“Don’t talk nonsense, Lindy.”
She shook her head. “I’m not. It’s probably why she shoved his hand off her shoulder. And you’re too nice, Mrs. Hatton. You only see the good in people. But Dante’s bad to the bone, bad like his dad. He’s from a gang and you know what gangs do. You were lucky I walked in,” she shuddered, “or he could’ve raped you.”
I pulled a face, the girl’s imagination running wild. “Don’t be ridiculous, Lindy. When he realised his kiss wasn’t reciprocated, he pulled away,” I said, feeling guilty for saying it, but unable to admit the truth.
“No, he pulled away because I walked in. He was trying to save face.” She grabbed my hand, giving it a squeeze. “You have to tell the principal or he’ll do it again. Principal Sao also needs to know that the Ratas are lying about Ms. Farris.”
“They’re not lying, the principal—”
“Stop defending Dante!”
I jolted, jerking my hand out of hers.
Her expression dropped. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you. You’re just too nice.” She pushed to her feet. “Don’t worry. I’ll make everything right.” She went for the door.
I jumped up and ran after her, following her out of my office. “Lindy, what are you—”
I stopped at the sight of my Year Ten students entering the classroom. Lindy pushed past them, snapping me out of my surprise at seeing the students, since I’d told them the lesson was in the library today. Though, Lindy had made me so late they probably thought they’d gotten things wrong.
Lindy disappeared out of the room. I dashed after her, pushing past my students. I entered the corridor, which was mostly empty, the bell obviously having rung. I’d just been so wrapped up with trying to calm Lindy down that I hadn’t noticed.
Lindy continued down the corridor, heading for...
The principal’s office!
She disappeared through the doorway, making me want to yell out No!
I ran after her, terrified over what she was going to tell the principal. Although she thought I was innocent in this whole mess, she could get Dante expelled.
I entered the reception, finding Lindy gesticulating wildly at the stunned-looking secretary, demanding to see the principal. Mrs. Smithe was staring at the girl as though she’d sprouted two heads and was speaking in gibberish, the older woman looking aghast.
I took hold of Lindy’s arm. “Calm down, Lindy. You’re overreacting.”
“No, I’m not! The principal should know what Dante did.”
I went to tell her to stop yelling, but the principal’s door opened, cutting off my response. Principal Sao stepped out, his stern expression landing on Lindy. “What is all this shouting about?”
“Dante!” Lindy said. “He assaulted Mrs. Hatton.”
Principal Sao’s shocked gaze snapped to me. “Is this true?”
I shook my head, my heart now racing with fear. “No. Lindy’s blowing things way out of proportion.”
Lindy jerked her arm free from my hold. “No, I’m not.” She stepped closer to Principal Sao. “Dante shoved Mrs. Hatton against the wall and kissed her. I saw it all.”
“It was a misunderstanding,” I blurted out.
“How can that be a misunderstanding?” Principal Sao said, zeroing in on me.
“Dante was upset. I was trying to calm him down, and before I knew what was happening, he kissed me. I yelled at him to let me go, and he backed off instantly.”
“No, he only backed off ’cause I came in,” Lindy piped up, making me want to strangle her. “He was holding Mrs. Hatton against the wall. She was trying to push him away, but he didn’t until I yelled at him.”
“When did this happen?” Principal Sao said, looking horrified.
“Five to ten minutes ago in Mrs. Hatton’s office,” Lindy said. “If I didn’t walk in, he could’ve done worse, like what he did to Phelia. She had a huge bandage on her forehead yesterday. I bet he forced her like he tried to force Mrs. Hatton,” the girl babbled.
“He hit Phelia?” Principal Sao said.
“No,” I cut in before Lindy could do any more damage. “He didn’t, Lindy is making things up now.”
“I am not!” Lindy said. “Everyone knows Dante is a lying scumbag who does whatever he likes to women. He also lied about poor Ms. Farris. I’m in the same class and I never saw her touch Dante. He’s the one who’s horrible to her, not the other way around.”
Principal Sao’s expression darkened. “Unfortunately, Lindy, that part’s not true.”
“You only have Dante’s family’s word.”
“No, we have other witnesses, so stop right there if you think Ms. Farris is innocent, however,” his eyes moved to me, “what Dante did to you.” He stepped to the side and indicated to his office. “Please enter. I want the full story. You too, Lindy.”
With my heart pounding, I went to move forward, but stopped at a loud “What the fuck?” behind me. I spun around to find Dante standing in the doorway, his expression startled. He looked from Lindy to me, as if asking why I was here with her.
“Dante,” Principal Sao said, his voice deep, angry. “Get in my office.”
His disbelieving gaze landed on the principal. “Why?”
“You should know why!”
Shaking his head, Dante took a step backwards. “Look, I don’t need this right now, I’ve got more important shit to deal with.”
“More important than assaulting a teacher!”
Dante’s eyes widened. “I didn’t assault Mrs. Hatton.”
“So, you do know what we’re talking about,” Principal Sao snapped.
“Again, this is being blown out of proportion,” I cut in. “It didn’t look as bad as what Lindy saw. It happened in a split second, and he stopped straight away when he realised it wasn’t reciprocated.” I flinched at the hurt look on Dante’s face, knowing damn well it had been reciprocated. But I was trapped. The most I could do was to downplay the situation, making it look like a silly mistake on behalf of a student, not an assault.
“It was longer than a split second,” Lindy butted in. “You tried to push him away, but he was still holding on to you, only letting go when he saw me.”
“Lindy—”
“No, you’re being too nice, Mrs. Hatton. You’re always too nice to everyone in the class, even when they’re nasty to you. And what Dante did was bad. He could’ve raped you if I didn’t walk in.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Lindy!”
“I’m not! I also saw him attack you another time. You pushed him away then too, yet he grabbed you again.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, not understanding how things were spiralling out of control so fast.
“The day he came to school drunk. He pushed you against the lockers and kissed you, and you shoved him away, knocking him to the floor. You looked so horrified, probably worried you’d hurt him. You tried to help him up, but he grabbed you again, pulling you on top of him, but you scrambled away, holding your hand out.”
My eyes widened, remembering that day well. “But I didn’t see you.”
She continued, burying Dante alive. “I was watching from our classroom doorway.”
Her words made my heart sink, what she’d said not boding well for Dante. I glanced at him. He looked even more shocked than I felt, probably because he’d been too drunk to remember that day.
“Is this true, Clara?” Principal Sao asked.
“Yes, but—”
He cut me off. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I ... I ... was in shock. Everything happened so fast. All I was concerned about was getting Dante to the sickbay, then Paul came and hurt him, and insulted me. I was overwhelmed. I didn’t know how to handle it all.”
“You could’ve come to me.”
“I was new to the school. I was scared I’d get a student expelled.”
“This isn’t your fault, it’s Dante’s.”
Dante held up his hands. “Hold up. I do
n’t even remember doin’ that.”
“Because you came to school drunk,” Principal Sao snapped. “Now, get in my office!”
Dante shook his head. “I don’t have time for this, I only came in ’ere cos I hafta leave.”
“For what?!”
“Someone’s comin’ to pick me up.”
“Your father? Because I most certainly will be talking to him about this. What you did—”
“I don’t need this!”
Dante disappeared through the doorway. Principal Sao took off after him. I followed them both out, now full out panicked, everything turning into a nightmare.
“Get back here!” Principal Sao yelled.
Dante continued down the corridor, heading for the exit as though the principal hadn’t spoken.
“If you walk out that door you’re expelled!” Principal Sao boomed.
Dante spun around, his face furious. “Like I fuckin’ give a shit! I don’t even wanna be here!”
“Dante—”
“No, fuck you! And fuck everything you think you did for me, cos it wuz jack shit! I’m not my brother. I don’t need your fuckin’ sympathies. I also don’t need your fuckin’ accusations. I don’t need you or your fuckin’ school. All I need is my dad.” His eyes moved to me, betrayal twisting his features. “And everyone else can go get fucked!”
He pivoted and disappeared out the exit. I went to follow him, but the principal stepped in my way. “Leave him. Go back to class. I’ll inform his father.”
This couldn’t be happening! It was one kiss. One kiss!
“But he’s upset,” I forced out, willing myself not to shove the man aside and run after Dante. “He might do something stupid. He might hurt himself.”
“You can’t control that boy, he does as he damn well pleases, and I’ve had enough of trying to help him. As far as I’m concerned, he’s expelled.”
“No! He needs to be in school. This could have lasting consequences.”
“Like with Ms. Farris, Dante needs to deal with what he’s done. I can’t have one rule for teachers and another for students. He acted towards you in a highly inappropriate manner, like Ms. Farris acted in a highly inappropriate manner. She is now suffering the consequences, as Dante will too.”
“Dante is a kid, while Helen is a grown adult. You can’t compare the two. What she did is a hundred times worse than Dante’s childish mistake,” I said, not caring that I’d done a million times worse than Helen, only caring that Dante didn’t get expelled.
“There’s no way around this, Clara,” Principal Sao said. “I have given that boy countless opportunities, yet he’s continually thrown it back in my face. And he’s right, he isn’t like his brother, because his brother is a good kid, someone who at least tried his best even after all that was done to him.”
“Dante’s had the same things happen to him.”
“No, he hasn’t. I told you what happened to Ash Rata.”
“And I believe the same was done to Dante. He just holds it in, expressing it in the wrong way. That’s why I think he acts so provocatively. He’s needs more counselling, not to be expelled. He also needs understanding, not recrimination.”
“Even after what he did to you today? What he did that other day?”
“As I said, it was blown out of proportion. He did stop as soon as I pushed him away. Lindy just doesn’t like the boy. Not only that, he was drunk during the first incident. Nothing happened after it, well, not until now, and honestly, he was upset. He probably misread my comfort for something more. For goodness’ sake, he was crying,” I lied, trying to get him to sympathise with Dante.
“Crying over what?”
I continued the lie, “All the rumours that are flying around about him. It’s getting out of control, and it doesn’t help when kids like Lindy make more up. The other students are constantly staring at him, whispering lies about him,” I said, that part true. “He was so worked up about it. I was trying to calm him, which was when he kissed me. It happened so fast, and once he realised what he’d done, he left. As you said, he’s a special case. He needs to be handled differently from the other kids.” I indicated to the exit. “So, please, let me see if he’s still out there. Maybe I could talk him into coming to your office. He’s unstable. You can’t just leave him to wander around on his own.”
Principal Sao frowned. “He’s probably long gone by now, and I need to talk to his father. He can deal with his son. I’m also pretty much guessing you won’t talk to the police?”
My eyes widened. “Why would I? I’m telling you, this is just a kid who’s made a poor decision. You don’t need to get the authorities involved, especially after what happened the last time.”
His frown deepened, a glimmer of guilt crossing his face. “Just go to your class. You have other students who need you.”
“I can’t teach a class after this.” I blinked, tears finally springing forth. “I...” I wiped my eyes, overwhelmed with everything that had happened. None of this was Dante’s fault. It was all mine. Tears fell freely, hitting my cheeks, a deep hopelessness weighing me down.
Principal Sao’s features softened. “I’m sorry, Clara,” he said, placing a hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean to bark at you. I’ll get a teacher with a spare period to cover for you. Go to the counsellor, or if you have to, go home.”
I wiped my eyes again, more tears falling. “I ... I don’t want Dante expelled over this. If you need to move him to another English class, do so, just don’t punish Dante because I didn’t know how to handle the situation better.”
He shook his head. “I should’ve expelled him a long time ago. He’s done too much, so much that I’ve been unfair on the other students keeping him here. I’ve allowed my guilt over not being there for his brother when Ash needed me the most, that it has affected the way I’ve dealt with Dante. But I have to realise those two are nothing alike. Dante just keeps heaping misdeed upon misdeed. I’m afraid I’ve done all I can for him. CYFS need to take over from here.”
I stiffened at the mention of the Child, Youth and Family Services. “Why?”
“I don’t think that boy is being cared for properly. The way his father barges in here, threatening people. Also, the way Dante comes and goes as he pleases isn’t right. I’ve also been informed by his counsellor that he’s stopped going to his appointments. Not to mention, she’s concerned he’s stopped taking his medication after a doctor misdiagnosed him. She tried to get him to see another doctor, but he refused. I rang his father about it last week, but the man was too drunk to understand what I was saying, and this was during the day. Even worse, it sounded like he was having...” He shook his head, whatever he was going to say obviously disgusting him. “Not only do I think Dante is being neglected, but the environment he’s living in doesn’t sound safe for a child. I mentioned this to his counsellor, but I don’t think anything has been done about it. And after today, I can no longer stand back and do nothing. CYFS need to be informed.”
Knowing I couldn’t change his mind, I covered my face, my hands shaking badly.
“Go to the counsellor or home, Clara. We can talk about this tomorrow. I will deal with his father and the authorities.”
A sob broke free for Dante. I’d messed things up for him so badly.
Principal Sao squeezed my arm. “This isn’t your fault, so please stop blaming yourself.”
I didn’t reply, knowing full well that it was all my fault.
21
Dante
I paced the footpath outside the school, too wound up to wait by the building. I just wanted whoever the fuck was going to pick me up to show so I could leave this fucking place. I wanted to get as far away from this shithole as possible. Away from that fucking principal and that shithead Lindy and... Mrs. Hatton. I shoved a hand through my hair, knowing she couldn’t risk telling the principal my kiss was consensual, but fuck, I was always the one who had to take the fall, never the chick. But then again, she’d done me a giant fucking
favour, because now I was out of Wera High for good, and that principal didn’t have a say in my life anymore. That self-righteous prick always thought he knew what was best for me, what I should be doing, how I should be living my life. But fuck him, and fuck all those other teachers, they could all...
My mind’s rampage came to a screaming holt as Jasper’s auntie pulled up to the kerb. The realisation that Hemi had gotten her to pick me up felt like he’d punched me square in the face. Of all the days, of all the times, he had to send her?!
She wound the window down, giving me a greasy as fuck smile. “Hop in, sweet pea.”
“Fuck you!” I yelled.
Furious, I took off, no longer caring that I was leaving myself open to the Devil’s Crew. I didn’t give a shit anymore, didn’t fucking, fucking, fucking... My mind started to spin out, the swearwords spilling from my mouth as vile as the woman in the car. I stormed along the footpath, waving my right hand about while I clutched onto my bag with my other one, cursing everyone and everything in multiple languages. Partway down the road, I realised I was heading in the wrong direction, my mind so wound up I was walking without thought. I spun around and headed back the other way, the school once more in my line of vision.
Ngaire pulled up alongside me, kerb crawling, stalking me like the sick bitch she was. “Dante, you can’t be walking around,” she said through the window. “It’s not safe.”
I spun around to face her. “And gettin’ into your car is any safer?!”
She scowled at me. “All I’m ’ere for is to drive you back to the compound. Nuthin’ more.”
“Yeah right.” I sneered. “I bet you’ll take a Tiki Tour out to your bro’s place to use all those condoms you mentioned buying me.”
A slight smile pulled at her lips. “I wish I could, sweet pea, but we’ll hafta save them for another day. I have strict orders to get you straight back to the club.”
I glared at her, not sure whether to trust her or not. For all I knew, she could drive me to the Devil’s Crew compound if I didn’t do as I was told. Because she wasn’t lying about having fucked Jonah, the manky tattoo of his name etched across her right arse cheek proof of that. But would she want me dead just because I turned her down? I didn’t think so, though I’d been proven wrong one too many times with chicks, not reading them as well as I thought.
Shattered Poetry (Broken Lives #2) Page 23
