Chapter 19: Incident in the Infirmary

“What the hell is that kid doing in there?” The lady looked over towards the bed with a rather complicated gaze.

Because the partitions were still up, she couldn’t quite tell what exactly it was that he did, but if the noises that she was hearing were of any indication, then it certainly wasn’t anything pleasant. Muffled grunts and stifled cries. The metal bed rattled around as if there was an earthquake.

And that wasn’t even the worst of it. Less than five minutes ago, she heard a rather emotional moan echo through the room. It was filled with what she could only describe as cathartic pleasure… why the hell was he moaning like that?

“He… he can’t be relieving himself in there, can he?” Such a thought floated to the lady’s head.

She liked to think of herself as someone with a wealth of experience. She knew a lot of things. For example, she was fully aware of how guys were always in a state of perpetual horniness… at least, according to the magazines that she liked to read on occasion. Either way, teenage boys were especially like that, just piles of walking, talking hormones.

Still, even if that were all true, even if the youth of today had nothing but sex and porn in their minds… could someone really be that ballsy? Was that scraggly-haired kid from before really a sexual deviant waiting to happen?

Masturbating within school grounds… what’s more, while another person was in the same room with him as well… no matter what, she simply couldn’t believe it. Nobody was truly that perverted, right?

But if not that, then what? The moan was still fresh in her mind. It was filled with so much emotion and youthful vigor that it even stirred her adult heart. Just remembering it now, a flush crept up her cheeks. Other than jerking off, what else could have possibly caused him such joy?

She thought about stepping in and stopping whatever it was that he did in there, but she hesitated. As a teacher and a health professional, she knew that it was her duty to stop any sort of student mischief that occurred within these sacred halls, but then again, as a young woman, catching someone in the middle of the act was a bit… well, she just really didn’t want to do it. After all, there was a difference between teasing a student and actually seeing the actual thing.

Thankfully, after the moan, the noises seemed to have stopped. This comforted her.

“Since it already happened, there’s really no reason to do anything else…” was how she reasoned it. That was definitely the reason. It wasn’t because she was shirking her duties or anything, but rather, she simply could not act fast enough to stop him. If she had even one more second of foresight, then she would have definitely gone up to his bed and immediately put a stop to whatever misdeed he was committing.

Even if his thing was in his hand, she still would have done so. Definitely.

All sorts of thoughts filled the young teacher’s head. She dazedly stared at the partition before. A part of her wanted to pull open the curtains and kick the perverted youth out of her room, but then again… she’s always been curious, what did it look like?

Just then, she suddenly heard it. It wasn’t the lascivious noises that she had heard earlier, but something else. Something a lot more familiar, and several times more irritating.

It was a familiar set of footsteps. Loud, forceful, all too deliberate. Her face darkened. Not a second later, the infirmary door suddenly flew open.

“Miss Eliza, I’m here.” A grating voice filled the room. “Hehe, I’ve come to play around again.”

“You again.” The young teacher, Eliza, gritted her teeth as she looked at the newcomer with unmasked spite in her eyes. “I’ve told you time and time again, stop coming here! This place is for sick students and sick students only!”

A youth with clearly dyed white hair shrugged his shoulders. He carried himself with an air of confidence. He had the face of a pretty boy, but his body was covered in a thick layer of well-trained muscles.

Like how Eliza did not hide her contempt, the lecherous glint in his eyes was as clear as day.

“Come on, you have to learn to lighten up.” He said. “Stretch the rules a bit, especially for me.”

It’s because it’s you that I don’t want you coming here. She inwardly thought to herself.

The young man seemingly did not notice. He leisurely walked towards her. “I mean, I’ve been here countless times already. Shouldn’t you be treating me a little better by now? You know, you still haven’t exactly agreed to go on that dinner date that I previously offered.”

She let out a scoff. “What’s there to accept? You’re just a stinking kid. You’re a bit too young to be making a move on your teacher like that.” She raised her chin up and turned her head away.

Seeing such a display, even if the youth had god-like self-control, he still couldn’t stop the spark of irritation that filled his heart. Luckily, he was able to quickly bury it down. He smiled a somewhat strained smile. “You say that, but Miss Eliza, you are only just a few years older than me, you know? In a few months, I’ll graduate, so why bother waiting? If it’s with me, I can guarantee that it won’t affect your job. In fact, you might even get a promotion.” He let out a small chuckle.

“That’s enough already.” She scolded. “A greasy fellow like you has no shot with me. I’ve told you time and time again, I’m not interested in my students. Even if you weren’t a student, I still wouldn’t go out with you!”

At this point, the youth simply couldn’t take it anymore. He took a step forward and bared his teeth. “You know, I’ve been reeaal patient here, Teach. Don’t you think it’s about time for you to lower your guard?”

Eliza looked clearly troubled. She subconsciously moved backward. She only stopped because she bumped into her table. By this point, she looked up at him. For a moment, hesitation, before she forcibly shook her head. “Please go away. I’ve already told you how I feel.”

He let out a cold laugh. Who does this bitch think she is?

In the first place, the only reason why he didn’t forcibly conquer this annoying woman was because he had made a bet with his friends. The bet was for him to take her to bed without the use of force or money. If it wasn’t for that, then he would have long gotten a few of his men to ‘help out’. No need to jump through all these hoops and ladders just for a single chick with no background.

With how annoyingly closed off this cold bitch was, even he finally couldn’t take it anymore. He silently brooded for a moment, before he suddenly thought of something.

He smiled and stared at her with a mischievous smile. “Look, I won’t beat around the bush anymore. You do know what my father does, right?”

The subtle threat in his voice wasn’t very subtle.

Eliza furrowed her brow. She was clearly troubled. In actuality, this wasn’t the first time she’s had to deal with these sorts of students. Since the very first day she started working at this school, she continuously encountered this familiar archetype. They cropped up like weeds on a garden and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

These teenagers, these people, by this point, they really couldn’t be called students anymore. They were like thugs, doing whatever the hell they wanted. Their backing came from their rich parents. In a private school like Valery Heights, such things were not uncommon. The youth before him was no different, except, he was a lot more dangerous than your ordinary snotty nosed brats.

He was backed not only by his father’s wealth, but also by the local gangs that have infected this city.

What the hell is the school doing?!

In her opinion letting such a black sheep into the school was clearly a bad idea. Still, it was not as if she had zero awareness. Despite everything, she too was an adult. She knew how Private Schools operated. They lacked funding from the government, thus could only rely on themselves to keep afloat. Pandering to such people was only natural, but… if it was a few years ago, or even as close as seven months ago, such a thing would have never happened.

Students with connections to the mob were definitely bad for business, but even if they wanted to kick him out now, the school board did not dare. It was not just the student with connections, but also his father. Not only that, the school itself was already running in the red due to all the dropouts and complaints they’ve been receiving. Losing another backer now would be catastrophic.

It was an ironic situation. Because of the rise in gang activity in the area, the school’s reputation plummeted, but it was also because of the support from said gangs, that they were still able to stay in operation.

With the spike in delinquency going on around campus, these school-yard bullies have grown increasingly more arrogant. They openly harassed women, skipped class wantonly, and even extorted without remorse. Rumors have it that not even teachers were exempt from their actions.

Hearing the arrogant youth’s words, and understanding the threat veiled within them, Eliza did not dare to retort. She gritted her teeth and remained silent.

He stared at her for what felt like forever, before he finally let out a quiet breath. After staring at such a beautiful face for a long time, he eventually calmed down. He shrugged his shoulders and begun to walk away. “Since you’re being that stubborn, then I’ll just sleep for a while. Maybe by then, you’ll have changed your mind.”

Although outwardly, he looked calm and composed, on the inside, he was fuming. Screw the bet! I’ll make sure to call the guys and fix you up real good tonight!

Eliza was unaware of the type of thoughts that floated through this degenerate’s head. She suddenly recalled the bed that the delinquent always liked to use. The one closest to the nurse’s table, it also happened to be the same one that the perverted student was currently occupying. Just as the youth was about to pull back the partitions, Eliza suddenly shook her head. “No, you can’t sleep there! That one’s occupied. Pick a different bed.”

He frowned. “Someone’s already here?” If he truly slept on another bed, then he would be that much further away from her. “Then, I’ll just get him to move.” He commented lightly.

“Don’t.” She hesitated for a moment. “The student, that student is really sick. You can’t move him.”

“Sick?” he laughed to himself. “I don’t care if he’s sick or dying, if I tell him to move, then he’ll move.” The youth spoke in a deliberately loud voice, loud enough for whoever was inside to hear. Unfortunately, contrary to his expectations, nobody came out. Instead, his provocation was met with silence.

This irritated him. He was the son of a rich man. Not only that, but his father had half a foot in the underworld. He was especially close with the local Pit Cobra gang. The youth was used to doing whatever he wanted. Those that resisted were usually met with a pitiful ending.

He coldly sneered, and abruptly pulled open the curtain. “Hey kid, you’ve been eavesdropping enough right? It’s time for you to get the hell out!” He shouted.

“Stop!” Eliza hurriedly stood up. Just as she was about to walk over towards the bed, she suddenly stopped. She froze in place, her eyes fixed on the bed. More specifically, she was looking at the person lying on the mattress.

The delinquent youth was equally surprised. Underneath his breath, he muttered out, “What the hell?”

The sight before his eyes shocked him. A pale student lay prone on the bed. The sheets were damp with sweat, his pants were unbuckled, while a pillow covered his head. On top of the pillow was a leather belt.

The pale student showed no reaction to the delinquent’s sudden arrival.

The delinquent youth snapped out of his reverie. He looked at the student with an odd smile, before he said, “Get out kid.” Honestly, seeing as how wet the sheets were, he really didn’t want to sleep here any longer, but since he had already committed himself to the act, he couldn’t just stop halfway through.

After waiting for a while, the delinquent’s brow furrowed. He was ignored. Again.

The vein on his forehead throbbed. “Get up already!” He shouted.

By this point, Eliza arrived beside the bed. She stared incredulously at the pale student. Her eyes drifted towards his lower half.

His pants are unbuckled… he really was…

She did not dare finish her thoughts. She shook her head and silently wondered to herself, what is he doing? Feigning sleep? As if anyone would believe that, especially with this dumbass screaming!

As for the delinquent youth, after shouting at the pale student for almost a full minute, he finally couldn’t take it any longer. It’s like shouting at a fucking carrot!

With unmasked fury in his eyes, he reached out for the pillow covering the youth’s head. Just as he was about to grab it. His hand suddenly stopped. More accurately, someone had grabbed onto his wrist.

A muffled voice sounded out from underneath the pillow. “Don’t touch my pillow.”

The white-haired delinquent was momentarily caught off guard, before a wave of anger washed over him. His expression darkened as he glared at the pillow.

“What the, so you can talk, you bastard!” He sneered. “In that case, get the fuck out already!”

“….”

The pillow did not respond, which immediately caused the delinquent even further annoyance.

“Enough already!” He shouted, stripping off all forms of pretense. Even though there was a teacher behind him, he simply did not care anymore. He pulled back his free hand and aimed a fist towards the student’s stomach.

Unfortunately, before he could get any further, another hand snaked its way towards his face.

The delinquent widened his eyes in surprise. He wanted to dodge, but he couldn’t. The pale youth pulled him forward using his other arm. He could only helplessly watch as the hand grew closer and closer to his face.

“Aaargghh!” A piercing scream reverberated through the room.

The delinquent clutched at his eyes and unconsciously took a step backward. Meanwhile, with two fingers pointing proudly towards the ceiling, the pale student held his hand in the air. He waited for a full two seconds, before he suddenly sat up.

The pillow fell from his face, revealing Theo’s sickly countenance.

Eliza sat there, mildly surprised by what had just taken place. The quick exchange took no more than a few seconds to happen. Even if she wanted to stop them, she simply wasn’t fast enough.

She stared at Theo with a complicated gaze. The young man clearly looked even sicker than when he first came in here. His face was pale, sweat covered his entire body, while his limbs slightly shook, almost as if he was a patient with Parkinson’s disease.

Despite everything, Theo leisurely glanced down at the screaming delinquent. He stood up and quietly approached.

Hearing the soft footsteps amidst his raging roars, the delinquent looked up. His face contorted to one of hate. Although he couldn’t see the bastard that had tried to blind him, the rage in his heart formed a mental image on its own.

“You bastard, I’ll kill you!” He shouted.

In response, Theo let out a chuckle. “Much less kill me now, you won’t even be able to get revenge for the beating I’m about to give you.” His voice sounded hoarse and weak, yet the threat laced within them was all too palpable.

“You… you… do you know who I am!?”

Theo did not bother with the thug’s empty threats. He casually walked around the fumbling hulk. In truth, this was his original goal. No matter how badly the delinquent raged, he simply could not find him.

It’s a lot more convenient this way… Now that the delinquent was blinded, even if he wantonly thrashed the guy, Theo wouldn’t have to worry about any repercussions or unwanted revenge attempts. After all, the delinquent did not know what he looked like. What was he going to do? Harass the entire male student body population?

Theo silently walked towards the nurse. The thug did not notice at all. In fact, he was still screaming in the direction of the bed.

Theo stood beside the teacher and briefly glanced at all the things scattered around the surroundings. Eventually, he found a metal meter stick located beside the nurse’s table. He gingerly grabbed the object, while casually asking, “You don’t mind if I borrow this for a bit, will you?”

Theo did not bother to wait for a response. At this point, the delinquent heard his voice and instantly rushed towards him.

The following events happened in the span of thirty seconds. Theo evaded like the wind, while simultaneously attacking back with the meter stick. Each and every one of his blows was precise, aimed at a specific weak spot on the human body. The neck, joints, ribs, armpits, everything that he could find, he struck.

Eventually, the delinquent collapsed onto the floor. He had long since passed out, but his body continued to spasm and twitch.

With that done and out of the way, Theo breathed out a sigh of relief. Theo hobbled over to the table and returned the meter stick, before he looked up at the clock.

Just in time…

The last period of the day was about to start, and Theo planned on going. After all, it was the only class that he shared with Shirley.

He turned towards the nurse and hesitated for a moment. Eventually, he asked, “You won’t tell on me, right?”

“What?” Eliza stared at him in a daze.

“I mean, didn’t I just beat up a student? It’s a bit of a stretch to ask this, but let’s not make a big deal out of this, okay?”

“You…” The teacher eventually shook her head. She snapped out of her stupor and immediately waved her hand. “Just go. This punk’s been harassing me for a long time.” She looked at Theo with a mischievous smile. “Truth be told, I’ve been wanting to settle things with him for awhile now. You did me a favor. Even if you were to threaten him and extort money from him, I guarantee that I won’t even bat an eyelash.”

Theo couldn’t stop himself from staring at her smile. It was indeed a very beautiful smile. After a moment’s pause, he nodded his head.

“Ah, but that doesn’t mean you can just beat people up whenever you want.” She hurriedly added. “I’m only turning a blind eye just this once. Don’t do it again, got it?”

Theo softly smiled. He nodded his head again and hobbled towards the door.

Just as he was about to walk out of the room, a voice suddenly called out from behind him. “Do you want to stay for longer?” Eliza looked at him with a somewhat hesitant expression. “I mean, you do look so sick after all. I think it’s better for you to stay.”

Theo thought about it for a moment, before he shook his head. “I can’t. Got class. Plus, I wouldn’t want to be here when that guy wakes up.” He pointed towards the unconscious delinquent on the floor.

“Alright, if that’s what you want.” She shrugged her shoulders and sat back down on her swivel chair. “But, if you do need anything, come see me. I do owe you a favor after all. I can pretty much get you out of anything school related, as long as it’s not anything worse than a suspension. Hehe, just tell them my name and I’m sure most teachers won’t bother with you.”

Theo raised his brow. “And your name is?”

“Doctor Eliza Howlett.”

“Doctor?” Theo was somewhat surprised. He had previously heard that the person in charge of the infirmary was a registered nurse. What was a doctor doing at this school? What’s more, she was someone so young.

He looked at her with a somewhat skeptical expression.

Eliza did not mind the confusion on his face (at least, that’s how she interpreted his expression). Instead, her interest was piqued. “You don’t know me? Wow, and here I thought that I had made quite a bit of a ruckus when I first came here…

“Actually, I started working in this school seven months ago.”

Seven months? Theo furrowed his brow. That was around the same time that he disappeared. No wonder I don’t recognize her. So, she came after I left?

Eliza carefully observed Theo’s facial expression. After a while, she smiled. “Alright then, you better get going. Class is about to start.”

Theo glanced back up at the clock. She was right. He had less than three minutes to make it to his history class. He hurriedly excused himself and ran out of the room.

As he raced across the hall, Doctor Howlett’s distant voice echoed through the air. “Bye Theo, let’s meet again soon!”

He turned the corner, just as a single thought popped into his head.

When exactly did I tell her my name?