Everything Has Changed
>>•CHAPTER FOUR•<<
{Later That Day}
“Ms. Evans, please compose yourself.’’ The principal mumbles, patting Melanie’s back lightly. She just shakes her head, unable to keep herself calm anymore.
They went too far, the words were too much, the laughing, the names, the everything… it was all too much, way too much.
‘’Would you like to call someone to come get you, sweetie?’’ Her teacher asks, more concerned than anyone. Melanie only knows, nothing more, nothing less.
She didn’t have the strength, or the courage to say or do anything else anymore, not at all.
“Here.’’ The teacher hands her the school phone and Melanie wipes her eyes off, smearing what little makeup she has left on her face.
She hesitates, her finger hovering over the area code’s beginning number. And she presses it, typing the first three numbers in. The next four, important, but she stops, staring at the numbers as if they were in a foreign language, a different world.
‘’Ms. Evans, is something wrong?’’ The principal asks, sighing lightly as the teacher leaves the office, shutting the door behind her quietly.
‘’Do.. do I have to call.. to call my.. my.. brother?” She asks, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.
The broad, large man gulped lightly, he knew of Melanie’s situation, family wise that is.
‘’No, you can call anybody that’s on the school records.’’ He reminds her, nodding lightly as she nods to him.
Melanie continues, typing in a number she knows she can trust. Someone that won’t hurt her if she comes home broken down and beat up. She knows this person will care, they will love, they will understand.
And that’s all she needs right now, that’s all.
“I’m sorry this happened, Mr. Horan, but she didn’t come to us in time. We wish we could have prevented it, but we couldn’t.’’ Mrs. Willis said, Melanie’s homeroom teacher.
‘’I understand. Is there any way we can get her classes changed?’’ Niall asks, holding Melanie against his chest, she was sobbing and she felt broken, he knew he had to hold her to make her feel better.
‘’I don’t know, sir. We’ve changed them four times this year, and first semester isn’t even over yet.’’ She shakes her head lightly, unsure of the actual answer.
‘’Is there any way she can.. possibly avoid these kids that mess with her?’’
‘’No, I’m sure not. Because the school is so large, there’s too many places that would have to be blocked off, and we can’t just go around and forcing people to walk this way and that way. I’m sorry, but no.’’ She sighs lightly, not really wanting to say that, but she had to.
‘’Well then, I guess we’ll have to figure something out.’’ Niall says, petting Melanie’s hair comfortingly, trying to get her to calm down as her arms cling around his waist, not wanting to let go at all.
“Since we are the secondary care provider, we will cover the costs of any therapy or-‘’
‘’She doesn’t need your money, nor your care.’’ Niall stops her midway, not wanting to hear any of that petty shit. He knew it was just to make sure that she stayed in school. The more attendance they had, the more money the state paid them.
‘’Mr. Horan, that’s our policy.’’ She replies.
‘’Well, not for me.’’ Niall shrugs, glancing down to make sure Melanie was okay. From this angle, he was hoping that she was calming down a tad, but not much of course.
‘’I’m sick of this child coming home with bruises and cuts all over her. They raped her, and you idiots do nothing but assure me that you can take care of it, even when you don’t.’’ Niall rolls his eyes, sighing lightly to himself.
‘’Mr.-‘’
Niall cuts her off before she could even think of replying anything else to him, ‘’I’m taking her out of this school. I don’t care what you say, or what anyone says. She’ll be gone by tomorrow. I’ll assure you that.’’
“Okay, if you think that.’’ The woman shrugs lightly, sighing to Niall.
‘’I know it.’’
‘’Baby.. are you okay?’’ Niall asks, glancing in the rear view mirror at Melanie.
Her eyes land on his gaze in the mirror as he gets to a red traffic light. She nods lightly, wiping at her eyes.
‘’I love you, okay?’’ He says.
She just nods, smiling only a tad in return before looking away.
‘’What.. what are you drawing?” Niall curiously asks, taking in notice of something she always does, something that she loved and that he loved for her, just because it made her happy.
‘’Nothing.’’ She smiles lightly, staring down at her notebook.
‘’M’kay..’’ He smiles gently to her reflection just as the light changes green.
‘’Ni?’’ She says softly, question to her tone.
‘’Yeah, love?’’ He asks, eyes focused on the road, but his attention on her.
‘’Thank you.’’
‘’For?’’
‘’Coming up there.. and getting me. I didn’t.. I didn’t want to tell Cody.. or Tori, because she would just tell Cody.’’ Melanie admits to him with a sigh.
‘’I know darlin’, I’ll always be there for you.’’ He assures her, smiling lightly to herself.
‘’Can I.. can I do the homeschooling.. with Ms. Diana? Like.. like the others do?’’ She asks nervously, fiddling with her fingers as she stares out the window.
‘’Of course baby, that was my plan anyways.’’ He tells her.
‘’Okay.’’
‘’Babe, can I ask you something?’’ Niall says, gulping lightly to himself.
‘’Yeah, uh, sure.’’ She shrugs to herself, not understanding why on earth he asked.
‘’Did those boys touch you again?’’ Niall furrows his eyebrows lightly, waiting on her reply.
But he gets nothing in return.
‘’Melanie, babe, please. Tell me, did they?” He asks, just trying to show her someone cares.
‘’Yes.’’ She mumbles the word like it was a sin to say it any louder.
‘’How.. did they do it?’’
Niall could hear her gulp in the backseat, nervous and afraid as she begins to reply to his hard, difficult, nerve-racking question.
“They.. they put their hand in my pants again.. and took me to the bathroom in the field house.. the usual.’’ She sighs.
‘’During soccer?’’ He asks.
‘’Yeah.. I got sent to the office.. because Coach Jones marked me as absent.. and wrote me a referral for cutting class.. even when I was.. you know.’’ Melanie tells him.
Niall licked his lips, only at the thought of her actually telling him this, of all people. He’s the one that knows, the only one that knows this part.
And he was so grateful, and still is, that she even told him in the first place.
He knows that all Melanie’s ever wanted was to fit in, that’s all really, just to be normal. To be free, to be.. average.
“Ms. Evans, please compose yourself.’’ The principal mumbles, patting Melanie’s back lightly. She just shakes her head, unable to keep herself calm anymore.
They went too far, the words were too much, the laughing, the names, the everything… it was all too much, way too much.
‘’Would you like to call someone to come get you, sweetie?’’ Her teacher asks, more concerned than anyone. Melanie only knows, nothing more, nothing less.
She didn’t have the strength, or the courage to say or do anything else anymore, not at all.
“Here.’’ The teacher hands her the school phone and Melanie wipes her eyes off, smearing what little makeup she has left on her face.
She hesitates, her finger hovering over the area code’s beginning number. And she presses it, typing the first three numbers in. The next four, important, but she stops, staring at the numbers as if they were in a foreign language, a different world.
‘’Ms. Evans, is something wrong?’’ The principal asks, sighing lightly as the teacher leaves the office, shutting the door behind her quietly.
‘’Do.. do I have to call.. to call my.. my.. brother?” She asks, looking up at him with tear filled eyes.
The broad, large man gulped lightly, he knew of Melanie’s situation, family wise that is.
‘’No, you can call anybody that’s on the school records.’’ He reminds her, nodding lightly as she nods to him.
Melanie continues, typing in a number she knows she can trust. Someone that won’t hurt her if she comes home broken down and beat up. She knows this person will care, they will love, they will understand.
And that’s all she needs right now, that’s all.
“I’m sorry this happened, Mr. Horan, but she didn’t come to us in time. We wish we could have prevented it, but we couldn’t.’’ Mrs. Willis said, Melanie’s homeroom teacher.
‘’I understand. Is there any way we can get her classes changed?’’ Niall asks, holding Melanie against his chest, she was sobbing and she felt broken, he knew he had to hold her to make her feel better.
‘’I don’t know, sir. We’ve changed them four times this year, and first semester isn’t even over yet.’’ She shakes her head lightly, unsure of the actual answer.
‘’Is there any way she can.. possibly avoid these kids that mess with her?’’
‘’No, I’m sure not. Because the school is so large, there’s too many places that would have to be blocked off, and we can’t just go around and forcing people to walk this way and that way. I’m sorry, but no.’’ She sighs lightly, not really wanting to say that, but she had to.
‘’Well then, I guess we’ll have to figure something out.’’ Niall says, petting Melanie’s hair comfortingly, trying to get her to calm down as her arms cling around his waist, not wanting to let go at all.
“Since we are the secondary care provider, we will cover the costs of any therapy or-‘’
‘’She doesn’t need your money, nor your care.’’ Niall stops her midway, not wanting to hear any of that petty shit. He knew it was just to make sure that she stayed in school. The more attendance they had, the more money the state paid them.
‘’Mr. Horan, that’s our policy.’’ She replies.
‘’Well, not for me.’’ Niall shrugs, glancing down to make sure Melanie was okay. From this angle, he was hoping that she was calming down a tad, but not much of course.
‘’I’m sick of this child coming home with bruises and cuts all over her. They raped her, and you idiots do nothing but assure me that you can take care of it, even when you don’t.’’ Niall rolls his eyes, sighing lightly to himself.
‘’Mr.-‘’
Niall cuts her off before she could even think of replying anything else to him, ‘’I’m taking her out of this school. I don’t care what you say, or what anyone says. She’ll be gone by tomorrow. I’ll assure you that.’’
“Okay, if you think that.’’ The woman shrugs lightly, sighing to Niall.
‘’I know it.’’
‘’Baby.. are you okay?’’ Niall asks, glancing in the rear view mirror at Melanie.
Her eyes land on his gaze in the mirror as he gets to a red traffic light. She nods lightly, wiping at her eyes.
‘’I love you, okay?’’ He says.
She just nods, smiling only a tad in return before looking away.
‘’What.. what are you drawing?” Niall curiously asks, taking in notice of something she always does, something that she loved and that he loved for her, just because it made her happy.
‘’Nothing.’’ She smiles lightly, staring down at her notebook.
‘’M’kay..’’ He smiles gently to her reflection just as the light changes green.
‘’Ni?’’ She says softly, question to her tone.
‘’Yeah, love?’’ He asks, eyes focused on the road, but his attention on her.
‘’Thank you.’’
‘’For?’’
‘’Coming up there.. and getting me. I didn’t.. I didn’t want to tell Cody.. or Tori, because she would just tell Cody.’’ Melanie admits to him with a sigh.
‘’I know darlin’, I’ll always be there for you.’’ He assures her, smiling lightly to herself.
‘’Can I.. can I do the homeschooling.. with Ms. Diana? Like.. like the others do?’’ She asks nervously, fiddling with her fingers as she stares out the window.
‘’Of course baby, that was my plan anyways.’’ He tells her.
‘’Okay.’’
‘’Babe, can I ask you something?’’ Niall says, gulping lightly to himself.
‘’Yeah, uh, sure.’’ She shrugs to herself, not understanding why on earth he asked.
‘’Did those boys touch you again?’’ Niall furrows his eyebrows lightly, waiting on her reply.
But he gets nothing in return.
‘’Melanie, babe, please. Tell me, did they?” He asks, just trying to show her someone cares.
‘’Yes.’’ She mumbles the word like it was a sin to say it any louder.
‘’How.. did they do it?’’
Niall could hear her gulp in the backseat, nervous and afraid as she begins to reply to his hard, difficult, nerve-racking question.
“They.. they put their hand in my pants again.. and took me to the bathroom in the field house.. the usual.’’ She sighs.
‘’During soccer?’’ He asks.
‘’Yeah.. I got sent to the office.. because Coach Jones marked me as absent.. and wrote me a referral for cutting class.. even when I was.. you know.’’ Melanie tells him.
Niall licked his lips, only at the thought of her actually telling him this, of all people. He’s the one that knows, the only one that knows this part.
And he was so grateful, and still is, that she even told him in the first place.
He knows that all Melanie’s ever wanted was to fit in, that’s all really, just to be normal. To be free, to be.. average.
Notes
♥•Comments? Thoughts? Feedback...? I will update soon, love you my beautiful readers!!! xx :) •♥
--B--
@Abby Horan.
http://www.onedirectionfanfiction.org/Story/80506/The-Story-Of-Us/
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