Page 25 of Further To Fall

He guided me inside and to the living room, where he pulled my bag from my shoulder, laying it on the floor. He then sat down on the couch and pulled me onto his lap. He silently rocked me, rubbing my back while I wept for the next ten minutes. As my tears started to slow, he said, “Tell me what these tears are about.”

I let out a stuttered breath and hiccupped. “Sorry, it’s been a tough day.”

Austin tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “You don’t have to apologize, just tell me what’s going on. We’ll talk it through.”

I slid off his lap, even though it killed me to do so. I couldn’t think straight with his body pressed up against mine. I took a deep breath and launched into the heart of it. “I think one of my students is getting abused at home, or at the very least picked on at school, and I don’t know what to do about it.”

“Which student?”

I plucked a pillow from the couch and hugged it to my chest. “Michael.”

Austin’s eyes softened even further. “Your favorite kid.”

I sighed. “My favorite, even though I’m not supposed to have favorites.”

A small smile touched his lips at my remark. “Tell me what happened.”

I spent the next thirty minutes explaining everything to Austin. I tried to remember every possibly relevant detail, and he listened intently to it all. “Kyle said I have to be cautious about reporting to Child Protective Services because I don’t have any real evidence.”

Austin frowned. “Who the fuck is Kyle?”

I frowned back at him. “I’ve mentioned him to you before. He’s a friend and another teacher at my school. He’s been teaching for five years longer than I have, so he has more experience with this kind of stuff.”

Austin cracked his knuckles. “Well, he’s right that you don’t have any evidence and so it will be hard for CPS to do anything other than talk to Michael. And it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to open up.”

“I couldn’t get him to, and I think he likes and trusts me. I’m not sure a stranger would be any better, but they might be better at asking the right questions.” I groaned and rubbed my temples. “I feel like such a failure. I couldn’t get him to tell meanything.”

“You’re not a failure, it may just take time. Plus, it very well could be bullies at school. And not to freak you out, but it could also be a gang. They start recruiting young and don’t like it when kids refuse.”

I could feel the blood drain from my head. “Gangs? In the fourth grade?”

Austin leaned over and rubbed my knee. “It’s just a possibility. We don’t know anything for certain. What we need to focus on is getting more information so we know what’s actually going on. And to do that, we need Michael to feel comfortable confiding in you.”

A warmth crept over my whole body at Austin’s use of the wordwe. I no longer felt alone in this, I felt like I was a part of a team.

Austin sat back and rubbed the stubble on his cheek. “I have an idea.”

“I would love any and all ideas because I currently have none.”

He chuckled. “What if I came to your class and did a self-defense demonstration? You said they were interested when you told them you were taking classes with me, right?”

“Right.” I hesitated. “But I don’t want them trying to beat up gangsters if they’re approached by them, they could get killed!”

“It’s not so much about moves that I would show them. It would be more of an excuse to talk to them about different situations they might face and how to deal with them. We could cover bullies, gangs, and abuse.”

“That would at least get Michael thinking and knowing he’s not alone.”

“Hopefully, it will be enough to encourage him to tell you what’s going on.”

I bent forward and wrapped my arms around Austin’s neck. “Thank you,” I whispered. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He squeezed my neck. “Good thing you’ll never have to find out.”

I pulled back slightly but was frozen in place when I saw heat in the dark blue eyes looking down at me. My heart thudded against my ribs, picking up pace as it went. I licked my suddenly dry lips, and Austin’s gaze tracked the movement, his eyes darkening. I leaned forward. The shift was miniscule, but it jarred Austin from our moment.

He dropped his hand from my neck and stepped back. “Why don’t you go put on some sweats, and I’ll order us some takeout. You might also want to wash your face because you look like a drowned raccoon.”

My jaw slackened, and my hands flew to my face. “You couldn’t have mentioned this earlier?”

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