Relationship Status: Beaten

The Sympathy

Jeff's pov:

I was about to go to the announcement counter but I heard whispering. Therefore I stopped and listened. "So Jeff is dating Mateo?
"Yeah."
"And he's been hitting him? Is that where that bruise came from? Oh god, we need to help him. You said he tried to cut his throat and you're being so calm!"

Anger raged through me. I clenched my fists and stored through the back rooms towards Mateo. I looked at him. He seemed calm. Counting how many spare bottles of conditioner there was left. I locked the door and neared him. Only when the door clicked lock, did he he notice that it was me. He spun around.
"J-Jeff? What are you doing?" I growled and held his wrist, forcing him to stay still.
"They all know! That Amy and the disabled one, and Joseph and the one with the weird hair! They know about what I do to you! I swear, Mateo, I put so much into this relationship and you spread rumours about me!" I yelled punching him in the face.
"If you don't like it, leave. And his names Jonah, the disabled one is Garret and the weird one with the hair, that's Cheyenne."
"Excuse me?" I yelled, lifting him up by his collar, exposing the cut.

"You're a worthless piece of shit!" I screamed, getting ready to hit him more.
"You can't hurt me at work or they'll notice, every single person in here." I dropped him onto the floor, growling, and slammed the door shut.

Mateo's pov:

I held my cheek from where he punched me. Groaning, I stood up, instantly regretting it as the blood rushed to my head and made me fall over again. It appeared that I had gained a concussion from the force of his throw towards the floor. I hissed in pain as I wiped the blood from my head. Breathing in, I opened the door and returned to my day as if it was normal. Jonah came walking up to me as I walked towards the garden aisle to help someone who dropped fertilizer. "Hey, are you okay? You look dizzy." I faked a smile.
"I am fine Jonah, and you promised not to tell anyone else but now Amy knows aswell and we all know she can't keep a secret." He stopped dead in his tracks causing me too aswell.

"H-how did you know?" I looked down at my hands and shrugged my shoulders.
"Did you also know that Jeff listened to us tell Amy? We found out because of him growling and stomping away." I continued to fiddle with my hands and shrug.
"Mateo...has-has he hurt you? Like, I mean more, did he hurt you a few minutes ago when he overheard us?"
"What?" I said, hanging onto a nearby shelf.
Jonah moved forward to help me.
"Mateo are you okay?"
"Can-cannn yout urn thel ights own?"
"Mateo? Mateo! Look at me, I'm going to go get some help. Wait there."
"Jo-Jonah? Ringing, ere the noi-noise?"

Jonah looked at me worriedly and ran off to find someone. He came back soon later with Garret, Cheyenne and Amy. Amy kneeled down next to me.
"Mateo, can you hear me?" I looked up from the floor.
"Get-get je-Jeff away fro-om you."
Garret and Cheyenne looked to each other and left.
"It's okay, they're gone getting the pharmacist." Jonah comforted.
"Mateo, you're going to have to tell us what he did to you."
"He, he urm, punched me, and I...I fell against the shelves made of, of steel."
"Mateo, did he push you against the shelves?" Amy asked, looking towards Jonah. I managed to nod.

Tate came back with Cheyenne and Garret. He ordered them to go back to work. When he asked what had happened Amy told him that it was due to me falling. As she left, she winked at me and gave me slight smile, which I returned.

~669 words~