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Hope

Dad hit me again.

I thought he wouldn’t.

For some silly reason, I believed that perhaps he had a good time with Mom on their trip so he would let me off the hook. Turns out, he couldn't afford to pay the bill and got into a tussle with the waiter and then the manager kicked them out of the restaurant. In the end, Mom paid, and it angered him.

Yesterday, he cornered me the second I stepped inside. He recited the whole incident to me while he was drunk. He slapped me twice, bruised my wrists, and then pushed me so hard I hit the wall and hurt my left shoulder. He also called me names and said awful things.

I cried in my bed for half an hour and took a long shower only to hate myself. There are prominent marks on my pale skin. Ican’t hide them with anything, except maybe makeup. And then there’s the pain shooting everywhere in my body.

I dreamt of getting away from here. So far away that he couldn’t reach me or hurt me. When the morning came, and the light fell on my face I knew it was wishful thinking. How could I escape him?

School goes exceptionally slow. My shoulder hurts badly and I can’t move it at all. When I try, a trail of hot lava spreads under my skin.

Marie is busy with a presentation and later she has an extra class for her elective computer science. So I barely see her.

Heath and I share Math, but he doesn’t talk to me. However, his attention burns holes in my face. I know he knows something is up. Even Sebastian suspects something.

I’m walking down the hallway with him when someone knocks into me. I wince and hide it by biting on my lip real hard.

“Are you okay?” Sebastian watches me with his curious green eyes that feel like they can see through me. Just like his best friend.

“I’m fine,” I say weakly.

Sebastian doesn’t believe me. His gaze falls to my shoulder that I’m holding. “Despite the fact that we don’t talk too much, you can always talk to me. Anyone who’s Marie’s best friend is my best friend.”

“I’m fine, Sebastian,” I repeat, hoping he’ll believe me.

With a smile he says, “No wonder he likes you. You two are the same.”

A deep blush rises to my cheeks.

“C’mon, I’ll walk you to your next class.”

Later in the day, I try to get Tylenol from nurse Anna. But she's absent, and the infirmary is locked. Just my luck in play as usual.

By the end of the last class, all I want to do is get home because I’m in too much pain.

When the bell rings I’m the first to get up. Collecting my things I rush out and make a quick spot at my locker to put away all my heavy textbooks.

I step out of the school when a familiar black car pulls up in front of me.

Heath rolls down the window. He looks striking in a black shirt and jeans—his usual attire. I never get tired of how handsome he looks in it even if he wears it every single day.

Knowing he won’t take no for an answer, I walk over to the passenger side.

He drives us to a drive-thru and orders food for me. At this point, I don’t even fight him over it. It’s no use. He does what he wants.

The AC is working efficiently but sweat collects on the back of my neck. I shouldn’t be feeling hot in the October weather.

I squirm uncomfortably, having no idea what’s happening to me.

Black dots appear in my vision and my head starts spinning like a dice on a board.

What is wrong with me?

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