Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33795 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
And so I react.
My knee jerks up with every bit of strength I have, connecting right into the softness between his legs. Hershman screams, dropping his grip on me and doubling over as he falls to the ground. I scream at him, hauling back and then kicking out, letting the toe of my flat sink right into his crotch again, twice, before I whirl.
I make it halfway to the door before he grabs me. The scream rips from my lips as he yanks me around, and when the slap comes again, the tears spring to my eyes.
“Oh, you are going to pay for that, you little bitch!”
My blood curdles as he slams me over a desk, bent over. I can feel him leaning over me, his sour, hot breath on my ear as his words slide into me.
“Now, Tempest, I’m gong to take—”
The door to the classroom splinters and comes crashing into the room right off it’s hinges. The both of us whirl, and my heart suddenly soars as Christian comes roaring inside. Hershman screams and turns, but Christian hurdles a desk and comes barreling right into him, slamming him to the ground.
“You son of a bitch!” Christian roars, yanking Hershman up by his tie and slamming a fist into his mouth. The man screams, but Christian doesn’t let up — punching him again and again until he slams him back to the floor and stands. His whole body is tensed up, muscles bunched in his shoulders and straining at the rolled up sleeves of his shirt as he jabs a finger menacingly down at a whimpering Professor Hershman.
“You ever touch her or anyone else again, and I will bury you in the fucking ground, is that understood?” he roars, his face a mask of rage as he stands over the professor.
But suddenly, Hershman just laughs. Christian’s face tightens, and he’s about to drop down to pummel Hershman all over again, when the older professor shakes his head, snickering as blood trickles from his mouth.
“Save it, dickbag,” he hisses. “I know all about you, Headmaster.” He leers at Christian. “Drive all your students to school do you?”
My blood runs cold.
“Do you drive them all home, too? To your own house?”
He snickers, spitting blood out of this mouth.
“Yeah, I followed you, and I saw her.” He jabs a thumb at me. “Going into your house. And I’m willing to be you kept her there all night.”
He glares at me.
“Didn’t he, you little slu—”
He grunts as Christian jams his foot into his ribs.
“Keep it up, asshole!” he spits. “You can beat me up all you want, but you’re fucking through here, Knolls. I’m tenured. But you?” He chuckles. “I’ll have you blacklisted from every private school in the goddamn country, but not before I tell everybody about your little shenanigans here with your student!”
There’s a cough, and suddenly, we all look up, and I freeze.
Half the school is crowded around the shattered doorway, jaws dropped, eyes wide, and every single one of them holding a cellphone in their hands, recording. Other professors, vice-Headmaster Dalton, students, and most of the administrative staff.
The whole room is silent, and I swear I’m about to melt through the floor when suddenly, he’s right there, holding me up, taking my hand in his, and pulling me away from Hershman. And suddenly, before I even know it, he’s spinning me around, pulling me right against him, and there, right in front of everyone, Christian kisses me.
He kisses me deeply, and I feel every part of him pouring into that kiss until the rest of the room just melts away and I swear it’s just us, floating through space. Slowly, he pulls away, his eyes locked on mine and a smile on his face.
“You know what, angel,” he murmurs. “You were right. Fuck this town, and fuck this place.” He grins. “All I want in this world I’ve got right here in my arms, and the rest is just background noise.”
He kisses me again, dipping me low as my heart soars.
“You’re it, Tempest,” he says softly. “My perfect storm.”
I throw my arms around him and kiss him fiercely, and when I hear a snickering from the crowd, I don’t stop kissing him, I just raise one hand and flip them all off.
He’s right: screw the rest of these people. Because all we need we’ve got right here with each other, and the rest?
Well, the rest is all background noise.
Epilogue
Christian
Red and gold leaves blow across my path as I cross the street, and I turn up the collar of my coat against the fall chill. Inside, however, I’m warm, because I’m headed home.
To her.
See, despite all the shit with Hershman, and everything blowing up like it did, Tempest did end up heading to Harvard. As it turns out, even in a snob-nosed and financially corrupt town like West Haven, a teacher threatening the future of a student and demanding sexual favors is, well, looked down on.