Simple Revenge

What is considered acceptable revenge in a society where the true offenders often go unpunished...?

 

Tap…tap……tap………tap…………

 

Elissa watched her pencil, flinching each time the lead connected with the paper on her desk, leaving a black smudge. The sounds around her seemed to slow and blur, until she could hear only the sound of the pencil lead hitting the paper. The clock on the wall struck 10:50, but she didn’t notice it, and the sound of the lunch bell never reached her ears. Students milled around her, laughing and chatting as they headed for the door. None of them even bothered to notice her, no one ever did anymore. Everyone said she’d lost it. Her friends had abandoned her, turned unfamiliar, and her grades had begun to slip. The counselor had tried to talk to her for a week, and was now thoroughly questioning her parents, but even they didn’t know what had happened to their once-cheerful daughter. They were considering sending her to a psychiatrist; she heard them arguing about it sometimes when she lay in bed at night. They would never guess that the problem was sitting right in front of her, watching her, and that he was now walking slowly towards her, ready to hurt her all over again. She kept her eyes fixed on her desk and began tapping faster as he stopped by her desk.

 

Taptaptaptaptaptaptap…

 

            He placed a hand on her shoulder and she gripped her pencil so hard it snapped. Elissa knew he was speaking; she could feel his breath as he leaned over her, but she couldn’t hear the words. She never could; all of her senses were muffled when he was around. She was frightened, and he knew it—he seemed to like it that way. The broken remains of the pencil fell from her hand as he pulled her from her desk. She was on the floor with his hand covering her mouth before she had time to scream. He was almost gentle as he pulled down her pants, but she knew this was only so he wouldn’t rip them and risk someone finding out. Elissa closed her eyes as he held her arms above her head with one hand, his other hand still covering her mouth. He began and she clenched her teeth, forcing back the inevitable tears.

            This was how it always was, any day he was in the mood; it been like this for a month now. No one ever suspected a thing. After all, Mr. Smith left school during lunch; his blinds were always down and his door locked. Why would anyone be doing anything in his classroom? He was one of the most popular teachers; everybody liked him. She had liked him...he’d taken advantage of her feelings. No one would believe her, that’s why she never told.

            He was done with her soon enough and stood, pulling up his pants and buckling his belt. He left her to fix her own clothes, going back to his desk to grade papers as if nothing had happened at all. She got up shakily after a moment, pulling up her pants, smoothing out her shirt, and wiping her eyes. She retreated back into her mind like she always did and walked past him and through the door. It closed behind her with a click and she stood there for a moment before she finally burst into tears.

            He had taken everything from her: her happiness, her friends, and her grades. Her parents didn’t even talk to her anymore. She was even losing herself; she could feel it. Each time he touched her, she retreated further into the darkness he had created in her mind. She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t stand what he was doing to her. Through tear-blurred eyes she looked up at the clock across the hall; she’d missed most of lunch, but that didn’t matter. She wasn’t hungry. Elissa hugged herself tightly as she looked both ways down the hallway. There was no one there; there never was. She sniffed and wiped her eyes, suddenly thinking of all of the things she could do to Mr. Smith. As the sadness and hurt lifted she felt only anger; she wanted to hurt him, make him pay. Perhaps she’d finally snapped? She didn’t know and she didn’t care, but she was going to go back into that classroom and do something, anything. She turned around, her hand resting on the doorknob for a short moment before she noticed the large, red fire extinguisher by the doorway. It seemed to call out to her. Slowly a smile spread her lips and she reached out to touch it.

 

            A small smile graced Samuel Smith’s lips as he checked over his students’ papers; he was quite satisfied. A teacher’s salary may not be the best in the world, but the job did have its perks—young girls like Elissa for example. He knew she liked what he gave her, even if she pretended that she didn’t. His smile turned smug as he heard the door open and then close as someone approached him with slow footsteps. He glanced over, spotting a pair of familiar purple pants. He looked back at his papers.

 

“I knew you’d want more. Just let me finish here.”

 

The footsteps stopped beside him and he felt her delicate hand on his shoulder.

 

“You can wait,” he looked up at Elissa, noting the smile on her face. “can’t y-” His words were cut short as something bright red and metal connected with his face, causing him to fall from his chair to the floor. He lay there for a moment, stunned; he could feel blood flowing, but he wasn’t sure from where exactly. His whole face was an explosion of pain. He tried to sit up, and seconds later felt that same explosion in his groin. Samuel cried out and curled in on himself, trying to protect his now throbbing shaft. He heard her scream and thought perhaps she had come to her senses, but once again he felt the heavy object connect, this time with the side of his head. His vision was going black and he was sure he was screaming as he sank slowly into the darkness that opened up to him.

 

            Elissa watched as Mr. Smith went limp, his skull caved in on the left side, but still she didn’t stop. Again and again she brought the fire extinguisher to his skull, listening with satisfaction to the sickening crack it made each time. His blood was all over it now, and her, but she didn’t care. With each hit she let out a little more of her anger, a little more of her pain. She could hear people running down the hall, probably coming to investigate the cause of Mr. Smith’s screams. What will they think, she wondered, when they find me here? What will they think when they see what I’ve done to him? A grin spread across her face. She doubted they’d believe her, but that didn’t matter. The matter was simple…he had hurt her, nearly killed her inside, and now she had returned the pain he had given to her. This was her revenge, and she was going to enjoy it.