Broken - Part 6
"Kiera? Can you hear me?" Hannah says indignantly.
"Hannah... I really, really don't want to- Brian! Hi." I've never been happier to see him, since he started hurting me, anyway.
"Hey babe." He loops an arm around my neck, and presses his lips hard to mine. Hannah looks on disgustedly, shakes her head and walks away.
"When does your work start?" He asks.
"My shift is at 4:30."
"We can hang at my place until then. I'll drive you home." He decides.
"Okay." I say, dreading it already.
"Don't eat lunch. You're getting fat." He pats my fairly flat stomach and walks off.
I don't eat lunch, as promised, and meet him at his car in the student parking lot.
His body is hot and heavy, pinning me to his bed, him snoring over me. I edge out from underneath him, retrieve my clothes from the floor and leave for McCooley's.
"Hey Key." Mei-Lin says as I pass her on the way to the kitchen. I don't answer. Not in the mood. I punch my time card, and Damien walks into the kitchen.
"Hi!" He says, a smile slicing his face.
I stay quiet again, and he catches my shoulder as I pin on my name tag.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I don't want to talk okay." I go out to meet a new group.
I feel one stitch pop through my skin, and I love the delicious red hurt of it.
"I need the order for table three?" I walk up to the kitchen.
"You're bleeding." Damien observes and grabs my arm before I can stop him, and I grimace. He examines the splotch of red staining the inside of my elbow, ruining the perfect white. He reaches into his apron thing, and grabs a napkin, and starts to lift up my sleeve.
"Stop!" I hiss.
"Sorry." He backs up a step, holding his hands up defensively. I yank my sleeve over my thumbs, and snatch an armband out of my pocket and slide it over the bloodstain on my shirt, then grab the plates for table three. Damien follows me.
"What happened?" He asks, as I set the plates on the table with a cheerful smile, and say "If you need anything, just yell!"
"Nothing." I answer Damien as I weave around the tables and back to the kitchen.
"There's no such thing as nothing anymore." He leans against the wall in front of me as I wait for the next order.
"Well now there is. Nothing happened. I'm just clumsy." I revert to my fallback response.
"Mhm." He hmphs, and I roll my eyes.
"Fine. You want to know the real truth? I tried to kill myself. Happy?!" I yell, and storm off to the kitchen.
"You tried to kill yourself?" He asks quietly behind me.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"None of your business."
One Week Later
"Have a great Thanksgiving!" Everyone wishes each other before we close for the night. We get tomorrow off for the holiday.
"Have a good Thanksgiving." Damien grasps my hands just inside the glass door, looking directly in my eyes.
"You too." I look down at my feet and gently pull my hands away and walk out of the door.
"Who was he?" Brian asks when I get in the car.
"No one."
"Don't lie to me Kiera. I saw you holding hands. Who the hell is he?" He roars.
"No one Brian, I swear!" I insist, and he pulls back his fist, and it collides with my chest, knocking the air out of me. I take gasping breaths as I lean against the door.
"Get out. You can walk home today." He reaches past me and yanks on the door handle, and I fall out onto the wet concrete, staining my clothes a shade darker with slush.
"See you at school." He grumbles, and speeds off, barely missing my legs. I stand carefully, still trying to breathe normally.
"Kiera? You okay?" Damien walks up behind me, and I spin around. He has a knit cap jammed over his unruly hair, and a concerned look dancing around his eyes.
"I'm fine." I mumble, shying away from the person who had inadvertently caused me pain.
"Walk home with me?" He gestures ahead.
"No, I really should get moving." I mutter, and start running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. And then of course I slip on a patch of ice.
"Key!" I hear Damien call, and I sigh. He jogs up and helps me up, and I accidentally swing too close for comfort, my face coming up only an inch from his.
"Would you kill me if I kissed you right now?" He murmurs.
"No." I sigh, dizzy in his presence.
So he does. And it's so different. So different from the neediness of Brian, the threats lingering on the tip of his tongue, bitter and corrosive.
"See you at work Saturday." He says, and releases me, walking down the street in the opposite direction. I stare after him, my fingers on my lips, still feeling the kiss.
I walk home slowly, still remembering the exact moment. But one kiss does not a relationship make, I remind myself. And then, unbidden, memories of the Early Brian come to mind.
"Hurry up!" He laughs, tugging at my hand.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" I run behind him as we race to beat the rain. We duck under a building's overhang, and he kisses me for the first time.
No. I can't go there. I refuse to think about it. But more memories come anyway.
"Bitch." He mutters as he steps over me to get to the bathroom. I want to die, my arm and face hurt so bad. He slammed me into the wall, my right shoulder and cheek smashing into the drywall.
He pulls up beside me.
"I've forgiven you." He smiles with yellowish teeth. "Get in, I'll drive you home."
"No really, I'm almost there." I chatter.
"Get. in." He clenches his teeth. I nod and slide into the passenger's seat. The ride to home is only two minutes long and silent.
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Comment replies:
Isabel - I've never read that story. What seems similar?
Jane E. - Thanks!
Amaya - Thanks so much!
"Hannah... I really, really don't want to- Brian! Hi." I've never been happier to see him, since he started hurting me, anyway.
"Hey babe." He loops an arm around my neck, and presses his lips hard to mine. Hannah looks on disgustedly, shakes her head and walks away.
"When does your work start?" He asks.
"My shift is at 4:30."
"We can hang at my place until then. I'll drive you home." He decides.
"Okay." I say, dreading it already.
"Don't eat lunch. You're getting fat." He pats my fairly flat stomach and walks off.
I don't eat lunch, as promised, and meet him at his car in the student parking lot.
His body is hot and heavy, pinning me to his bed, him snoring over me. I edge out from underneath him, retrieve my clothes from the floor and leave for McCooley's.
"Hey Key." Mei-Lin says as I pass her on the way to the kitchen. I don't answer. Not in the mood. I punch my time card, and Damien walks into the kitchen.
"Hi!" He says, a smile slicing his face.
I stay quiet again, and he catches my shoulder as I pin on my name tag.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing. I don't want to talk okay." I go out to meet a new group.
I feel one stitch pop through my skin, and I love the delicious red hurt of it.
"I need the order for table three?" I walk up to the kitchen.
"You're bleeding." Damien observes and grabs my arm before I can stop him, and I grimace. He examines the splotch of red staining the inside of my elbow, ruining the perfect white. He reaches into his apron thing, and grabs a napkin, and starts to lift up my sleeve.
"Stop!" I hiss.
"Sorry." He backs up a step, holding his hands up defensively. I yank my sleeve over my thumbs, and snatch an armband out of my pocket and slide it over the bloodstain on my shirt, then grab the plates for table three. Damien follows me.
"What happened?" He asks, as I set the plates on the table with a cheerful smile, and say "If you need anything, just yell!"
"Nothing." I answer Damien as I weave around the tables and back to the kitchen.
"There's no such thing as nothing anymore." He leans against the wall in front of me as I wait for the next order.
"Well now there is. Nothing happened. I'm just clumsy." I revert to my fallback response.
"Mhm." He hmphs, and I roll my eyes.
"Fine. You want to know the real truth? I tried to kill myself. Happy?!" I yell, and storm off to the kitchen.
"You tried to kill yourself?" He asks quietly behind me.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"None of your business."
One Week Later
"Have a great Thanksgiving!" Everyone wishes each other before we close for the night. We get tomorrow off for the holiday.
"Have a good Thanksgiving." Damien grasps my hands just inside the glass door, looking directly in my eyes.
"You too." I look down at my feet and gently pull my hands away and walk out of the door.
"Who was he?" Brian asks when I get in the car.
"No one."
"Don't lie to me Kiera. I saw you holding hands. Who the hell is he?" He roars.
"No one Brian, I swear!" I insist, and he pulls back his fist, and it collides with my chest, knocking the air out of me. I take gasping breaths as I lean against the door.
"Get out. You can walk home today." He reaches past me and yanks on the door handle, and I fall out onto the wet concrete, staining my clothes a shade darker with slush.
"See you at school." He grumbles, and speeds off, barely missing my legs. I stand carefully, still trying to breathe normally.
"Kiera? You okay?" Damien walks up behind me, and I spin around. He has a knit cap jammed over his unruly hair, and a concerned look dancing around his eyes.
"I'm fine." I mumble, shying away from the person who had inadvertently caused me pain.
"Walk home with me?" He gestures ahead.
"No, I really should get moving." I mutter, and start running down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. And then of course I slip on a patch of ice.
"Key!" I hear Damien call, and I sigh. He jogs up and helps me up, and I accidentally swing too close for comfort, my face coming up only an inch from his.
"Would you kill me if I kissed you right now?" He murmurs.
"No." I sigh, dizzy in his presence.
So he does. And it's so different. So different from the neediness of Brian, the threats lingering on the tip of his tongue, bitter and corrosive.
"See you at work Saturday." He says, and releases me, walking down the street in the opposite direction. I stare after him, my fingers on my lips, still feeling the kiss.
I walk home slowly, still remembering the exact moment. But one kiss does not a relationship make, I remind myself. And then, unbidden, memories of the Early Brian come to mind.
"Hurry up!" He laughs, tugging at my hand.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" I run behind him as we race to beat the rain. We duck under a building's overhang, and he kisses me for the first time.
No. I can't go there. I refuse to think about it. But more memories come anyway.
"Bitch." He mutters as he steps over me to get to the bathroom. I want to die, my arm and face hurt so bad. He slammed me into the wall, my right shoulder and cheek smashing into the drywall.
He pulls up beside me.
"I've forgiven you." He smiles with yellowish teeth. "Get in, I'll drive you home."
"No really, I'm almost there." I chatter.
"Get. in." He clenches his teeth. I nod and slide into the passenger's seat. The ride to home is only two minutes long and silent.
*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*+*
Comment replies:
Isabel - I've never read that story. What seems similar?
Jane E. - Thanks!
Amaya - Thanks so much!
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