Teacher's Pet (8 page)

"Miss Lewis, you can't just come to my house because you don't understand the book. This is not the time or place to discuss this."

"Well can't you just help me understand this? You're not too busy for me, are you?"

This was my chance.

"IN HERE!" I screamed. "HELP ME! I'M IN HERE!"

Silence.

"What was that?" I heard Amber say.

"AMBER! RUN! GET HELP!" I screamed.

"Is that Jadia?"

"RUN, AMBER! HE'S CRAZY! GET HELP!"

I heard footsteps running. Then Amber screamed. Her scream was cut short and then I heard silence. "NO!" I screamed. I fell against the door, sobbing.

I don't know how long I laid there, but after awhile David threw the door open, slamming it into me. He was covered in dirt. "What the fuck was that?!" He bellowed. I cringed away from him. "I'm crazy? You think I'm crazy? I'll fucking show you crazy." He picked me up and threw me facedown on the bed. "You want to be saved from me, huh? You think this is a fucking game?"

He climbed on top of me and ripped my panties off. I laid there waiting for the pain. I heard him fumbling with his belt.

"No one is going to help you, Jadia. You're mine now. You want help?"

He shoved himself into my backside.

"AHH!" I screamed. I felt like I was being ripped open.

"You're mine," he repeated, slamming into me. This was a million times worse than any other pain I had ever felt. When he finally finished, he pulled out and stormed out of the room. I laid on the bed in shame and agonizing pain. For the first time since I had been here, I wanted to die. I was certain that David had killed Amber, and it was all my fault. I should have kept my mouth shut. I should have known that he was capable of murder.

===========================

I managed to crawl to the shower and stood under the stream until it ran cold. I was terrified of David coming back into the room. I knew he was furious with me. I eventually grew tired, climbed under the covers and fell asleep. I woke up in the middle of the night to David climbing on top of me.

"Still want to be saved?" He muttered.

I shook my head furiously. "David, I'm sorry."

He grabbed me by the throat. "Shut the fuck up."

I gasped for air as he shoved himself inside me. He let go of my throat and held my head down.

"Look at me."

"Oh God, stop!" I cried.

"Look at me," he growled.

I looked into his eyes and saw pure evil.

"You're nothing but a worthless whore," he grunted, slamming into me. "You belong to me. Nobody is going to save you. Nobody."

I cried as he raped me. After he finished he rolled off me and fell asleep. I laid in bed sobbing quietly and decided that if I couldn't find a way out, I would find a way to kill myself. Even death had to be better than this.

I woke up on Saturday morning to David on top of me again. I tried to push him off of me but it was useless. He raped me while forcing me to look into his eyes. Every time I tried to turn my head he grabbed it and held it straight. I would never forget his hateful look.

He raped me repeatedly through the weekend. I knew he was punishing me for calling for help. The love for me in his eyes had been replaced by hatred. There was no way to talk myself out of this. I knew he was going to kill me. It was just a question of when. I only hoped that when the time came he made it quick.

Monday came and he left for work. He completely ignored me as he left. I hadn't eaten for a few days, but that was ok. I wondered how long it took to starve to death. My thoughts were interrupted by a scraping sound.

What the hell was going on? David was supposed to be at work. I realized with growing horror that he had come home to kill me. I sat on the bed and cried.

I love you, mom. I love you too, daddy. Please don't be too sad without me.

I laid down, starting at the ceiling, resigned to my fate.

The door unlocked and swung open. "Oh my god. Jadia!"

I sprang up to see Alex rushing toward me.

"Alex!" I screamed. "Help me! Get me out of here!"

"Holy shit. You're actually here. What did that sick bastard do to you?" He asked, his eyes flashing with anger.

"It doesn't matter, Alex. Just get me out of here." I looked at the clock. 2:30. "He'll be home any minute. We need to go!"

He looked me up and down, as if noticing me for the first time. His eyes filled with tears when he saw what I was wearing. "He raped you, didn't he?"

"Alex, we need to go."

He shook his head. "No. I'm going to rip his fucking head off. I'll kill him."

"No, Alex. He's dangerous. He...He killed Amber," I said, sobbing. Saying it out loud made it much more real.

Alex froze. "What? Amber's dead?"

"Yes! Alex, I'm begging you. Call the police and take me out of here. Please."

He nodded. "Ok. Can you walk?"

"Yes. Come on."

Stepping outside for the first time in over a week was surreal. The sun hit me on the face and the freedom I felt was indescribable. I slid into Alex's car as he put his coat around my shoulders. My outfit today was a lime green lacy thong with a matching see thru lace bra. I was grateful for the coat. As Alex pulled out of the driveway, I sobbed in relief. He called the police on the way to the hospital.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked.

"I didn't know," he responded. "It was just a hunch. I couldn't figure out why Mr. Hayes hated me so much. I talked to him last week, and when I mentioned that you were missing he got angry. Then I thought that maybe he wasn't angry that I said you were missing. Maybe he was angry that I said you were my girlfriend. Then today in English Lucy Hall asked me if I had heard anything about you, and the look on his face was…scary. I was sure he knew something. I looked up his address and left school early so that I could sneak in and look around before he got home." He glanced at me. "But I didn't actually expect to find you. Jesus Christ, Jadia. I can't believe you're ok."

I wasn't sure that I was ok. Or that I would ever be ok again. Alex reached for my hand and squeezed it. I closed my eyes and thanked God for him.

"Jadia? What the hell is this?"

I looked down. "Oh," I said, "That's my engagement ring." I started sobbing hysterically as the reality of what had happened to me came crashing at me like a ton of bricks.

He squeezed my hand. "It's ok, sweetie. You're safe now. He won't ever hurt you again."

Alex pulled into the emergency area of the hospital and turned his car off. "I have my football pants in the trunk. They're kind of gross, but it's better than nothing."

Alex grabbed his pants and helped me put them on. All of a sudden he froze.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked.

He was staring at my ass. "Did he whip you?" He asked incredulously.

My face burned with humiliation. "It doesn't matter."

"Stop saying that. It does matter, Jadia. He WHIPPED you. Jesus Christ. What else did he do to you?"

I looked out the window, tears spilling down my face.

"Did he rape you?" Alex asked quietly.

I tried to control my tears, but I started sobbing uncontrollably.

Alex grabbed me and held me as I cried. "Don't cry. He won't hurt you anymore. The police will get him," he soothed me.

I pulled away and wiped my eyes. "I'll feel better when he's in handcuffs," I whispered.

He smoothed my hair. "They'll get him," he promised. "I'll keep you safe. I love you, Jay. I'll always protect you."

Hearing him say that he loved me made me feel better. I knew that his love was only as a friend, but that's all that I needed right now. I smiled through my tears. "I love you too. Let's go inside and get this over with."

He took my hand and helped me out of the car. "Ow!" I cried as my bare feet hit the coarse gravel. Alex scooped me up and carried me inside.

"My girlfriend needs a doctor right now," he told the receptionist, setting me down. She gave Alex a clipboard. "Fill this out and have a seat."

He shook his head. "We don't have time for that. Call the police. She's hurt."

The receptionist looked at me. "What's your name?"

"Jadia Galvin," I whispered.

Her eyes widened slightly. I wondered what she knew about me.

"Ok. Come with me. You can fill this out later."

She led me to a small private room. I sat on the table. Alex sat next to me, holding my hand. What would Alex think of me when he found out everything that had happened? The thought made me start crying again. Alex held me and stroked my hair. "It's ok, baby. You're safe now. The police are on their way to his house. They'll catch him and lock him up forever."

I sat silently, shaking with sobs. I tried to convince myself that I was safe. I didn't feel safe. Not while David was still out there.

There was a knock on the door and two police officers came in. "Ms. Galvin?"

I sniffed and nodded.

The tall, exhausted looking man stepped forward, reaching out his hand. "I'm Officer Ferrell. This is Officer Martinez," he said, nodding to the short female officer. I shook his hand limply. Officer Martinez pulled out a tape recorder. "I know this is hard for you," she said sympathetically. "But I need you to tell me exactly what happened."

"Ok," I whispered. Alex stood up to leave. "No!" I cried. He immediately sat back down and held my hand.

"I need him here. Can he please stay?"

The two officers looked at each other and nodded. Alex had become my hero. I needed his strength to get through this. Officer Martinez started the recorder.

"What's your full name?"

"Jadia Marie Galvin."

"Who did this to you?"

"David Hayes," I whispered.

"I'm going to need you to talk louder."

"David Hayes," I repeated.

"I need you to start from the beginning. How did you end up in Mr. Hayes's house?"

I told her about the party and how David had brought me to his house for a cup of tea. I told her about the forced oral. "He said that if I didn't do it, he would kill my parents." I started crying again. "Oh God, my parents. Are they ok?"

"They're on their way," Officer Ferrell assured me.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

I told her how he had starved me. Telling her how I had willingly had sex with him the first time broke my heart.

"I didn't want to. I didn't know when he was going to come back for me. I didn't know how else to convince him to keep me alive."

Alex squeezed my hand. "It's ok, sweetie. You're doing great." He whispered.

"So the sex was consensual?" Martinez asked.

"The first time."

"Tell me what happened after that."

"He asked me to marry him." I frantically pulled at the ring. I needed it off of me.

"And what did you say?"

"I said yes." Ferrell raised his eyebrows at me.

"It was that or be killed," I snapped. I felt like he was judging me, and that made me furious.

He nodded. "Go on."

I told her about Amber and how I called out for help.

"He killed her," I sobbed. "He killed her and it's all my fault."

"Amber? Amber Lewis?" Ferrell asked.

I nodded.

"Amber Lewis isn't dead. She's here in the hospital."

My heart soared. "Amber is ok?"

"Well, not quite. She's stable, but we won't know the extent of her head injuries until she wakes up."

Amber wasn't dead. Alex was here. My parents were on their way. I took a deep breath and found the strength to go on.

"After he...after Amber was gone, he came back into the room and raped me...anally," I whispered. Alex's jaw clenched.

The door burst open and my parents came rushing in. "Oh my god," my mom sobbed. "Oh Jadia, thank god."

I jumped off the table and flew into her arms.

"What happened?"

I shook my head and hugged my dad tight.

"It's ok, princess. We're here," he whispered in my hair.

"Don't call me that, daddy. Please don't call me princess ever again."

He nodded. "Ok, sweet pea."

I laughed through my tears and hugged him tighter.

Officer Ferrell cleared his throat. "I'm sorry Jadia, but I need you to continue. Do you want your parents here with you?"

As much as I never wanted to let them leave my side again, I couldn't let them hear what David had done to me.

"It's ok, honey," my mom said. "We'll be right outside until you're finished." She shot Ferrell a dirty look and they left. I wondered what that was about. I cleared my throat and forced myself to continue.

"He raped me...a lot. Over the weekend. I can't..." I started sobbing hysterically. Officer Martinez turned off the tape recorder. "Why don't we take a break. Do you want some water?" I nodded.

"She needs food, too." Alex said. "Look at her. I can see her bones."

I didn't argue. The officers left and my parents came back in.

"Jadia, who did this to you?" My mom asked, stroking my hair.

"Dav...Mr. Hayes," I replied softly.

"I'm going to fucking kill him," my dad growled.

"Stand in line," Alex muttered.

My mom held me while dad paced the room furiously. The two officers came back into the room with a bottle of water and toast. "Where's Mr. Hayes?" Alex asked. The two officers exchanged a look and I felt my heart sink.

"We haven't found him yet. He might have seen the police activity on his street and bailed. We have an APB out on his car. He won't get very far," he assured me. I shook my head. Until David was behind bars, I wasn't safe.

A female doctor opened the door.

"Jadia Galvin?"

"Yeah," I replied.

She walked in and closed the door behind her. "I'm Dr. Nguyen. I need to give you what's called a rape kit. Can everybody step outside?" Alex looked at me and I nodded. I didn't want him here for this. I closed my eyes as the doctor poked and prodded at me. She took my vitals and drew blood. I felt like a pincushion. "When did you first have unprotected sex?"

I thought hard. "Thursday."

She nodded. "Good. I'm going to give you some ulipristal acetate."

"Huh?"

"Fancy term for the morning after pill. It's effective up to 5 days after contraception. As far as STD prevention, we'll get you on some antibiotics."