Chapter 40

"A hero is someone who, in spite of weakness, doubt or not always knowing the answers, goes ahead and overcomes anyway."

Christopher Reeve.

An ear-piercing crash resonates in the small storage room, the chaotic and frantic atmosphere almost causing me to burst under pressure. Palms sweaty, gym shirt clinging to my skin and raven-black hair matted to my forehead, I continue to knock down the P.E. equipment, hoping that I've managed to buy Serenity some time. Desperately wanting to get caught, I make an attempt to be louder, deafening, thunderous.

I add a shout for good measure and once I'm finished, my chest is heaving up and down. My vision becomes blurry and I place a hand on the wall to steady myself. Wiping the sweat off my brow, I await for the moment when Sanders comes running through that door, I await for the moment when I can snatch Serenity away from his grasp. Taking a deep breath, I blink several times, regaining my composure as the adrenaline fades.

"Come on," I think. "Burst through that door, tell me off, shout at me, call the Headmistress. Just do anything! I'd rather you do anything, than touch Serenity. I'd rather you do anything, than hurt one of the only people whose accepted me. So come on, do it! Let me know that you heard me! Let me know that I'm in trouble! Let me know that my attempt to help, wasn't in vain..."

Patiently, I stand there, in the midst of all the calamity. Biting my lips, I count the seconds, the amount of breaths until what I intend to happen, comes to life. Hands shaking, lips quivering and anger amplifying, I close my eyes, already doubting myself. Tears slide down my cheeks whilst I shake my head in disbelief and disappointment, the shame of not being able to save a person in need, devouring me from the inside out.

That's when I hear it.

The footsteps.

The door, slamming open!

I've never been so happy to be caught!

"What's going on here?!" Mr Johnson, head of the P.E department, asks.

Not long after, Coach Sanders strolls in behind him, vexation portrayed in his demeanour. Glaring at me, he huffs and puffs, evidently irritated.

Pretending to be completely in shock, I proceed to babble nonsense, making it seem like I'm just some stupid school girl.

"I-I tripped and...all the stuff came f-falling down," I stutter, head bowed. "I screamed because some of the s-stuff even fell on me and I hurt myself," I explain.

"Coach Sanders," Mr Johnson says, absolutely infuriated, "how can you leave this girl all by herself in the storage room! May I ask, what exactly were you doing when this young lady was hurt?"

Turning pale, Coach Sanders is at a lost for words. Rubbing the back of his neck with his hand, he then goes into a lousy justification on why he let me in here and what he was doing. All the while, I stare at him, burying my hatred underneath the surface. After listening to him, I innocently state that he had bribed me with a late pass, in order to help him.

"Mr Sanders!" Mr Johnson exclaims. "This is unacceptable! The poor child has class in five minutes! What if she has to take a trip to the nurse's office? You do realise that this little incident could get us in trouble with Miss Havisham, right?"

"I understand, Sir. It won't ever happen again," he mumbles, snarling at me.

"Good," the head of the P.E. department says. "As for you child, go get dressed. If you're late, use the pass, okay?"

I nod, sprinting out of there in record time.

...

When walking into the changing rooms, the sound of water can still be heard. From this, I can infer that Serenity is still here. Striping our of my clothes, I hop into the shower, permitting the warm water to relax me, to massage my back and rinse me clean. Closing my eyes, I indulged myself in this feeling of tranquility, relish in the peacefulness and find solitude in the quiet.

Moments later, I step out, navy-blue towel wrapped around me, to find Serenity in front of me. Platinum-blonde hair wet, snow-white towel wrapped around her and arms crossed. Her brows are furrowed and lips pulled into a frown. Gazing back at her, I open and close my mouth, hoping to utter the right words to this girl I barely know. This girl I feel so connected with.

The bell rings, pulling us out of our haze.

"Let's go get dressed, yeah?"

"Yeah," I whisper, speed walking to my stuff.

We dress in silence, the occasional sound of a zipper here and there but no words exchanged so far. From the corner of my eye I think she's glancing at me but when I do catch her, she abruptly looks away, turning red. Trying not to blush or breath too hard, I continue minding my own business, until I hear a small voice say:

"Do you mind doing up my bra hook?"

Surprised by her audacious move, I'm slightly taken aback. Noticing this, Serenity quickly adds:

"I would do it myself, but I'm all wet."

That wasn't meant to be a s*xual reference.

I totally took it a s*xual reference.

Gulping back the bile in my throat, I comply, trying not to stare at her skin, her neck, her arms. Finally, I finish and go back to changing. I feel her eyes on me when I put my bra on without her help and I brace myself when I hear the change in her breathing, indicating that she's about to speak.

"You heard what was going on with me and Sanders, didn't you?" Serenity asks. "You heard and that's why would made all that ruckus in the storage room, correct?"

I nod, confirming her suspicion.

Stroking my face, she then whispers:

"I knew you were special."

"Why do you let him do that to you?" I question, allowing her hand to remain where it is. "Why don't you report him to Miss Havisham?"

Serenity shakes her head.

"Do you know how I got into this school? I got into this school with a scholarship, a sports scholarship to be exact. You wanna know why Coach Sanders' touching me and not Heather, or Ally, or Catherine?  Because they're rich. Because if they report someone like that...that perv, they have nothing to lose."

A wave of sadness washes over me.

"Coach Sanders is a man who's been working here for twenty years. I'm a stupid blonde whose only talent is sports. Who do you think Havisham's gonna

believe, huh? She...she's probably..."

Serenity sits on the bench, face in her hands. Watching the trembling girl, I sit beside her, rubbing her back in hopes that will console her.

"She's probably gonna think that I was being provocative. She's gonna think that because of the way I dress, I was basically asking for it," she sighs.

"I'm sure Miss will understand," I say softly.

"Don't you get it, Valentina!" Serenity screams. "If I report him without any genuine proof, I'm the one who's leaving, not him!"

"There has to be a way though!"

"No Valentina! Do you think I'm the only one?! He's doing it to other girls!"

"This is another reason why you should-"

"Stop."

Reluctantly, I give in, deciding to drop the subject for her sake.