Chapter 7
James and I had dinner together inside his the area by his office. After eating, I felt a bit relieved but the stress of not getting pregnant still didn’t get off my shoulder. I wanted to hold myself in a small, tight place and cry.
After finishing, I linked my arms with James and placed my head on his shoulder. Finally, I felt like he was the same James I knew before.
“Are you fine?” He asked as he rubbed his hands on my cheeks.
I gave him a nod and then replied, “Yes, I want to sleep with you today…please,”
I heard James give off a small sigh, “Fine but you have to wake up before 6 and leave because I don’t want anyone finding out that you were with me the whole night,” He stated. I couldn’t understand why James was hiding all this from everyone.
Most of my teacher previously found out that I and James did have some sort of relationship, especially after that fight scene and the gunshot. James hugged me in front of so many student and staff member…and today he was trying to hide it all.
“Okay, I will go,” I said.
“Come,” He said as he placed his hand on my back and got up from the chair. My eyes hovered up to him and he pulled out his hand. It was 12 Am at night and we both were sleepy. I had no idea of the time until I noticed the clock by the reception.
I placed my hand on James’ hand and got up from the chair. I walked with him inside the room and then he tucked me inside the bed.
James turned back to his closet and removed his clothes because he was wearing a suit. His bare back came in my view but before my eyes could devour every bit of it, he wore a thin short and lied down beside me.
I moved closer to him and then grabbed his hand out of blue.
“Can I ask you something?” I questioned as I stared into his eyes. He turned his gaze away from the ceiling back to me.
“Yes?”
“What’s the black room everyone is talking about?” I questioned. Nat had told me about the black room and that it had been used only once to punish a girl. After that, the girl left and everyone got straight.
James sighed, “It’s a room I built for bad girls, I was getting tired of seeing disobedience from the students so I decided to create something that would terrify them,”
“And what about the girl who was sent inside the black room? What’s inside it?” I quickly asked.
His steady gaze locked on me, I tried to find out the emotions stored inside his eyes but I failed. They were blank. Literally dead.
“She disobeyed me so I punished her,” He calmly replied without any worry or remorse settling down in his harsh tone. Why was he like this now?
“And what happened to her after that?” I asked. An unfamiliar feeling curled in my stomach as I waited for his response
“Her parents came and took her away,” He gave a small smile by the end and I gasped out of fear.
“Why? What happened inside the room? Don’t tell you did someth–” The words were abrupt and I didn’t hear myself until the very end when he cut me off. The satisfaction from his face vanished away and it was replaced with disappointment.
“Do you think I would do that to someone?” He blurted out with anger lacing in his tone. He got up from the bed and drew all his attention on me.
I immediately shook my head, regretting my words. “I don’t mean that, I am sorry…I just thought that–”
“That I would have maybe f****d her or raped her?!” James exclaimed. The vein on his neck thickened along with the air surrounding us.
I shivered from his anger and replied, “No, no, not like that. I am sorry,”
His anger calmed down a bit but he still seemed disappointed from me. “I can’t believe that you would say that, I am not that kind of person who’d force any random woman. I don’t do anything until I am angry and I have only shown my anger to a few people,” James explained. I nodded my head as soon as he finished and got close to him.
“Sorry,”
He sighed, “Don’t say all that s**t, Maria, because I swear I will prove your accusation then,”
I placed my hands on his shoulder, “No, no, I won’t say anything!”
A moment of silence passed by and James lied down beside me. I fiddled around with the blanket that was over me and thought about several things.
“Can you remove that black room?” I asked James and his attention diverted to me again.
“No, I am not removing that. There are a lot of girls who need to be taught manners,” He replied.
“I don’t like it, and it mentally harming them. It’s not good, James, you are going to f**k up their lives too,” I argued but in a soft tone so he wouldn’t get mad again. I had seen the monster in him and I was terrified to see it again.
Vague memories of the day he forced me and of the day he had broken down all the glass frames in this room ran across my head and I quivered. He was a beast when he was angry.
“Caring about their mental health is the last thing I give a f**k about, they need to be taught manners and that’s why their parents throw them here,” James explained.
“So you think my parents threw me here so I could have learned manners?” I questioned out of blue. This boarding school was definitely something I did want to go in but I never knew it had all these kinds of rules and regulations that needed to be followed.
James silenced down, a sigh slipped of his lips and then he replied, “I don’t know, probably…” My lips parted open in confusion. I did have manners and I didn’t need to be taught about obeying and respecting elders. “I told you before also, you are the worst kind of student I have ever met. You don’t respect anyone, you have a loud mouth and a small head. When someone commands you something, you ignore them and think everything you do is better for you!” He added.
My mouth hung open from all the words he uttered about me. I just couldn’t believe that he was telling me all this.
“No!” I exclaimed. “I am really nice and obedient, I did everything you say and I respect you,” I added.
He scoffed, “Right? Respect? That’s the last thing I got from you,” He rolled his eyes continually.
“I do respect you,” I grabbed his arm and pulled him towards me.
“Maria, what you do isn’t called respect. Anyways, I wanted to tell you to not meet or talk to Monica,” James instructed and I raised an eyebrow.
“Why?”
“Because she is still obsessed with me and she’s going to do something if you constantly meet her or talk to her. Avoid her at all costs. I don’t want any more drama!” James explained. Did Monica still love James? It didn’t seem like when I told her about everything.
“She is nice, I spoke to her and she’s really nice to me,” I said.
“Her fingerprints were on the gun that day and she created that entire scene up so I could get you expelled,” James stated and I gasped.
What was he saying?
“Monica put that gun inside my bedroom?!” I asked out of shock and James nodded his head. “Oh my god!”
“That’s why I am telling you to avoid her at all, I don’t want drama and I am really tired of it!” He added.
“I won’t talk to her, don’t worry.” I smiled. I was a nice girl and I always listened to whatever James said so I didn’t understand why he said that I was disobedient when that was completely false.
“Also, I have gotten complaints from teachers about you missing your first two days. Please, go to your classes on time and stop skipping them. If they send you to me then I will punish you,” James explained. He had a faint trace of irritation in his voice like he was tired of all this mess and drama.
“I will,” I replied.
He looked down at me and patted my head. “That’s like a good girl,” His face lightened up with a smile.
I blushed and dug deep into his chest. When he called me a good girl, it caused butterflies to run inside my stomach. I wished he would say more of that often.
––
The next morning, James woke me up early as he wanted me to leave before the staff could get up.
“Who is that assistant? You told me you’d fire her long ago but she is still here,” I asked as I stepped outside.
It was just 5 AM in the morning and the sun wasn’t even out yet. I just slept for a few hours and my head was aching because of it.
“I told you, my father got her and I cannot fire her until the school is under my name. Once it is, I will get rid of her,” James explained, in a low, dying tone like he hadn’t slept the whole night. Which made me question, did he? I fell asleep before I even knew but did James sleep?
“She’s really hot but she’s rude too…” I trailed off.
“I know,” James said as he if he actually thought she was hot. The response immediately hit my nerve and I grabbed his arm, turning his gaze to me.
“What do you mean? You think she is hot?” I asked.
He offered a shrug and gave a simple answer, “You only said she was, I was just implying on your words,” The wistful smile he had by the end really worried me. James was hot and so was that receptionist, they probably must have done something.
My eyebrows cinched together as I was struck with unknown suspicion. I followed James inside his office because I wasn’t done knowing about the receptionist. Before I could argue about her, he picked up the reports from the table and opened them.
“You went to Peak View hospital?” James questioned with curiosity in his tone.
I licked my lips and let out the breath I was holding, “Yes,” I replied.
“You met my mother?” He asked again, his lips lined straight. The curiosity went away and it was replaced with a bit of anger. I knew he had instructed me to never go there but I couldn’t help. I wanted to see her and even James should.
I walked closer to him and said, “Yes, she’s really sick and you should also meet her,” I promised his mother that I would bring James to her before she dies, I had no idea how long she would live but she had really less days. James needed to go see his mother soon and I was going to make that happen.
“I told you to not go meet her! Don’t you understand such small orders?!” James exclaimed, he gritted his teeth together and looked at me furiously.
I lifted my chin high and shook my head. I did nothing wrong. “Stop being so angry! So what if I met her? She’s your mot–”
“She’s not my mother for God’s sake, Maria.” James threw his hands on the air and then continued. “She’s the worst person I know and it’s better if she dies painfully! You are never going there and I will make sure of that,”
He threw the report back on the table and turned around to the window with anger. The sudden intensity of his voice caused me too afraid of him. I didn’t like when James yelled or scolded me.
I cleared my throat and went to him, “James, she is your mother and just because she has done some bad things to you doesn’t mean that you break off with her. The bond between a parent and child can never break. She gave your birth and you can’t even imagine the pain she suffered. It’s way less than the pain you endured during your childhood. People never stay the same, as time changes, they change too.” I explained.
When I mentioned the part about birth, it caused a bit of ache in my heart that I wasn’t able to give birth to a child of my own. How horrible was my fate?
The expressions on his face softened and loosened up. I placed my hand on his neck and continued, “Please, go meet her, at least for once. You are going regret not seeing her once she is dead and she is really sick. I am not telling you to forgive her or anything, I am just saying you to see a person who is dying, that’s all.”
James looked down at me; he sighed and then replied, “Fine, it’s just because of you. I won’t talk to her or anything, I am just going to see her and come back. That’s all!”
A smile curled on my lips and I gave James a hug. He was finally coming under my control and becoming normal once again.
“Thank you,”
“But Maria, don’t mention anything related to my mother to Jason. He doesn’t know she is alive and I don’t want him to know,” James said clearly. “I know you have spoken to him, that’s why I am telling you,”
The smile in the edge of my mouth lifted and I nodded my head. As long as James was going to see her, I didn’t care about anything else. I just wanted to fulfill a cancer patient’s desire.
“I won’t,” I replied.
“Good, now go back to your dorm and get ready for your classes. And, Jesus, please eat. You have gotten far skinnier than ever and I don’t like it,” James stated and my mouth hung open in shock.
“What? I’m still thick!” I said.
He grabbed my waist and pulled me closer to his body. I felt his firm manhood settle around my stomach It wasn’t hard, just firm. His hands crawled down to my ass and he grabbed with tightly. My heart lurched and my stomach flipped upon his touch. It was so addictive!
“You aren’t ‘thick’. You were and no you are just full of bones, haven’t you been eaten properly?” James asked, a bit of taunt laced around his tone.
“No, my father is a vegetarian so when I was with him, I barely ate meat and because of maybe I lost some weight but I am not that skinny!” I exclaimed.
“No wonder! Please eat properly now,” He said, his voice contained a bit of humor and a bit of worry for me.
I nodded my head, “Don’t worry, I will be fat now!”