Beaten

Chapter 3

Christie got up from the couch and kissed me goodbye.
I scooped up my bag, finished getting ready, then left home in a rush to get to school.
There was a connection between my mother and Miss B, I knew there had to be.
Abuse. Abuse was the connection.
Beaten. Beaten they both were.
Maybe they were the same person.
Could Miss B, be my biological mom?
She had long light brown hair, big brown eyes, and a pretty smile, everything my mom said! People have even told us we look alike.
My mom said she was 15 when I was born... That was 13 years ago, so she'd now be 27, almost 28.
Miss B was almost 28!
Could this really be true? Could Miss B, be my real mom?
One way to find out.

Ms. Payton, my science teacher, stared at me all morning before first period.
She was making me nervous.
She reminded me a little of Miss B, she was in her late 20's.
After a while Mrs. Hans, my English teacher, who was in her mid 40's, and we loved her, she started to look at me oddly too.
" Why are- " I cut Haley off " I don't know! "
" They're looking at you really weirdly " Kendra whispered too me.
" I know, what'd i do? " I asked myself.
" So... Are you gonna ask Miss B, you know if she has ever had another child? " Claire started slowly.
" I should, I mean she could be my mom, my mother that carried me for nine months and birthed me " I cried.
" Just do it " Jane stood up and pulled my arm with her.
I nodded at her and took a deep breath.
They knew I wanted to go alone, so they sat back down and stared at me walk toward our math classroom.
I took yet another deep breath and pushed the door open.
" Hey honey " Miss B didn't even look up at me, but I could still see the bruises on her face.
I glanced at her belly, it was starting to become a small baby bump, today she wore a blue loose shirt, still letting the bump bulge out a little.
" I- I just have a quick question for you " I stutter and teetered a little as I walked toward her.
" What's up? " She smiled and looked up finally at me.
I was confused, she was oddly happy.
" Happy about something? " I asked first.
" Yeah but I shouldn't be " She whispered to herself.
" Why? " I sat down by her.
" Lacy, I should tell you something " She patted the spot on the floor closest to her.
I sat down and she grabbed my hand, and looked in my eyes, she stared for a second and then shook her head.
" I have to tell or uh, ask you some thing too " I slowly said.
" Ok you first " We said at the same time, then laughed.
" I will " she started " Okay so, my fiancé, we've been together since I was 14, he's... very very abusive and short tempered " Miss B shivered.
" I always loved another man though... Mr. Eric Banning, he's the one fathering the baby I'm pregnant with... It shouldn't of ever happened, I'm adulterous. I'm a cheater " She cried.
" No, no, no your not, it's not your fault " I told her, and leaned my head on her shoulder.
" I didn't mean for it to happen " She sobbed and thought back to that night, almost 5 months ago.

Miss B's POV

About 5 months earlier.

I messed up again in his eyes.
I covered my face with my hands, awaiting a blow from his fist.
I don't even understand what I did wrong.
It's been like this since I was 14 anyway, haven't I gotten used to it?
The answer in my mind is no. I'll never get used to being beaten.
Suddenly i took in a strong blow to my face as he screams muffled words.
I know better than to cry, it just makes it worse.
I take the beating strongly.
What are my new students going to think this year? A battered math teacher everyday?
It's only early July, but I know this won't stop before then.
Summers are the worst, I have no excuse to get away from him.
School is my safe haven.
Bam! He whips me to the floor, I scream and cry " Carter stop! Please stop! "
I start to crawl up the stairs but my ankle is quickly grabbed, and I'm pulled to the floor, hitting my jaw on the marble steps.
I kick him hard in the face, he pulls away and spits up blood.
" Oh god, you son of a b**** " He screams and runs to the bathroom.
I push myself to my feet and run to the door.
Grabbing my keys and my cell phone, i dart to the car, pulling away before he can even get to the door.

I pull into Eric's driveway, I haven't seen him in months, he's the one I truly love.
Eric must've seen me from the window because he came running out the front door, opening my car door and lifting me into the air.
I slid down in his arms, still leaving my feet off the ground, he grabbed my cheeks, kissing me, right in the driveway in the dark.
I broke off the kiss and leaned my head on his shoulder, " I missed you so much " He smiled, trying to look down at my face.
" I missed you too, I love you " I whispered.
" I love you so much too, don't you ever leave " Eric kissed my head.
In the back of my mind I felt guilty, but in my heart I was happy to be with someone who I loved, and he loved me.
" Let's go inside " I nodded at him as he asked.
When he could see my face again, Eric asked " Has he been hurting you? "
" When doesn't he? " I said sarcastically.
" Too shay " He smiled and cuddled me up next to him.
Throughout the night, I ignored phone calls after phone calls, texts after texts, emails after emails, from Carter.
I know I shouldn't of ignored him, but I was happy.
There was an other thing I knew I'd be haunted about though.
I made a mistake that night.

I got home once again, it was 2 weeks into August, fear bitting at my chest.
My fingers fumbled in my pocket for the key to the front door, when I pulled them out, I could hardly get the key in lock, my hands were trembling so hard.
Thinking I could sneak past him, and grab my things to go, I darted as soon as I got in.
My hope was short lived.
I tripped over a broken chair on the floor, near the kitchen.
A chair scooted back in the dinning room.
At first I thought it was him, noticing me, but it wasn't.
I kept myself on the floor and took a peek around the corner.
What I saw against the island of the kitchen, could almost bring tears to my eyes, of betrayal and relief.
Carter had a women pinned against the island, kissing her neck, she had her eyes closed and rubbed his back.
Was I in rage? Yes. From his betrayal.
Was I in relief? Yes. Now maybe we could break up.
I didn't feel as guilty about my affair anymore, knowing he was having an affair too.
For a couple minutes I just stared, still in shock that this was happening.
I felt like I should recognize the woman.
She wasn't much older than me, 2 years at the most.
Oh my god. My mind clicked in my head, I knew who she was!
She's a 7th grade teacher like me!
The kids science teacher, Ms. Payton.
Amy, I think her first name is.
I started tearing up, it was hard to know my coworker is basically getting intimate with my boyfriend.
I lost it.
" What the f*** is your problem? " I stood up and shouted.
Carter jumped back as if I scared him.
Amy stared at me, as if she didn't know why I was here.
" Amber? What are you doing here? " She asked.
" Amber if you say a word I'm gonna shoot ur head off " Carter gritted his teeth at me.
" I can't let you abuse another woman! " I scream cried.
" What the hell is going on? " Amy interrupted.
" Carter and I have been dating for years! " I cried.
Amy fumed " Is this true!? "
" Amy, i- " She cut Carter off, " Oh don't you even talk to me! You f***ing b*tch! "
" Amber, I'm I'm... I'm so sorry " She cried as she picked up her purse.
I couldn't believe it but she hugged me tight on the way out.
Carter just paced in the kitchen, never looking at us once.
I started to get lightheaded, watching him.
" Are you feeling ok? " Amy asked.
I got a bad feeling.
Could I be pregnant from Eric, in my affair?
I felt sick.
" I think I could be pregnant " I gasped between cries.
" Are you f***ing kidding me?! " Carter screamed.
" What are you talking about, I bet you got Amy pregnant too! " I screamed back, I've never talked that way to him before.
I instantly regretted it.
He threw a box at me.
Amy reached down and picked it up, as I shielded my face with my trembling arms.
" It a pregnancy test " She sighed.
" Go take it " Carter said sternly.
I gave him weak shake of my head, but he shot angry eyes back.
Amy came with me to the bathroom.
After taking it, I read over the back of the box, with Amy sitting next to me on the bathroom counter.
The door was shut and locked but I knew Carter was near by.
I sobbed into my hands, anxiety eating me alive as I stared at the test on the toilet seat, still 2 minutes to go before the results came up.
We sat in silence for another couple minutes when finally the results came up.
I snatched it and flipped it over in my lap.
I reminded myself that a minus sign meant negative and plus signs meant positive.
" It's gonna be ok " Amy side hugged me.
I took a deep breath and flipped it again.
My eyes basically bugged out of my head.
I screamed and then began to sob, sitting down on the toilet seat on cried into my hands again.
For a couple minutes Amy just hugged me, as we stared at that plus sign.
I was pregnant. 6 weeks along to be exact. With a baby that wasn't my boyfriend's.
Carter knocked on the door.
My heart stopped, I whispered to Amy " What am I going to tell him? " I panicked in a whisper.
" I don't know " She replied.
" Take it " I tossed it to her.
" I don't want it! " She tossed it back.
" Well neither do I! " We tossed it back and forth, panicking.
" Its your test! "
" Well he'll never expect u to have it "
" But it's just, ew! Yours "
" Amber unlock the door, it's just me " He pleaded to me.
Oh please. Like I'd open the door to him.
I slowly unlocked the door and let him come in, I put a smile on my face and threw the test quickly in my bra.
" It's negative " I weakly smiled, lying.
Amy's face turned red, guilty.
He stared at us for a second.
Suddenly he struck me with a slap " Liar! " Carter screamed.
Amy ran out of the bathroom and grabbed her phone.
Carter began to beat me.
I jumped backwards into the bathtub, but slipped and hit my head.
He whipped me across the room to the sink, hitting my head again, I fell to the ground.
I started to fade in and out if consciousness.
Trying to crawl away was no use, my bloody hands made it worse.
The whole bathroom floor was covered in my blood, especially the bathtub.
As Carter stopped kicking me for a moment, I slid my hands across the bar on the sink, imprinting a bloody hand print on the mirror.
I heard Amy sobbing on the phone to 911 in the neighboring bedroom.
Looking upward, I saw Carter staring down on me with disgust.
The last part of the beating was him kicking me repeatedly in the stomach.
If I was pregnant, I miscarried now.
Police raced into the room, and put Carter in handcuffs.
Paramedics jumped too my side and pulled me to a stretcher.
A few police men comforted Amy, who was in shock and weeping.
As they pulled me into an ambulance, somebody jumped in back with me.
Through the blurred images of people, I saw Eric's face.
The medics allowed him to lightly kiss my lips and nose.
" I knew something like this was going to happen " He cried over me " I should've protected you "
" It's not your fault " I mumbled and smiled weakly.
" I don't know what I'd do without you... I love you so much Amber " Eric leaned down and kissed my forehead.
" I- I love you so much too baby " I responded as they put me out of the pain into a deep sleep.
I dreamt about how I'd be back to teaching in a few days.
With yet another grade that I have to explain why I'm battered all the time too.
But what now? I'm so battered now that I don't know what to do.
My future was so undetermined. But only I could change it.
I had to be strong, fight back.
I'm not going to let him beat me anymore.
I'm gonna show him what this little girl is made of.