Falling for Autumn (16 page)

Hunter barked out a humorless laugh. “That’s funny coming from you, Autumn. Like you’re better than us.” I spun to face him and was chilled by the hardness in his eyes. There was a brief pause, a second when I was able to recognize that Hunter wasn’t a fool. He still could find my weaknesses and I knew he was about to exploit them. “You’re the one who was fucking a teacher.”

He shocked me into silent submission. I should’ve expected the blow, but hearing it voiced aloud again stole away the confidence I built up since leaving for college. I had showed him my hand and Hunter would keep playing until he had won it all.

He looked over my head at Blake and demanded, “Did she tell you about her teacher, our school’s football coach? She was letting him fuck her six ways from Sunday.” Hunter snarled in my direction, “And the cunt did it all to get a better math grade.”

Hunter’s fury returned me to the night he had accosted me. He had demanded the truth, wanting to know if I hadn’t only fooled around with other guys, but if I had slept with Mr. Bridges. I had told him no, told him I never wanted anybody but him to touch me. But it wasn’t good enough. He wanted to take what wasn’t his because he had the warped idea I owed it to him. In reality, even if any of the lies were truth, he had no right to demand I spread my legs for him. Instead of spreading my legs, I kicked him in the balls and told him to stay the hell away from me. I had hoped he would’ve manned up, but his reaction only cemented my resolve to cut him out of my life.

Daniel was gleeful over Hunter’s verbal smackdown. Daniel was vicious and we had never gotten along, even back when I was Hunter’s girlfriend. When I was accused of sleeping with Mr. Bridges, he had been triumphant. “Fucked him and then she got the poor schmuck sent to jail over it,” Dan added.

Blake quickly moved me out of the line of fire by putting his hands on my hips and setting me down behind him. Before the men could react, his fist went flying toward Hunter. Hunter didn’t have time to block the blow and Blake’s knuckles bashed into Hunter’s cheek. Hunter’s head snapped to the side and he didn’t react immediately. I gasped as I watched Sam and Daniel dive toward Blake in order to protect their friend.

The employees and other patrons starting yelling at them to break it up, but by the cold rage on Blake’s face I knew he was too far gone to walk away. He shoved at Sam and Daniel, knocking them both into an unoccupied table. The restaurant area was emptying out as people scrambled to get away from the fight.

Hunter barreled toward Blake and was able to get in a gut punch. Blake hunched over and Hunter took advantage of the split second when his guard was down to connect his fist with Blake’s mouth. His lower lip split open, blood gushing out and dribbling down his neck.

“Blake! Stop it!”

Blake ignored my pleas and retaliated by throwing out a series of wild punches. He had no control as his fists went after Hunter, Sam, and Daniel. He was outnumbered, but his unpredictable movements were making the men unsure how to defend themselves. He was pummeling their faces and chests one at a time. While one of the men recovered from the hits, he moved on to the next. Daniel was able to land one more punishing hit over Blake’s eye, but it still didn’t stop his recourse.

Several men rushed over trying to break up the fight, but Blake was an unstoppable force. A few of the men tried to hold him back, but he carelessly tossed them aside as he lunged for Hunter.

“We called the cops!” a female employee yelled from behind the restaurant counter. Hunter and Blake ignored the warnings, but the mention of police seemed to spook Daniel and Sam. They tried to pull Hunter away from the fight, but he refused. He was too occupied with pushing men out of the way to continue exchanging blows with Blake. Daniel and Sam gave up and took off running out of the bowling alley.

Blake parted the sea of people before him and reached Hunter again. I cringed as I watched his fist pull back and collide with Hunter’s nose. Hunter lost his balance and landed on the floor. I could see the blood flowing freely as he cradled his nose between his fingers.

I could see it at that moment—the beast inside that Blake kept caged. He was savage in the way he
pounded the three men, as if they were nothing more than an inconvenience to him. There was a fierce intensity as he fought and his body jerked as his breathing grew ragged. I wasn’t scared of him, but scared for him. How could he pull back and be able to walk away without killing Hunter?

I sprinted over to Blake and his body jerked when I grabbed him. “We need to go now!” He ignored me as he glared down at Hunter. I dug my fingernails into his forearm. “The cops are on their way. We need to leave before you get arrested.”

“You broke my nose!” Hunter grunted. His eyes narrowed as he examined me. “Always quick to play the victim card, Autumn. He’ll see it one day, he’ll find out you’re a liar and a whore.”

“Don’t you look at her,” Blake growled at Hunter. “Never even say her name again, unless you want another ass kicking.”

Forcefully, I yanked Blake in the direction of the door. I heard sirens in the distance and took off in a run toward Blake’s car. I pushed him toward the passenger door and held out my hands. “Give me your keys,” I commanded. He handed them over and I ran to the driver’s side. As soon as we were both inside, I started the car and peeled out of the parking lot. As I drove away from the bowling alley, I noticed two police cars approaching from the other side of the road. I let up on the gas in hopes of not drawing their attention.

My palms stung as I kept a death grip on the steering wheel. I didn’t loosen my hold until we were at least a mile away and it didn’t look like the police or anyone else was tailing us. Daring a glance in Blake’s direction, I noticed he was searching through the glove compartment. He found a pile of fast food restaurant napkins and began to use them to mop up the blood on his face. The interior of the car was cast in shadows and it was difficult to tell how bad the damage was to his face.

“What the hell were you thinking?”

“What?”

“Why would you pick a fight with three guys? You’re lucky they didn’t beat you to death.”

Blake scoffed. “Like that was going to happen.”

“Blake, they were trying to rile you up. It’s the kind of thing Hunter and his friends get off on.”

Blake pulled the napkins away from his lips. A small white cotton square remained stuck to the top corner of his mouth. “What did you expect me to do? Sit there while he calls you a slut? Maybe shake his hand and say nice to meet you?”

“No, but Hunter is a head case and some things that happened to his family was what helped shape him into the misogynistic asshole you saw today.”

“Please tell me you’re not defending them.
Most people have shitty parents. It doesn’t mean he gets a free pass to be a dick because of it.” He placed another napkin into the building pile of saturated tissues in his lap.

I breathed in and noticed the tinge of iron in the air. “I’m going to drive you to the hospital. You probably need stitches.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “Head wounds just bleed like crazy.”

“Just what you need, another head injury. Like you don’t get knocked around enough on the field.” I noticed a convenience store ahead and pulled in. “If you won’t go to the emergency room, I’m going to at least grab some ice to put on your face. I’d take you to my house, but my parents would freak.”

He nodded and I put the car in park before heading inside the store. As I roamed the aisles, I tried to concentrate on taking care of Blake’s injuries. I didn’t want to think about Hunter’s words or what they may mean to Blake. Because Hunter was forcing me to have a conversation with Blake I planned to put off for a long time. I couldn’t have Hunter’s words echoing around in Blake’s head. He may decide to look more into my past and I needed to give him my side of the story before that happened.

I found a small first aid kit among the shelves and also purchased several frozen packages of vegetables. Frowning, I reentered the car and scanned Blake’s injured face. He had wiped away a lot of the blood, and I could see the swelling on the left side of his face. The gash wasn’t as large as I suspected and I hoped it wouldn’t leave a scar. My hand reached over to him and removed the pieces of tissue from his mouth. I handed him the frozen vegetables and he held them over his left eye. I began collecting the tissues and placed them in the plastic bag that had held the items I bought.

“I’m sorry if you’re pissed. But I’m not sorry for hitting them.” His nostrils flared. “If that’s the kind of stuff they pulled to make you leave school, then they got off easy.”

Removing the tissues, he stared at me, likely trying to gauge my feelings. His eyes were luminous and my temper cooled as time passed. He was only trying to defend me and hadn’t realized what an exercise in futility it was. Hunter and his friends were a perfect example of herd mentality and would never have an original thought. If the consensus was I’d slept with Mr. Bridges for a better math grade then nothing could change their minds.

I covered my hand with his and guided the frozen package back to his eye. “I’m not pissed at you. I’m pissed at them for ruining our date and messing up your perfect face.”

The corners of his lips upturned in the faintest of smiles. “They’ll look a lot worse tomorrow.”

I rolled my eyes. “Okay, tough guy. I’m going to clean your cut now. I don’t think we can do much for your busted lip, but once you take the veggies off your eye, put them over the lip.” I tore open the alcohol wipe and he winced as I glided it over the cut next to his eye. “It doesn’t look deep. They must have grazed you with a watch or something.”

“What did you ever see in that guy?”

“Well…” I shifted in the seat awkwardly. “Hunter isn’t the same guy and I’m not the same girl. We had a lot more in common when I was in high school.”

“What could you possibly have in common with him?”

“I don’t know. At one time, my priorities were cheering, being popular, and dating a hot guy. Once high school was done, I wanted to leave Newpine for good and do something incredible with my life. It wasn’t until I lost it all that I was able to get my head out of my ass and see how freaking shallow I’d become.”

“You’re hard on yourself about high school. You shouldn’t be. And any mistakes you made have been done with for a long time. Hunter needs to move on.” He touched the ends of my hair and twirled it between his fingers. “You were the best thing to happen to him and he probably hates himself for losing you.” He paused and added, “I know I would.”

I smiled wistfully at his compliment. “Hunter is convinced I betrayed him. It’s the reason he hates me so much.” I looked down at my lap as I said, “What he said about my teacher…”

Blake’s voice was strangled. “Autumn, please don’t feel like you have to explain anything to me. Anything those idiots had to say carries no weight in my mind.”

I looked at him from under my lashes. Blake was good to me and I was glad he wasn’t the type of man to demand answers after Hunter’s accusations. He accepted whatever I was willing to give him.

I think about running for a split second—bolting out the door and finding my own way home. It seemed less terrifying than having to hit Blake over the head with the tale
of my own sordid personal tragedy. But for the first time in forever, wanting Blake outweighed hiding away my pain.

“I didn’t sleep with a teacher. Mr. Bridges was my math teacher and I spent a lot of time with him because I struggled in pre-calculus.” I dug my fingernails into my palm as I continued. “Mr. Bridges had a reputation. He was one of the school’s football coaches and the rumor was he favored students who cheered. My friends thought if I flirted a little, it would help my grade out. I never thought…”

Blake looked like he was about to get violently ill. He didn’t meet my eyes. Instead, he vacantly stared through the windshield and I could see his mind whirring, trying to make sense of my words. He seemed to be holding back, wanting to push me to tell him more, but scared at the same time of what I’d say.

I tried not to focus on my humiliation and relay the story as if I was an outside observer. “Anyway, Mr. Bridges must’ve picked up on my lame attempts at flirting and he offered to tutor me. He made promises, told me he could help me get into a school in New York and would work with me to win a lot of scholarship money in order to afford it. ”

Blake swung back toward me and I could see the growing sadness in his eyes. He swallowed hard and took my hand in his. His intentions were clear. He wanted to be supportive, but hearing a story of someone he cared about getting hurt was painful. I had planned to give him an abridged version of the story, but if I was going to reveal my past, I wouldn’t hold anything back.

“I wish Mr. Bridges taught my math class. I would totally be slutting it up like you,” Faye teased as she leaned her back into the locker next to mine.

I slapped her shoulder playfully. “I’m not
slutting it up for Mr. Bridges.” I swung my head back and forth to check the hallway. The halls had emptied out since school ended an hour earlier, but Hunter had mentioned going to the weight room after classes. I could imagine him materializing at the other end of the hall as Faye accused me of trying to seduce my teacher. “Besides, don’t let Hunter hear you say that, he’ll go crazy.”

Faye blew out an exaggerated breath. “Why do you bother with Hunter? He’s like a
jealous freak when it comes to you.”

I frowned. “Give him a break. He’s going through a lot right now. I would probably be a little touchy too if I had to deal with his mom.”

“We’re going to be seniors in a couple of months. We need to free ourselves of these high school boys. Hunter may be a popular basketball player at Newpine, but once he goes to a college with a population of more than four hundred, he’ll be a nobody again.”

I pulled my math textbook out of the locker and slammed it firmly. “Be nice, Faye. He’s my boyfriend.”

“I know. I think I’m just feeling bitchy because I still don’t have a date for the prom. Talon asked me, but I told him I wanted to see if I could do better first…”

I smirked. “Faye, you didn’t!
But you probably have a point. He’s nice to look at, but a cocky jerk most of the time. Brings his attractiveness down a few notches.”

“I need someone to take back to the hotel afterwards and it looks like Talon may be the lucky guy.
You and I’ll both get laid and then we can commiserate over breakfast the next morning about how small Hunter and Talon’s junk is.”

“You’re crazy. I want a romantic first time with Hunter…”

“And you’re delusional if you think your first time sleeping with Hunter will be romantic. You’re both going to be lost over what to do. I recommend lots of porn before prom night.” Faye’s brown eyes glittered. “Or you could just practice with Mr. Bridges. He’s not bad looking for an old guy and at least you know he’s experienced.”

“I’m leaving now,” I said and spun on my heel away from her. My blac
k sandals clicked against the floor as I rushed down the hall.

“You know you want it, you sexy bitch,” Faye called teasingly down the hall. I tried to take confident steps, but Faye had flustered me. Her sexual innuendoes were conveniently timed since she knew I was off to my after-school tutoring session with Mr. Bridges. I shook off her words and plastered on a bright smile. Mr. Bridges held the keys to the things I wanted in life and I’d play the game to get them. I smoothed down my red skirt and knocked on his classroom door before entering.

He was bent over paperwork, but looked up and beamed as I came into the room. “Hi, Autumn. Sorry for making you stop in later than usual, but I had a staff meeting I couldn’t miss.”

“No problem. Faye stayed behind with me.”

Depositing myself in a desk at the front of the classroom, I crossed my bare legs in front of me. His blue eyes gazed down until moving to rest on my white top. The fabric clung to my skin and the neckline dipped to just above my cleavage. My palms began to sweat under his inspection and I wondered if I should make an excuse to leave. Faye’s words had bothered me and I needed some time to consider my intentions. How far was I willing to take the flirting game with Mr. Bridges? He promised to help me and I knew he had taken liberties with my grades. Laughing at his jokes and flipping my hair was one thing, but allowing him to gape at me like he was a starving man who had finally stumbled upon a five-course meal was another. It was the first time since tutoring started that he made me feel cheap.

“So, let’s go over Friday’s quiz. Do you have the practice tests I gave you?”

His smile was affable and I shook off the early feelings of unease. Even if he had been checking me out, I reasoned it didn’t mean anything. I was young and pretty and he liked what he saw. He may have enjoyed the view, but he would never try to take it any farther.

Mr. Bridges was the most well-liked and admired teacher at
Newpine. He taught sophomore and junior math classes while also coaching the football team in the fall. He was easygoing and had a relaxed way of teaching and coaching. The players liked him because he had a quiet passion that he used to inspire them in lieu of hurling insult after insult their way. The whole town loved him for putting Newpine’s championship football team on the map.

When h
e had offered to tutor me a month earlier I hadn’t passed on the opportunity. I liked how he talked when we were alone. He made me feel like I was something special and not just another follower of Faye’s. He would tell me about his family and how he got into teaching and football. He had a teacher who helped him get into college on a football scholarship and he felt like he was paying it forward by working with me to improve my grades.

The material for the quiz was hard
to grasp and Mr. Bridges patiently explained the concepts. My brain had a mental block when it came to anything math-related. Although I was struggling, he never made me feel stupid. He would wait until the light bulb went off and sit back and admire his handiwork.

“See, isn’t pre-calc fun?” he quipped.

“Loads,” I giggled. “Thank you for this. If I can get a B in your class, I think my parents will die from shock.” I looked outside and frowned at the darkening sky. “I didn’t realize how late it was.” I had turned my phone off and realized I likely missed dinner.

“Me either. My wife will probably lace my
supper with arsenic if I don’t get home soon.” He stood up and motioned to the door. “It’s getting dark, so let me walk you to your car.”

“Thanks,” I said and slipped my canvas bag over my shoulder. I felt bad for making him walk me to the student parking lot, a hike compared to the faculty lot, but I would feel safe
r if he saw me off.

The student lot was behind the football field and adjacent to the main building of the high school. It
was a tiny lot with an unpaved surface and a few lampposts. The lot had completely emptied out and my Toyota was the last remaining car. Sports practices had ended about a half hour earlier and there must have been no other events scheduled for the night.

Mr. Bridges chattered as we made our way to my car. He spoke about his kids and wife often and he was telling me a story about how his daughter had asked him to teach her how to play football. She wanted to start her own co-ed team at her school. The way he spoke about his family
was sweet and I reasoned I shouldn’t have been so weirded out before when he looked me up and down. I had dressed with intent and I shouldn’t have been so shocked when I was able to produce a reaction from him.

I arrived at my
Honda and unlocked the passenger side door. I tossed in my bag before turning to thank Mr. Bridges. I was taken off guard by his nearness as I swung around. My elbow bumped into his chest as I moved to face him. With Mr. Bridges in my personal space, I noted how much larger he was than me. He was a head taller with a husky build and slight paunch.

“Do you have a boyfriend, Autumn?”

“Yes, Hunter Cirillo,” I answered automatically. I realized a second too late how inappropriate it was for my teacher to ask if I had a boyfriend.

“Oh yes, Mr.
Cirillo. He was in my geometry class last year. Not the brightest student if I recall. It took two weeks of having him cut out shapes for him to grasp the idea of an isosceles triangle.” Mr. Bridges leaned in closer. I automatically pressed my back into the car’s doorframe. “Is he good to you? Does he make you feel good about yourself?”

My head felt dazed from his words and
my eyes darted from side to side. If anyone else was around, he would back off and I could get into my car and drive away. “Yes,” I whispered. I began to fidget, trying to make it crystal clear how much I wasn’t liking how little space stood between us. “You’re making me very uncomfortable right now.”

“I’m sorry. I just thought you were feeling the same thing I was. There’s something here. I’m not imagining it, right?” His voice was laced with desire and he stayed planted in front of me.

My eyesight blurred as tears stung my eyes. “No, you’re my teacher…”

“What about how familiar you’ve been around me? And how provocative you’ve been dressing since tutoring began?” His voice was mocking and I was flooded with shame and remorse. He had assumed the flirtatiousness was an invitation.
To him, he saw my clothes as a representation of a pretty little bow I tied over my body.

I pushed down my embarrassment and allowed righteous indignation to sneak into my expression. “You have the wrong idea and you’re freaking me out. Just walk away and we’ll forget this ever happened.”

“Don’t be embarrassed. I saw your flushed cheeks when I looked at you before. You liked it, right? Liked the idea I was peeking up your skirt and thinking about your pussy?”

His words defiled me and I was too shocked to speak. It was an out-of-body experience, a waking nightmare where my teacher tried to seduce me. Sweat formed under my arms. “No. That’s not true and please stop saying these things to me.” 

I was naïve because I thought my words would be enough. I never thought he’d act on his feelings. I was still under the misguided impression Mr. Bridges was a good man who had just been a victim of crossed signals. When his hands gripped my waist, the panic finally set in.

“Autumn, don’t be scared. No one has to know about us. And I’ll stand by my word, I’ll help you out any
way I can.”

He was bearing down and it felt as though the force of his stare would cause me to incinerate on the spot. I had tempted a
wild animal and he pounced at the first sign of weakness. I had to figure out a way to talk myself out of the situation or make a run for it. I was unmatched physically and my only hope was to take him by surprise.

I tried to dart around him, but he tightened his hold and threw me back inside of the car. My legs were splayed across the passenger seat with my feet still sticking out of the car. Quickly, he shoved the passenger seat to a reclining position before moving inside of the car. He covered his body with mine and I attempted to push him off of me. He was unmovable. “Please stop
…”

When he didn’t change position, I opened my mouth to scream.
Rubbery lips pushed against mine and I was silenced. When my teeth clamped down, preventing his tongue from finding it way inside, he stopped and used his palm to cover my mouth. I choked back a sob as the smell of chalk assaulted my nostrils. “Shh,” he commanded. “You made it clear what you were offering. And you took what I gave you. If you weren’t interested, you should’ve never accepted the better grades.”

My whole body jerked as he took his free hand and ran it up the length of my thigh. He reached the hem of my underwear and tugged at
it. I was stuck under him, but I tossed side to side, trying to escape. My elbow grazed the horn, but the sharp beep didn’t distract him from his single-mindedness. He kept me pinned on top of the cloth seats with the shifter digging into my spine. The awkward position made it difficult for him to pull down my underwear. I was horrified when I heard the sound of cotton tearing, exposing me completely.

Time sped up and later I would only be able to recall the events as if I was viewing a collection of snapshots. My thighs refused to stay glued together as he roughly dug his nails into my knees. My skirt had lifted in the struggle and the hemline was bunched around my waist. He had stripped me bare, demanding my nakedness without my consent. He looked me over with undisguised lust on his face. Tears spilled out of the corners of my eyes as I continued to fight him off. But it was becoming so hard. It would be easier to just disassociate, to separate my brain fr
om my body, and to not feel the agony.

He positioned his frame between my legs, preventing me from closing them. He reached under my blouse and fondled my breasts. His hands were rough and greedy, squeezing and pinching at my nipples. I yelled out, my muffled screams begging for him to make it stop. He licked his lips, taking pleasure from my cries and from being able to completely own my body.

“You like it, don’t you, baby?” Spittle fell on top of my face as he spoke.

He removed his hand from under my shirt and rested it on top of my mound. Please stop, I begged him with my eyes. I wanted him to see me, view me as a person, as the girl who he had in his class second period. Because if he saw Autumn again and not a sexual object then maybe he would let me go.

“So fucking hot,” he mumbled.

My body shook with shock and pain as he shoved his fingers inside of me. I wanted to hide in the farthest recesses of my brain and only emerge once he finished. Because I couldn’t stand to feel the sensation of being touched against my will. It was the worst kind of vulnerability, a defenselessness where my body was the pawn in a game a twisted man had forced me to take part in.
And it didn’t stop—endless amounts of time marched on as he violated me over and over again.

Mr. Bridges rose off of my body, his face hovering above me. He no longer looked me in the eyes, his gaze trained only on what he was doing to my body. He slid his fingers out of me and brought his hand back to his body. The sound of his pants being unzipped crushed the silence and had the effect of forcing me out of my self-imposed stupor.