Bad Teacher (21 page)

“It is.” She hugs me even tighter. “It is, Hailey.”

Thomas

When I’ve finally mustered up the courage to speak to her, I go to her dorm.

Only to find out she isn’t even there.

I’ve knocked like fifteen times and gotten no response.

It’s making me so anxious; I want to smash the fucking door in, but that wouldn’t be appropriate. I’ve even asked if Lesley was there, but she isn’t answering either. The only option I have left is calling her cell.

It takes me about fifteen minutes of staring at the screen before I finally press that button.

I know she probably won’t want to hear from me and will most likely hang up the phone the moment I say a few words. Understandable. She’s completely right too, considering what she heard.

But I don’t want to let her go with half of the truth.

I know I should, but I can’t.

I just can’t get it over my heart to smash hers like that. Even if it’s the right decision, like Natalie said.

When I do finally press that call button, the seconds that pass feel like hours, but nothing happens, and I can feel my courage drift.

“Fuck …” I whisper when I realize it’s no use.

Where could she be?

I decide to take a different route. I look through her Facebook posts until I find Lesley, and I click her profile to check for a phone number. Luckily, she let it be visible to friends of friends, so I quickly copy it and call the number.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Thomas. Sorry to call, but could you tell me where Hailey is?”

“Oh … it’s you …”

“Look, I know you must be angry with me, and for the right reasons, but please let me talk to Hailey. If you know where she is, please tell me.”

“Why?” she growls.

“Because I want to make things right.”

“You already blew that chance, don’t you see? You used her …” she says. “You should’ve stayed away when you had the chance.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, really, I am. I never wanted to break her heart. I … I …” I don’t want to say these words over the phone, and I don’t want to say them to her.

I want to say them to Hailey.

I want to say them when I can see her. Face to face.

“What are you gonna do then, huh? What’s left to say?”

“Anything. But I have to explain it to her. Please … she would want me to. You know that.”

She grumbles but doesn’t go against me. “Fine. If you have to know, she’s at Saint Lucas’s Hospital.”

My jaw drops. “What? Has something happened to her?”

“Not her, her mom.”

Oh, god.

This couldn’t have come at a worse possible time.

“I’m not there yet, but I will be once I’ve finished my test. You’d better get there before I do because I can’t allow you to hurt her anymore.”

“I understand,” I say. “Thank you.”

She hangs up, and I tuck my phone into my pocket and rush downstairs, back into my car, and race off.

***

30 minutes later

When I finally get there, I immediately go to the service desk and ask for the correct room number. I thank the nurse and rush upstairs and through the corridors until I finally reach the room. As I enter, everything grows quiet, and the moment she sees me, her face turns white.

“Hi,” I say, tentatively stepping inside.

“Hello. Who are you?” her mom asks.

She looks drowsy, weak, and definitely bruised. I wonder what happened. She looks like she had quite a rough time.

“I’m Thomas Hard. I’m your daughter’s teacher.” I frown. “Or at least, I was.”

“What are you doing here?” Hailey asks, the look on her face murderous.

“Um … I just came because … Well, I don’t really know why. I just want to be here for you.” I clear my throat when neither of them responds. “Are you okay, ma’am?”

“Well, as fine as can be when you’re in the hospital,” she muses, chuckling a bit, immediately coughing after.

“What happened?” I ask.

Her mom opens her mouth. “Oh, I fell—”

Hailey throws her mother a look. “Her boyfriend did this.”

My jaw drops. “What? Where is he now?” I growl.

Fuck. I never thought it’d go this far, but it does make sense considering what she told me.

“He’s gone,” her mom says. “He hasn’t come back since he tried to hit … Hailey.” She looks down at her blanket. “I think he’s trying to get away now that a nurse saw him do it.”

“So he’s on the run. Dammit …” I almost want to go after him, but I need to take care of my business here first. “Is there anything I can do for you ladies now that I’m here?” I ask.

“We don’t need you here.” Hailey’s sharp voice cuts through anything.

“I just want to help,” I say, smiling, but she won’t return my smile.

“And I don’t want your help,” she snaps.

I frown and rub my lips together looking at the floor. “Please …”

“Oh, Hailey, c’mon, he’s such a nice gentleman,” her mom says.

“Mom, no. You don’t know him.”

“You’re right. I don’t deserve to be here, and I don’t deserve you. I just wanted to talk, that’s all. Maybe there’s something I can do to make it easier.”

“Yeah, you can … by leaving.” Her words cut straight into my soul.

Fuck, I really hurt her badly.

“Hailey …” I sigh. “I’m sorry.”

“No,” she interjects. “Don’t. Not here.”

I nod slowly, grinding my teeth. “Please, let me explain—”

“Get out,” she hisses, getting up from her seat. “Just get out.”

I lift my hands. “Okay … okay …”

“Get out!” she yells.

“So you won’t give me a chance to explain?” I stare at her for a few seconds, but her lips are sealed shut.

I take a deep breath and nod.

I blew it.

I completely blew it.

Without even getting a chance to fix what I’d broken, I blew it all.

With slumped shoulders, I turn around and leave the room, but the struggle inside isn’t over yet. Not by a long shot. Even though I was defeated, I won’t give up.

I
need
to make things right.

So the minute I get outside, I take out my phone and start searching through her photos on Facebook until I find a picture of her mom and a tag. I click on her mom’s profile and scroll down her timeline until I find what I’m looking for. A picture of the boyfriend. His hand is on her neck, like she’s more of a dog than a human being, and behind them is a blue car with a scratched license plate, but I can still make out the numbers.

Gotcha.

Irrational thoughts float through my head as I make my way to the parking lot and search each and every car for the matching numbers. I don’t give a damn that it looks suspicious and that people might think I’m nuts. They can stare all they want; I’m not stopping until I find the son of a bitch who dared to hurt the mother of the girl I love.

Yes.

Love.

Because that’s what it fucking is, even if I’m afraid to tell her.

Damn, I’m even afraid to admit it to myself, but I’ll be damned if I let this slip. I didn’t know it until it was too late, but I love her, and I’m not going to let her go.

Just like I’m not going to let that motherfucker get away.

I don’t care if it takes me hours or days to find him, but I
will
find him.

After strolling around the parking lot for a good half hour, I finally come across a license plate that matches the exact numbers on the picture. I grin as I have a closer look and inspect his car, peering through the window. No one is inside, but I see some trash—particularly, a few bags and papers from a fast food restaurant and some french fries on the passenger seat.

Right as I turn around, a man’s right up in my face.

“What the fuck are you doing near my car?”

It’s him. I recognize him from the pictures. “Well, hello …”

“Do I know you?”

“Yes. Wait. No, we haven’t actually met, but …”

“But what? What are you doing here?” he growls, a despicable look on his face.

“Looking for you.” I grin as I look around and notice a few bystanders watching us. “You should’ve run when you had the chance.”

“What?” He makes a face, confused. “Get outta my fucking face.”

“Well,” I say, smiling like an idiot. “I would, but your fat ass is in the way.”

His eyes narrow. “What did you say?”

“Oh, I think you heard me right …”

“You wanna start a fight?”

“Oh no, I just want to laugh at your poor intellect,” I muse, chuckling a little.

“Say it again. I dare you.” He balls his fist.

“What? The part where you’re fat or stupid?”

A fist suddenly lands on my face.

I stagger, grabbing my face as I hold onto the car for support.

He actually fucking hit me.

Great.

Exactly as planned.

“Hmrr …” I groan, getting back up again.

“There’s more where that came from, so unless you want to brawl, I’d suggest you get your ugly ass outta here.”

I shrug and rub my jawline. “Yeah, well, see, I’d love to but … I have something to do.”

“What?”

“Well, I have this thing for a girl. You wouldn’t believe it if I told you, but just know that I’m not doing this because I’m an asshole. Well, okay, I am an asshole, but that’s beside the point.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he says, squinting.

“The point is … I don’t like fighting, but since you hit me first, that gives me the freedom to defend myself. So thanks …”

I immediately follow up that statement with a punch to his gut.

I don’t know why he didn’t see it coming because I saw his punch coming from a mile away. I wanted him to hit me, so I let him. It gave me an excuse to pound him.

Another punch to the face and a kick in the gut has him lying on the asphalt, blood dripping from his nose.

“What the fuck, man?” he yells.

“That’s for hitting a woman,” I spit, and then I kick him in the balls. “And that’s for hurting my girl.”

“Your girl?”

I lean over him and grab him by the collar, “Hailey,” I growl. “Remember that girl you punished for just being alive? Yeah, I know how you treated her like shit. It’s going to end today. Because you know what’s going to happen? You’re going to disappear from their lives forever. You’re never going to speak to them, and you’re not ever going to try to come close to them again. You hear me?”

He nods profusely as I threaten him with another fist. “I promise.”

“Really?” I raise a brow.

He growls and his eyes narrow again. “Fuck, no.”

And then we start rolling over the ground, fists flying everywhere.

Hailey

A few hours later

“All set!” the nurse says as I help my mom out of bed.

“Thank you,” I say. “I’m so glad I can take her home in one piece.”

“No problem. Make sure to be more careful next time.” The nurse smiles and winks as she leaves us alone.

Lesley’s here too now to support my mom and me as I help her get to the door. Her broken rib must hurt a lot, but the medicine should dampen it a bit. Lesley grabs my mom’s purse, while the nurse and I help my mom into a wheelchair.

“Tell me if you need me to help,” Lesley says.

“I’m good,” I say, as I glance at her over my shoulder. “But thank you for helping. I really couldn’t have gotten through this without you.”

“You two seem like very good friends,” my mom says. “I’m really glad you’re taking such good care of my daughter while you’re both in college.”

“Of course,” Lesley says. “That’s what friends are for.”

As the nurse pushes my mom to the door, someone knocks and enters. It’s a police officer. “Hi, hope I’m not disturbing. I’m detective Fargo. I just wanted to ask some questions if that’s okay.”

“Um … sure?” I say, looking at my mom. She nods. “All right. Where?”

“Come with me, please.” We walk after him into a small office down the hall. The nurse puts my mom’s wheelchair next to me as I sit down, while Lesley fetches a glass of water.

“Well, I’ll be right back then,” the nurse says, scurrying off.

The police officer sits down and pulls out a notepad and a pencil. “So you’re in the hospital. How did you end up here?”

My mom looks at me, and I nod at her before she turns her head back to him. “I … was pushed down the stairs.”

“By her boyfriend,” I interject because she’s starting to shake.

Lesley suddenly comes back, and when she notices the tension in the room, she quickly places the glass of water on the table and says, “I’ll wait down the hall.”

I nod and mouth a thank you to her.

“Does this happen often?”

“Yes, he’s done it many times before,” I reply. “Mostly just attacking us out of the blue.”

“How often did he hit you? Did he hit both of you?” the officer asks when Lesley’s gone.

“Yes. He hit my mom more than once, on several occasions. I usually managed to get away in time … but not always.”

“Okay …” He pens all of it down.

“Why are you asking this?” my mom asks.

“Well, we have your boyfriend in a cell at the station.”

My jaw drops. “What? How?”

The officer purses his lips. “I can’t go into too much detail, but he was found fighting outside in the parking lot, so we took him in for questioning. He kept asking for you.” He points at my mom. “Told us you were here, but when we called, the nurse also told us he’d been violent toward you, so that was a red flag for us.”

“Oh, god …” I mutter.

Finally, it’s really happening.

“So I just came here to make sure that my info was correct.”

“So you have him in custody?” my mom asks.

“Yes, ma’am.” The officer nods and gives her a warm smile. “If you’re telling the truth, it means he can be charged in court.”

My mom grabs her chest. “Oh, god …”

“You okay, Mom?” I place a hand on her shoulder.

Tears well up in her eyes. “Yes, I just … I don’t know. It just feels so strange. Like it’s going so fast.”

“But it’s good,” I say, reassuring her. “He’s supposed to be locked up after what he’s done to you all these years.”

“I have one final question,” the officer asks. “And that’s if you’d please come with me to the station.”

“Why?” I ask.

“Well, since he’s not officially registered as your mother’s partner, we need to make sure we have the right guy. And you can make a statement while you’re there so we can start the investigation.”

“Mom? What do you think?” I ask.

She grabs my hand and squeezes tight. “You’re right. It’s time to come face to face with my demons.” She turns her head toward detective Fargo. “Yes.”

“All right.” He tucks his note and pencil back into his pocket. “Then let’s go.”

***

Thirty minutes later

I thank Lesley for coming to help and hug her good-bye as we enter the building. She’s going back to campus while I’ll stay here to support my mom. She really needs me right now so she won’t relapse into her old behavior. I don’t want him ever to get a grasp on her again.

The officer brings us to his office, at which point he stops us. “I’m sorry, but I need to talk to your mother alone.”

I frown and glance at my mother who shrugs. “Everything will be fine, honey.”

I sigh and nod. “Okay.”

“There’s a waiting room right up ahead. You can take a seat in there,” the police officer tells me, and I smile and then hug my mother.

With sweaty palms, I make my way to the waiting area and sit down. I stare anxiously at the watercooler and the bubbles that rise up to the surface every other second. After a while, a man comes out of another room, rubbing his wrists while he’s escorted down the hall by a police officer. When he turns his head to me, I gasp.

“Thomas?”

A half-smile appears on his face as he looks at me over his shoulder. “Uh … hi?”

“What are you doing here?” I ask.

“This way please,” the officer interjects, and Thomas follows him. “Be right with you. Don’t leave,” he says.

I roll my eyes and tap my feet on the floor as I wait. It’s not like I can go anywhere without my mom. So I watch Thomas as he fills out a form and gives it back to the police officer. Then he smiles reluctantly and asks him, “Can I just go talk to her for a second? I promise it won’t take long.”

“Go ahead,” the man says, and Thomas nods, then turns to me.

Instinctively, I cross my legs as he comes toward me. His eyes running all over me still make me feel like my clothes are being torn off. But then I see the bruises and cuts on his face and worry seeps back in.

“What happened to you?” I ask.

“What? Oh, this?” He points at his face, and I nod. “Got into a fight.”

“Really …” I muse, narrowing my eyes. “With who?”

He smiles. “Mind if I sit down next to you?”

I take a deep breath and cock my head. “Go ahead.”

“Thanks.” He sits down beside me, placing his elbows on his knees as he leans on them. “Couldn’t help myself. When I saw him, I just had to punch him.”

“Who?” I ask, my lip tipping up into a smile.

“Your mom’s boyfriend.”

My lips part, but I have no idea what to say.

“I found his license plate through your Facebook photos. Figured I could probably still find it at the hospital. I was right.”

“You went through my photos to find her boyfriend?” I snort. “Are you insane?”

“Maybe.” A cheeky smile forms on his face. “Who wouldn’t go mad for a girl like you?”

I shake my head and laugh. “Oh, my god … you did
not
just say that. Can you be any more corny?”

“Well, it made you laugh, didn’t it?” He shrugs. “My job is done.”

“Is that why you’re here? To make me laugh?”

“Nah, they actually arrested me. Lucky me, I wasn’t the one to dish out the first punch, and there were witnesses.”

“So you made him hit you?” I ask.

He grins. “Pretty much. Glad I got off with just a fine. It was worth it, though.” He rubs his sore chin.

“Why?”

“I just wanted the bastard to pay for what he did to you and your mom,” he says. “Simple as that.”

“So you didn’t do it as a way to try and get me back?”

He cocks his head and makes a face. “Nooo … Why would I do that? Pfft.” He laughs it off and makes a weird gesture with his hand, which makes me chuckle. I try to hide it behind my hand, but he notices anyway.

“But now that I’m here …” He glances my way and then sighs. “I know you don’t want to talk to me, and you don’t have to. I just wanted to tell you that I do care. I care a lot about you. So much that I didn’t even realize it until it was too late.”

I lick my lips, preventing myself from interrupting him because I think I wanna hear this, even though my brain is telling me to stop him. I’ve already been hurt enough.

“I know what you’re thinking. That I’m a piece of shit for stringing you along.”

“Are you? Are you stringing me along? Because it sure felt like it.”

“I was, but not for the reasons you think …” He swallows and looks at the floor. “For a long time, I tried to deny the feelings I had for you, thought I’d only bring out the worst in the both of us. And eventually, I did … because you hate me now.”

“Tell me the truth, Thomas. That woman I saw, the one who’s been driving you around, who’s been talking to you behind my back, who’s been to your apartment, probably many times, and even said you two were ‘over’ … She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“Girlfriend?” He cocks his head and a smile slowly creeps onto his face. “No.”

I grimace. “Your wife?”

“No … She’s my sister-in-law.”

My brows furrow and my jaw drops. I don’t get this at all.

“Actually, more like my ex-sister-in-law.” He looks away. “The point is, no, we’re not dating, and I’m not seeing her behind your back.”

“But … she …” I mutter. “Ex … Sister-in-law.” The realization hits me like a brick. “You were married.”