Everything with you

Part 37

Emma

I slept like a zombie after Justin dropped me off at my dorm , missing my morning class. I got up well after noon and rushed to the rest of my classes. The past few weeks have really wrecked my schedule, and I was missing many classes. I had hoped to rectify it from today, but it was not off to a great start. In my E-Con class, my mind wandered back to the conversation that Justin and his dad had last night. Mr. Shepherd had been keen on taking Joanna with him back to Williamsburg. I have no idea how that would impact Justin. He was bottling up everything in with no clue on when it would burst open.

My shifts at the studio also reduced a lot over the last week. I was almost afraid Sophia would fire me, but she gave me some slack. I skipped my coffee with Joel today and headed straight to the studio today. To my surprise, Joanna had come to class today; she came with a small smile, and she gradually started laughing when she was surrounded by her friends. I was so focused on Joanna that I didn't notice Mr. Shepard stand in front of my desk. He cleared his throat to get my attention.

"Oh, hi, Mr. Shepard. Sorry, I didn't notice you come up," I say slightly embarrassed.

"It's fine, Emma. I really wanted to thank you. You know for what you've done for my family the past week," he says.

"It's not a problem.", I respond unsure what to say. 

"Um.. I wanted to speak with you regarding Joanna. I need to know if this studio has any branch in Williamsburg."

"Williamsburg? No. Sophia has the studio only here." I could see the disappointment in his face from my answer.

"Oh, That's too bad.. Joanna loves her classes," he says in a dejected tone.

"Yeah.. she does. She also has a lot of friends here," I say as we're interrupted by a big laugh coming from the floor. Both of us look at the children dancing around. Joanna was laughing with her friends probably for the first time since her mom passed away .

"I know Emma, but we have to go. My company is there. I can't leave that. There are a lot of people depending on me," he says out frustratedly.

I nod in agreement.

"Justin.. I can't even begin with him. I get why he's being so difficult, but we don't have an option here. I can't leave her with him. He has his whole life ahead of him. Lily never wanted that."

I understood what he said. To be honest, it was the best choice given the situation. Justin's barely been able to operate properly since his mom died; he surely couldn't handle raising a child. As I looked at Mr. Shepherd, I just felt sad. He looked tired too, the weight of the past week was heavy on his face.

"I could check with Sophia if her colleagues have any studios in Williamsburg," I offer.

"That would be great," he says with a smile.

"Thank you, Emma," he responds again and leaves the studio.

It turns out there were few dance studios in Williamsburg where Sophia's classmate Julie worked. Sophia helped me track her down. I spoke over the phone with Julie, discussing a potential transfer for Joanna.

All of  this made me miss my bus, which was the direct one to my dorm. After closing the studio, I checked my phone to see that the time was almost close to 10 PM. Shit. I never left this late, and I didn't know what time was the next bus. On my way to the bus station, I debated calling Justin but decided against it.

The bus was late, and after waiting for almost 30 minutes, I decided to walk , hoping if the bus does come, I can flag it down. I knew that there was a bus station a couple of blocks down the road where a few more buses that reached my dorm would come by. My phone was buzzing at a regular interval; on checking what was going on, I found the battery was going to die. Shit! I got ready in such a hurry that I just grabbed my things and left, I hadn't charged by phone since yesterday.

I quickly kept my phone back in my bag and continued my walk praying I wouldn't have to use my phone till I reached back .

On my way down the road, a door to what I think was a club opened up right in front of me, and a group of guys who were very drunk came out. I moved away from them, avoiding them, but bumped into a big guy by mistake.

"I'm so sorry." I apologized and tried to move past them. A hand caught my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Well, no need to apologize, sweetheart, but where are you off too in such a hurry?" the big guy wearing a beanie and a grey hoodie said, his hand still on my jacket sleeve.

I pushed his hand off my shoulder. "I need to go, sorry," I say. Another guy with a green jacket and dark eyes comes in front of me.

"Don't be like that now. We just want to talk, he says as he reaches for my face. I turn my head and try to walk away, but a third guy now holds my arm in a tight grip, and the big guy puts his hand on my shoulders again.

Panic started to rise in me. The fact that my phone was not working was ringing in my head. I tried to pull away, but they were too strong for me.

"Let me go!" I say again louder, which only makes them laugh.

"Come on, love, we just want to talk.. maybe have some fun?" The green jacket guy reaches over to touch my neck. I was trying to wriggle away, but nothing was working.

My eyes search around me to find someone who could help me. Since it was dark, I couldn't see anything. The moment he touched my neck, I recoiled.

No! No! No! This can't be happening. My brain's telling me to scream, but my throat closed up. The big guy pulled me towards a dark alley. I resisted and finally managed to scream.

"Cover her freaking mouth!" one of the three guys yelled to big guy pulling me.