Page 71 of The Teacher

I storm away from him, away from his grasp. I stagger down the hallway and down the stairs. I rush past Miss Tweed who’s standing on the stairs, clearly listening in, and out the front door into my car.

26

SANDY

One hand clutches the steering wheel, and the other hand is clasped tightly around the shifter. My knuckles are white with tension. I’m driving, but I don’t know where. I’m just driving and driving. Down and around the bendy streets of New Water. I’ve got no plan as to where I’m going. I just need to keep moving. I need to stay focused on something, and not let my mind wander back to that house, back to that office, back to what Skipper was doing with or to Becky Taylor. I can’t let myself think about that.

Keep going, Sandy. Keep moving. Don’t stop. Don’t let your thoughts consume you.

I keep driving away from Miss Tweed’s house, my mind completely blank. Purely focusing on the next turning or the lines on the road lit up by my car’s headlights. It’s dark now. Night. I just want to get as far away as I can from Miss Tweed’s house.

And that’s how I end up at the beach. I don’t know why my subconscious drove me here, but once I arrive at the beach parking lot, I feel like it’s the right place to be. It’s the right place for my mind. I park in my usual space. The entire parking lot is deserted. And I get out of the car.

I can’t believe it. I was an idiot. Why did I trust him?

I stagger, in the dark, down to the sand, and I sit facing the shadowy ocean. The sand is still warm. It’s nice to just sit here. It’s only me and the crashing waves and the dim moon high in the sky.

I sit back and close my eyes.

Peace.

Quiet.

I’m alone.

But inside I’m fuming. Burning. Raging.

I always knew Skipper would do this, why didn’t I trust my instincts? I always knew he would cheat on me again. I should’ve listened to my gut. Why did I think I was so special that he’d change his whole life plans for me and stay in New Water? Why did I have the inflated ego to think he’d stick to his pretty little promises?

Why would I think he would be any different from who he was eight years ago?

He saw me at Cove and Ripley’s wedding and thought I was ripe for the picking, that even after all these years I’d fall for him again in less than a heartbeat. And he was right. He just used me for his own closure. It must be really nice in his head right now, thinking that even though he fucked me over once, he had the good looks and the charm to do it all over again.

Yeah, Skipper, you’re a handsome bastard. You can do this to anyone you like. You’ve proven that tonight.

Anyone will fall for him, and he has the power to snap his fingers and ruin their life. He knows that now. He did it to me.

Actions, not words.

I fell for his words.

But tonight, I saw his actions.

I should’ve listened to Ripley, instead, I just fell back into being that silly little teenage girl again, fawning over the hot man in the nice suit.

I’ve been so stupid. So awfully stupid.

And now my heart is paying the price for my stupidity.

I pull my phone out. The bright screen on the dark beach blinds me for a moment but my eyes quickly adjust, especially when I see the notifications.

Ten missed calls.

All from Skipper.

I’ve only been gone from Miss Tweed’s house for less than half an hour and he’s been trying to call me and message me multiple times. I don’t care what he has to say. I don’t want to listen to his nice little lies anymore. I’m not going to be persuaded again by his endless charm. This time it really is over. No more nice Sandy Finn.

I think about what I want to say for a second and then I type out a message to him.