19

Luckily, the school made me forget about the fight. We don't have any tests, but we had some homework to do. And, for the first time in my life, I didn't do it.

"Who can explain exercise three for the class?" Mr. Higgs, our physics professor, asks. He looks around when his eyes land on me. In that microsecond, I already know what's going to happen.

"Emma, can you explain the problem?" he asks.

"Uh…" I stare at my blank sheet of paper. I quickly read the problem. "Uh… yeah. I think." I say. "The problem asks to find the work of the object, so you just have to multiply the mass and the movement, right?"

"Correct." he says. "What result do you have, Miss Johnson?"

"Uh…" I say again, and I don't know what to answer. Fortunately, Karen whispers me the solution. I repeat it out loud, "A hundred and twenty-four point thirty-six."

"Very good." Mr. Higgs scribbles something on his notepad. "Let's move on." He starts to interrogate other students, so he leaves me alone for now.

"Thanks," I tell Karen. "I didn't do the exercises."

"Yeah, I noticed." Karen answers. "Are you okay? You always do your homework."

I hesitate for a second. Should I tell her? Probably, but not during a physics lesson. I don't want Mr. Higgs to ask me to tell the whole class what we were talking about. "I'll tell you later."

She seems to be satisfied with that, so she nods and turns her attention to the blackboard.

Right after that Physics class, Karen starts bombarding me with questions. "What's wrong? Are you okay? You look really stressed. Is it something I did? Or that Tom did? Is it your family? Emma, talk to me!"

"I'm trying to!" I complain.

"Sorry," Karen says lowering her voice. "Go ahead."

I think of what to say. "Well, I – yesterday I had a really big fight with my mom," I say. "Actually, it wasn't really a fight. She mostly started yelling and throwing stuff."

"Throwing stuff? Where?"

"All around the house. Some toward me."

"Throwing stuff at you?" Karen asks, shocked.

"A little, yeah."

"Oh my god. Are you okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Couldn't breathe for a second, but that's all."

"That's all?!" Karen exclaims. "Jesus, Emma. Sorry about this, but your mother is torturing you."

"I know," I say simply. "But I'm fine."

Karen steps in front of me and grabs my shoulders. "Emma, you are not fine. You have to do something about this," she begs. "Your mother is controlling your life in a really strict way. Your mother is like a dictator. It's a fucking dictatorship!"

I chuckle at her description of my everyday life. "Maybe."

"Talk to somebody. Anyone. But someone who can make a difference in your life. I barely know your mom, so I can't do much. Talk to someone. Maybe your dad?" she offers.

"My dad's barely home. I almost never see him."

"What about grandparents?"

"Two are dead, the other two live in Europe," I say.

"Uncles or aunts?"

"My mother didn't have siblings, my father had one brother, but he lives somewhere in Canada."

"C' mon Emma, I'm running out of people," Karen complains. "Think of someone that means something to you and that has some kind of connection to your mother."

My brain thinks about a few people, but none of them seem like the one for the job.

"I have to think about it," I say finally.

Karen nods. "Okay. But please do it. It's for your own good."

On the bus, I get a text.

Hey, Nerd

Tutoring today?

I need U

Butterflies flutter in my stomach as I read the last message. I text him back.

Sure

My place in an hour?

He answers almost immediately.

See U then

I get off the bus and head home. I clean up a little, just so it doesn't look like I live like a pig. Then, I get my Math and Physics material. I place the stuff on the table, and the doorbell rings. I open the door and freeze.

Michael?

Before I know what's happening, Michael grabs my arms and pushes me through the door. He shoves me against the wall and looks at me in the eyes. "I told you I couldn't wait to eat you."

I try to punch him, but he holds down both of my arms to the wall. I start to whimper, panicking, as he leans in and starts to lick my neck.

It's disgusting. I have a feeling that this would be much more pleasant if it were someone I liked. Michael? Not so much.

"Get off me!" I beg. "Stop!"

"Not today, princess," Michael says before attacking my neck again.

I don't know how to get out of this, so I force myself to think. I realize that he hadn't blocked my legs. With a surge of power, I raise my legs and hit him in the crotch.

He grunts painfully and lets go of my arms. I take this moment to run off. I lock myself in the bathroom, hoping that Michael will just leave me alone. Unfortunately, I'm wrong.

I hear him run after me, and when he finds the bathroom door closed, he starts banging against it forcefully. "Get out here, you little bitch!"

Sure, buddy. That'll make me want to come out.

"Leave me alone!"

"Not until I take that pussy of yours," he says through the door, and it makes me want to puke. Does he really want to fuck me? In my own house? Seriously? Damn, he must be dumber than I thought, a part of me thinks. The other part, though, is freaking out. Holy shit, he wants to rape me. Shit, what do I do now?

I'm about to have a mental breakdown, when I suddenly hear a thump, and then something falling on the floor. I heat a soft grunt, but nothing else. I'm about to call out, but someone calls me.

"You can come out now. He's down." a familiar voice says.

I'm not sure if I should open it, given the circumstances, but I don't see any other choice. I unlock the door and slowly push it open.

"Tommy?"