His Mission

Your Death Left Me Battered & Bruised.

He isn't coming back to save me.

*

I walk into the building before searching the main foyer for sight of my best friend, Trisha Louise Lockwood. She's the total opposite of me, which is why we work so well together. I'm relatively quiet whereas Trish is the life and soul of the room. Her wild behavior is what attracted her to me at first. I found her fascinating, inspiring and fun. She was paired up with me during the egg and spoon race at school, and we've been inseparable ever since. She gave me a pep talk right before the race which ended up in us taking first place. She inserts teenage craziness into my life, whereas I bring a level of calm and peace to hers.

Trish and I don't keep secrets from each other, except for one. I've always felt ashamed, weak and vulnerable at the thought of telling her about my stepfather. What if Trevor found out about my betrayal, and he found a way to punish Trish in return? He's always threatened to ruin my life if I ever told a single soul what happens behind closed doors. Trish knows I have a rocky relationship with my Mom and step-father, but I'll never divulge the real reason I hate them.

I catch sight of her long blonde hair in the distance. A smile stretches across my lips when I notice she's surrounded by three older boys. The attention she receives from males doesn't surprise me in the slightest. She's always been effortlessly beautiful, the real definition of a blonde bombshell. Every blonde needs a dark haired best friend, and that's where I come in. I begin walking toward her while trying to suppress the urge to wince with pain. Every little movement I make causes discomfort to spread across my entire body. Images of Trevor plunging his fists into me begin to fill my mind, and I feel the familiar tremble return to my hands. I shove them into my pockets before inhaling a deep breath.

"Emily!" Trish smiles at me when she notices me walking toward her. She stands up to abandon the boys surrounding her, and they all appear heartbroken at her lack of attention. I shoot a friendly smile at her before linking my arm through hers.

"How was the concert this weekend? Your Insta story looked incredible. I want you to tell me everything." I say to her with excitement in my voice. I watched her story from my bed while feeling filled with a deep sadness that I couldn't join her.

"It was so much fun. I had too many drinks as usual and ended up peeing in the middle of a field." Trish giggles while leaning into me. We both begin heading in the direction of our first class. Trish's smile fades, and she rests her head on my shoulder. "I wish you could be there. It's never the same without my best friend."

"Maybe I can go to the next one." I say with a hopeful smile. Deep down, I know I won't be creating any fun memories with her anytime soon. Trevor's army-like grip on my social life only appears to be getting worse the older I get. Trish's eyes flicker up to me, and she returns my hopeful smile. We enter the classroom before heading toward our usual seats by the window.

I pull out my chair before wincing at the pain that flares up through my back. I quickly mask the emotion on my face before dropping my backpack under my seat. Just as I'm about to sit down, a figure barges past me and almost knocks me off my feet. I grab hold of the back of my chair before blinking with surprise. Trish immediately jumps to my defense, and her features twist into a scowl.

"Hey, asshole! You almost knocked over my best friend."

I hold my hand up before plastering a weak smile on my face. "I'm fine, Trish. I'm sure it was an accident." I mumble quietly. I lift my head to find out the identity of the figure, but he doesn't seem phased by his reckless actions. He responds back with a rude grunt before storming toward the back of the class. My eyes narrow in his direction, and I release a breath of frustration.