1 Night of Regret

I poured myself the last glass of wine and flopped onto my bed, remembering everything I did that I wasn't supposed to. How could I possibly be so shameless? How could I act so recklessly? Downing the red substance I threw the empty wine glass across the room waiting to hear it crash against the wall and when I heard the glass breaking, I broke down. I pulled myself up and walked in front of my mirror. My reflection was disgusting to me, my hair was disheveled, my red lipstick was smudged across my face, my lips were still swollen. My hand wandered across my body as the events of last night flashed before my eyes. My fingers traveled down my neck to my chest unbuttoning the buttons of the shirt I still shamelessly had on. The purple marks on my neck, the soreness between my legs reminded me of my beastly passion. Anger filled me up and I cried out loud in my frustration still not looking away from the mirror. I stared at myself as though I was amused seeing myself wither in pain, in disgust, in shame. When I was blinded by my lust somewhere in the back of my head I knew this was wrong, didn't I? Then why did I still go ahead with it? Why didn't I listen to that faint voice telling me to stop? When did he become so important to me that I readily threw away every teaching, every moral, every value that I took pride in? Why did I lose control?

"You, You Anna Smith are in big-big trouble" I sputtered those words while pointing at myself before I fell to the ground passing out.

It all started a year ago...

"Mom I am getting late", I yelled running around in hopes of trying to find my car keys.

"Honey have something to eat, you know how your brother preaches to us about how breakfast is the most important meal of the day" my mom yelled back at me from the kitchen.

"I am getting really late, I have the first lecture today, I have to get through a lot of slides today, I'll grab something on the way" I walked down the steps, grabbing my bag and giving myself one good look in the mirror. 'Good enough' I nodded to myself and walked into the kitchen to find my keys.

"You are getting late but you have time to grab yourself something to eat when you can just stay and the healthy and tasty breakfast I have prepared for you, but no, you ungrateful kids will always leave without eating it and have all that oily junk..." my mother was cut off by my little brother "Woman! calm down, I'll have the breakfast you prepared, take a breather while you yell at Anna and don't get your blood pressure shooting up first thing early in the morning"

Jacob was the goofiest and funniest member of my family. He's also the softest little kid who's turning sixteen this year and thinks that he's too mature and has started to call mom and me 'woman'. He's ridiculous like that.

"It won't shoot up if you kids just listen to me" my mother murmured, setting the fresh plate of French toast and hot cup of coffee in front of Jacob who immediately without wasting a second pounced on it.

I remembered I needed to find my keys. "Mom have you seen my keys?" But before mom could say something I felt a pat on my head, I turned around and met with a pair of keys dangling in front of my face, gasping I grabbed them "these are my keys". "Sorry Anna had to take your ride to the hospital, mine has a flat tire". "You could have told me Ivan, I was searching for them all around the house, now I am running late for work" Ivan was my older brother who was a surgeon, he was the man of our house, after our dad left us he took up the responsibility to take care of us.

"Now scurry out little devil" Jacob yelled and began choking on his toast. "Hey don't eat and talk!" Ivan brushed past me and began helping Jacob. "Serves him right for calling me a little devil" I smirked as I sipped a little coffee from Jacob's coffee and grabbed myself an apple and made my way to the door.

"Ivan! Did you take all your doctor things from the car, don't call me up asking me to get you your stuff like the last time"

"I have taken them out" he said as he watched me fumbling to wear my heels and taking a bite of my apple.

I heard a chuckle and I looked up to Ivan trying to hide his face. "What?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Nothing" he came closer and kissed my forehead, patting my head and walking back in.

I stood there taken aback from my brother's actions, he was never the one who showed his emotions, since dad left he always kept it all to himself.

I left my chaotic house and drove myself to St.Ivy Jules school where I worked as a Teacher. Once I had parked my ride and I got off and hurriedly walked past students wishing them good morning as they greeted me.

Greeting all the teachers in the staff room I picked up my register and began to walk out Before I could do so one of the teachers told me that the principal wanted to meet me before class.

I walked towards the principal's office and knocked on the door. "Come in" i heard and opened the door to see Miss Daisy, our school principal reading a magazine with a weird smile.

I cleared my throat and Miss Daisy sprung up on her seat and was relieved to see that it was me.

"You wanted to see me, I have a class in five minutes" looking at my watch to see if I still had those five minutes left.

"Oh yes, have a seat, I have already asked Jasmine to substitute for you"

"Oh. okay"

"Well there's something really important that I wanted to discuss with you" suddenly the mood in the room shifted. I took my seat on the chair opposite to her table. I watched as she took out a file from her drawer and placed on the table before and taped on it. I took the file in my hand and read it's name 'Rose Warren' immediately my eyes shot up to hers and she sighed 'Read it' and so I did. I flipped pages after pages and gasped with shock after shock.

"It's unlike her, I have had my classes with her, she's never behaved with me this way"

"Well I guess you are an exception"

"Rose Warren is a good student, I didn't expect this..."

"Miss Anna, St.Ivy is a prestigious school and we do not condone such behaviour. However, we give our students a chance to improve and be guided back into the right track. Anna, you have handled all the cases I have given you well with great care and sensitivity so can I expect you to do the same and trust you with Rose Warren's case too?" It is true that I have handled many cases in the past but many of these cases in the past but I somehow found it strange that Rose Warren's case was so carefully addressed.

"I'll try my best".

As I was turning up to leave Miss Daisy called out to me "there's one more thing Anna."

"And what is it?"

"Before you talk to Rose, her father insisted that he talked with you"

"Okay but aren't we supposed to talk to the student first and then with their parents?"

"I know but when I rang him up about this issue he personally insisted that he wanted to speak with us before we could with Rose"

"That's..um..fine" I was still not so sure about this, somehow I felt uneasy. "Is there anything else?" I asked before walking out.

"Not..not really"

With that I took my leave and walked towards the counselling room to keep this file on the desk and get back to it later in the day.

"Oh shit! I forgot to tell her that the parent is wait in counselling room"