Binding 13

"Because," he replied, digging around his pocket. "It's not my business." He pulled out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "I'm hanging for a smoke." He shoved the door open and stepped out, stopping to lean in and a

Shaking my head, I turned my attention to the file in my hands, riveted to every detail of information Sha

Pages upon pages of incidents and reports all neatly typed out on white paper, detailing every horrendous ordeal the girl had suffered in her old school – and there had been a lot.

Fourteen a4 pages of incidents.

Front and back.

A few pages in and I learned that Sha

Attached to her less than stellar exam results were notes from her former teachers, praising her gentle nature and diligent and conscientious work ethic.

I didn’t need a note to explain the steady decline in her grades, I'd figured that out on page one.

She was the victim of bullying.

They cut her ponytail off when she was in first year. When she was thirteen. Their punishment for such a crime was a week's suspension. Seriously. A week off school for cutting a girl's fucking hair off.

Girls.

They were so goddamn sick and twisted.

How anyone could expect the girl to concentrate in a classroom setting as volatile as that was beyond me.

Seriously, what the hell was wrong with people?

What was the matter with that school and those teachers?

The fuck were her parents thinking leaving her there for two years?

The more I read, the sicker I felt in my stomach...

Incident in P.E resulting in a bloody nose.

Vomiting incident in the bathroom.

Incident in Woodwork with a glue gun.

Issue after school with third year girls.

Another vomiting incident in the bathroom.

Issue before school with fourth year girls.

Refusal to take part in overnight school bonding retreat. Were they fucking kidding?

Many, many more vomiting incidences.

Referral to educational psychologist.

Older brother lodges fourth complaint about the bullying. Older brother should have found some older female friends and had them kick the shite out of these mean girls.

Graffiti on bathroom walls.

Assault in the school yard, older brother suspended. Older brother must have sorted it himself.

Isolation reported by several teachers.

Serious physical assault by three older students, Gardaí called. No shit, Sherlock.

Older brother suspended again for intervening.

Removal from school at the request of mother. About fucking time.

School records requested by the principal at Tommen College.

Horrified didn’t being to describe my feelings when I was finished reading.

Pissed off didn’t quite fit the bill, either.

Disgusted, disturbed, and wholly enraged seemed a more accurate assessment of my feelings.

Jesus, it was like reading a goddamn police report of a domestic violence victim.

No wonder Sha

If I were in her position, I would have done a lot worse.

Christ, now I was even more pissed with myself for hurting her than I was earlier.

Who the hell did this?

Seriously, what kind of creatures were they breeding in that school?

"Well?" Gibsie's voice broke through my thoughts when he climbed back into car, smelling like an ashtray. "Find out what you need?"

"Yeah," I muttered, handing the folder back to him before cranking the engine. "I did."

He looked at me expectantly. "And?"

I turned my attention to the road. "And what?"

"You look pissed."

"I'm fine." I needed to do something, put my foot down, hit the weight room, anything to expel the tension building inside my body.

"You sure, man?"

"Yep." Tearing out of my parking spot, I shifted into second gear, and then third, ignoring the Caution Children Crossing signs in my bid to get onto the main road.

Sometimes we worked out in my converted garage at home, but right now, I thought the thirty-minute drive to the gym in the city might do me some good.

I knew I had stepped over a serious line by breaching her privacy like this, but I didn’t regret it.

Dammit, I knew she was vulnerable.

That feeling I had earlier today?

The pain I was so sure I'd seen in her eyes.

It was real, it was there, I recognized it, and now I could do something about it.

I could prevent anything like this from happening again.

It wouldn’t happen again.

Not on my goddamn watch.