Another week passed and I think the guys finally got the hint I wanted to be alone. They all kept their distance and Collin and Brady didn't speak a word of the drama that was going on. It was a good thing…a really good thing actually. I was finally getting the hang of ignoring the pain in my heart. It was bad at points, but I pushed myself through it. It only really got bad when I saw Jake, Paul and even Seth. I never really saw Sam, which was a good thing I guess.
Anyways, it was Thursday and I was passing back all of the kid's projects. Most of them did well which I was happy on, except for one. Ben. He was a strange kid, with a dark side. He did his project on a very dark subject about fear in people. I didn't mind, it was really interesting, but it didn't follow any of the assignments rules and guidelines.
After I passed all the papers back, I sat at my desk and let the kids review their grade. Most of them were happy, except for Ben. His fist landed hard on the desk and he looked at me in disgust. I gave him a pitiful look. He got a D+ on the huge assignment.
"What the hell?" he shouted as he stormed up to my desk.
"Ben, calm down." I ordered.
"Calm fuckin down? You gave me a D+! Do you know how hard I worked on this?" he shouted in my face.
"I said calm down Ben." I said in a louder and sterner voice. My chair slid a little from behind me as I got up from the seat to come face to face with the troubled student.
His face was red with anger, but he didn't say a word.
"I gave you that grade because you didn't follow any of the guidelines or rules. All you did was give me a collage of pictures, showing me your topic. I needed more than that. You were supposed to create a portfolio. With details and writings- a lot more than just pictures." I told him.
"This is photography class- photos make up the class." He said with a snarky tone.
I glared at him a little. "No, what makes up the class is my teachings and my rules. This may be photography class, but this is my photography class." I told him in a very stern voice.
He glared at me some more and then went back to his seat, grabbing his books and walking out the door.
I let out a breath and then looked back at the students. They were all looking at me with wide eyes. Thankfully the bell rang, dismissing the class.
"Bella, are you ok?" Brady asked quietly. Collin was standing next to him, looking as concerned as ever.
I looked up to them briefly, my pulse still slightly racing.
"Yea guys. Go to your next class. I will see you tomorrow." I told them, trying to put on a happy face.
They looked at me skeptically but went out the door without a complaint.
I immediately sat in my chair and analyzed what just went down. Never in my life or career did I have to do that. It was a rush of anger and fear. Not a good combination.
I couldn't wait for the day to be over after that. I was shaky and not myself. I felt so guilty yet still so determined that I did the right thing. When the last bell rang at the end of the day, I was out the door before anyone could stop me.
Being home didn't help one bit. It just made me even more jittery not having anything to do. So I decided to go for a run. I grabbed my music and was out the door in sweats.
I ran and ran, letting my emotions ride out and bring me peace. It was about a good 2 hours before I was home and in the shower.
My muscles were beyond sore and I was exhausted. All I wanted to do was eat and go to bed- and that was my plan.
I made myself some pasta, watched some TV, and then went up to bed, calling it a night early.
When I woke up the next morning, I hoped my day would be better.
I walked into the school and everything was surprisingly ok. It was almost like a normal day. Almost.
When it came to the class Ben was in, the good day came to a hault.
He didn't show up at the beginning of the hour, which I was actually relieved at. Then, during the middle of class as I was teaching, he came stomping in, rushing up to me and pulling out a gun.
I drew in a sharp breath, along with the rest of the students.
He held the gun to my temple and stood behind me.
Click. He pulled off the safety.
Within seconds hHe had one arm with the hand holding the gun to my head and the other arm holding my shoulders, making his arm press against my neck. I was displayed to the students with a gun held to my head and a hand on his arm that was near my neck. They all shook with fear, their faces all full of panic.
"Ben." I said shakily.
"Shut up." He commanded loudly in my ear.
I closed my eyes and let out a breath. Breath. Just Breath. I told myself.
I opened my eyes again and looked at my students. Collin and Brady caught my eyes. They both looked at me innocently with fear. They were shaking a bit which got me even more scared. They could change into wolves and then I would be in even deeper shit.
Putting my mind into gears I took in a few deep breaths and spoke again.
"Ben, you need to let the students go. They are just innocent bystanders."
He didn't respond this time. Just glancing over the class. I can see he was nervous by the way his body was trembling against mine.
"Let them go Ben." I pleaded softly.
"Get out of here." Ben said. The students all just sat there shocked.
"Get out!" He yelled, pointing the gun at them.
I immediately jerked forward, defensively trying to protect them on instinct. He pulled me back, holding me closer to his chest with the gun back on my head.
Collin and Brady were the last ones out, walking a little slower, waiting for some directions of what to do.
I nodded to them, silently telling them to get out of here.
Within a few minutes the fire alarm rang and the loud noise pulsed through the building. The halls were filled with kids and the teachers rushing them out.
"Arg!" Ben yelled, trying to cover his ears from the shrilling noise. He pointed the gun to the alarm in my room and pulled the trigger.
A loud shot rang out of the school and the alarm died in my room.
I flinched at the loud shot of a gun and cowered in fear.
Ben then shoved me to my desk chair and pointed the gun at me.
"You should see your face right now. That was the topic of my project." He spat.
"I know." I said shakily. "I know, I saw it, and it was very interesting."
"And I got a D+ for it!" he yelled, shaking the gun in my face.
"Just because it's a D+ doesn't mean it's not good. It's just…"
"That's shit!" he yelled.
My heart raced in fear and I gripped the chair hard.
"That project…I worked so hard!" He cried and looked away from me. He put his hands on his head and let out a sob.
"Ho-how did you capture their emotions?" I asked shakily. "Did you do what you are doing to me right now?" I asked scared of the answer.
"Huh? You mean did I put a gun to their head? No." he spat.
"They weren't set up!" he yelled angrily.
"No, that's not what I mean!" I said hurrily.
"Look Ben, you are a great photographer. You can capture their expressions better than I even can. And just because I gave you this grade doesn't mean you aren't good. It just means this project wasn't for you."
He let out a small sob as the gun stayed pointed at my face.
"How could you give me a D+?" he said and lowered the gun a little.
"Ben, bringing a weapon into class isn't going to do anything." I said shakily, edging closer to him in my seat.
"Yes! Yes it will! It will change my grade!" he cried out with the gun in my face again.
I backed away quickly and swallowed hard.
"Ben Miller! Let the teacher go and come out." A voice yelled.
Ben's head snapped to the voice and pointed the gun at the area of the door.
"Go the fuck away!" he yelled.
He looked back at me and put the gun back in my face.
"Change my grade." He said.
"No." I said scared.
"Change it!" he yelled.
"I can't Ben." I whispered. "If I change your grade, then that means I let everyone think that they can just waltz in here, holding a gun to my head and expect me to change their grades. I'm not doing that Ben. I can't." I said in a gentle tone.
He was getting scared and frustrated now. I could tell he was nervous by the way his face showed fear and his body stance. He paced the floor back and forth, not looking at me.
So finally I stood up slowly, my body feeling like Jell-O. I walked towards him slowly, my heels clicking against the tile floor.
"Please just put down your gun. I know we can figure this out Ben. You are a good student, and you have got real talent." I said shakily.
"Like what?" he cried, shaking the gun in my face again.
"Like extra credit or staying after school with me and re-turning in your portfolio." I pleaded with fear.
He was becoming more erratic and fearful. The gun was shaking in his hands.
It felt like hours as he weighed his options.
"Put the gun down Ben!" the cop voice yelled.
Finally, Ben set the gun on the table and shouted ok.
The cops ran in and cuffed him. I was in shock as someone led me outside and into the clean air.
Everyone was blocked off and police cars were everywhere. I stood outside at the front of the school and watched as they took Ben away in the car. A woman cop led me to her car and told me she would drive me back to the station to get my statement.
All I could do was nod, as everything played in my head again.
In no time, I was at the station, sitting in a chair next to a desk. I didn't know where the woman cop was, but it didn't matter. I couldn't speak and I couldn't think. All I could see was Ben with the gun in his hand; feeling the cold metal against the temple of my head.