Closer to the Whispers

Closer

Leo's POV

I stormed through the halls, unable to accept the sting of rejection. I shoved one of the younger kids out of my way. The snotty little jerk had been walking slowly and with a remarkably annoying gait. I wasn't in the mood to be working in a school at that moment, and I had never regretted anything more in my life than agreeing to do this for the FDA sign-off. The first meeting was in a week to obtain approvals, and all I could think about was Isabella and her idiocy.

How dare she reject me?

"Darra, we have an issue. Mr. Gethrow, get out now." I yelled, storming into the principal's office with a neverending rage. Darra jumped, surprised, when the door hit the wall, and sighed deeply, waving the student off after a moment.

Her office was a total mess as it normally was while school was in session, with mounds of students' files everywhere, haphazardly in towers around her. She was short, round, and boisterous, a combination that, oddly enough, all the students seemed to love, and she was as much their parents as their actual parents were.

"This damn girl. How could she be so bold as to accuse me of being fake?" I asked, pacing desperately back and forth in front of her as I did when I was stressed about a particularly difficult formula issue.

"I didn't even know you were dating Leo." She said plainly, watching me with mirth, twiddling a pen disguised as a frog slowly.

"Of course not. I don't need to deal with more gold diggers. It's so much drama. No...shes pregnant with my child. I WANT to be dating her, but shes reluctant to every advance. Do you know how many girls would kill to be dating me?" I snapped loudly, running my hands into my hair ruining any chance of looking decent today.

"Whoah...wait...shes having your baby? How did that happen? You are the most careful person I have ever met." She said holding her hand up to stop me, shocked to her core. I sat down aggrivatidly.

"Yes, well, my brother drugged me. The idiotic jerk thought it was funny. Isabella didn't know I was her teacher, obviously." I explained, realizing she needed a bit of a back story. She gasped so hard I could see the air leave her lungs.

"ISABELLA? Your student Isabella? What in the hell?" She asked weakly with wide eyes.

"Yes. Yes. It was all very unfortunate. You're missing the point, though. She doesn't want to be with me. The Policinia's kidnapped her and beat her, and before, she had been begging me to be with her, but now...NOTHING." I explained, upset. She got up and started pacing, a rare time I had ever seen her stressed.

"How old is she?" She asked weakly after a long moment of silence.

"Eighteen."

"And neither of you knew you would be teaching at the school, right? Has Isabella said anything about going to the news?" She asked, with surprisingly little help so far, which was entirely unlike her.

"No. She has no intention of telling anyone. Relax. Even if she did and the school suffered because of it, I would make up any loss to the school. I thought at first that she was making it up, and I would've been pissed if she messed with the school then, but my brother confessed everything. I don't actually remember the night at all." I said, backstepping to explain and help calm her down. She nodded, stopping her pacing, and she took a deep breath.

"Right. I forgot you are a Grande there for a moment. I know you will take care of us. Please try not to let anyone know, though?" She asked sitting down ready to focus on me again.

"Obviously. But what do I do? She got so many gifts from my family after she was injured, and if anything, that seems to have made her back off. I don't get it. Women like money and gifts. Do you think I should give her something bigger to show my devotion?" I asked her, knowing she would give me helpful advice.