Bad Teacher(67)

“It? Her name is Hailey.”

“And now her name is ‘gone-girl,’” she jests. “It’s too late, Thomas. She won’t come back, trust me.”

I look out the window, but I can’t see her anywhere, not even in the parking lot. Fury makes me slam my fist into the wall. “Fuck!”

“Calm down,” she says. “It’s not gonna help you.”

“I have to go after her,” I say.

“No, don’t. You’ve already ruined your career. Don’t ruin her too.”

“But she hates me,” I growl.

“Then it’s only easier for her to let you go. It wouldn’t have worked out anyway.” She rubs my back. “I mean, look at you two. She’s young; you’re not. You have a job; she doesn’t. You already have a whole history behind you. She’s only just starting out. She’s different than you are. Your lives don’t match. It could never have been more than a fling.”

I hear her words, but they don’t register because I don’t want them to.

Part of me wants to cling to the hope that I can salvage something. And a part of me just wants to give up the fight.

“Let her go. If she hates you, then that means at least you won’t have to break her heart when she loves you,” she says. “It’s easier to hate than to love.”

“And now, we’re both broken beyond repair,” I mutter, resting my head against the window.

“Maybe you should’ve thought about that before you played with her heart,” she says, turning away. “You gambled, and you lost. It’s time to admit your defeat and rescue whatever you can.”

“I can’t. I’m already fired.”

“Hmm … true.” She takes a deep breath as she walks to the door. “But at least you can now focus on something worthwhile instead of a young girl who would never be happy with you anyway.”

As she walks out the door, I glance over my shoulder and say, “You’re wrong. You’re wrong about her. And about me.”

She pauses but doesn’t reply. Then she closes the door behind her and leaves behind a gaping emptiness that makes me howl with pain.











Hailey





A few days later





I totally screwed up the test I had today.

I knew I was going to fail it the moment I sat down to pen my answers.

I hadn’t studied.

I hadn’t even tried.

Well, I did, but I couldn’t get past the first page without sobbing uncontrollably.

I can’t do anything for shit, and I hate it.

I hate feeling weak. I hate feeling betrayed.

But most of all, I hate Thomas Hard.

He ripped my heart out of my chest and stomped on it in front of the entire school.

I’ll never forgive him.

At least, that’s what I tell myself. That I can hate him forever, even though I know I can’t.

All I want is for this deceit to go away. For it to have never existed in the first place.

Is it so wrong for a girl to want a happy life with the guy she fell in love with?

Love … what a waste that I gave it away.

Just like that.

In my room, I sit and stare out the window, listening to music on my headphones while trying not to think about Thomas, which is obviously not working. I’m trying to decide whether it’s even worth it to go on with my semester. I’m failing all my classes, and the whole school recognizes me as ‘that girl’ or worse … some even whisper ‘whore’ behind my back.

It hurts, but not as much as him not being here to apologize does.

I haven’t seen him since I last saw him in his apartment with Natalie.

His office is empty, completely stripped of anything that would remind me of him. It’s as if he’s completely vanished off the face of the earth. And I’m still here … alone, miserable.

I sigh, pick up my pillow, and shove it in my own face, growling.

“C’mon, Hailey. Move the fuck on. He’s not worth it.”

If only Lesley were here so we could binge watch Sex and The City, but unlike me, she actually goes to her classes. Like right now.

Out of nowhere, my phone starts buzzing, and I jump out of bed to fish it off the table. My excitement quickly dies out when I notice the number isn’t one I recognize.

“Hello?” I say as I pick up.

“Hi, is this Hailey Walters?”

“Yeah, that’s me.” I don’t recognize the voice.

“All right. This is Saint Lucas’s Hospital. Your mother’s been admitted.”

My heart stops beating. “What’s going on? What happened?”

“She’s had significant bruising and a fractured rib. We don’t know the cause yet, but it’s imperative that you come here as soon as possible. She gave your number as a contact.”