Page 15 of Extracurricular with Mr. Abbot
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“Daddy, what’s wrong?”Megan asks me a little while later. “You’re sad.”
I nod. “You know your friend?” I say, trying to explain this to her is hard. “The silly one with the ball?” Even after all this time, she remembers Erin. She talks about the silly lady who thought the ball was hurt.
She nods. “Yes, she calls me a princess.”
I smile at her. “Yeah, her, she was in an accident,” I lie, not wanting to scare her about what truly happened. “I’m sad that she’s been hurt.”
Her face falls, her lip trembles, and tears form in her eyes. “She’s hurt?” she whispers. “You need to get her a teddy bear, daddy, that helped me.”
“It did,” I say through a cough, trying my best not to cry. The princess teddy bear that Erin bought for Megan when she had her fall has a permanent place in her bed. She can’t sleep without it. “I’ll get one in the morning, we’ll do it before you go to school.”
She smiles as she gets to her feet. “Okay, daddy, I’m going to make her a card. What’s her name?”
“Erin, honey.”
Her eyes widen. “I love her name. It’s so pretty.”
Just like she is, I think to myself, not wanting to say it out loud and confuse my child.
“Okay, honey, it’s almost bedtime, why don’t you go and get your teeth brushed and get ready for bed?”
She nods and climbs onto my lap. “I’m sorry our friend got hurt, daddy,” she whispers as she wraps her tiny arms around my neck and holds me tight. “She’ll feel better when you see her. You can hug her, I always feel better after you give me one.”
God, the innocence of a child. Nothing can ever be as pure as this.
* * *
I knock on the door,my hand filled with gifts. Megan went a little overboard this morning when we went shopping for a teddy bear before I dropped her off at school. She found loads of little trinkets that she thought Erin would love, including a teddy that’s yellow and pink, something Megan thought Erin would like as it was similar to hers. Crown and all.
The door opens, and my heart fucking shatters when I see Erin’s bruised face. Her eyes are black and blue, and she’s got a bruised cheek. “Oh baby,” I whisper.
She crumples into me, her body shaking, and she sobs. I don’t hesitate, I lift her into my arms and carry her into her apartment. I hold her through the sobs. I can’t let go. I’m shaking too much. The son of a bitch could have killed her. He could have fucking killed her.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers as she lifts her head off my chest.
“You have nothing to be sorry about, Christ, Erin, are you okay?”
“I think so,” she replies. “I’m okay now that I’ve seen you again. I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have cried on you.”
I frame her face, pressing a kiss against her bruises. “Don’t apologize. He could have killed you, Erin, that fucking bastard could have fucking killed you, and I would never have had any idea.”
Her lip trembles, her eyes wide. “It was Danny,” she says through her tears. “I thought he was my friend,” she gasps. “I knew that he liked me. I kept saying no every time he asked me out for a date, I didn’t think he’d do this. I’m so stupid.”
I close my eyes. God, that fucking bastard did this to her. He hurt her. She was his friend, and he hurt her. “It’s not your fault,” I tell her, needing her to hear me. “You were friends, baby, you didn’t owe him anything. He should never have touched you.” I take a deep breath. My anger isn’t helping anyone. “I want you to come stay with me.”
She shakes her head, those gorgeous eyes of hers flashing with fire. “No, we’re not doing this. We’ve gotten this far. I’m not losing everything we’ve worked so fucking hard for. I’m not going to live with you. I’m safe here. This building is secure, I’m safe here,” she reiterates.
I fucking hate this. I hate that we’re so far apart. She’s so understanding about the reason. The thought of leaving her here kills me. I need her safe. She’s the only woman I want. That I’ll ever want.
I look at her, seething that she’s bruised because a motherfucker couldn’t take no for an answer. “I love you.” I’ve hidden it for so long. I needed to tell her. I need her to know exactly what I feel.
Her smile is blinding as she looks up at me. Her eyes brimming with tears once again. “I love you too.” She presses her hand against my chest. “We only have sixteen months, Jared. Sixteen months and then we can be together.”
I can’t fucking wait. I’m counting down the days.
EIGHT
