“Don't come to school,” he said in a frantic, rushed voice.
“And why wouldn’t I come to school, Mitchell? Besides, I just got here,” I told him, seeing a few people whispering and pointing before Ace glared at them, and they scampered off.What the fuck is going on?
Chapter forty-eight
“Lucy,turnaroundandleave the school Now!” Mitchell demanded.
“I have a meeting. I am just about to …'' I stopped talking and froze as I reached the doors that led to the quad in the center of the school. The principal's office was at the back of the school, and cutting through the quad was the fastest way there. It was also the main hangout spot for students.
Tears burned my eyes as I looked around, horrified. My stomach dropped, and my heart felt like it was lodged in my throat. I took a step back, praying this was some kind of nightmare I was yet to wake up from.
A growl tore out of Ace, and everyone ran as Ace started ripping the pictures down while I stood there in shock. Mitchell came racing over with a handful of papers like he was trying to pull them down himself, and I also noticed staff members trying to rip down the numerous pictures stuck to the walls.
“Lucy! Lucy!” Mitchell said.
I shook my head, words failing me as I looked around at every wall covered in pictures of me. Writing covering every wall in red paint.Homewrecker! Whore. Slut! Absolutely vile words, along with the pictures of that day. I just couldn't figure out how anyone got these photos or who took them, but I knew it had to be Josie as I felt my heart sink, twisting painfully in my chest.
Teachers were rushing around trying to rip them down along with janitors as I looked horrified at a picture of me running down the corridor barely dressed after Mr. Tanner tried to rape me. I knew it was that day from the fact I was clutching my torn shirt to my chest, my bra strap was broken, and just the look of pure horror on my face.
There were three different photos: one of him with me shoved over his desk, my skirt shoved up, and my face turned away from the person who took the photo. Mr. Tanner was standing behind me with his hand pushing my head into the desk. Looking at that particular photo, it looked like a porn scene from a movie. Only I knew it was actually him trying to rape me, and I also knew if the camera were on my face, it would see I clearly was not liking what he was doing to me as I struggled to get out of his clutches.
“Why?” It was all I could muster to say. How could she get photos from inside the classroom? Yet, I could see the photo was taken from the door and the gap where the blind didn’t cover the window fully as I could see part of the blind. I swallowed when I saw one of me leaving the classroom, and my entire boob was exposed, my mascara all streaking my face, and my hair a mess.
I felt sick. And bile rose in my throat. Everyone had seen them. There were hundreds of prints stuck to the walls and glass windows surrounding the quad.
Mitchell was trying to steer me out of the quad, but I was frozen in place, and I suddenly fell deaf to my surroundings as I looked around. Everyone stared with judgmental eyes, seeing their lips move as they whispered. The worst day of my life was on display for everyone to see.
How could Josie take such photos and then say I was lying about what he tried to do? How could she see it as anything other than attempted rape and then photograph it and put it up for everyone to see? I blinked a few times. I could see Mitchell standing in front of me, trying to block me from seeing what she had done.
Was this payback for Ace banishing them? Doors swung open all around the quad. Ryker walked in, and shame smashed into me. It was one thing for everyone to see this, but my family? I looked around and saw Jacob and a few other close members in the pack rush in and start ripping them down, and I knew Ace must have mindlinked them. Students completely disappeared as Ryker growled at them, and I felt his Alpha aura rush out in a burst. Mitchell nearly dropped to his knees, and I didn’t even feel the pain, having gone completely numb.
“School is over. Get the fuck out!” he boomed, making everyone run, including the teachers, leaving only four of Ryker's pack members, including Jacob and Tyson, who had rushed over.
Mitchell was still clinging to me, and I realized Ryker hadn’t commanded him to leave, though he looked pale from Ryker's aura smashing into him.
“Get her out of here!” I heard my stepfather bellow before Ace and Tyson looked at me, about to come over to me. Realizing they were walking in my direction, I felt my heart twist painfully in my chest, suddenly facing them after having them see all this. I was mortified, ashamed, and never had I ever felt so disgusting and weak now that everyone had seen it, including my mates. Now everyone had witnessed my horror, witnessed my darkest secret and my most shameful moment. Now everyone knows.
I turned around and ran, not seeing the glass door was closed with my blurry vision as I ran flat out. I crashed straight through them, glass cutting into my hands, face, and chest, as I hit the ground with a thud, my teeth biting into my tongue as my chin smacked the ground. Yet, I still felt no pain but could taste my own blood filling my mouth, smell the bleeding from my cuts, yet no pain. Just shame, Just humiliation that cut so deep I suddenly wished I would just drop dead so I wouldn’t have to face them.
“Shit! Lucy!” I heard Mitchell shriek, but I got up and continued to run. Unable to face any of them. Not wanting to face the judgment at how I could be so stupid to get myself in that situation. How weak I was. But most of all, I didn’t want to see their pity. It was one thing for them to know what happened, but having a glimpse of it sickened me.
“Lucy, wait!” I heard one of them call, but I didn't stop and ran straight out of school.
Chapter forty-nine
Tyson
I didn’t even make it to work before Ace’s voice boomed across the mindlink. What I wasn’t prepared for was rushing to the school to see such a vile act against Lucy. Ryker, Jacob, and a few other pack warriors from Ryker’s pack arrived at the same time I did, and we all froze as we looked around the quad. Hundreds of pictures of Lucy hung on the walls, and I froze in shock. It was one thing to know what that man tried to do, but to see it? I suddenly wished I hadn’t. I Wish I could remove this memory from my head. Remove the images from my mind. It was one of those horrific scenarios you just couldn’t unsee. The pure fear on her face as she ran out of that classroom. Teachers were racing around, trying to pull them down while students lingered and whispered.
Ryker started screaming orders and shut the school down while I scanned the quad looking for Lucy. Her horror in the photos was the exact same mask she was wearing on her face when I spotted her. Like she was reliving that day, like she was no longer here but trapped in her memories. Mitchell was gripping her arms, shaking her, but she was frozen in place, her eyes looking around at pictures exposing her. She looked devastated, vulnerable, but most of all, like she was about to break. Her eyes were glassy as she fought back the tears, and I couldn’t decipher any emotion through the bond, like she had just shut down.
“Get her out of here!” Ryker yelled at no one in particular. Ace turned, tossing the pictures in his hand in the bin, and I turned back to look at her. Yet as her eyes darted to us, her face was morphing, and I couldn’t decipher the look on her face when she turned around and ran. Running for the doors, Mitchell moved to chase after her, but she was running like her life depended on it. No. She was running like she was running from her teacher. Running from the man that nearly destroyed her. But this might just finish her off. As she approached the glass sliding doors, I could see she was too stuck in her head, and I screamed out to her.
“Lucy!” I choked out, but it was too late as she burst through the doors, tripping on the lip of the door and falling through the glass. The doors burst like an explosion, and Mitchell jumped back just in time as the glass shattered, covering her in its sharp shards and cutting her to pieces. She crawled to her hands and feet, and everyone held their breath as the glass crunched under her.
A few lingering students were snickering to themselves, and Ace growled, making them dart off like their asses were on fire. She stood so quickly that I almost missed the movement before she took off running from us.
“Lucy, wait!” Both Mitchell and Ace screamed after her, but she was gone in a blur. Leaving behind a trail of blood as she ran through the school’s corridors while we chased after her.