Itona: Teacher's Pet
I was in 8th grade. I had just started going to this school for about half a year, Kunugigaoka. I made some new friends, Terasaka, Aaliyah, Yoshida, Muramatsu, and Hazama. We were all in C class at the time. There was this one class that we just couldn't stand. Algebra class. When I say we, by the way, I mean the Terasaka gang collectively. The rest of the gang hated the class, especially Aaliyah. Except for me. Now the reason the gang hated this class is not because of the class itself. It was because of the teacher. They said that the teacher gave them the creeps. Aaliyah said that Nasujima-sensei had sexually assaulted some kids in the past, at least that's what she's heard. Naturally, the rest of the gang took her word for it because she was the social butterfly of the gang, and people would gossip with her. I just couldn't believe her however, and the reason I couldn't believe her is because I was his favorite, the teacher's pet, if you may. Now obviously, I didn't act like a stereotypical teacher's pet. I didn't act like I was better than everyone. Although, I did say hi to Nasujima-sensei in the hallways, and one day I was going to help him erase the board after school because he told me after class that he needs help cleaning the board. I agreed of course, not thinking much of it because I was an 8th grader. Now, Aaliyah heard that because she obviously has some sort of super Sonic hearing powers. She approached me while we were walking to lunch together and asked, "You're really not gonna actually help him erase the board, right?" "I don't know, maybe.", I responded like the dumb, naive, little 8th grader I was. "You really, really shouldn't.", she told me in a concerned voice, "It's a trap to pray on you, like all predators do." "HES NOT PRAYING ON ME AALIYAH!", I shouted at her. Thankfully, we were still in the hallway, and everyone else was in the cafeteria, so no one heard us. She shouted back at me, "YES HE IS, NOBODY NEEDS HELP ERASING A DAMN BOARD ITONA, OPEN YOUR FUCKING EYES!" "HE TOLD ME I WAS SPECIAL, AND THATS WHY I WOULD BE THE BEST AT ERASING THE BOARD!", I snapped back. "TELLING KIDS THEYRE SPECIAL IS A WAY THAT PREDATORS CAN GET TO CHILDREN BECAUSE THEYRE PRAYING ON THEIR INNOCENCE AND THEIR NEED TO FEEL WANTED!", she insulted me, "AND YOURE FUCKING 5'3" ITONA, ERASE WHAT BOARD?!" I just started flat out raging on her and said, "YOURE 5'1" YOU HAVE NO ROOM TO INSULT MY SHORTNESS!" "Look", she stopped the yelling, and was being the bigger person, "just please promise me, you won't go back into that classroom today." "Ok.", I lied to her. I was definitely going back. That predatory tactic worked. I needed to feel wanted. Anyways, we walked to the cafeteria. Terasaka came up to us and asked, "Why the fuck were you guys so late?" "We were just talking about marvel.", Aaliyah lied. We started talking and eating as usual. After lunch, Aaliyah said she was going to the bathroom, then pulled me aside, and told me to thank her for saving my ass, cause Terasaka would have truly knocked some sense into me. In our class after lunch, I saw Hazama sneaking out her phone. Luckily it looked like she was just replying to a text message so she didn't have her phone out for very long, and therefore didn't get caught. After a few boring classes, it was finally the end of the day. I stupidly went back to Nasujima-sensei's class even after getting warned numerous times. I just didn't think he was a bad person. After I came in he closed the door, and put down the blinds on the door windows. I didn't think much of it because again, I was naive and innocent. As I started erasing the board, Nasujima-sensei started putting his hands on me, kind of helping me erase the board. I started feeling confused. Maybe Aaliyah was right, maybe it is a bad idea to stay in here. I just shook the thought out of my head because I really didn't know what to do at this point. The teacher is kind of cute, but I doubt he'd make a move on me because pedophilia is wrong. He knows it's wrong. I know it's wrong. So I doubt it'll happen. I just let him help me erase the board, even if I'm feeling kind of flustered, and my face feels like it's blushing. After I finish erasing the board, the teacher starts taking off my shirt. I FROZE. I'm thinking, what the fuck is going on. Just as all these thoughts are going through my head, the classroom door opens. THANK FUCK. I realize it's Hazama. She takes me out of the room, grabs my shirt from the teachers hand, and shouts at him, "DONT YOU EVER TOUCH MY FRIEND! EVER! YOURE A FUCKING FREAK!" "Oh yeah", he says to her, "and what are you gonna do about it little lady." She in which replies, "What I'm gonna do is make you leave this fucking school, cause I personally have no problem walking into any police station and telling them that my algebra teacher likes to fuck little kids." She proceeds to walk out with me, and gives me my shirt to put back on. I put on the shirt. I expect her to yell at me, but all she says is, "I'm so sorry." At that point, I hugged her and started crying. "I FEEL SO FUCKING WEAK!", I told her, "I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO YOU GUYS WHEN YOU GUYS SAID YOU DIDNT TRUST HIM!" "I FEEL LIKE... such a fucking teacher's pet.", I say in a kind of laughter, but a more sad laughter, "If that even makes any sense." She doesn't say anything at the moment. After I finished crying, Hazama and I walked out of the school to go home when we get stopped by Principal Asano. "What are you guys still doing at school?" She looked at me in a way that was like asking me if she can tell the truth. I nodded my head. Hazama told him everything that she needed to say to get this teacher fired, and possibly facing some jail time. The principal said, "Thank you for telling me this, we do not tolerate this sort of action at Kunugigaoka." He walked away, in the direction of Nasujima-sensei's classroom, rather than his office. "How did you know?", I asked her. "You know that text message I got in the middle of class today? It was from Aaliyah.", she revealed, "She texted me when she was in the bathroom, telling me the whole conversation that went down between you 2 right before lunch. She told me, since she was going to be in volleyball practice, she can't go and stop you if you decide to go into his classroom. She said that if in 10 minutes, if you're not outside with the rest of the gang, go back inside to Nasujima-sensei's class and check up on you." "Luckily the door was unlocked so I could get inside and put a stop to this whole thing.", she said. I told her, "Imagine if it wasn't though." "I don't want to imagine that, Itona.", she replied, "I love you and care about you, so I don't want to imagine what he would have done to you if the circumstances were different. I know this must've been a traumatic experience for you, and you may never heal from it. Just remember, this too shall pass." She hugged me. Nasujima ended up getting fired that day, and was quickly replaced. Now, whenever I go through something hard in life like when I was temporarily ripped away from my friends because of Shiro, and now have to live without tentacles again, I think back to the lesson I learned that day in 8th grade. This may be a traumatic experience and change some ways you go through life in the future, but this too shall pass.