Wounds to Bind

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I see it again, I see him come at me with all his force and slam me into the wall. My mom is in the corner in a heap. Fallen over from lack of strength. I try to scream, I try with all my might but it doesn't work, nothing happens, nothing comes out.

His forearm is pushing against my neck constricting my air and I'm using all my will to breath, but I can't, I can't get air. All I want is to live, I just need to go on. I kick and punch and knee at him and even grab his hair but he doesn't falter, and soon I drop...

Drews pov--

I wake up to screaming. I hear it before it registers in my brain. My whole body jolts and I sit up. I see a girl on the couch opposite to me, writhing, in what I perceive to be as, pain. My whole body yearns to hold her. All of my being screams to stop whatever is making her so hurt. Human instinct, among all others, taking over.

I roll off my couch and stride to hers. I place my hand on her head and stroke her hair. "Shhh," I coax gently, "Tessa," I say without thinking," hey it's alright."

She writhes again and squeezes her eyes while she begins gasping.

"Tess, Tess? Hey baby, wake up, it's alright, it's not real," I whisper to the fragile girl's sleeping form.

Her body continues to send tremors, from her head to her feet, violently. Her fists ball up and her face is tense.

My hand reaches purposefully to her shoulder," Hey wake up. Come on, I'm right here. Come here. Wake up!" I shake her lightly and put my other hand onto her cheek.

As if my touch shocks her awake, her eyes fly open abruptly and she backs into the couch, gasping violently. It is as if someone is trying to drown her. She grips at her chest and scratches at the confines of her skin.

"Hey Tess, calm down girl," I scramble to say. I don't know how to calm her down but I can't bear to see her so desperate for escape from whatever is engulfing her mind. I sit down on her coach and grab her body. I force her head into my chest and use my thumb to stroke her arm. "Shhhh," I whisper, "it's alright, everything's gonna be ok. Shhhh."

Eventually she calms down, it only takes a few minutes after that to realize where she is and how she got here. Her breathing evens out and calms.

"What happened?"

"A n-nightmare. I had a nightmare," she shakily answers.

"It's alright Tess,"I comfort her, "it wasn't real. You're here now."

"Thanks," she says and look up at me, "Really," Tess continues, " it means alot."

Sincerely I ask, "Does this happen often?"

Her face tenses again, like she is mulling over my inquiry in her brain. Then she grows shocked, "Shit!"

"What?"

"I'm going to miss work, damn it."

"Hey I have a car, can drive you," I offer.

Her face turns to me in surprise like its unheard of to offer people help, "Really?"

"Yea."

"Oh, no thanks, I can walk."

"Are you sure?"

She quickly answers, "Yeah, yea it's fine, thanks though." And then flashes me an endearing smile.

I put a smile on too and I feel happiness in my eyes.

I see her eyes wander and she looks down, realizing I still have her in my arms. Her body becomes stiff as she wriggles out of my grasp awkwardly.

The warmth of her figure leaves me and I feel disappointed to see her get up.

"We'll," I ponder, "um... bye."

"Bye then," she quips in a hurry, and turns to exit.

I grab her arm before she can leave, and stand up. "Hey, um, can I... Uh," I don't know why I'm being so shy, I usually get right to the point and I have another girl's phone number. This is different and it makes me angry. I can't speak properly. Why am I being so unbearably awkward? I can feel myself thinking as I rub the back of my neck of crinkle my eyebrows together.

"Can I have your number?" I ask quickly.

A smile spreads across her face and she scrawls her number down quick on my arm. It's as if she is afraid i will change my mind. She deposits her pen back on the side table next to her. Looking up at me I can see a new light in her eyes. She seems so different to the girl I just saved from a nightmare.

"Ill call you today? Bye," I say.

__________________

Tess's pov

-----

My thoughts are engulfed in wondering why drew wanted my number and before I'm fully aware, I drop my beverage. The red liquid spills all over a pair of sneakers on the shelf next to me and I realize too late that I just ruined them.

"God damn it tess," randy sighs.

Jessica (another coworker) scoffs and laughs at me, "You're such a fuck up Tess, smooth."

"I didn't fucking do it on purpose. Why do you hate me?" I spit at her.

"Because your an idiot," she replies.

Something inside me snaps. I've never done anything wrong to her, why does she hate me. Why does everyone hate me so much?

"I've never done anything to you!"

"You need to calm down spaz. Why don't you just leave no one wants you around."

"Just shut the fuck up Jessica," I hiss with vile in my tone.

"Fuck yourself," she spits casually.

Randy speaks up, "Jessica get back to work, Tess clean this mess up! I don't want to hear another god damn word from either of you. Got it?"

Jessica shoots me a nasty, withering, look.

"Fuck you Jessica."

"Tess," Randy hisses accusingly.

Jessica turns around to face me and spits vile out of her mouth, "Kill yourself," she turns around again and walks off.

What? I think. Why would she say something like that? I don't understand.

I feel broken down and defeated by a few simple words. They tear through me like a river through rock.

Why does she have the power to affect me so much? Why don't I have any power?

I stand up and run out of the store flinging back my hat, and begin to run home. Everything begins to eat at me, my thought dance around in my head like popcorn in a stove top and panic sets in for no reason.

My speed intensifies and my lungs expand and deflate quicker. And quicker. And quicker.

It's 5 pm now, and drew still hasn't called. Maybe he didn't like me anyway. I just shouldn't trust people. I'm a screw up aren't I. That's why everyone hates me, I can tell.

My thoughts echo through me at the speed of light. Like flipping through memories in a photo book. Everything floods in so quickly, my brain can't keep up.

I get to my house and open the door to find the house empty. There's a note on the fridge.

"Tess,

I'm gone on a business trip for the week, you'll be alone."

Those last few words got to me, "you'll be alone" those words made sense to me, they were true. And it hurt me to say that.

I can't take this anymore,

The grief of emptiness overwhelms me.

Its getting hard to breath,

My brain isn't thinking strait.

I run up to my room to be alone.