Sealed Lips

-01-

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Kathy sat on the edge of the couch, fingertips drawing concentric circles on the armrest, feeling the smooth cold texture of the leather. Her bleeding veins froze in hoarfrost as her sanity came back—almost knocking the breath out of her lungs. Her apprehensive eyes watching the arms of the clock tick the air away from her dwindling lungs, impervious to the scorching shrewd gaze of Mr. Willis, her principle. Hating the way his beady eyes scrutinized even the drop of her sweat trickling down from her blanketed sheen forehead, tantalizingly slow, a juxtaposition to her palpitating heart drumming against her rib cage like a faint yet thundering staccato.

Mr. Willis propped his intertwined hands on his Hartford unkempt bureau, placing them upon scattered files and sheets studding around. Yet, there was a certain oddity with how even in his stiff and goliath stature, Mr. Willis seemed to convey the gentlest pools of honey brown eyes she has ever noticed. Until—

She remembered.

"So, Ms. Brayford, what brings you to my office?" His voice rumbled through the deathly quiet room, corner of his eyes crinkling as he smiled, baring his white teeth at her.

Leave. Don't do this—

"I –" She stammered, fumbling to find words in the recesses of her mind. "Um—I—I don't know."

Her legs were twitching to bolt out the door, to forget about her rectitude. But, how could she when all her vision could see was that distinctive, glistening red? When all her ears could pick up were the shrieks and groan of pain? She tried blinking, and blinking, but her eyes remember. It remembered seeing her friend being a canvas to a yielding and thorny brush. Her brain remembered being a cage with sealed locks, and the only way for freedom was by her frangibility—by watching. And she watched—enough for her stomach to churn with harrowing self-condemnation because that's all she did.

But what if she got worse? What her friend ends up despising her?

At least she'll be safe.

But what if talking isn't enough? What if Mr. Willis wasn't enough?

"Ms. Bayford?" Mr. Willis repeated patiently, smiling gently at her. Trying to placate her obvious nerves, but all she felt was that bitter acidic taste onto the edge of her throat with the strong urge to retch out her trepidations.

Suddenly, her breath hitched as the sharp chiming of a text message sliced through the thick tension—Kathy's heart abruptly plummeted, immediately knowing the messenger. She shakily exhaled, eyes dropping to the words.

Maddie: Hey, sorry but can I come over for the weekend? My mom would notice the bruises this time.

She breathed in and stared at Mr. Willis's calming perusing eyes with failed attempt at equanimity. Trying to imagine waves of utter tranquility ebb her nerves away—but she soon felt scorching hot tears trickling down her face. Because all she could imagine is Maddie's maimed body looking like a corporeal canvas swathed in pale blue, blistering red, and deep purple—silently taking in the pain when she shouldn't be silent in the first place.

This isn't about Kathy's fear of speaking now. This is about her friend of 6 years, of whom she loves more than herself, needing her now more than ever. So, if Maddie needs protection, then Kathy would be the first to give it.

"My friend," Kathy pushed through the lump in her throat as she croaked. "She's . . . getting bullied, and It's getting really bad Mr. Willis. I—I watched her get hurt so many times and I can't do it anymore, please just help her," she choked, eyes wide and frenzied, wondering how all these words were coming out of her whirring mind. "She's still got bruises, they hurt her badly—I'll tell you who it was. Aiden Travino, Marcus Casca, and Brenda Laiborn—I don't know why they're doing this to her, and I'll find proof! If you need it, I'll get it! Just please do something! I—"

"Kathy."

She halted her words as soon as she heard Mr. Willis's strident yet gentle voice, suddenly noticing the tissue box he's holding out front of her. She went to pick it up, and noticed the way her fingers trembled grasping onto the box.

Mr. Willis placed a warm hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, pride flashing through his eyes. "I'll handle it."

She blinked. "What?"

His eyes crinkled, "You have a tremendous amount of courage, Kathy. Good job for standing up for your friend, and I'll do everything I can to handle it. They won't be hurting anybody anytime soon. Now," she silently watched as he opened the office door, motioning outside. "I think you have a friend to comfort for now. I'll be informing her parents as well as the three of them."

Kathy wasn't sure what changed inside of her, but she felt a thin thread suddenly snap and a new feeling of empowerment seep into her skin like warm sunlight rays when considering Mr. Willis's confident soothing eyes.

They were strong enough.

It has always been enough.

So, Kathy went home with blank wonderment, finding a quivering Maddie on her doorsteps before crushing her in a hug, ignoring Maddie's initial shock since Kathy loved feeling the liberating intrepidity far too much to notice anything else because,

She finally got to protect Maddie.