Misty got up the next day and put on denim shorts and a long sleeve top. She figured it was too hot to wear pants and the long sleeves. She pulled on a pair of black converse and left the house after cleaning up.
The girl made her way to school and Zoe looked at her funnily, "It's kind of hot to be wearing long sleeves isn't it?"
"A bunch of my classes are cold and I didn't wanna bring a jacket," The brunette nodded to her and they made their way into the building.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty could feel the heat while she sat in the greenhouse and pushed her sleeves up before noticing the dark bruise again and quickly pulling them back down. She settled for unbuttoning the shirt a few more buttons and looked back down at the work that she was supposed to be doing in study hall. She heard the door open and looked up to see her teacher enter and grin at her.
"Aren't you hot?"
"Ehh. I just wish my hair wasn't so thick," She laughed and Miss Goode nodded before pulling a hair tie from her wrist and holding it out to the girl, "Oh. Thanks!" She nodded again and took a seat across from the girl as Misty pulled her hair into a messy bun.
"It's eighty nine degrees out today. What's with the long sleeves?" Misty scrunched her nose up and got up to move to a different plant where she had her back to the woman.
"A couple of my teachers keep their rooms real cold. I didn't feel like keepin' up with a jacket," Cordelia watched the girl's back and slowly nodded.
"Okay," Misty turned to look at her and the woman was looking down at the plant that she had just abandoned. She finally made her way back to the table a few moments later and took her seat again, "Rhiannon accidently got in my shower last night. She did not like that at all," Misty laughed and looked up into deep brown eyes.
"I bet," The woman grinned as Misty stood to grab something she needed.
"Misty," She reached out to grab the girl's arm to get her attention and the girl hissed loudly and wrenched her arm back, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?" The girl shook her head quickly and grabbed what she needed.
"Umm. No. Ya just scared me again," She didn't look back up and Cordelia stared hard at her. She reached out and grabbed the girl's hand. Misty tried to pull her arm back but the woman laced their fingers together to pull her arm across the table and the girl gave up. She still didn't look up.
Cordelia eyed the girl before raising her sleeve up her forearm and gasping, "Misty," She whispered the girl's name and reached her other hand out to grab the girl's chin and lift her face. Blue eyes finally looked at her, "How did this happen, sweet heart?"
"It was an accident."
"Misty. That doesn't look like it was an accident to me, darling," The girl bit her lip and looked down at her arm.
"He didn't mean ta do it," Cordelia looked at the bruise again and had a million thoughts running through her mind.
"Who?" The girl didn't answer, "Your boyfriend?" She shook her head.
"I'm not datin' anyone."
"Your father?" The girl refused to meet her eyes and Cordelia lifted her chin again to look at her, "Misty. Did your father do this to you?"
"Yes," It was barely whispered and the woman stood and made her way around the table to hug the girl. Misty stiffened but Cordelia ran her hands up and down her back and slowly the girl began to relax into her hold.
"That's not okay, Misty."
"He didn't mean ta do it, Miss Goode. He just doesn't realize how strong he is," Cordelia bit her lip and pulled back to meet the girl's eyes.
"So you're telling me this hasn't happened before," The girl looked down again and Cordelia sighed, "That's abuse, Misty. I have to tell someone," The girl looked up wide eyed and shook her head frantically.
"Ya can't tell."
"Misty. I have to."
"No ya don't. I'm eighteen. It's not child abuse anymore."
"Then it's battery and assault," The girl looked up at her and sighed.
"It won't do any good and it'll only make it worse. You're not the first teacher ta notice and call someone."
"What do you mean?"
"There were teachers before who noticed bruises and long sleeves and made the call. It never did any good. A social worker would show up and nothin' would be done. They'd leave and I'd get in trouble for them comin' ta the house," Cordelia bit her lip, "Please, Miss Goode. Ya can't tell."
"Misty, I don't feel right about not telling someone," The girl continued to look at her pleadingly, "If I don't tell, will you promise to call me next time something like this happens?" Misty looked at her for a long moment before sighing.
"I guess so," Cordelia nodded and took the girl's phone before putting her number into it. She handed it back to the girl and gently lifted her arm to look at the bruise.
"Can I wrap this?" Misty furrowed her eyebrows, "It would make me feel a little better," The girl finally nodded and Cordelia moved away and came back with a small first aid kit. She grabbed the gauze and wrapped the girl's bruised arm gently before securing it and putting everything back. When she walked back to the station, Misty was looking down at her arm. Cordelia just shook her head and pulled the wild blonde into another hug.
oooOOooOOooo
On Friday, Misty worked in the library for study hall. She'd been paired up for an assignment with a boy that she'd never gotten along with. He was annoying and she could tell that he didn't too much care for her either. She came back to the table where he was with a stack of books in her arms.
"These are all on the topic we chose," He nodded and she took her seat, "I'll do these. Ya wanna try those?" She pointed and heard the boy scoff. The girl looked up to a sneer, "What?"
"Do you always have to talk like some kind of airhead?" Misty felt her temper flare and glared harshly at the boy.
"Contrary to popular belief, Ethan, I can speak properly when it is needed. I didn't choose to pick up this accent but it is what it is. I speak properly when it's necessary and sorry to tell you this, douche bag, but you weren't worth me speaking properly to," She felt his hand connect with her face before she ever saw him move.
oooOOooOOooo
Misty entered the greenhouse and took her usual seat. She heard Miss Goode come in a few moments later and heard the responding gasp as the woman took it the blood splatter on her clothes and the amount of blood that was soaking through the paper towel that was currently being held to her nose.
"Misty!" She looked up and attempted to grin at the woman who looked a little disgusted. She grabbed a roll of paper towels and handed a few to the girl before taking her seat across from her.
"Thanks," She replaced the bloody napkins with the clean ones and stood to throw them away before sitting back down.
"What in the world happened?"
"Umm. Some boy hit me," Cordelia widened her eyes, "I mean technically I may have provoked it but he asked for it."
"Can we start from the beginning?"
"Oh. Sorry. Yeah," The girl sighed and leaned forward on her elbows as she held the paper towels to her nose, "I got paired up with this idiot for a class project," Cordelia looked amused but nodded, "He made some comment about me always soundin' like an air head 'cause of my accent."
"He's an ass then," Misty looked up into brown eyes and grinned slightly.
"Okay. Anyway, I said a few choice words and may have called him a douche bag," Here she heard the woman let out a small giggle, "And I didn't even see him move before his fist was connectin' with my nose."
"Please tell me he's suspended or something?"
"Well, I hit him back," Cordelia snorted and nodded, "He has a black eye, a busted lip, and a very bruised cheekbone."
"Good job."
"Pretty sure ya aren't supposed ta encourage violence," Cordelia just stared at her and Misty giggled, "The librarian pulled me off of him and took us both ta the office. She made sure ta tell the principal that he hit me first so I'm good. He looked like he was gonna cry when the man started talkin' about suspension and expulsion but I dunno what his actual punishment was."
"Can I look at your nose?" Misty met her eyes and gave a nod. The woman stood and walked around the table before reaching for Misty's hand and pulling it away from her face. She grimaced and put the girl's hand back. She left the room and came back a minute later with a paper towel that she had wet, "You have a lot of dried blood on your face. I can't see anything."
"Sorry."
"Misty, there's nothing for you to be sorry about," She nodded and the woman pulled her hand away from her face again. The girl reached for the paper towel in the woman's hand but she batted her away and brought her hand up to Misty's face. She wiped the blood away gently until the majority of it was gone and pulled her hand back, "It's not broken."
"I knew that," The woman met her eyes and raised her eyebrows in question, "Umm… I've had a few broken noses," The woman bit her lip as her eyes shone with anger but softened when she looked back to the girl.
"It's almost stopped bleeding," Misty nodded and the woman handed her a clean paper towel to hold back to her nose. She looked up to the woman standing in front of her and met soft brown eyes, "It's probably going to bruise."
"I can handle that," Cordelia nodded and sat down beside the girl now instead of across from her. Misty pulled her napkins away, "I think it's done," Cordelia nodded and reached with the wet napkin again to wipe the rest of the blood from her face gently, "Thanks."
"It's not a problem, sweet heart," Misty felt her heart skip a beat at the endearment again. Cordelia looked at her watch, "Have a good weekend, darling. And you have my number. I better not find out that something happened and you didn't call me," Misty looked into brown eyes before nodding, "I'm serious."
"Yes, ma'am."
"And don't call me ma'am."
"Umm. Okay?"
"Sorry. It's just weird. I just finished grad school. There's only four years between us," Misty nodded in understanding, "Ma'am your other teachers. Not me."
"Okay, Miss Goode," She nodded and threw the paper towels away as Misty stood to grab her bag, "I'll see ya Monday then," The woman nodded to her and the girl left.
"Damn. I'm falling hard. This is not good."