Why Me?

Chapter Twenty-two

She hesitated before folding her hands together and turning to look at me with a sad grimace. "I was only trying to protect you, honest."

"You didn't do anything, did you?" I asked, eyes widening in panic. She quickly shook her head.

"No. This is about everything I've already done," she said. She took a shuddering breath in, blowing it out slowly and looking to me with a weak gaze.

"I really thought he was a manipulating, dangerous, predator. I mean, he's not that much older than us, but he's a charming guy and he's still our teacher... well, still my
teacher at least. I thought he was tricking you somehow in going out with him because he was older and he was charming... and I was jealous."

"What? You like Wyatt?" I asked. She grimaced, shaking her head.

"No, Noelle. I liked you," she said. My eyes popped wide and I leaned away, my jaw dropping. She held up her hands in defense.

"I don't anymore. Don't worry. When I met you I thought you were cute and sweet...
but the whole Mr MacNeill thing kind of turned me off a bit. But that didn't stop me being scared for you. I thought, somehow, that if I pushed you around enough you would stop talking to him. But you didn't. So I
knew I had to do something drastic. I researched him and found out about his past. I honestly didn't know she was the one manipulating him, and I didn't think about it. I black mailed you and revealed what I
thought he did, and it worked. And I was... happy about it."

I stared at her. Even though I knew the pain she caused me, and how much hell she put me through, I understood where she came from. I wasn't sure how I felt about it yet. I wasn't sure if I could ever trust her
again. She gulped. 

"When you told me the truth about what actually happened with that other student... I'm so sorry, Noelle. He really is a good guy. But it's still dangerous. You two could get in so much trouble, even if he isn't your
professor anymore," she said. I gulped, nodding. 

"I know. I'm... I just ran into his mom and she didn't know I was his student. She's so pissed," I said, looking after where Sue went. Delilah made a face at me. 

"That was his mom? But she was Chinese," she said. I shrugged.

"I guess he takes after his dad... but that's not the point! You saw how she was freaking out on me! No one else saw, I think, but who knows what she'll do. She might get Wyatt fired, and me expelled," I said. Her eyes
were already big. She hesitated. 

"Should we go after her?" she asked. I nodded and we got up, running. But we were too late.

As we approached the courtyard his room was located in, we already heard the screaming in Mandarin. We slowed, exchanging a panicked look, before making the final turn. My heart exploded, my stomach sinking painfully, as I saw what was happening. Wyatt was in the hall, his mom screaming at him in Chinese.

Students were staring from their benches, or stopped as Delilah and I were, watching it go down. Sue was hot pink, her features screwed up tightly and her finger jabbing repeatedly into the middle of a shocked Wyatt's chest. He was stammering silently, green eyes like saucers as he stared in fear and surprise at his mother.

Then Sue's deadly brown eyes found me. She pointed at me, glaring with fury at Wyatt as she continued to scream. Her face was growing in colour, her finger pointed at me shaking. 

Delilah grabbed me as Wyatt looked down at us, terror in his eyes. She pulled me from there, pulling me quickly towards our dorm building. I struggled a bit in her grip. She sent a stern look back at me.

"We can't stick around there. They'll catch on if they haven't already. Noelle, things might get ruined if they haven't by now," she said, making my mouth feel dry. She gave me a sorry look.

"Let's just get you to your room. All we can do now is wait and see what happens."
I nodded, my heart racing in fear. What if this was it? Sue had pointed straight at me. There was no way no one noticed that. And, after what already happened this term, there was no way Mr Charlton would not hear
about this.

-------------------------->.<

Delilah and I sat in my room for a long time, silently watching a show about a female prison. They were oddly obsessed with the colour orange and lesbians in the show, but the story was so compelling that we couldn't look away. That was until my phone rang. Our heads snapped in it's direction, Wyatt's caller ID glowing bright from here. Gasping, I grabbed it and flipped it open to my ear.

"Hello?" I asked quickly. Delilah paused the show, looking to me with eyes bright with interested curiosity.

"Noelle... my mom..." Wyatt trailed off. He sounded weak. He's been crying. I got to my feet, cradling the phone against my face.

"What happened? Is everything alright?" I asked. He sniffed.

"I don't know. She was so angry. She said that I was so stupid for getting myself in the same mess that I had with Rita, and she wouldn't listen when I tried to tell her how different you are or what really happened with that rumour. She said she never wanted to see my face or your face ever again," he said. 

"Oh my God! I'm so sorry, Wyatt," I said, sending a panicked look to Delilah. She stared, eyes ignorant but bright with anticipation.

"No, its fine. She's yelled at me like this before. She'll get over it... but I'm not sure how she'll warm up to the idea of me and you," he said. I was silent, hesitating. He was quiet for a second too.

"Sorry if that sounded weird. I just keep on feeling like we're still in a relationship, you know?"

"I understand," I said. I hesitated again, staring at Delilah. "I... I'm coming over, but I'm bringing someone I think you should have a talk to with me."

"What?" Delilah asked with increasingly widening eyes, scrambling to her feet, as Wyatt asked,

"Who?" I smiled nervously.