Trigger warning for scenes of abuse.
Isaac really didn't feel all that different the next morning. Maybe it had all been a dream, but the dull ache of the bite on his side reminded him that it had indeed happened. It was disappointing. Somehow, he'd expected something more profound. He still felt like his same old self, especially when talking to the sheriff that morning about the incident the night before.
Lying came easily and he explained away the grave robbery. He was surprised that he could hear his father's heartbeat speed up when the sheriff asked about his eye. He imagined it just meant that his father was concerned about getting in trouble, but part of Isaac wanted to believe his father was scared to lose him. He could dream, right?
School passed by like every other day and it all felt so anti-climactic. Of course, the universe fixed that when he got to chemistry class. Isaac had totally forgotten about the test and all he could do was stare at it. He knew Kat had gone over all of this with him, but when he tried to think back to their tutoring sessions all he could remember was the smell of her shampoo and the color of her eyes.
He gave his best effort on the test, but he was sure he'd failed it miserably. It was no surprise when Mr. Harris informed him that he was now making a D in the class. Isaac stressed for a while over how he was going to explain that to his dad and even worse, Kat. He didn't want to make her feel like she'd been a bad tutor when it was his fault.
Isaac saw Kat in the cafeteria. She was wearing a lacrosse hoodie that was two sizes too big for her. As he got closer he was disappointed that the scent of the hoodie's owner far overwhelmed hers. She smiled kindly at him and his heart sped up. It was the real kind of smile, the kind that shone in her eyes and he was glad because he wasn't sure he'd see it again after what they'd talked about the day before.
"How did you do on your test?" she asked brightly.
Isaac hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should lie but deciding he didn't want to. Not to her. "I failed," he muttered.
Her smile faded away. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off yesterday. I was just—"
"Don't worry about it," he interrupted. "It's not your fault. You explained everything really well I just blanked when it came time for the test. It was anxiety or something."
Kat looked a bit relieved. "Well, is there a way to bring up your grade?"
"Yeah, the midterm might help but that's not important. Are you alright?" He really didn't want to talk about grades.
"Oh, I-I'm fine," she said.
"Do you think you could tell me what happened?" he asked.
"Only if you tell me how you got that black eye," she replied.
"You first," he said softly.
Her hair had fallen in her face and without thinking about it Isaac reached up and pushed it back behind her ear. He lingered a bit, feeling how soft the strands were against his fingers. Her pupils dilated and he could hear her heart start to thud faster.
"I should go," she said. She grabbed her bag and rushed away before Isaac could stop her. He sighed and watched her until she was gone from the cafeteria.
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"What was that?" Mike whispered in her ear. Though his voice was soft, she could feel the rage and it made her feel like her entire body had turned to ice.
"He's just a kid I tutor," she said. She was trying to be confident, but she knew her voice was shaking. His arm was around her, they just looked like any other couple, but his fingers dug painfully into her arm as he directed her to the abandoned library.
"He was being pretty friendly back there." Mike pushed her against a bookcase.
"You're hurting me," she said, slightly louder than normal as if volume would make up for the lack of confidence. She doubted Mike cared if he was hurting her or not.
His large hand pressed over her mouth and nose, making it impossible to breathe. He pulled her glasses off and she couldn't see. Kat struggled against him until spots danced in front of her eyes and it felt like her head was going to explode.
"I don't want to catch you talking to him again," Mike said. He finally let her go and dropped her glasses.
She was still gasping for breath as he walked away. She felt on the ground until she found her glasses. She was too stunned to cry. How was this still happening? After he'd left the bruises on her forearm, he'd seemed so sincerely sorry that she was sure he'd realized he couldn't keep doing this.
Kat was afraid for what would happen. She knew she should just tell Isaac she couldn't be his tutor anymore, but the truth was she liked spending time with him and she didn't want to give that up. It already felt like Mike had come between her and all of her friends. It just wasn't fair that he was going to take away Isaac too.
Then again, she knew Mike was justified in a way. She'd really liked the way Isaac had touched her hair and looked in her eyes. In those brief seconds, she felt more beautiful and cherished than she ever had with Mike.
It was hopeless though. They would never be together. Isaac had secrets of his own and she knew that Mike would probably kill her if she tried to break up with him.
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Isaac couldn't meet his father's eye as they ate silently. Finally, the inevitable question about grades came up. He started off with good news, thinking that would soften the blow. For a moment, he thought it had worked when his dad said his punishment would be washing the dishes. Of course, he should have known it was too good to be true and he barely had time to dodge the glass hurtling at him. It shattered against the wall and a shard pierced the skin just below his eye.
"You could've blinded me," he accused.
His father started some derogatory retort but stopped in the middle of his sentence. Isaac could feel the cut healing. He knew his father had already seen, but he ran anyway. He never looked back, he couldn't risk it. He couldn't stop running until he figured out what he was going to do.