Mission Graduation

Task 8: A Perfect Storm

Happy Reading!:)

Special mention for mrsdarcy_1 for editing this for me :*

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Chapter 17

Sarah POV

You're stronger than you look.

Best of luck for today's results.

-J

I smiled weakly as I pocketed the note and prepared myself mentally for the day. The past two weeks had been rough and I barely had time to study.

I was terrified. I had not studied.

And...

The second test results were to be announced today.

John POV

"Good Morning, son."

I looked up from my cereal bowl and saw my father had taken a seat in front of me. He looked weary after the night shift with dark circles under his eyes. Taking a cup of coffee from the kitchen table he slowly began to drink it with the irritating slurping noise.

I cringed whenever he made that sound. It made me want to hurl my bowl at him.

"I said good morning," he said smiling at me, with a hint of annoyance in his voice because of my lack of response.

"It doesn't seem to be a very good one," I murmured.

"You said something, son?" he asked a little too sweetly. It was almost a Dolores Umbridge smile. Almost.

Fuck it, it was her smile. The only difference was that, it was plastered on my father's face.

"How's Sarah's mom doing?" I said changing the topic. I wanted to know updates about her mom. Sarah had been spending almost every evening at the hospital trying to talk to her mother and reconnect with her. Unfortunately, the result was the same.

Susan refused to talk about her time with Andre and could not even tolerate his name being taken. She would start gasping with tears rolling down her face. It was heartbreaking to watch Sarah suffer along with her mother. Susan's reaction showed the extent of Andre's abuse to her.

My father was Susan's doctor, and said it was part of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder commonly known as PTSD. He said, it could be weeks before Susan would be ready to talk about it.

"She has still not said anything," he sighed. "It is imperative that she talks about the violence inflicted on her by that man. The police need to know it and so does the psychologist, to help Susan in dealing with this condition."

I nodded and started gobbling my cereal as fast as I could because it was almost time for my swimming coaching to start. And I didn't want to spend anymore father son bonding time.

Five minutes a day was enough. Seriously.

"How's your studies going?" he asked after another slurp. I cringed at the sound.

"Good."

Why does he care?

"Has Sarah been a good tutor?"

Obviously. And, yeah. She understood me better than you ever could in last eighteen years.

"Yes," I answered carefully being well aware of the fact that Sarah had not been able to take any proper classes with me, ever since the incident with her mom. She has been worried to death about her mother and studies weren't helping her either to cope with the stress.