Page 5 of Pretty Heartache

“Maybe you should pay more attention where you’re walking when you’re around the pool,” Micah scolds, narrowing his eyes.

“I was pushed in,” I force between gritted teeth.

“What?” He takes a step forward, his eyes softening. “You were pushed in? I didn’t see.” His eyebrows dip in concern. “Addy, I swear, I thought...”

I look over his shoulder as Archer and the girl he was with earlier move to stand behind Micah. The woman Micah was with earlier is only one step behind. All three of them look at me, with Archer’s eyes bouncing between Micah and me.

“What the hell happened?”

I don’t answer my brother. My entire body is on fire with embarrassment. I want to hide. I want to run far away from eyes who look at me like I’m someone to be doted on. I want to escape eyes that look at me with pity. Like I’m some little girl who’s just had her heart broken. Which I am, and I have.

I look Micah in his blue-gray eyes, and my heart aches for someone who can never be mine. Will never be mine. It’s a foolish dream for a foolish girl like me.

“Thank you for pulling me out.” I harden my gaze and curl my fingers into fists. “But I don’t need you to save me. I don’t need anyone to save me.”

I turn on my bare heel and leave the country club as fast as my feet will carry me. If this is how the rest of the summer is going to go, seventh grade can’t come fast enough.

TWO

Ten Years Later

“Ms. Mayfield? Are you in here?”

I snap my head up to the door with wide eyes. My heart is still pounding, the echoing sound vibrating up to my ears. I clear my throat, willing the words to make their way out of my mouth. “Be right out.”

Looking down at my shaking hands, I frantically rub the blood from my fingers. It’s no use as most of it has already dried. With unsteady hands, I reach behind my neck and unclasp the diamond necklace wrapped around it. The chain pools in my palm before I drop it into the toilet. It sinks quickly to the bottom, and I shut the lid before pulling on the lever and flushing it without another thought. The bit of wet blood remaining on my fingers smears across the silver handle. My chest squeezes when I tear off a fistful of toilet paper and frantically scrub the handle until the blood disappears.

“Ms. Mayfield?” my assistant Ruby repeats, her voice muffled by the bathroom door.

“One sec!” I croak a little louder while moving to the sink.

I rinse my fingers, watching the remaining bit of dried blood under my fingernails. I dab at my nose and sniff. The painradiates along the side of my face and nose, reaching behind my eye.

Taking a deep breath, I steel my chest and look up. The bruises aren’t showing yet, but they’re beginning to bloom, nonetheless. A bright red mark covers my entire cheek. I scrunch a piece of paper towel and dab at the little bit of blood still dripping from my nose, then reach into my small makeup bag still sitting on the edge of the sink.

After squeezing out a large glob of foundation, I smear it across my face, careful not to press too hard against tender skin. I grit my teeth through the pain, spreading out the foundation as fast as I can. My hands are shaking uncontrollably, as if I’ve injected coffee directly into my veins. I’m running on pure adrenaline.

“Ms. Mayfield,” Ruby says again. She pounds on the door. “Please, let me in.”

Heat spreads across my body. After applying the liquid foundation, I sloppily dab my brush into my setting powder, hoping it’ll mask the splotches of color on my face.

“I’m…” I swallow back the tears that sting the back of my eyes. “I’m almost done.”

My words come out choppy and unbalanced. I’m almost finished applying the powder when Ruby turns the handle on the door and pushes her way into my trailer bathroom.

I take two steps to the side to let her in, but I keep my head down, not wanting her to see me just yet. My long, brown waves create a curtain that shield me from her.

“I told you.” I drop the brush in my bag and pretend to be looking for another makeup tool. “I’m almost finished.”

“Adeline.” Her voice is soft, but fear creeps in.

I can’t look up at her, because when I do, it will make this moment real. It will solidify the fact that my boyfriend just barged into my trailer, falsely accused me of having an affair,simply because he caught me talking to one of the photographers from the production crew. Then before I could comprehend what was happening, his hand connected with my face. The snap and crack of the force behind his hand meeting my face ripples through my body once more, the memory refusing to leave.

I fell to the floor to him hovering over me, spewing threats about how he has the power to ruin my career if he were to ever catch me again. I stayed curled on the floor until I heard the metal door of my trailer slam shut, and the silence that ensued sucked all the air out of the room.

“Adeline,” Ruby repeats from behind the door.

“Seriously, Ruby,” I warn her. “I’m fine.”

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