Chapter 7

It had been nearly four months since “the incident”. Jon helped me move my things from the dorm while my roommates were in class. I’d simply told them that my father insisted I get an apartment. It was rare that girls in the school were allowed to do so, but not unheard of. When I’d returned to school a few days after my beating, there were rumors flying around, but I refused to deny or confirm any of them. Living with Jon had proven to be fun thus far. He treated me like a friend or kid sister when we were at home, but as a student as soon as we got to school each day.

My “friends” in the school merely shrugged when I’d informed them that I was no longer in classes because I had become a library assistant. I know they didn’t believe me, but it wasn’t a complete lie. In addition to my regular studies, Jon had been teaching me how the library operated. Within a month I was now in charge of putting away all the returned books and occasionally helped the other students find the books they needed.

I’d never been much of a reader, but Jon was teaching me to love written word. For English lit class, he’d had me reading Shakespeare’s plays and writing essays on them. When at home, he’d shown me his personal library and suggested books I might enjoy for entertainment. I’d even taken up writing on my laptop. I didn’t dare show him many of the things I’d written, fearing he would discover my love for “kink and smut”. The work I did show him however, he approved of.

The teachers who observed me could barely believe the change in my personality. I overheard Jon telling one, “She just needed more guidance and control. She truly is a bright young woman if you can keep her from getting bored.”

I still got into minor trouble, though most of my pranks were aimed at Jon. In addition to all of my library duties, I’d also started making his tea throughout the day. This change occurred after he’d gone to fetch a new cup and a bunch of freshmen started using books as spitballs. I’d tried to stop them but because I was only a student, they refused to listen. My most common prank was to put heaping tablespoonfuls of sugar in Jon’s tea even though I knew he hated it. Most of the time he laughed it off and made me drink that cup and fetch him a new one. Occasionally I spent time in the corner for it. He was never truly angry though.

The marks from my beating were almost all faded by this point as well. There were only two left that had scarred, the deepest ones, and those seemed to be fading a bit each week. Jon had taken photos for the police of my marks. They were horrifying to look at and I had only looked once.

I’d had nightmares for a few weeks after the incident, but those had become less and less frequent. I was finally happy and comfortable with my new routines just as graduation snuck up. It hadn’t crossed my mind that after graduation that I would have to move out. The realization hit me the morning of graduation.