A week later Erin was back in school, joining her fellow classmates for the new half term. As usual, the gossip surrounding her was flowing thick and fast but Erin just tried her best to ignore it. Nate hadn't left her side since she'd arrived in school that morning, something Erin was secretly grateful for. Currently they were sitting in the playground at lunchtime, in a deserted corner so Erin didn't have to deal with all the callous whispers about her
"You've barely eaten anything" Nate commented as he stared down at her untouched lunch
"Not hungry…" Erin murmured flicking a piece of hair out of her eyes
"You should eat something" Nate said, he had noticed how much weight Erin had lost when she was away and it worried him
"You're worse than Leo" Erin scowled at him
"I'll take that as a compliment" Nate flashed one of his lop-sided grins at Erin that he knew would always make her smile
She took a bite out of her sandwich and swallowed hard "Happy?" she asked
"Ecstatic" Nate replied "Borderline eudemonic"
"Borderline prat more like" Erin muttered
"There's no borderline about it" Nate grinned and Erin stifled a giggle "Was that a smile?" he pressed
She looked at him and despite her attempts to keep up her stoicism, she was soon laughing alongside him
"Come on we've got to go to biology," Nate said as the school bell drowned out their giggles
Erin sighed and slung her school bag over her shoulder and made her way slowly towards the science block
"Aren't you meant to be using crutches?" Nate asked when he noticed Erin was walking with a slight limp
Erin sighed loudly "Again with the Leo!"
"I'm only looking out for you," Nate told her
"Just like everyone else" Erin said quietly
"You know if you let someone in now and again it would do wonders" Nate retorted
Erin stopped suddenly and rounded on Nate "Do you really want to know what's going on in my life?" her voice was raised to a shout now
"Yes" Nate said firmly, holding her defiant gaze
"You really want to know how my mum beat me every single day. You want to know what it feels like to have your bones snapped by the woman who gave you life. You want to know about how my mum stood by and watched a complete stranger rape me. You want to know what it feels like to live out on the streets for months at a time. You want to know what it finally feels like to have a family only to have it ripped out from under your feet, You want to know how it feels to be beaten within an inch of your life by someone you thought had stayed firmly in your past and then find out that justice wont be served…." Erin's voice had risen to a scream now and had attracted the attention of most of the pupils passing by in the corridor
"I told you she was a nut case," a girl from her biology class whispered to a friend as she walked pass.
Unfortunately Erin had heard that comment and that was all it took for her to burst into a stream of noisy tears in the middle of the bustling corridor. Nate tried his best to console her but his attempts just made her cry harder
"Erin?" a voice came and she turned around to see her art teacher, Mr Peters, standing there looking very concerned "Do you want to come with me for a little chat?"
"No…" Erin shook her head wiping some tears away
"It's okay Erin, you're not in trouble" the teacher assured her "And I'm sure your next teacher will excuse you from class for a bit"
Erin knew she had been backed into a corner and nodded her head
"Right do you and Nate want to come to my office then?"
Erin looked at Nate who grabbed hold of her hand and gave it a tight squeeze before they followed the teacher away from the bustling crowds and into the quiet office
"Right then" he said offering the teenagers a seat "What's been going on to make you so upset"
"Nothing" Erin said quietly, staring at her feet
"Come on Erin, there must have been something that made you have that dramatic outburst in the corridor"
"I can't go back to normal," Erin said after a pause "I can't pretend everything's okay when it's not"
"No one expects you to" Mr Peters said placing a box of tissues in her lap, "I understand you've been through an awful lot in your life…"
"It's just not getting better" Erin sobbed and she leant into Nate so she was sobbing into his shoulder "My whole sanctuary has been destroyed"
"It'll be okay," Nate said quietly
"No it wont!" the reply came "Nora's still out there, she can still get to me…"
"Nora's your godmother yes?" the teacher asked and Erin nodded
"You told me she had a restraining order so she couldn't come near you" Nate frowned
"Like that will stop her" Erin said wiping her eyes "I should have never listened to her, I just wanted to know…" Erin shook her head as her sentence trailed off
"Erin?" the teacher prompted
"My dad" Erin said quietly and Nate held her tighter
She slipped a hand into her blazer pocket and held out a tattered photograph which Mr Peters took gently
"So this has obviously upset you along with everyone else" the teacher said as her carefully studied the picture "And I know it's a lot to deal with when you're just a teenager but you can get through this Erin. You just need to open up to people and let them know what is going on in your world. They just want to help you…"
"I want to help you," Nate whispered in Erin's ear and she bit her tongue to stop a fresh wave of tears
"No one wants to see you upset" Mr Peters told her handing back the photograph "And I understand how hard things must be for you given everything that has happened but you're not alone Erin. You have so many people around you who want to help you but you just have to talk to them"
"It's so hard though"
"I know it is" the teacher sympathised "But you just have to keep trying and keep remembering all the good things"
"You sound like Harry" Erin let out a watery chuckle
"Maybe you should listen to him" Mr Peters smiled as he saw Erin start to calm down "Now listen Erin, my office door is open any time you want to have a chat but promise me you will talk to other people
Erin nodded
"Right now you two can either go back to class or I can inform your teacher of what's happened if you don't feel up to going back"
"I can't face them," Erin said clinging onto Nate
"Okay" the teacher nodded "You two just go back to the common room and keep things calm then"
Nate nodded and pulled a tearful Erin up behind him as they left the office
"I'm sorry," Erin whispered as they walked down the corridor
"Don't ever apologise for being upset" Nate told her gently "And don't listen to anyone who says otherwise"
They stopped in the deserted corridor and Erin turned to face Nate. The two of them stared at each other for a moment before Nate gently leaned in and tenderly kissed Erin.
