Life lessons (TW novel #1)

Chapter 20

We get further into the alley. Darkness surrounding us as we hide behind the dumpster. With great force he pushes me against the brick wall, knocking the wind right out of me, not loosening his grip around me. I have trouble breathing as he puts all his weight against my body, pressing harder on the wall. He raises my arms with one hand above my head and covers my mouth with his other.

‘I’m going to make you scream!’ he whispers into my ear, I can feel his warm breathe on my neck.

Alex slowly removes his hand from my mouth, but before I have a chance to scream, his dirty lips are shoved onto mine. All I can taste is liquor and cigarettes in his mouth as he forces his tongue into my mine. His now free hand decides to roam my body. Running his fingers down my stomach, sliding over to my hip as he moves down my thigh, lifting the skirt to my dress as he brings his hand back up my waist.

He grabs hold to the elastic band of my underwear; wrapping is around his finger as he slides t down to just above my knees. He unzips his jeans, sliding them down before plunging himself into my body, my already fragile body. I moan, not for pleasure but from pain, I close my eyes praying that this will end. As the pain increases, tears slowly slide down my cheeks as I try my best to blink them away. My eyes flick open fast in sudden realization.

I lift my leg up between Alex’s and wrap my leg around his, trying my hardest to pull his leg out from underneath him. He gets annoyed with my pulling at his leg. He steps back, pulling away from me, giving me enough time and enough space, to lift my leg and knee him hard in the balls. I quickly wipe my tears away, walking closer toward him. He’s collapsed onto the floor, his knees reached up to his chest.

I bend down next to him and whisper, ‘Never again.’

As I stand, towering over him, I give him three kicks into his stomach with my heels scraping the side on his hips. I run not looking back, I run until I can’t run anymore. I stand, leaning against the nearby wall, thinking back to what just happened, the pain of going through just about the same thing not only a month ago with the same guy. The punch to the face, another punch to the stomach…

I awake tears flowing down my face, the pain and feeling flowing through my body as if my nightmare had only just happened. I walk over to the bathroom, my hands and both feet throbbing as the memory of last night replays in my head. As I switch the light on, the sight seems worst than I remembered, glass shattered everywhere. I lean down to pick up a big sharp piece near the door.

I sit down on the nice wooden floor right next to my bed, leaning against it as I play with the very sharp piece of glass around my wrist. I reach for my phone right beside me and dial in the first set of numbers that’s in my head, needing to talk to mum.

START OF NATHAN’S POV

I awake to the bright light streaming in from the window, reflecting off the mirror, onto my bed. My phone continuously vibrating against my bedside table. I almost don’t answer until I glance at the caller Id, the second time realizing it’s Kiara calling, I have to answer. I manage to get out of in a half tired but also upset voice a hello. My voice seems to echo through to the other side as an eerie silence is all to be heard, she doesn’t speak.

‘Kiara?’ I ask, instead of her answering, loud crying is all I hear.

The crying gets louder just as the call goes completely quiet, and dial tone is on the other end, she hung up on me, something must be wrong.  I race out of bed, not bothering to get dressed, I grab my keys and jacket from by the door as I race down the two rows of stairs of my parents house and jump into my car to drive to our shared house.

END OF NATHAN’S POV

I throw my phone to the other end of the room. How could I of called Nathan, I was calling mum, obviously my mind knew the right person to call. I stand still holding the shard of glass in my hand, as I walk over to the fridge and pull out a new bottle of tequila, and walking back up to my room. I pop the cork open; I tilt my head back and swallow massive mouthfuls. With every mouthful I take, I try my hardest to wash away my pain and sorrow.

Walls building up trying to block the memories out, I sink back down this time at the end of my bed. Still playing with the piece of glass, the sharp point sliding across my wrist piercing the top layer of skin. I wince at the pain as it pierces the skin. As the blade slides across, I cry out in pain, but instantly feel relief. The pain is nothing new, nothing I haven’t experienced before, yet it’s still something I can’t describe. It is like something stabbing me repeatedly, but yet it feels just like heaven.

I can feel all my regret and pain leave my body, I didn’t want to stop, but I know it’s wrong. A kick of adrenaline yet also addiction runs through my body. The front door downstairs flies open hitting back against the wall. I lift the bottle of tequila up, throwing it with force straight at the wall, spraying both glass and drink everywhere, shattering into little pieces.

START OF NATHAN’S POV

I burst through the unlocked front door, worried something is still wrong. First the strange phone call from Kiara and now seeing her front door unlocked, something is up. I freeze half way up the stairs as the sound of shattering glass echoing down from her room. I race to her room, opening her door slowly as I peer my head around the corner. My heart sinks, my stomach does a flip as the worst sight is before me. I react instantly, pushing the door open enough to let myself in, racing to get a towel from the bathroom.

I run to her side, at the bottom of the bed, glass shattered everywhere on the floor, little shards in her legs and feet. She continues to play with the shard of glass at her wrist, the shock over taking my body at the sight of the amount of blood staining the carpet under her hand. I slowly reach over to her hand with the towel, watching as the pain on her face slowly changes to anger and frustration. In an instant before I could even reach her hand to wrap the towel around her wrist, she quickly stands on her feet, walking away from me toward the bathroom.

I tense as I place the towel on the ground, letting out a loud but sad sigh as she slams the door behind her. I follow toward the bathroom, wriggling the doorknob, finding she didn’t actually lock it. I open the door to Kiara leaning over the sink, taking the glass on the bench, standing all through the broken glass of her shower from the other night. I slowly walk through the glass as it crunches under my shoes, stopping at her side. I reach over and cup her chin in my hands, she doesn’t freak out, she allows me to.

I turn her head to face mine, in an instant she leans her head on my chest letting go of the glass, causing it to shatter to the ground with the rest of the glass. She cries into my chest, I try my best to wrap a towel around her wrist to stop the bleeding, she collapses to the floor in pain, still clinging to my shirt. I bend down picking her up bridal style.

‘I can’t do this, ‘ she says quietly into my shirt.

I place her down on the bed, laying down next to her as she keeps her head rested on my chest, still crying into my shirt. I reach into my deep jean pocket, pulling out my phone without disturbing Kiara; I start texting the lads as fast as I can.

            Hey guys, sorry to interrupt your family time, but I think you better get over here to our shared house, something is going on with Kiara and we need to find out before she goes on stage tomorrow night!! – Nathan

‘I want this to go away, to just end,’ she whispers again, unsure of what she is talking about.

Hopefully they actually get the message and aren’t too hungover or still sleeping to be here soon.