𝐃𝐫𝐚𝐠 𝐌𝐞 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐧 (𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏)

36

Song: Head above water - Avril Lavigne

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"My daughter has been attacked in your building, under your supervision. If you don't bring me the poor excuse of a human being who did it I'll sue the entire school corpus for being a bunch of useless lazy bones!"

"Dr Steelver, we're really sorry. We still don't know how-"

"Spare me." I heard him snap and almost sensed his ire even through the distance and closed door between us. The nurse finished her business and gestured me to put the ice pack to my throbbing face and pounding ribs before disappearing silently. "I don't need your bloody pity, I need results. I'm not going anywhere until the responsible of this mess pays for it. I'll bring the police if needed, I got my contacts and enough money to bury you under thousands of papers and make your life a living hell out of this. But while you do your damn job and try to put a little order, I want to see my daughter."

"S-sure, sir. The nurse's office, first door on the left."

Jess got up from his spot beside my laying form on the stretcher when we heard footsteps and opened the door. "Here, Mr Steelver."

The next second my father barged into the small infirmary, his tall form overpowering the place and I felt the urge to cry again when his eyes laid on me, both softening and glaring -as weird as that sounded- as he took in my state.

"Ari, darling."

"Dad, I-" and of course I started crying again. Gosh, I was such a wreck.

"Dr Steelver." the coordinator slipped in after him, nervously looking. "Hi, sir. First, I would like to express how sorry about the whole situation we are. We got the entire teacher corpus working on the recent events, but if you allow us some time I'm sure I could-"

"Not interested." cut harshly my father. "I'm not looking for your excuses, now go and help imparted justice with the student responsible for this."

"We- we're working on it sir." he gulped. "They're currently with the headmaster and-"

"Then that's all." my dad dismissed nonchalantly and in another situation I might have felt bad for the coordinator, but right now I just couldn't. He nodded awkwardly after some moments of tension and slid back out the nurse's office.

Jess gave me one last gentle hand squeeze. "I'll wait outside as well."

"Thank you, Jessica." this time dad's voice sounded softer, but still had the angered undertone.

The door shut behind her and the room suddenly was filled with a dense silence. Anxiety clenched my chest, making it hard for me to breath. This was what I'd been delaying all this time. I couldn't face my flop. Finally, his voice broke through the tension like a knife.

"How could this happen?"

"I'm sorry..." I mumbled, unable to hold his gaze as he sat at the edge of the stretcher, making it sink.

"What?" he frowned. "What are you sorry about?"

"For being such a wreck." I sniffled. "For being this weak and pathetic and letting this happen and-"

"Stop." I did and he sighed sliding closer while I kept my gaze focused on my lap, unable to face his deception. "Arielle... look at me." hesitantly I did and met his gaze, my heart furiously pounding in shame. "You wanted this to happen?" he bluntly asked and I gasped, my eyes widening in horror as new tears flow down.

"Of course not. I-I tried to fight him. I tried. But I was too weak and... I'm sorry. I just-"

"Ari, stop." he repeated and I bit my lips holding back a sob when his hands reassuringly fell on my shoulder and I raised my eyes back to his, expecting him to blurt at me what a dissapointment I was; but find a completelly different expression. "You're not weak or pathetic or whatever else you just said. And you didn't let anything happen, darling. You just had bad luck and met this son of a bitch."