could do was sit and watch.

And then the door slammed shut, with Mrs. Doorsdale standing there, late as always.

"GET OUT!" she screamed at Darby. He headed for the door, his face battered, holding his beaten chest and looking like he had no regrets. "Hebe, Emily, get him up and out of here." The two girls rushed over to Isaac and helped him off the floor, taking him out of the classroom, probably to see the nurse. "You," she continued, pointing right at me. She walked out of the room, and waited for me to follow.

Mrs Doorsdale closed her classroom door and turned to look straight at me, her blue-green eyes holding some kind of sadness or regret. She asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," I said monotonously, turning to head back into the classroom. Her arm caught with mine, pulling me back to face her.

"Talk to someone, Tom. Maybe not to me, but to someone. You can't keep something like that bottled up," she told me.

"It wasn't rape," I snapped back, standing my ground. I'd gotten sick of telling them the truth and having them not believe me. Even her so-called doctor friend looked at me like I was a distressed rape victim. They just didn't understand. It wasn't rape because I wanted it. I did. I wanted it.

"Maybe not," she started, letting go of my arm, "but it was still a rather traumatic experience. Don't bottle it up, talk to someone."

"I don't have anyone," I replied, my voice empty. I needed her to know that I wasn't hurt, but I couldn't fake happiness anymore. So I acted like nothing. I acted like I felt nothing, like I was nothing.