The Only Faith [boyxboy]

The Only Faith {2}

                "Oh sugar," I amended.

                Fagan was rubbing his cheek where the ruler had struck. There was a red mark streaking across his skin.

                My eyes shot to the bruises on Beckett and I realized that they were in a similar shape to Fagan's new injury. Shit, just how intense was this place?

                It's not like I expected a pacifist school, but wasn't hitting kids illegal? How the hell could this guy get away with it?

                Mr. Sternberg went over and whacked another kid that was whispering to her neighbor. She glared up at him defiantly, only giving a slight wince when the ruler cracked down on the back of her hand.

                Mr. Sternberg stormed back up to the front of the room and began his lesson, aggressively yelling about whatever the topic was. My mind slipped away from that, trying to assess the current situation.

                Crazy abusive teacher, okay. Their behavior and Beckett's bruises told me this was a pretty common occurrence, at least in Mr. Sternberg's class. Were the other teachers like this? Was the headmaster aware?

                And how was this guy getting away with it? Surely someone had to have told their parents what he was doing. Suing Mr. Sternberg might actually get you enough to cover half the price of tuition here.

                I looked down at my hand, which had medical tape skillfully wrapped around my palm and the base of my middle finger. Great, just what I needed, more hand injuries.

                The class went by slowly, students on edge, waiting for the next blow. Another boy was hit when Mr. Sternberg spotted him doodling in his notebook instead of paying attention. But other than that, the rest of the class escaped unharmed.

                As the class ended and kids hurried out in the hallway, I gathered my stuff and took off. I looked around until I spotted Fagan, Beckett, and Tessa standing together. I made my way over to them.

                "Thought you didn't need friends?" Beckett said, noticing me as I approached.

                "I don't. But I need answers," I said. "Abuse common here?"

                "Well, at least he's not stupid," Beckett said.

                I gestured to the bruises on his face. "Clearly you are if you pissed off an abusive teacher multiple times."

                Fagan laughed. "Oh, I like this one."

                "Don't bother bitching about it. No security cameras in the rooms to catch them, cell phones get destroyed, audio recordings aren't enough to prove anything," Beckett said, as if he'd gone through this a million times. "Parents don't believe students, especially Maroons. Even if they do, they keep quiet about it as long as it means their brat gets fixed."

                "Fantastic," I said, checking my schedule for my next class. "Are all the teachers like this?"

                "Take a wild guess," Tessa said.

                "Well, this place is a ray of sunshine," I said.

                "Keep your head down and stay out of our way," Beckett said before walking off.