Teacher's Pet

Chapter 8- Panic Attack

⚠️TW: Panic attack

The loud ringing of my phone wakes me up, my head feeling heavy at the sudden noise. I rub my eyes and reach my hand out, picking my phone up from my nightstand.

"Hello?" I answer the phone, still incredibly exhausted.

"Hey honeyyy." A rough voice answers me, my muscles tensing automatically.

"Dad?" I ask, sitting up in bed slowly, "Are you drunk?"

"Noo, of course not." He says in a slow, drunken tone.

I take a deep breath, checking the time on my phone, "It's half seven in the morning."

"And? Do you have a problem with that?" He asks in a hard tone making my stomach clench.

"No, I-"

"You're far too quick to judge me, Izabella. You treat me as if you're a perfect girl that's made no mistakes in life." He tells me.

I squeeze my eyes shut for a moment. It's far too early for this, I've got a lecture in an hour and I need to get ready.

"Alright, Dad. I'm going to go-"

"Where are you going?" He cuts me off, and I take another deep breath.

"I've got a lecture soon, and I have a headache from you yelling in my ear."

"Watch your mouth, girl. Don't be so disrespectful to your father." He snaps.

"I'm not being rude, I just really have to go-"

"Don't talk back to me. What are you doing, picking a fight with your father this early in the morning? How do you think that makes me feel? I haven't even had a chance to get out of bed yet." He rants.

"You're the one who called me." I say, getting more and more frustrated by the second.

"Don't fucking speak to me like that. I'm the person who raised you, I didn't have to do all of that, did I? Quit being so fucking rude."

I wipe my eyes, thankful that Aurora got up early to go to an early lecture this morning. My head is pounding, it's like every word he says to me is making everything hurt even more.

"Your mother would be so disappointed if she could see you, Izabella."

Not able to take it anymore, I hang up and put my phone back on the nightstand, my hands shaking uncontrollably.

It hurts so much. When will I learn that he doesn't care about me at all, despite being the only family I've got?

-----

I completely zone out, the words that he said to me on the phone replaying through my mind. My leg bounces up and down uncontrollably underneath my desk as I try to keep myself from crying. I don't want to cry in front of everybody, especially not Scarlett.

I handed in my essay at the start of the lesson, placing it on her desk before walking away almost immediately. I feel so bad that I haven't spoken to her at all, but I don't feel like I can. Everything just feels like too much right now.

The noise of everybody packing up their things snaps me out of my thoughts, and I quickly put everything back into my bag. I'm going to have to pretend I'm sick and just go back home for the rest of the day, there's no way I can stay here. It's only ten o'clock and I'm already struggling.

I hurry through the classroom, pushing past my classmates so that I can quickly escape this place.

"Izzy, can I speak to you, please?" Scarlett asks, and I take a deep breath.