Chapter 11

Quinn

I sit cross-leggedon my bed, wiping away the tears as I watch the footage Alex sent me.

He was drugged and then sexually assaulted.

It"s hard to comprehend that someone is evil enough to do this, but here I am, watching it all play out, feeling sick to my stomach, and I want to talk to him, to call him and make sure he"s okay, but I just…. I can"t.

Seeing him yesterday with her wrapped around him, the pain I felt, still feel…it"s consuming, and I'm scared. I don"t want to be consumed by that kind of pain. It"s how my momma felt when my father decided to screw his nurse, and I promised myself I"d never feel that, knowing what it can do to you. And as much as I have let that man into my heart, I refuse to fall. I can"t.

I sniffle as more tears fall, knowing what I need to do to protect myself.

I won"t lose myself because of a man.

An hour and a half later, I"m setting up my class, adamant that I"ll call Al…shit…I mean Breaker, later to let him know we won"t work out, even if it hurts me, when the intercom over my door beeps, and Ms. Holden"s voice echoes.

"Miss Sanders, can you come to my office immediately, please."

I furrow my brows and check the time. I see I have five minutes until class, so I quickly get up and head to her office, wondering what this could be about.

When I get near her door, I furrow my brows when Lola, Doc"s sister, walks out. She freezes, seeing me before rushing past, leaving me even more confused.

Why would she be in the principal's office? And why is she even here when she doesn"t have a child in the school?

Shaking my head, I knock on the door, then enter. I give Ms. Holden a smile, which she tries to return, but it looks more like a grimace as she points to the seat opposite her brown desk.

She clears her throat and rasps, "I"ve just had a complaint from a family member of a child about using that child to attempt to seduce their father into a relationship."

My mouth drops open in shock, wondering who in the hell would make that shit up before it hits me, and I start to chuckle; I can"t help it.

Lola!

I knew she had a thing for Breaker. All the dirty looks at the club, the snide comments, but to do this and try to ruin my career, seriously, she"s that pathetic?

I shake my head and state, "You knew I was in a relationship with Alex Mendoza. I personally came to see you over the matter; in fact, I came to you twice. The first time when we started dating, and the second when we made things official. The board is fully aware of the situation."

She nods, linking her fingers on her desk, and replies, "I did, but this family member?—"

I butt in angrily, "You mean Lola, who isn"t blood-related to my pupil, or his father, only through the club. She isn"t even on the drop-off or pick-up list for Noah, and has never actually come to this school, only having communicated through email and phone."

She clears her throat, and I shake my head. Everyone admires the MC because of their charity work, but as soon as one of them is unhappy, that"s it, everyone tries to rectify that, not caring about the other people involved.

"Yes, I"m aware, but her accusation is something we have to take seriously?—"

I cut in again, calling bullshit, and confirm, seeing right through her words, "She"s threatening the sponsorships, isn"t she?"

Ms. Holden looks ashamed, and I chuckle. Lola oversees the club"s charity work, including funding disadvantaged kids, and we have over half in this school alone.

Son of a….

She clears her throat and rasps, "I"m so sorry, Quinn. You are our best teacher here, which is why I refused to fire you like she wanted after threatening the money for the children, especially when you did speak to myself and the board." I snort that Lola thought she held that kind of power. The woman in front of me knows I"d take it higher if she even tried to fire me without cause. She continues, "Um, uh, instead you"ll suffer a pay cut." I nod because yeah, why not add salt to the wound when money is tight right now. "And uh, you"ll have to be supervised at all times until further notice."

I nod once again. I"m unhappy with that, especially since Andrew has been made a teacher's aide. A student caught him with another married teacher, so he will probably be in my classes from now on. I reply, "And in the meantime, I will be looking for a new job while taking further action for a punishment without just cause, especially when we have everything documented and I have copies." Her eyes widen in shock not knowing what she expected, but I shrug before I stand and ask, "Can I go now? I have a class to teach."

She swallows hard, knowing she won"t be able to change my mind. The board was aware of my relationship, and I made sure of it, but because Lola is part of the MC, they"ve decided to take her complaint seriously even though the accusations are baseless. And now I need to see what my options are. She nods with worry, and I walk out with my head held high.

Yeah, ending things with him is the best situation because if I see Lola again, I will punch her. How dare she damage my job all because she wants a man who doesn"t want her? If he did, he would have done something about it long before I came on the scene. She"s a pathetic girl, only seeing what she wants because she's a spoilt club brat, trying to destroy my job and reputation in the process.

Once I return to my room, Noah grins at me, and my heart breaks instantly. I know he"ll only be my student until I can find another job. I give him a smile, refusing to go over to him as Andrew walks in, taking a seat in the back of the room, and I snort again.

The jackass looks at me with a raised brow, and I just raise mine back so he knows I"m not intimidated.

"Okay, my little munchkins." They all grin. "You lucky little monsters get to have not just me but we will also have a different teacher in here every day. How lucky are you?"

They all cheer while Noah looks at Andrew, then me, frowning in confusion, unconvinced.

Crap, I really hope he doesn"t try anything when he realizes Andrew will be the one here every day.

I clear my throat. "Alright, munchkins. Today, we"re working with our numbers, going up to the big two zero, so let"s get our pencils out."

They all do as I ask. I ignore Andrew, even when he tries to speak to me at lunch while we"re alone. The jackass still thinks he has a chance with me.

Ha, like that would ever happen.

I sigh as I finish placing all the children"s artwork in their cubbies, ready for them to take home tomorrow. Once that's done, I grab my bag and lock up my room.

Ms. Holden stands at the end of the corridor opposite the exit, but I ignore her. I just want my bed. I can"t do this anymore, I just fucking can"t.

I walk outside with my heart in my throat, knowing I have to leave this school forever and, most likely, the county. When I get near my car, I"m brought out of my head by the figure standing near it.

I snort, stating, "You"ve got two seconds to get the hell away from my car before I break your pathetic, spiteful nose."

Lola winces before whispering, "I-I felt bad for what I did. I came to apologize…."

I scoff at her and unlock my car before climbing in. I ignore her and her fake-ass tears as anger builds, wanting to punch her. She knew exactly what she was doing; it"s not my fault she"s suddenly gained a conscience.

When I get home, I strip out of my clothes, grab Breaker"s black shirt, put it on, then climb in bed, wishing I could forget. My tears fall.

Such a crappy, crappy day.

I grab my phone and flip it around for a few minutes before sobbing, knowing this is the best way.

I can"t fall the way my mother did, I just can"t.

Wiping my tears, I write out the message, knowing if I heard his voice, I"d bottle it. Hesitating for a moment, my heart breaks as I press send, then throw my phone on the floor, hoping it smashes. I lie down and throw the sheets over my head, wishing for the ever-growing pain to stop but knowing it would have been a lot worse, like Momma worse, if I stayed any longer.

I squeeze my eyes shut as I sob myself to sleep.

Me: I"ve been thinking, and I know it"s for the best. I"m sorry, but we"re over; we never should have been together. I won"t change how I am with Noah, but I think it"s best if you keep your distance so we don"t confuse him. I"m sorry.