Elijah (MxM)

Chapter Two

A few days later I found myself on the last train to Gifford, a small party town a few miles outside of Ridge. The Blue Seal was a club frequented by many unsavory types. Hookers, drug dealers, gangbangers, and anyone looking for trouble. When Catherine discovered I used to party there, the face she made was priceless. It was a hell of a place to party though, especially if you're looking for dope or money to buy dope. Sometimes I would go there to pick up dates, usually sad older men who were willing to pay for a piece of ass for the night. I didn't like to think of it as prostitution, it felt a lot more elegant than that. And to be honest, I liked the attention, it was something no one ever paid to me. That was my plan for this night.

I didn't have a job, or unemployment, all I had was my face and body to work with. And I didn't like to think of myself as cocky, but it worked every time. Well, except for this time. The Blue Seal was dead that night, I had caught the attention of a few people but none of them were worth it. At the end of the day, I still had morals. So I made my way back to the train reluctantly, feeling defeated, puffing on a cigarette as I walked. But as I continued, I started to notice I was being followed.

Three men approached me in the alley, all with smug expressions on their faces. It all happened so fast it's hard to remember. They told me to give them everything I had, and when I told them I had nothing they decided they were done asking. They jumped me, sending blows to my face and stomach until I was on the ground gasping for air. They searched me, emptying my pockets to find a few dollars and my cigarettes, which they took anyway. They left me there, crumpled, laughing as they departed. When I finally peeled myself from the concrete it was beginning to rain. My stomach hurt like something awful as I limped to the train, not knowing what else to do but just go home. Everyone stared at my bloodied face and someone even asked if I needed help. I told them to get the fuck away from me.

I pulled myself up the steps of my apartment building, reaching for my cigarettes only to remember they were gone. Once I got inside I slumped against the wall, falling to the floor. It was dead silent in there, and it was quite a lonely scene. I began to feel sorry for myself, pulling out my phone to access my injuries. They got me pretty good, I couldn't tell where the blood was coming from. I had gotten into fights plenty of times before and this wasn't the first time I've been robbed and beaten believe it or not. But that night I didn't even fight back, and I didn't know why until now. It felt good to have someone kick the shit out of me. In some way, I thought I deserved it.

After a while of moping, I stood, wincing and clenching my ribs with a bloody hand. Suddenly a knock on the door sounded and my heart dropped. I was afraid it might've been those guys, following me home. Or afraid it was Cathy, ready to scold me and ask me what the hell I was doing there in the first place. Both were equally terrifying.

But when the knock came again I looked away, hiding my face before yelling, "come in!"

The door creaked open almost apprehensively and someone stepped in with heavy footing.

"Hey Kit, Cat asked me to drop off these—" The voice jarred me so much that I turned around to face it, seeing Elijah standing in my kitchen, dark hair wet with rain.

His amiable expression twisted almost immediately to one of concern.

"Jesus, what the fuck?" He held papers in his hand and from what I could see they were job applications. If the current situation weren't more pressing I'd ask him to throw them away.

I braced myself on the counter, narrowly making eye contact.

"Those for me?" I wiped my wet nose, gesturing to his hand.

He set them on the counter, a complete afterthought as he drew closer. "W-what happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, got jumped. But I'm fine."