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Seventy Two

Author: Joshua Ataya
last update Last Updated: 2023-03-09 23:58:37

JOE

The ride back home was quiet, well except for the low hum of the engine. B.J hadn't said anything since we left the hospital, and I was beginning to feel a little worried.

I wound the windows up, and turned on the radio, to dispel the silence that rocked the air. I wanted to get home as soon as I could.

Truth be told, I had missed the comfort of my bed, and the quietness around the house. Since Ellen's arrival, I hadn't been able to enjoy any of those. It had been a problem after another.

Maybe I should have let her walk away after the first time we met, and not given her a deal to play the role of my wife, although that hadn't worked either. Nothing seemed to work around her.

My whole body ached for a long restful night, and maybe a cup of coffee. Either way, as long as I got to enjoy the silence tonight, it was going to be worth it.

I turned the car into my street, and heaved a sigh, as I began to close in on my house. I was finally home with my son, a
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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Three

    ZACH Candles lit up the room, and flowers were all over the place. I couldn't tell if she found this romantic, but I didn't. This felt like a total shit show. I stood at the window for a minute, she wasn't in the room yet, probably taking her bath or shaving her legs. I exhaled, and began heading towards the door. It had been a long time since I had seen Maddy, and honestly I had missed her. Especially that flirtatious part of her, something Ellen greatly lacked. I waltzed into the room, like I owned the place, and gave it quick scans. The room had some heat in it. At least the candles had some good to it. "Maddy?" I called, settling myself on the edge of her bed. I heard quick footsteps coming from the bathroom, and soon she appeared at the in the room, holding a towel to her chest. "Zach?" She muttered briefly. I didn't know which I saw first, was it the terror or the shock that came after. But I knew she had been paralyzed for a second. "I

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Four

    DEVAN THE ACCIDENT Silence! It had been a long time since I had experienced this quietness. It had only taken a minute for everything to return to how it had been before. Matt ignored me now, Robb was busy about his own business, and Dad was busy drinking himself to stupor, while awaiting Mum's arrival. I was back to the life I had lived a few months ago. The solitude, the silence, and that irrepressible feeling of guilt and hate, clogged in my throat. I sauntered around the house aimlessly, bumping into Matt repeatedly, although we didn't say a word to each other. Maybe I should have said something though, but I knew Matt, and I knew how he loved to do things his own way. We hadn't spoken to each other since the issue with the photographs that morning. I knew how pissed and irritated he felt, each time he set his eyes on me. Fortunately, it wasn't something new. I had received stares worse than that, ever since I found myself in this family, and of

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Five

    DEVAN THE ACCIDENT Wesley Peters! It was a tiny gap between been alive and being dead, and I wondered if I was just in between the both of them, or I had crossed over already. My head banged, and my skin felt ashy to the touch, but that was the least of my concerns. What mattered most was getting to Matt, and stopping him from executing whatever he was planning on doing. The honk of a bus reawakened me to reality, and my eyes opened. I pulled my hood over my head, and got into the bus. Hopefully, Matt hadn't done some crazy stuff yet. Inasmuch as I wanted to think that he couldn't do anything silly, due to Dad's presence, but I had to say, Dad was drunk as skunk, and I doubted Dad could even handle the weight of his own load. I struggled to find a seat, and unfortunately the last seat left was beside a plus size woman, with a baby in her laps, and another clinging to her skirts. "What do you want, boy?" She snapped, barely glancing at my face. "I

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Six

    ELLEN The world below me was quiet, and illuminated. Lights shone from every corner, lighting up the most part of the town. But here I was, stuck in this shit hole, with no electricity. I struggled to find my way around with a torch, but it only aided minimally. I walked away towards the bath room, hoping I could take a bath, and rest for the night. I wondered how long I was going to be here. This wasn't a kind of place I was supposed to be found in. I took off my clothes, the one after the other, until I was bare. I stepped into the bath tub, and turned on the faucet, half expecting the water to gush out, but surprisingly it didn't. I exhaled deeply, and gave myself a moment rest before rising out of the tub again. The idea of getting a room to sleep in at a motel, was proving itself to be shitty. This had to be the shittiest room I had ever stayed over. The ceilings gaped, as if in surprise at my presence in the room. Rats, crickets, and roaches ran free a

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Seven

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    ELLEN Woes, and the warmth of failure that I felt. I had failed severally in the past, but I couldn't afford another one on my list this time around. The clouds were gloomy, and a heavy snowfall threatened. I strode through the bustling streets, with my coat around my shoulders, and a cigarette stick that I had gotten around a shop by the corner. It was time to finally do justice to what I had avoided for so long. I stopped in front of the hospital, and inhaled sharply. I was ready to see Devan now. I walked into it, with my head bent low, as I strode towards the reception. When was the last time that I was here, two weeks, three weeks? I couldn't remember. I stopped at the reception, and pulled my scarf off, as the nurse stood there clearly snubbed me. "Hello," I mumbled, but she flipped through pages hurriedly, as if she hadn't heard me speak. "Ma'am, I need to see someone." I said, but she maintained a deaf ear, as she chewed her gum noisily. I was be

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Seventy Nine

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty

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  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Eight

    ELLEN The ceiling fan whirred softly, barely producing enough air to reduce the heat that enveloped the room. I turned around, trying to find a better position that suited me. BJ's snores took a higher tempo, and I could tell that he was fast asleep now. I turned to my side on the bed, again, grunting and grumbling, as the heat refused to subside. Exhaustion took the better part of me, and I forced myself to a sitting position. What had I expected from a motel as this one. This was the cheapest one I had been able to find. In fact, this was the only place I had been able to afford. Suzy wasn't back to the room yet. She had stepped out to take a call about an hour ago, and hadn't returned since then. I wondered what was taking her time. I stretched out on the bed, and stood to my feet, yawning tiredly. I couldn't sleep, and no matter what I tried, the sleep refused to come. "Ellen?" Suzy called, pushing the door opened, as she stepped in. I stood fac

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Seven

    DEVAN Regrets, and making bad choices went hand in hand. The house hadn't been the same since Mum had realised what she had done. She had suddenly withdrawn into her shell, barely speaking out anymore. I could barely imagine the amount of disappointment she felt at that point, but I wasn't ready to ease her agony so quickly. School was were I buried myself in now, mostly to keep myself busy, and keep the crazy thoughts away. It wasn't going to be the same anymore. Mum sat by the window side, staring blankly through the window, with a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hand. Each time I looked at her, I knew I had to help her, but it was going to be difficult. She always had a hand in everything that went wrong at home. What was a little pain compared to the series of insults that I had been forced to go through in her hands. I held unto the sides of the wheelchair I was seated in, and slowly forced an exhale out. "I see you, Devan." She said, breaking t

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Six

    ELLEN A loud, startling knock on the door, flung me off the bed in trepidation. I glanced quickly at my feet, and hissed lightly. My shoes were still on, I hadn't taken them off after getting into the room. I sat at the edge of the bed, and began to pull at them, when the knock came again. I took my shoes hastily, and stared blankly at the wall clock. The time read two A.M. However, the time hadn't served as enough deterrent to whoever was banging on my door. Maybe I shouldn't have rented a room at this motel, I should probably have gone for another one. A safer one, perhaps. A thousand and one thoughts ran through my head, as I held my shoe up in my left hand, just in case there was a need for it, and began to move towards the door. Was there a possibility that Devan and Robb had managed to find me so quickly? I couldn't tell, until I opened the damned door. "Who's at the door?" I quizzed, with shaky hands, and a shoe in it. The silence was enough

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Five

    DEVAN I could almost swear that she had noticed that our gazes were fixed on her, yet, she busied herself about the room, as if she didn't care. My heart ached to ask her all the crazy questions that burned at my heart. Why was she doing this? I heard Dad say something loudly, but we were all too preoccupied to even care at the moment. Mum began humming a song, as she went about her duties. I didn't know what to feel at that moment, anger, or resentment that she had only noticed me, after Matt's death. "Ms Barker, could I please get something to eat? It was a long walk from school." Sam pleaded, as Mum beamed a wide smile at him. "Of course, Sammy Boy. You're always welcome here. What would like me to get you?" She quizzed, scratching at her elbows agitatedly. Sam's fingers flew to his head, for a brief moment, as if trying to come up with something, and then thy dropped to his side again weakly. "Anything is fine, ma'am. I wouldn't want to be so much o

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Four

    ELLEN My eyes opened as Robb brought the car to a halt. I exhaled deeply, excited all over again. I was finally home, and although I didn't know where my home was yet though,but I was excited. "You look happy." Robb commented, as the engine died down. I nodded, and beamed a smile at him. "Well, I should be. I was away for too long." He chuckled lightly, and stared at me with a confusing gaze. "You think so? Things aren't the same as you left them." "Oh, come on, Robb. Everything's just fine." "No, it isn't!" He snapped, slamming his hands against the steering wheel. I was taken aback by his reaction. I lifted my hand gently, and rested it on his arm, as he sighed. "What's going on, Robb? Tell me." "Ellen..." He began swallowing deeply. "There's something I should have told you before, but I couldn't bring myself to do it." "What are you talking about, Robb? Spill it already." "It's not good, I promise ." I faked a smile, and patted his a

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Three

    DEVAN Time they say, had a way of doing things to you, changing you, breaking you, or making you. In all of these processes, you were considered as a chief factor, and I was in this one, somehow. Mornings were usually the busiest, school work, and having to endure the taunting and long stares from everyone at school. Not like I cared much though, but driving through the school halls always had a way of reminding me of a life I had once lived, in fear and in the shadows. That life was due for a change. Maybe, it was time I did something really meaningful with my life. I didn't know what it was then, but I was getting there. It was only going to take a short while now. I tapped my hands gently against the wheelchair, as I drove through the halls receiving the usual whispers, and hushed talks from the bunch of students around the hallway. Exhaustion got the better of me, as I shook my head slightly in pity. "You don't look so good, Devan." A voice said behind m

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty Two

    ELLEN Cups of coffee sat on the table between us, and the rising sun behind us. I was clearly exhausted, and how much I ached to free myself from Cullen's piercing eyes. He was quiet, and a little distant than I had known him to be. With eyes fixed on me, watching every move, and every gesture that I made. I didn't know what to do, or think. I mean, after all the time I had spent rehearsing, and coming up with words to say to him, when I finally got the chance to, yet here I was, as mute and silent as a lamb. "What's in your mind?" He quizzed, staring intently into my face. I shook my head slightly, regaining myself. "Nothing," I said hurriedly. "I mean, you're the one who's been withdrawn. You weren't like this the last time I saw you. What's happened to you?" He chuckled softly, and sipped at his coffee. "I'm the same person, Ellen. You just didn't know this part of me." I nodded in pretense. And of course, I didn't understand a word he had uttered.

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty One

    DEVAN Somehow, all of this still seemed pretty new to me. I had my memory back, and honestly, I had never felt as alive, as I did right now. I rode my wheelchair around the house in impatience, I was alone at home. Robb hadn't returned since he left, and now Mum also was taking too much time at the hospital. It had been a long while since I had been at the house, it seemed different from the last time. Probably because I had my legs then? Sad. A car honk blared loudly, and I drove to the window hurriedly. And just as I expected, it was Mum helping Dad out of the car. Matt's death had tightened the cords that held us as a family. Maybe that was what we had ended? A little it of something macabre? I shook my head hastily to clear it of the thoughts that filled it. Mum was at the door now with Dad. I didn't know what to do, I just sat there waiting for the door to be pushed open. In a moment, Mum stepped into the house, and Dad began turning his head around hu

  • The New Teacher Next Door   Eighty

    ELLEN I clearly didn't look forward to the break of day. I knew what Suzy was going to do, but still, I wasn't ready to succumb to her demand. It had been a long night, and as far as I could remember, I had barely blinked an eye. Suzy had barely slept also, as I had felt her toss from side to side on the bed next to me. She wanted to get her life back, and I wanted mine also. And there was no possible way I was going to sacrifice living the very life I had fantasized about living, just because she needed my help. That wasn't fair to me. That morning, I had gone about my regular business just like the previous night, and from what I could tell, Suzy wasn't interested in me, just as I wasn't also. I mean, we were both so different, but yet, there was this kind of connection that I felt like we both shared unknowingly. I was bent over a bag, as I arranged a few stuff I had left into it. Big Joe hadn't even been kind enough to let me come back to the house to

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