Screaming in Silence

I went to school a few days later and, of course, I was bombarded with questions from my friends about where I had been, if I was ok and what had happened to warrent almost a whole week off school. Obviously, I didn't answer any of them. Piece of paper after piece of paper was shoved under my nose as people's way to try and get me to talk, but I didn't. These people didn't really care about me so why should I bother filling them in. They just wanted the gossip. I ignored them, earning a few concerned and confused glances and stares. I didn't care.

"Bethany Baker?" Mr Foster called out as he did the register. I raised my hand absent-mindedly and waved it around, like I did everyday. "I'd like to see you again after tutorial please Bethany, about your absence this week," he grinned at me. Bollocks was it. He just wanted another chance to molest me, but that wasn't happening. I simply glared at the disgusting man and rested my head on my desk.

At the end of tutorial Mr Foster expected me to walk to the front to see what he wanted, but I didn't. I was the last out of the room and stuck up my middle finger as I walked right past him. He stared at me in shock as I confidently walked out the room, head held high for the first time in almost 9 years.

-

I didn't even try to communicate with any friends that day and they knew something was up. I didn't care. I got through my lessons, did all my work and ignored any comments or questions flying my way. People soon got pissed off.

"Hey, Beth. I know you're feeling a bit off today, but you wanna talk about it?" Ethan asked me. I ignored him. "Beth?" he waved a hand in front of my face. I slapped it away and turned back to playing with my phone. "Have I done something? Because I didn't tell anyone about... well, you know..." he murmured. I still ignored him. "Ok that's it. People are getting pissed off with you today and I told them to cut you a break, but I can see where they're coming from," he sighed angrily. "Still nothing to say? shock," he spat sarcastically.

I could see him glaring at me from the corner of my eye, so I just stood up from our table in the crowded canteen and left. I didn't look at him, I didn't shoot him a funny glance, I just left. I wasn't going to waste my time with people who didn't care anymore. I'd wasted 15 years on my mother and she wasn't going to change, she didn't even last a day sober. I'd wasted almost 9 years on Zach and I knew then that he was long gone and never coming back. I'd wasted the majority of my life hoping that people would change, but they didn't so why should I care about them when they clearly didn't care about me? They didn't care about my safety or my mental health so why should I give them the time of day. I'd gotten that far in life on my own, I didn't need anyone.

-

The end of the day came and everyone had given up on me. I didn't go near any of them and they didn't go near me, they just shot me confused and sometimes hurt looks and walked past me. I was walking home with my ear-buds jammed tightly in my ears with music blasting through them. I had never really been very aware of my surroundings when I was walking, I'd generally just put my ear-buds in and think about anything and everything that was on my mind and attempt to put the world to rights. In other words, I'd come up with some lame ass solutions to my current situations. This time, I didn't bother. I was in more trouble and emotional turmoil than I'd ever been before yet I didn't bother to sort any of it out anymore because I suppose the shit I'd been put through had finally toughened me up a bit and I would finally stand up for myself.

I was mid thought when a car beeped its horn next to me, scaring me out of my mind. I turned to look in the window and saw Mr Foster sat in the driving seat in a flashy, silver car.

"Hey gorgeous, get in," he grumbled. I rolled my eyes at his pathetic attempt and continued walking. "That wasn't a question Bethany, get in," he demanded. I scoffed again and continued walking. He muttered something under his breath and opened his door. He hopped out and looked around the street, making sure the coast was clear before grabbing a fistful of my hair and yanking me backwards into the car. He pushed me into the passenger seat and jumped in, locking the doors so I couldn't escape. "That could have been so much easier, kid."

I couldn't do anything. I was locked in the car until we got to wherever he was driving towards. I stared out the windows to try and see landmarks and street signs to see where we were going, but I had never been that way before so if he left me wherever we were going, I'd be lost. He pulled into a secluded area surrounded by woodlands. It was dead silent.

"Now, we're going to pick up where we left off last time," he grinned evilly, swinging his leg over me and straddling me. I squirmed underneath him, but he was too strong. He pushed his disgusting lips against mine and tried to push his tongue into my mouth, I refused to let him. His hands groped my body, grabbing and groping everything he could touch. I squirmed underneath his touch, my skin crawling at the feeling of Mr Fosters touch. I gathered some strength and managed to push him off of me and he landed awkwardly back in the drivers seat. He must have flipped a switch because the doors unlocked. I took that as my moment and opened the door to run.

"You little bitch!" he shouted after me, angrily. He scrambled out the car in attempt to chase after me. "Hey!" he shouted. I made the mistake of briefly turning my head to look at him and tripped over a tree root sticking out the ground. I landed with a huge thud on the ground, covering my uniform in mud. I scrabbled to get up before he caught up with me, but I was too late. His filthy hand pinned me to the ground, his furious glare staring right through me.

"Nice try," he growled in my ear. I continued to struggle against him but my efforts seemed useless. He gripped both of my skinny wrists in his huge, bear hands and fumbled with my clothes. I tried to scream, but the most that I could muster was a pathetic little gargle. A new born could have done better. "Aw, what's wrong babe? Cat got your tongue?" he chuckled evilly.

That did it. The same line that the sick rapist had used on me. It wasn't happening again. One of my hands slipped free from his grip and I took my chance to punch him square in the face. "Fuck!" he shouted, falling off me backwards and gripping his face. I stumbled to my feet and backed away from him. I knew I should have run, fast, but there was something in me that wanted more. It was like the beast was finally waking up and I didn't want to control it. I was angry and someone was going to pay. Mr Foster was going to pay.

He removed his hands from his face, groaning in pain but I didn't give him a chance to get up and take control, I kicked him in the nose with my thick soled school shoes.

"Bitch!" he spat, blood gushing down his face. He quickly scrambled to his feet and headed straight for me, but I was ready. I threw another punch to his face, feeling a crack under my knuckle I thought I'd broken my fist, but it felt fine. Mr Foster, though, screamed out in agony and clasped onto his eye. "You little bitch! You fucking broke my face!" he started screaming like a little girl and grabbed a fistful of my shirt, raising his fist to get his own back, but I immediately brought my knee up and kneed him in the crotch, hard. His eyes bugged out like the first time I did that and he dropped to the floor in the foetal position, crying like a little girl. The beast was semi-satisfied so I gave him one last blow to the stomach, winding him, and ran off back up the road he'd driven down.