His secret

Chapter 4

It's been a week since the incident with my mom. I left the house without responding to the harsh things she said to me and spent the rest of the day crying until I fell asleep on my cough. Dad has been trying to call and even left me a bunch of messages saying that she didn't mean what she said and that she's just worried about me. But I haven't responded to any of them. I  don't feel like talking to him, not just yet.

I'm sure mother meant every word of the things she said to me and her not calling to apologize to me proves it. I'm not expecting an apology from her, that's not what I meant, I understand where she's coming from. What I'm meaning to say is that I know that my dad is just trying to make me feel better by lying to me and excusing her behavior, when in reality both he and I know that she meant every word. I even heard a bit of their conversation after I walked out the door where dad told her that she couldn't say things when she's angry because she may not mean them, and regretting it later would not get her anywhere. She then screamed at him that she meant what she said and that someone had to put it out there long ago for me to understand that I'm always acting in an ignorant and selfish way.

It didn't come as a surprise because I already had the feeling that someone was blaming me. Still, it hurts to get it confirmed by my own mother in that way. But I'm done feeling sorry for myself. I've been in bed eating ice cream and binge-watching daredevil, simping over Mattew Murdock, wishing I knew a sexy lawyer like him for a week now, not getting anything done. I still need to meet with Miles and find myself a proper job. And then the thought hits me. Omg Miles, I haven't called him back, nor answered his messages.

He called me when I was on my way back home and didn't pick up. Instead, I texted him that I couldn't talk because I was in a job interview and that I would call him afterward. He texted me asking how it went wondering if they liked me, if I got the job and what kind of job it was but I was busy crying my eyeballs out. I hated myself for not picking up the phone and lying to him, but I knew that if I had picked up the phone he would notice that my voice sounded different and he would've understood that something was wrong. And I really would love to share what happened with him, but knowing Miles he would drive straight to my parent's house and take his anger out on my mom for hurting me like that. It is morally wrong and disrespectful to stand in front of a fifty-four-year-old lady and scream at her, scolding her for talking to her daughter in a certain way, but when it comes to hurting the people he likes Miles has no morals left in him and it's like he sees black in front of him. Rethinking it now, I actually think that he feels some kind of need to help others. That's kind of how we first met.

Eleven years ago, when I was sixteen years old I was at my friend Diana's birthday party. It was a big party and we had a lot of fun. The party ended around eleven o'clock, but of course, I stayed and helped Diana clean up the mess that people had left behind them. We couldn't leave the cleaning until the morning because her parents were supposed to arrive from their business trip then and they didn't know that Diana threw a party. Diana's parents were the strict type and Diana never hesitated to take a chance of living her own life in her own way. So she took advantage of their constant absences and threw parties with the money they left her for food and other necessities, where she invited boys and bought drinks too. She did things I would never dare to do.

The place was a mess. There were empty plastic Muggs and food all over the living room, and someone had even pucked on her mother's expensive beige carpet. It took us two hours to finish. Diana insisted on me staying with her, but I didn't feel that well because I wasn't used to drinking that much and I really longed for my bed so I went home despite her insistence.

 I don't live that far from Diana's house, but I've never been a fan of the dark so I tried to call my parents to get them to come and pick me up. But none of them answered me and I, later on, I found out it was because they were too busy fighting with each other. And because they were too busy for me something really bad could've happened that night. I get chills that go up to my neck when I get flashbacks from that night. 

I gave it a last try calling Sirius to ask if he could pick me up, but he was too far away, at a friend's house. Giving up I started my walk, heading home. Halfway through I was forced to go under a dark tunnel that I hate even during the daylight. I clenched my hands to the bottom of my red dress that ends just above my knees trying to overcome my fear so that I could make my way home. Suddenly I heard manly voices, arguing. I turned around to walk the other way before hearing their conversation properly but then something stopped me. "I told you that I didn't do anything, please just let me go. My parents are waiting for me at home, they'll be worried about me," a boy cried, his voice sounding so young. What if the boy is in trouble? I can't just leave. I thought. I couldn't help but turn around again and walk toward the voices. There they were, three men holding up a teenager against the wall. It was way too dark for me to see much of their appearances, but the boy looked like he could be eighteen.

As I walked closer to them I notice one of the men pointing a gun at the boy's head, and the next thing I knew the man pulled the trigger, and the boy fell to the ground. I froze in my place, letting a scream out and putting a hand on my mouth as soon as I noticed that I made a noise that drew their attention to me.

I ran, and I ran and I didn't dare to look back. I told myself that I needed to run until I collapsed, that I can't let them get to me, I need to run until my lungs collapsed on me. But again, when has anything gone according to my plans? I didn't even get the chance to run for a minute before I stumbled over a scooter that someone had left in the middle of the street. I fell to the ground, taking support on my hands and scraping them on the way.

 As I looked up I saw the three men standing above me. I didn't even have to try to get up because one of them dragged me up from my arm, pushing me against the wall so that I faced it. "How much did you see, bitch?" The shortest one of them, with barely any hair on his head, asked me. I swallowed hard, not being able to get any words out of my mouth. "Let go of her John she's just a kid, I bet we could get her to shut up with some money," the bigger guy wearing a hoodie and a cap on his head demands. I felt a hand creeping up my thighs, pulling my dress up. "Well I agree with Lucas, we could let her go but we sure should take advantage of such a beauty before letting her go," the third one,  with a white sweetsmelling t-shirt and rotten teeth said as his other hand went brushing down my chin.

The other two stayed silent for a moment digesting the idea. They seem to like it because all three of them start touching me on different body parts. It's like my body shouted down the ability to feel because I didn't comprehend where they were touching me anymore, all I knew is that I was trying to fight, trying to loosen their grip on me but I failed. Lucas and John held me still on each side while the third guy took my dress off and aimed for my underwear next. He did it slowly as if he was trying to torture me as much as possible.

"This is a lesson for you to remember if you ever think of opening your mouth about anything that you saw tonight." 

"I... I didn't see anything I swear. P... p... please, please just let me go," I tried to talk with a shaky voice. "You have cute underwear. What's your name by the way?" he ignored my attempt. Closing my eyes I gave up. But somehow fate didn't give up on me. I felt their grips on my arm loosen and how no one was holding on to my underwear anymore. As I open my eyes I saw a big well-trained guy with blond hair throwing the old men around.

He threw punches at them, and they tried to hit back but missed at every attempt, not failing to show how undertrained they are in comparison to him. After fighting all three of them, leaving them on the ground he came up to me. "Did they do anything to you?" he asked and I hesitate, which he notices. "It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. You're safe now," he continued. My body calmed down to his comforting voice, letting out the breath that I'd been holding in for god knows how long. I tried to answer him but everything become blurry and my feet felt unsteady. I fell against him and he caught me in a reflex. Everything became black after that.