Go Away Romeo.

Go Away Romeo.Part 1 (Banana Pancakes and Paradise)

            “Hey, call me when you get back home. If your dads drunk get your ass over to my house, I don’t want you getting hurt.” I told her giving her shoulder a squeeze.

            “I will.” She mumbled, hugging me tightly before stepping onto the deck.

            I smiled as she stepped onto the waiting boat, happy that she was able to escape into her social life for tonight. I watched as the boat pulled away from the shore and further into the lake. I saw the telltale flash of a lighter flaring up. I frowned a bit at the thought of my friend smoking but continued walking up the beach to the little trail in the woods that led to where I’d parked my car. She was smart enough to make her own choices.

            I pushed tree branches out of the way as I cautiously walked into the dark woods. The beach was something I’d found with Claire years ago when we’d been going through a hiking kick. Claire, ever the diva, snapped out of it quickly and as I no longer had anyone to hike with so did I. Now the only reminder of our hiking days was the little beach where we came to hang out. Over the years it evolved into the ideal escape: me from my parents, Claire from hers. We could sit on the sandy shores for hours, just talking, sometimes patching the other up from a hit or a drunken slam. It was our place to be and it let us forget the world, if only for a few hours. Luke and Adam were friends of Claire’s who we’d allowed into our sanctuary for limited amounts of time. They knew not to come without us, nor to tell other people about it.

            “Dammit.” I swore, tripping over a rock, invisible in the broken moonlight that filtered through the trees.

            I pulled my stinging hand up to my face, trying to see the damage I’d caused by catching myself. I could just barely see the jagged gash that ran along the meaty flesh of my palm.

            “Fucking awesome.” I muttered swiping it against my bare leg to wipe away the blood.

            I continued to walk, using my phone to illuminate the path. After a few minutes I could see the moonlight glinting off of the shiny metal of Adams car and moments later I made out the shape of my rusted one parked behind it.

I fished the keys from my pocket, careful not to use my injured hand. My mother would throw a fit of she saw blood on my shorts. She didn’t approve of a girl who gets her hands dirty.

The hair on the back of my neck started to prickle as I opened the car door and I felt as though someone was watching me. I turned around quickly and peered into the woods behind me. I let my gaze sweep the wall of trees a few times before warily turning back to my car. I plopped into the driver seat and turned on the radio; the soothing melody of Banana Pancakes drifted out of the cars crappy speaker system. Digging around in the center console I came up with a few stray napkins and a roll of prewrap from cross-country season. I fished around in the back seat and retrieved the half empty bottle of water that I unceremoniously dumped over the three-inch gash on my palm. Hissing slightly as the water worked into the cut, I dabbed it with a napkin until it was as clean as I could get it. I laid a clean napkin over the cut and secured it with prewrap.

“You're going to need stiches.”

I yanked my head up to find the speaker and recoiled slightly once I spotted the figure not five feet in front of me. How had I not noticed his approach?

“Uh, yeah.” Was my intelligent reply.

He stepped closer to the open door of my car and leaned down slightly, peering into my eyes with an intense stare.

“Stay still. Don’t yell or make a noise.” He instructed in a husky voice.

My eyes widened slightly as he leaned towards me. Just as I began to feel his icy breath on my neck I snapped out of the shocked state I was in.

“What the hell, jackass!” I exclaimed pushing his chest away with both hands.

I gasped, as the cold from it seemed to seep into my palms, soothing my damaged hand, almost numbing it. Shaking, I forced the key into the ignition turning it as I attempted to pull the door closed. The engine coughed and the exhaust system expelled a thick cloud of black smoke before an awful grinding sound brought my trusty car to its knees. I slammed my steering wheel and glanced to my left where the strangers face was hovering next to my own a cocky smirk dancing across his lips that was countered by the confusion written in his eyes; his arms bracing open the door.

“Tch, tch.” He scolded me before grabbing my uninjured arm and wrenching me out of the car. He pressed my back against the rusted side door, pinning me between his body and the cold metal.

“How the hell did you do that?” He asked, his frosty breath once again washing over my face.

“Do what?” I asked proud of myself for keeping my voice strong. “Get off of me!”

“Feisty.” He mused brushing his hand along my neck in a way that brought tingles where it shouldn’t.

“Let. Go. Of. Me.” I spat through gritted teeth.

“I think no. You're amusing.” He breathed glancing to my neck. “Your hormones are raging.”

I blushed slightly and lifted a hand to slap his face but in a blur of pale skin, his and mine both, it was pinned to the side of the car, clamped in his icy grip. He grabbed hold of the other hand as well and held both of them over my head in one of his, causing me to arch my back against the curve of the car door, stretching the bruised skin painfully as I hissed in discomfort. He looked confused for a moment before shaking it off.

With his free hand he brushed the strand of hair from the side of my neck and, much to my alarm, lowered his mouth once again to it. This time I was defenseless against his advances, struggling as I might; it was a useless fight against his iron clutch, I realized.

Once that fact got through my adrenaline filled brain I went limp, closing my eyes and waited. My mind shut down as it did whenever I needed to escape. I simply closed my eyes and pictured my future and all of my sense became numb.

 I no longer felt the cold hand that held mine down nor the rhythmic flow of cold air released from the strangers mouth against my neck. Instead I felt the blaze of the African sun and the coarse grass under my feet.

            I allowed myself to slip out of consciousness and into the place I most wanted to be. I imagined the laughter of the children around me, their high voices yelling in an unfamiliar tongue as I smiled with Claire by my side, just like we’d always planned. Away from our parents.

 I was no longer being held against a car by the frozen man, I was in my own personal paradise with my best friend.  

"...we could pretend it all the time

Can't you see that it's just raining

Ain't no need to go outside

Ain't no need, ain't no need

Rain all day and I really really really don't mind

Can't you see can't you see,

You gotta wake up slow"