Have We Gone Too Far?

“How’s Beth?” he asked as soon as I sat down beside him.

Some people would say he’s being a bit insensitive for not asking how I was even though I was clearly upset, but that’s one of the things I love about him. When he really concentrated on or worried about something he tends to be completely oblivious to everything else, unless he just ignores it because he doesn’t particularly want to get involved with anything.

“She’s...not doing too well,” I sighed.

“The baby?” he asked but all I could do was shake my head at him. “I can’t believe it,” he whispered sounding really heartbroken. Kyle and Beth have always been really close but he’s too scared to visit her. He has this fear of hospitals. I don’t actually know why but there probably is some sort of reason behind it. “Zack,” he whispered. “Were you really the dad?”

“Promise not to tell anyone,” I told him. He nodded. “It’s the guy who raped hers,” I mumbled.

He just stared at me for a moment before turning to face the front of the room.

“Zack, can we talk later?” he asked me. “In private.”

“Sure,” I smiled at him. “Whatever you want.”

“Thanks,” he mumbled. “It’s kind of embarrassing so can we keep it between us?” he asked me.

“Of course.”

“Zacky Mondale!” Mr. Baker shouted at me.

“What?” I shouted back at him, starting to get really annoyed with the way he’s treating me. “Can’t I even speak anymore?”

He raised his eyebrows at me.

“Not when I'm talking to the form,” he shouted at me.

If it was anyone else he would have just told them to be quiet, but because it was me he had to try and do it a clever way. I mean, maybe I'm not meant to talk when the teacher’s talking, but he’s not exactly meant to rape his students is he? My point exactly, but I can’t really say that here, can I?

“What’s wrong with you today Zack?” he asked me.

There’s only one answer and that’s pretty simple really.

“YOU!” I shouted at him. “Why do you blame everything on me? Why do you treat me the way you do? You’re ruining my whole bloody life!”

I'm sure most people in the class would think I was over exaggerating but I really wasn't. He was trying to break me, and right now I have to admit that he already has. I’ve never cried in public before and I’ve never been this scared of a person in my entire life.

“Get out,” Mr. Baker sighed acting like he was really disappointed in me.

“No,” I shouted. “Make me!”

The look on his face was starting to look more and more irritated and I could tell he was on the bridge of losing it with me.

“Sir,” Sam shouted from the back. He looked a mess so he should’ve been sent to the nurse really. I wonder why Mr. Baker didn’t tell him to go? “Are you and Zack having a lovers tiff?” he asked making a few people snigger and chuckle under their breaths.

Kyle nudged me a little in the side then to get my attention. When I looked at him he gave me a supportive smile and mouthed ‘ignore him’ to me. Kyle’s being a big help right now and I'm grateful for that.

“What do you mean by that?” Mr. Baker asked Sam, looking a little intrigued.
“In the picture you two were kissing,” he said trying his best not to laugh. “And you were naked as well.”

Mr. Baker’s eyes turned to me and glared. He can’t seriously be blaming me for this. Does he seriously think I’d damage my rep this much just to get back at him?

“Well, it’s clearly a prank someone’s playing and clearly isn't real,” Mr. Baker insisted. “Now that I know about this I can guarantee to you that I’ll find out who it was who created this picture.”

Part of me wanted to thank him for that but I knew he was only doing that for himself and it had nothing to do with me at all.

“Can I see the photo?” he asked.

Oh God.

Sam got up and passed his phone to Mr. Baker, grinning over in my direction. I hate him so much! Mr. Baker’s eyes widened when he saw it and I could feel myself going red with embarrassment. That photo is just a reminder of the time he tried to rape me, robbed my clothes and then locked me in a cupboard. I can’t think about that though. There’s no way I'm going to risk breaking down in front of everyone.

“Did you know about this Zack?” he asked me.

I nodded at him shyly, hoping that that was the right answer to give.

***

I was relieved when form finally finished and we were allowed out of his room. However all of my nerves returned when I remembered what I had first lesson: PE, with Mr. Baker. How am I meant to go through another hour with him? Is that even possible?

“Are you alright?” Kyle asked me as we walked across the yard to the changing rooms. “The whole Mr. Baker thing’s really getting to you, isn't it?”

“You could say that,” I sighed.

“I'm guessing you’d rather not see him then,” Kyle said sounding a little mischievous. What was he planning?

“I’d rather not have to see quite a lot of people right now,” I mumbled. “Do you happen to have a solution to this problem?” I asked him, knowing already that he did.

“I have an idea, but it’s not going to be a very, well, hygienic,” he chuckled a little.

Whenever Kyle mentions ‘hygiene’ I automatically twig onto what he’s going on about. It’s always toilet or bathroom related when he mentions something like that, that’s just how he is though; strange, strange, bathroom loving Kyle.

“Which one are we hiding in?” I sighed.

“You know me so well,” he laughed as he took hold of my arm and dragged me back in the opposite direction. It looks that I won’t have to see Mr. Baker again today after all. Kyle truly is a life saver.

We walked into the boys’ toilets that near the science labs, people very rarely go in those ones so we generally take over them and use them for our own amusement.

“Do you want anything?” he asked as he jumped up onto ledge that was in front of the big window in there. I always feel odd knowing that that window’s there. It’s one of those ones that you can’t see through but I still think it’s kind of weird to have it there.

“What you got?” I asked him.

“I’ve got some smokes, a few cans in my bag and a box of whatever it is my dad left lying around,” Kyle said making me laugh a little. If you thought I was bad when it came to this sort of stuff then you have no idea how bad Kyle is. Let’s say he’s a lot worse than me.

“You should probably stop trying the stuff your dad leaves around you know,” I told him, deciding to be sensible for once.

“Why?” he laughed. “It’s not like he’s going to notice or anything.”

Sometimes Kyle can be really stupid.

“Yeah, but you have no idea what you’re taking-”

“That’s the point!” he interrupted me. “Anyway, do you want some?”

I shook my head at him. I’ve decided that I want to change. What good has alcohol or drugs done for me in the past? None whatsoever, all it’s done is make things a hell of a lot worse.

“No,” I sighed.

“Just have something,” he insisted. “I know you’re trying to stop drinking so you don’t have to have any. And I know you don’t want anything illegal, but you could at least have a quick smoke,” he said, pouting at me a little.

He said illegal then. Is he saying that the stuff his dad has isn't legal? He better not be, I’ve never thought of his dad as that kind of guy, my dad maybe but definitely not his!

“Just one,” I muttered, giving into him.

A cheeky smile spread across his face when I said that. At least someone’s happy about this.

“Could we talk now?” he asked quietly. It was almost as if he didn’t really want to do this.

“Yeah,” I sighed, knowing that the conversation was going to turn serious. Maybe that’s why he wanted me to take something, so it’d be less likely that I’ll remember what he’s said. “If you want,” I smiled at him.

“Right, do you want to know the real reason I asked you to skip PE with me?” he asked.

Real reason? What? I thought he just understood that I didn’t want to be anywhere near Mr. Baker. I nodded at him anyway. This should be interesting.

“Well, I just don’t want to be anywhere near that man,” he whispered. “And I don’t want you to be either.”

“Mr. Baker?” I asked just to be certain.

He nodded at me and sighed. I seriously can’t believe this! Does that mean Mr. Baker’s done something to him too?

“There’s something really weird about him Zack,” he said. It felt as if he was pleading to me. “A few days ago I went into his office and t-there was blood everywhere,” he explained to me.

I remember that day. It was when Beth and I couldn’t find Kyle so we went looking for him. That was also the day when Mr. Baker tried to rape me. He said he was putting me in detention for still being at school. Before that day I still looked up to him...

“And, I thought I should let you know that he was c-cutting pictures of you out of any team photos,” he said sounding really worried. “He was sticking them in this book and it was j-just really creepy. He didn’t even notice me standing there.”

“Oh,” I whispered. That was the only word I managed to get out. He was collecting pictures of me?

“Then everyone was sent that photo of you and him and... What I'm trying to ask is: has he done anything to you?”

I looked at him for a moment, trying to keep a straight face but it didn’t take long for the tears to pour out. I can’t lie to Kyle and there’s no chance that I'm going to be able to stop myself crying when someone asks that. I wiped away the tears from my face and realized that he’d jumped off the ledge and was standing beside me, putting his arm around my shoulder.

“You’ve got to tell someone Zack,” he whispered.

“I know,” I sniffed, but I just can’t.