Almost Free Page 8

This one has me interested the most. You don’t meet many girls who can claim they are an electrician. I’m not being sexiest; it’s just a fact. I don’t know one, but then again, I don’t know any male ones, either.

  Also, an electrician… It’s so random, it’s not even funny. There must be a story behind it.

  Her amused gaze turns to me. “I own my own house and I kept having trouble with the electrics. The companies I kept calling would send men round who thought they could take advantage of a girl living alone and charge me twice as much as what the work costs. Now I can sort my own damn electrics out. I tried to do plumbing when the drain in my back garden got blocked, but the second I had the water company out and smelled the stench, I cancelled my application.”

  I giggle, finding her intriguing. “I wouldn’t want to, either, after smelling something like that.” We step inside, and my shoulders relax when I don’t find Mr. Flint leaning back against his desk. I turn to Becky, hoping we can be friends and meet up sometime in the future. “Enjoy the class.”

  “You too.”

  I go to walk off, when she calls me. I turn to face her. “Yeah?”

  “Here, take my number,” she tells me, handing me a card. “It’s hard to make friends when I’m socially awkward, but you seem like a cool person.”

  I bite back a smile at her words. “Thanks. If you ever want to grab a cup of coffee, let me know. I’ll text you my number now.”

  She nods and takes a seat at the front of the class without another word. I make my way to the back, ignoring the lads’ eyes on me when I pass them. I’m getting used to it now. There aren’t many in here, but the ones that are look like they don’t want to be. That either means they’re failing their class and need to take the extra lessons or have to for something else. None look willing.

  I type out a quick text to Becky before I forget to send her my number.

  ME: This is my number.

  BECKY: Who is this?

  My eyes scrunch together at her reply. When I look up to make sure she didn’t give me the wrong number, I notice her staring at her phone with the same confusion. I bite back laughter, only now seeing just how awkward she is.

  It’s great.

  ME: It’s Emma. I’m sitting behind you.

  Her phone lights up. After she reads it, she swivels in her chair, silently laughing before going back to her phone. When mine vibrates in my hand, I look down, chuckling under my breath.

  BECKY: OH CRAP! Well, that’s awkward.

  ME: It’s fine. LOL

  She doesn’t reply because Mr. Flint steps into the room, looking thunderous. “Sorry I’m late. I got stuck in traffic. Does everyone have their books?”

  Without being asked, I pull mine out, not wanting to draw his attention to me. He already shows me a little more attention than I’d like him to. Pissing him off will just give him more ammunition. I finish setting my notebook and pens out before sitting back and facing the front of the class. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end when Mr. Flint stares me down.

  I look away, feeling uncomfortable. I don’t even relax when he begins going over our coursework, setting out rules and what he expects to be handed in. I write as quickly as I can, irritated whenever he keeps flicking the PowerPoint to the next screen, not giving us a chance to get it all down. He’s the one who called us here, not the other way around.

  He’s getting to the end of the hour when he asks us to copy down the points shown on the screen.

  I’m so engrossed in getting it down so I can get home, that I don’t see him walking up the aisle until I feel him standing next to me. His presence has the same effect on my body as it’s had from our very first encounter. My mind, body and heart don’t trust him. Every nerve is screaming at me to run. I’ve spent a long time doubting my instincts. I’d run at the smallest of conflicts or situations that took me out of my comfort zone. With Mr. Flint, it’s like a switch has been flicked and I know what I’m feeling inside, know I can trust it.

  “I looked over the paper you handed in to my substitute last week. I’d like to go over some things that I think need improving.”

  I glance around the room warily, seeing no one is paying attention to him. I don’t look at him, feeling sick to my stomach as I keep working.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Flint, but it will have to be tomorrow before class. I have to get home as soon as class is finished.”

  I feel the air around us shift. Anger is pouring from him. When I glance at him from the corner of my eye, I notice his clenched hands and the veins bulging in his arms. I gulp, feeling my leg start to bounce.

  “Emma, I don’t think you’re understanding me. If you want the passing grade on your work, you need to put time into it. When I tell you I need to talk about it to you privately, I mean it. If this class is getting too much for you, I can speak to the board and have you removed.”

  Fear snakes it way through my body as I turn to look at him. “Mr. Flint, I understand what you’re saying, but I’m only scheduled for the hours applied. I apply those hours and I’m never late. The day I had off last week, I more than made up for,” I tell him, trying to keep calm, and not panic.

  “Do I make you nervous?” he asks, leaning over my desk, his face inches from mine. I flinch, moving away. He chuckles quietly under his breath, stepping closer. His runs his finger down my cheek, then over to move my hair behind my shoulder.

  I grit my teeth, my breathing harsh and heavy. “So, what is it to be, Emma?”

  “I’ll kindly ask you to take a step back.” My voice is filled with nerves, and he doesn’t miss it, smiling like a cat that caught a fish.

  “Ah, Emma, you really shouldn’t argue back to a member of staff.”

  He moves away, heading back to the front of the class. “Hey, guys, due to some work that needs to be done on this floor, class tomorrow will be cancelled. I will send an email with a reading for you to do until our next lesson. I will see you Wednesday. Have a great weekend.”

  Feeling relief that I won’t have to see him, I grab my stuff and shove it inside my bag. I’m not naïve; I know speaking up will most likely get him fired or suspended. What has me not running straight home to leave a message to the university is the fact I have no proof. None of the other students in my class are treated the same, and none of them pay attention when he’s near me. They don’t see what he does or hear what he says. It will be my word against his. And who would take the word of a girl who has spent years in a comatose state over the word of a respectable teacher who has worked for the university for a while? No one.

  I pass Becky on my way out, her voice calling out to me slowing me down. She’s still putting her things away when I turn around, well aware that Mr. Flint is watching me.

  “Do you want a lift home?”

  I shake my head, just wanting to get out of here. “No, thank you. I’m sorry I can’t stick around. I really need to go.”

  She waves me off. “Text me for that coffee.”

  I force a smile before looking around the room, noticing there is just her and two male students left. Even before the feeling in the pit of my stomach hits, I decide to wait. Under no good conscience can I leave her with a pack of wolves. They’d eat her alive, and something tells me at least one of the three isn’t afraid to attack.

  “Actually, I’ll walk out with you. Are you ready?” I ask, keeping an eye on the three men in the room. Mr. Flint watches me with an amused expression. I want to narrow my eyes at him, but I don’t want to be held up any longer in this room with him. I’m going to have a serious talk with my department head, see if there is another teacher who teaches this class.

  “Ready,” she tells me, zipping her coat up. She doesn’t notice the leering eyes on her, or if she does, she doesn’t acknowledge it, not even saying goodbye as we leave the classroom.

  “Can I ask you something that might seem strange?”

  I give her a side glance, biting my lip. “Of course. What is it?”

  “Y
ou know when you meet someone, can you tell if they’re good or bad people?”

  I wish I had that power.

  “I’d like to think so, but so many people can hide their true intentions, and you won’t know until it’s too late.”

  “Yeah, but have you ever met someone or had someone stare at you and got instant chills?”

  I give her a sharp glance, afraid someone has made her feel like that. “Yes, I have. Once or twice. Why? Has someone made you feel uncomfortable?”

  She glances over her shoulder, down the dimly lit corridor, before facing me, her lips in a tight pout. “Yeah. It could just be me; I don’t read people well. I’ve had people laugh at me, not with me, and I can’t tell when someone is being sarcastic or not.”

  I stop her before we step outside, needing to know. It’s just a feeling and a guess, but I think I’m right. “Becky, are you talking about Mr. Flint?”

  Her startled eyes reach mine, before warily looking behind her. “What do you mean? Has he done something to you?”

  “He did something to you?” I screech, wincing and lowering my tone. “Are you okay?”

  She looks panicked when she takes my arm. “Shush, they might hear you. And no. But he makes me nervous. He asked me to stay behind after our second lesson, and I did. We were alone for a few seconds, but he put his hand on my thigh, rubbing me. Another girl from class walked in and I shot up from my seat. I tried to talk to our department head about it, but she basically told me it was my word against his. I tried to tell her I wasn’t lying, that he creeped me out, but she put it down to me failing the class. Apparently, his family donate a lot to the university.”

  I feel sick at what I’m hearing.

  “I’m so sorry, Becky. I think we need to go to someone higher if she isn’t listening to us. Money isn’t a reason to let someone sexually harass us.”

  “He’s done it to you?”

  I nod sharply. “He’s always getting in my personal space, always touching me inappropriately. He’s tried more than once to get me to stay behind. He did it just now in class. But like you, it will be my word against his.”

  “I understand. I don’t want his behaviour to affect my learning. If this goes to the schoolboard, and they make us leave until it’s resolved, that’s my money and time wasted. I didn’t know he was doing it to other girls. What should we do?”

  I can understand her reasoning. It’s a hard situation to be in, especially when he’s the one in power.

  “I don’t know, but if he’s done it to us, maybe more girls will come forward.”

  She scoffs, rolling her eyes. “If you’re thinking of asking around, don’t bother. I got my head bit off by one girl. She slept with him willingly, and when I mentioned what he did, she told me I was jealous and that they are in love with each other.”

  “It’s not all of us he’s doing it to, then,” I say, sickened. He shouldn’t be sleeping with a student, anyway, even if she is of age. He’s abusing his position.

  “Nope. I was actually going to tell my dad if he did it again, but since then, he’s left me alone.”

  “I’ll think of something and text you. There must be a way to get proof to the schoolboard. They won’t be able to make excuses for his actions then. He’d never be able to get away with it.”

  “Ooh, I like where this is going. I love Veronica Mars, and this sounds right up her alley.”

  “Veronica who?” I ask.

  She shakes her head at me, looking utterly appalled. “You don’t know who Veronica Mars is?”

  I shake my head. “Nope.”

  “You’ve not lived. Go home, watch it online, and let me know what you think. Unless you hate it, then keep it to yourself.”

  I laugh at her bluntness. “I will,” I tell her, then turn to the empty corridor behind us, a shiver running down my spine. “Let’s go before they come out. We’ve been out here long enough.”

  “I’ll speak to you soon,” Becky tells me, before we step outside.

  I open my umbrella up, waving goodbye to Becky as she turns left and I walk right. It’s darker now, but a few of the streetlamps are still not on.

  A sense of foreboding washes over me when the back of my neck starts to burn. I check out my surroundings, squinting into the darkness and seeing nothing.

  I turn back around, my foot in the air to take another step, when I hear a can being kicked behind me. Alarmed and panicked, I rush forward, needing to get out of the dark pathway and into a crowded area. They still haven’t caught the killer, which only has me running. I look over my shoulder to check that someone isn’t chasing me and see nothing, yet… I still feel their eyes on me.

  I bump into a hard body when I reach the corner, and I cry out, ready to yell for help. My umbrella falls to the floor as I open my mouth. Strong hands grip my biceps, causing the scream that was ready to burst free, to freeze in panic.

  Flashes of Darren hitting me surface. I never want to go through that kind of pain ever again, to not know if I’ll come out breathing or not.

  “Emma, what the fuck! What’s happened? Why are you walking down here in the dark by yourself?”

  I fall forward, my head hitting Banner’s chest as I hold onto him for comfort. “I’m sorry. I panicked.” He bends down to pick up my umbrella, passing it to me. “Thank you.”

  “Why did you panic?” he asks, pulling me close.

  I’m not going to tell him about Mr. Flint; Banner will only go back in there and start a fight. I don’t want him to be kicked out of uni because of that sleaze ball.

  “It was dark, I was alone, and it felt like someone was watching me,” I tell him, missing out the part I was already freaked out by: Mr. Flint.

  He stops mid-step, looking around the dimly lit courtyard. “I don’t see anyone,” he says, before we continue to walk. “Why were you coming out of the side door, anyway? I’ve been waiting out here for nearly twenty minutes for you to get out.”

  “They’re doing maintenance or something. Oh, and before I forget, I don’t have class tomorrow now. It got cancelled due to the work that needs to be done.”

  He grins. “More time together, then.”

  Becky flashes through my mind, and I nearly jump in the air when I tell him. “I made a friend today.”

  Banner knows what a big deal this is to me, knowing how closed off I am. The proud look on his face when I tell him disappears though, and I look around, thinking he saw something.

  “Please tell me they’re female.”

  I hide my grin against his bicep at the way he sounded when he said it. “She is. Her name is Becky. In fact, she gave us a new TV show to check out. It’s called Veronica Mars. Have you seen it?”

  His body relaxes next to me. “Yeah, it’s about a hot chick who kicks the arse of everyone who messes with her.”

  “Want to watch it with me?”

  We pause at the car park, and he turns to face me, tilting my chin up so he can see me. “I’d watch that PS. I Love you if it meant spending time with you.”

  His words do things to my body that I don’t understand. This is another moment I will lock away, so I can remember it forever.

  I can’t look away from him, stuck in a trance of lust and desire. I unconsciously sway forward, my eyes drooping at the look he gives me.

  A car honking nearby has us pulling away, the moment between us breaking. He grunts something under his breath.

  “Did you say something?”

  “I said, let’s go get popcorn.” He smiles, opening the car door for me.

  I watch as he moves around the front of the car, his lips moving like he’s talking to himself. I look away, out of the window. I want him to want me. One minute I think he’s hot for me, the next, I feel like he sees me as a sister or one of the guys. Not that he talks about girls to me. He actually keeps that part of his life private.

  As he gets in, my eyes catch a shadow moving in the trees near the path to the English building, and instantly, I’m alert and unea
sy. I sit up, moving forward in my seat to get a better look, but before I can point out the moving shadow to Banner, it disappears like it wasn’t even there. I blink, scanning the area for any sign of him, but don’t see anything.

  Every instinct in my body is screaming at me of the danger. I feel like I’m being hunted, like prey waiting to be slaughtered.

  As we head out of the carpark, we drive past Mr. Flint, who is standing next to his car, his door open and ready to get in. When he sees me, he grins, before saluting me. I look away, turning my attention to the road.

  I know I’m going to have to tell Banner about him sooner or later, but not right now. I just hope he doesn’t get mad when he finds out I’ve kept something from him.

  CHAPTER NINE

  After a night of restless sleep, I’m struggling to pick my feet up. Lake and her boyfriend, Max, are due here any moment. I’m tired, cranky, but also excited to see my best friend.

  “We’re going to head out to give you some privacy,” Mark says, as he grabs his car keys and coat.

  “You don’t need to go. This is your home,” I tell him, guilt twisting my stomach at him feeling like he needs to leave.

  “It’s yours, too,” he says, frowning. “We’re going to grab a late breakfast, then head out to meet up with some friends for a birthday.”

  “I know it is.” I hate seeing the hurt look on his face. This has been the first time I’ve felt at home in a while. “And if you’re sure. I don’t have class tonight, so I’ll see you later.”

  He leans over to kiss my cheek, Levi coming to do the same to my other. I giggle, swatting them both away.

  “We’ll see you later,” Levi tells me, winking.

  I smile back, watching them leave before running to the bathroom and banging on the door. “Hurry up, they’re going to be here any minute,” I shout to Banner. We got up late due to me tossing and turning. Banner tried to get me to talk about what was bothering me, but I couldn’t tell him about Mr. Flint, or the feeling I keep getting that someone is watching me.

  “Finished,” he shouts, before I hear the tap turn off. Seconds later, the door opens, and he walks out wiping his mouth on a towel, grinning at me. “Stop stressing. It’s going to be fine. It’s Lake, for Christ sakes. You two were joint at the hip.”