The Teacher's Pet

Chapter 22.

Monday...................................

Belle got up early planning to be gone before her father woke up, last night she had managed to slip in undetected while he was passed out drunk on the couch. Jade hadn't asked questions and Belle was grateful since she didn't have answers.

She shoved her things into her backpack and hurried into the kitchen, she was crossing the living room floor towards the door when the light switched on. She spun around pressing herself against the door, her Dad sat in a chair a few yards away.

"Dad...."

"Where were you all weekend? Did you think I wouldn't notice you were gone?"

"No....I was at my friend Maggies."

"Bullshit," He stood.

"I was, I just stayed over at Maggies."

"You're not going anywhere today."

"I....I have school," she said, gripping her backpack.

He walked across the floor, the boards shifting and creaking under his weight. Belle pressed herself more tightly to the door.

"Dad..." She put her hands up as he grew closer.

He caught her left wrist using it to throw her to the floor, her pain shot through her shoulder and she recognized the feeling of a dislocated joint. She hit the floor hard and immediately tried to push herself up.

He grabbed her by her already throbbing arm and dragged her roughly to her feet and down the hall. She began trying to fight but every movement only made her arm more painful. Her backpack lay forgotten on the floor. He stopped outside her door.

"Dad stop!" She cried.

He backhanded her and the world seemed to spin, clinging to consciousness she was aware of him tossing her roughly onto her bed before slamming her door and stomping down the hall.

"Belle!" the door swung open an instant later and Jade was at her side.

"Belle, honey, talk to me."

"Jade," She tried to lift her head but her cheekbone was pulsing with pain and everything seemed to spin.

"You did this! You planted these ideas in her head!"Belles dad raged as he came back into the room.

"I think her shoulder is broken, she needs a doctor!" Jade cried.

"No, no doctors. You think I want all those people in my business."

"Jade..."with her other arm Belle tried to grab the woman's hand.

"I'm taking her to the hospital," Jade said, shoving passed her dad and going out the hall.

Belle lifted her head again as he followed Jade out the hall, her head spinning and her vision to blurry to allow her to get up from the bed.

"You're not going anywhere!" She head her father yelling in the kitchen.

The she heard the tell-tale sound of a large slap and a thud, then eery silence.

"Jade..."

She tried to sit up and the world went black, she fell back onto her bed and succumbed to sleep.

The banging woke her up, she cracked open her eyes, noticing that her left eye wouldn't open completely. Her cheekbone and eye socket throbbed and so did her shoulder, she forced herself up into the sitting position, her head pounding.