Teacher Stories

Unplanned

AN - Short one featuring themes of sexual assault

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A sharp knock on the door caused both the teachers to turn away from looking at wedding venues.

"Come in!" Miss Steers shouted.

The door opened and the young girl walked in.

The girl looked at the two of them. "I'm sorry, you're busy. I can come back tomorrow."

"No no Sophie, it's fine. What can we do for you?" Miss Morris questioned.

It was no secret around school that the music teacher and history teacher were engaged. Miss Steers was Sophie's music teacher and Miss Morris was her form tutor and history teacher. Both really liked Sophie, who had a bit of trouble with being bullied, so she often sat with the two teachers at lunch, just doing homework or something.

"I've got a bit of a problem, and I don't know who to turn to. I thought you could help."

Both teachers just let her talk.

"I know you've noticed I haven't been feeling well." The older women nodded. "So, I figured out what the problem is, but I didn't want to believe it, so I got a test and it just confirmed it." Sophie held out a bag to her form tutor.

Miss Morris tentatively looked inside the bag, grabbing out a small stick, sinking against the table behind her as she looked at it, then handing it to Miss Steers.

"Did you take another for clarity?" Her music teacher asked.

The girl just nodded.

"Ok. Um." The two teachers stumbled over their words as they came to form a sentence.

"How did this happen?" Miss Morris inquired.

"My father died when I was little, and my mother got a new boyfriend, and then my mother died so I was left with her boyfriend, even though there's nothing legal. The law basically forgot me. So he got a bit mad, got drunk all the time, and couldn't be bothered to go out and find someone to spend the night with, if you know what I mean, so he thought I'd do a good job of that. It's happened every night for the last two years. He used protection for the first year and then he got bored of it, and just gave me a pill the next morning. He forgot after a while, ergo, pregnant."

"Right." Miss Steers stared at the ground.

"So, you say, you have no legal document linking you to the boyfriend?"

"Yeah."

"Well then. Easy. We report it to child protection services that there's a girl being taken advantage of, and then when you're in the system, as soon as you're in the system, we adopt you quickly."

"And we need to get it checked at a hospital."

Sophie remained silent.

"But the main thing is that we need to make sure that you're safe. Do you... do you know if you want to, you know, keep it?" Miss Morris inquired, sitting on the table.

"I'm not sure. I mean. I definitely don't want to kill it, but I haven't made up my mind about whether I'm putting it up for adoption or giving it to the boyfriend."

"Or you could keep it."

"Don't be absurd. I'm 14."

"But if you're going to live with us, you just name us as the legal guardians. And simple as."

"Look. I really don't want to cause problems."

"I don't want you to be worried, or unsafe. You'll be coming to live with us. And you'll be our daughter."

Miss Morris gave her a hug and Sophie just broke down in her arms.

"I don't know what to do!"