Page 52 of Unmasking You

When we reach the changing room, everyone else is outside, and when I go to enter the room, Mr Thompson stops me.

“Only the nurse, please.”

“You all, go back to your classes. We’ll let you know about Mr Wilson as soon as possible.”

I want to pound on the door until it breaks when he closes it on my face.

“You fuckers,” I say to the others, wishing Dan was here so I could rearrange his face. “If he’s hurt, I will make you suffer.” Then I turn my back to them. “Now, fuck off.” After that, I don’t move from the door, my eyes trained there and my ears straining to hear what’s happening inside with no luck. I stay there until another teacher forces me to go.

I go back to class, and wait and wait, but no one comes to let us know about Jamie.

I want to wait outside as long as I can, but there’s no sign of Jamie.

I take courage in both hands and text him while I’m going home, but he doesn’t reply. And even when I text more my phone remains silent.

It takes me ages to fall asleep.

I run to school without eating breakfast, and ignore my mum’s comments on how I should behave.

I’m tired of behaving. Behaving didn’t help at all, it actually made things worse. I should have done something before we came to yesterday’s shitshow.

I don’t stop to talk to anyone, eager to go check if Jamie’s in school, but when I arrive in the classroom, there’s no trace of him. I sit at my desk, trying to appear calm and collected, but my leg is jumping up and down like a drill so I don’t jump up and pace around like a lion in a cage.

One after the other everyone sits at their desk, and when the bell rings Dan appears at the door. His face is not showing any of the signs of what happened last night.

“Good morning, everyone,” Mrs Watson says while entering the room.

There’s a chorus of people who greet her, but I’m only thinking of how I can sneak out to go and see Jamie. Even if I have to enter the office and steal his file so I can get his address.

“Settle down,” she says, but people keep talking. “Please, settle down. I have an announcement to make.”

I’m on the edge of my chair, hoping to finally get some answers.

“Due to personal circumstances Mr Wilson will no longer be coming to this school.”

Loud voices ask “What?” and “Why?” but that’s not what I want to know.

“That fucking povo is finally out of the way,” Dan is whispering, but I hear him loud and clear.

I’m out of my seat in a flash, and before he can move away I punch him. One, two, three times… until I hear the satisfactory sound of his nose breaking.

People try to pull me away from him, but I keep surging forward with nothing more important than making him suffer. Shame I won’t be able to get to the others and make them go through the same treatment.

Someone pulls me up until my feet don’t touch the floor, and the only person who could do that is Mr Johnson, the PE teacher and bodybuilder. I still try to reach for Dan, though, now on the floor trying to stop the blood flowing out of his nose, because he has to pay more. Even if the sight of him makes me smile.

This is for Jamie, you fucker.

Mr Johnson lets me go once we’re out of the classroom. “You need to calm down,” he says to me, but I’m focused on finding a way to get back in.

He lets me be for a bit, and then stands next to me. I look at him, and his eyes have an understanding glare in them that says more than thousands words. Everyone must know what happened to Jamie, and everyone must know that it was Dan and those other pricks’ fault.

“Are you calm?”

I nod.

“Now listen carefully. You need to keep your mouth shut. Do not say anything other than that you are shaken by what happened yesterday at the gym, and your body acted on its own.”

I nod again. Why is he helping me?

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