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Fear snakes it way through my body as I turn to look at him. “Mr. Flint, I understand what you’re saying, but I’m only scheduled for the hours applied. I commit to those hours and I’m never late. The day I had off last week, I more than made up for,” I tell him, trying to keep calm, and not panic.
“Do I make you nervous?” he asks, leaning over my desk, his face inches from mine. I flinch, moving away. He chuckles quietly under his breath, stepping closer. His runs his finger down my cheek, then over to move my hair behind my shoulder.
I grit my teeth, my breathing harsh and heavy. “So, what is it to be, Emma?”
“I’ll kindly ask you to take a step back.” My voice is filled with nerves, and he doesn’t miss it, smiling like a cat that caught a fish.
“Ah, Emma, you really shouldn’t argue back to a member of staff.”
He moves away, heading back to the front of the class. “Hey, guys, due to some work that needs to be done on this floor, class tomorrow will be cancelled. I will send an email with a reading for you to do until our next lesson. I will see you Wednesday. Have a great weekend.”
Feeling relief that I won’t have to see him, I grab my stuff and shove it inside my bag. I’m not naïve; I know speaking up will most likely get him fired or suspended. What has me not running straight home to leave a message to the university is the fact I have no proof. None of the other students in my class are treated the same, and none of them pay attention when he’s near me. They don’t see what he does or hear what he says. It will be my word against his. And who would take the word of a girl who has spent years in a comatose state over the word of a respectable teacher who has worked for the university for a while? No one.
I pass Becky on my way out, her voice calling out to me slowing me down. She’s still putting her things away when I turn around, well aware that Mr. Flint is watching me.
“Do you want a lift home?”
I shake my head, just wanting to get out of here. “No, thank you. I’m sorry I can’t stick around. I really need to go.”
She waves me off. “Text me for that coffee.”
I force a smile before looking around the room, noticing there is just her and two male students left. Even before the feeling in the pit of my stomach hits, I decide to wait. Under no good conscience can I leave her with a pack of wolves. They’d eat her alive, and something tells me at least one of the three isn’t afraid to attack.
“Actually, I’ll walk out with you. Are you ready?” I ask, keeping an eye on the three men in the room. Mr. Flint watches me with an amused expression. I want to narrow my eyes at him, but I don’t want to be held up any longer in this room with him. I’m going to have a serious talk with my department head, see if there is another teacher who teaches this class.
“Ready,” she tells me, zipping her coat up. She doesn’t notice the leering eyes on her, or if she does, she doesn’t acknowledge it, not even saying goodbye as we leave the classroom.
“Can I ask you something that might seem strange?”
I give her a side glance, biting my lip. “Of course. What is it?”
“You know when you meet someone, can you tell if they’re good or bad people?”
I wish I had that power.
“I’d like to think so, but so many people can hide their true intentions, and you won’t know until it’s too late.”
“Yeah, but have you ever met someone or had someone stare at you and got instant chills?”
I give her a sharp glance, afraid someone has made her feel like that. “Yes, I have. Once or twice. Why? Has someone made you feel uncomfortable?”
She glances over her shoulder, down the dimly lit corridor, before facing me, her lips in a tight pout. “Yeah. It could just be me; I don’t read people well. I’ve had people laughatme, not with me, and I can’t tell when someone is being sarcastic or not.”
I stop her before we step outside, needing to know. It’s just a feeling and a guess, but I think I’m right. “Becky, are you talking about Mr. Flint?”
Her startled eyes reach mine, before warily looking behind her. “What do you mean? Has he done something to you?”
“He did something to you?” I screech, wincing and lowering my tone. “Are you okay?”
She looks panicked when she takes my arm. “Shush, they might hear you. And no. But he makes me nervous. He asked me to stay behind after our second lesson, and I did. We were alone for a few seconds, but he put his hand on my thigh, rubbing me. Another girl from class walked in and I shot up from my seat. I tried to talk to our department head about it, but she basically told me it was my word against his. I tried to tell her I wasn’t lying, that he creeped me out, but she put it down to me failing the class. Apparently, his family donate a lot to the university.”
I feel sick at what I’m hearing.
“I’m so sorry, Becky. I think we need to go to someone higher, especially if she isn’t listening to you. Money isn’t a reason to let a teacher sexually harass his students and abuse his position.”
“He’s done it to you?”
I nod sharply. “He’s always getting in my personal space, always touching me inappropriately. He’s tried more than once to get me to stay behind. He did it just now in class. But like you, it will be my word against his.”
