Estella

Chapter 3

"Estella." I hear as the door cracks open.

I didn't expect anyone after Jacob left.

I figured I would cry this out, get over it, and get home before the bruises started to form.

"Don't come in!" I exclaim.

No one needs to see I am crying.

And no one needs to know what just happened.

If anyone ever found out he hits me, things would just get even worse.

"Estella." The voice repeats.

When I look over, I see Parker.

I thought he left after Jacob dragged me away.

"I thought Jacob dragged you away a little aggressively, and when he saw me he after he walked out of here he said some pretty racist things-" he starts.

"He did? Sorry, it's my fault-" I begin to say.

"I was just going to say I thought maybe he was mad at you and I wanted to make sure you were okay." He tells me, walking closer to me.

"I'm fine."  I lie quickly.

"Estella, you are crying." He tells me.

"I know it was a stupid argument, but you really should leave, I shouldn't be talking to you, Jacob told me that even talking to another boy is wrong and-" he stops me before I could finish.

"Did he hit you?" He asks me upon seeing the entirety of my face, having trouble even getting the words wrong.

"I- I need to go." I say, trying to leave.

"Wait." He says, lightly grabbing my wrist to stop me from going.

The slight pressure on the dark bruises causes me to wince.

He rolls up my sleeve to expose a dark bruise taking up my entire wrist and most of my forearm.

"Estella, why do you let him do this to you?" Parker asks me.

"He didn't." I lie, hoping he will somehow believe me, but knowing he won't.

"Estella." He says, obviously seeing right through my lies.

"I'm scared okay, I know exactly what will happen if I even try and break up with him. I never even wanted to date him, he forced me to do that too, just like he forces me to do everything." I say, hoping I didn't let anything I didn't want him to know be implied by that last statement.

"Do your parents know?" He asks me.

"Yeah I told them, I was, 'hey mom, hey dad, guess what, I'm being abused by my boyfriend'. They haven't even met him." I admit to him.

"Haven't you been together for like four years, and he hasn't met your parents?" Parker questions.

"How could I ever let him meet them? You just said he made a racist comment towards you in the hallway a minute ago, if he finds out what my family looks like everything will get worse, the second he walks in everything will change. He has always just assumed I was naturally tan or something, he can't know that I'm not fully white." I explain.

"You aren't? I guess I can see it now that you mention it." He says.

"My Dad is white, but my mom is half black." I explain. "He doesn't even know my siblings, and my brother goes here." I explain to him.

"He does?" Parker questions.

"It's his second year here, he's not my biological brother though, my siblings are adopted." I explain to him.

"They are?" He asks me.

"My parents adopted my little brother from Ethiopia and my sister from India, so even if Jacob met them he would realize that something isn't right and he would probably hurt me or something.

"Estella you need to get help." He tells me.

"And what will come of that, I'm not sure if you know how the world works or not, but let me tell you this, the rich white guy always wins, especially in cases like this." I say to him.

"Estella, you need to go to someone." He says again.

"No, and you can't tell anyone any of this." I tell him before leaving.

In those two minutes he has learned more about me than Jacob has in four years.

I need to do something.

But there is nothing I can do.

My grandfather may be able to help. He isn't quite fully retired, I'm sure he could do something or find someone to help me.

But I can't tell anyone.

I don't want anyone to know what is happening to me.

I know telling my parents would be the best thing to do.

Or at least the lawyer in the family.

But I can't.

I don't want them to just see what is going on when I'm away from them every time they see me.

I look want looks of pity every time anyone takes a glance on me.

I don't want anyone to know.

It's bad enough one person has already found out.

Why did Jacob have to drag me away like that in public?

Why did he have to give the biggest hint he could to Parker Madison of all people?

I don't hate Parker.

Especially after today.

He actually cares.

He cares more about me than Jacob ever did.

And I barely even know Parker.

Yet he can somehow still care about more than my boyfriend of four years.

How does that even work?

How could some random boy at my school show more concern for me than my actual boyfriend?

I wish I could just run away from everything.

So, if you all read my last book, and notes at the end, you would know that this past December(2018) someone I knew who graduated from my high school got hit and killed by a car while running on his college campus as he was crossing a street.

This past Wednesday(March 13, 2019, This wasn't the date of the accident actually, that was pronounced the 11th or 12th) a junior from my school was simply walking on the sidewalk with her friend, on her way home from playing tennis at a park, when a car drives by a man who was on drugs hit them both, while they were walking on a sidewalk.

I didn't know her at all, I had maybe passed her in the halls a few times, but I didn't know her as I knew Noah.

This girl was a year younger than me, only 16 when she lost her life because a man decided to get behind the wheel high.

This accident took place at 3PM.

I just want you all to know that this can happen to anyone at anytime. And please never get behind the wheel when intoxicated or under my influence. Young lives are taken way too soon

I know I didn't know her at all, but I do know that her life was taken way too soon, and this never should have happened.

I have never seen my school come together as much as they have for this, yellow, her favorite color is everywhere, hearts with an H in the middle hang throughout the school, thousands are devastated.

I don't even know what else I can say.

RIP, H.