Chloe: A girl whose heart was broken and whose faith decreased once her boyfriend started abusing her, leaving her with the question 'What did I do to deserve this?'
Kareem: A boy with an abusive childhood taking it out on Chloe leaving him with the...
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C H L O E ' S P O V
VOICES BLURRED ALONG WITH MY vision as I pushed past family members towards my room, not caring what others were saying of me. I couldn't be here anymore. Not with everyone here whispering and gossiping about me. Shutting the door behind me with a slam, I allow myself to cry, releasing the pain I had kept inside of me.
Look at you. Made yourself an embarrassment in front of your whole family too.
The words only cause more tears to come out of me, my body sliding against the door as I buried my head. What I would do to get this voice out of my mind, to shut its torture.
"Chloe?" a muffled voice I recognized as Talita's asked, knocking on the door. I give no response, burying my face deeper into my dress. "Chloe, I know you can hear me right now. Look, can I at least come in?"
Silence. I count down 60 seconds in my head before mustering the strength to get up from the floor, which was littered with clothes and blankets, and open the door, revealing a worried-looking Talita who enters the room and closes the door behind her. I take my seat on my unmade bed and she follows, her eyes penetrating mine.
"This place is a mess," she mutters, before turning to me. "You know everyone out there is worried about you?"
"Yeah right."
"Chloe, I'm being serious. We all hate having to watch you fall into this-this dark hole. I'm worried about you. Ever since Kareem-"
"Can we please just not talk about him right now?" I whisper, looking down at the floor to stop myself from crying all over again.
"He misses you, Chloe. We all miss you. Look, maybe if you come back to church we can talk to Pastor-"
"And let him see me like this? Talita, I really don't want to go back there again. I already told you this."
A sigh comes out of her, as she tilts her head and runs her hand through her braids. "Do you at least want to come to Bible study with me? We're gonna be doing it at a friend's house and after we're just gonna chill."
"Is he going to be there?"
"Chloe-"
"I-"
"I want you to come. At least do it for me C. I really do think this can help you. Even if he is there."
"I'll think about it."
"It's tomorrow at 2. You wanna drive or you want me to pick you up?"
"I can drive Talita. It's not like I've gone mad," I snap, pulling my legs as close as I could to my chest.
"Chloe, I didn't mean that and you that." We sit in silence for a few minutes after she says that, picking at the dusty bedsheets before speaking up again. "I'm gonna go and eat dinner before it's all gone. You want anything?"
"I'm not hungry."
"Aunt Cheryl's pie it is then." XXX
Why am I here?
I stare at the white-bricked townhome that looked straight out of a movie, the houses next to it looking just as perfect with their fake flowers planted in the front and kids playing outside, even in the cold. The shining red door glistened even under the bleak sun, only making me feel more uneasy. Removing the key from the ignition, I lean back into my seat, staring at the door through the windows before looking at my own reflection in the review mirror. My braids had been taken down and my hair now styled into a high puff and I had done my best to put on makeup. I looked normal.
You look like crap.
Ignoring the nervousness that had crept onto me, I allowed myself to open the door and leave the car before closing it, making my way towards the door and knocking on it.
After a few seconds of waiting, the door opens, revealing Micheal with a beaming face once sees me. I force the corners of my mouth to twitch up as I awkwardly cross my arms against my chest.
"Chloe, you good?" he asks, stepping to the side to allow me in, the heat instantly warming me up as I shed my puffer jacket and place it in my hands.
I only shrug in response, my stomach beginning to do flip-flops as I notice the familiar figure passing by the entryway, towards what I thought was the living room. Laughter is heard and voices rise, the chatter increasing.
What am I doing to myself?
"I can take your coat and hang it if you want," Micheal announces, bringing me back to the present, his arm outstretched. Handing him my jacket, I play with my fingers before speaking up.
"Do you know where the bathroom is?"
"Just go straight down and you should pass by the dining room which is right next to the stairs. To the left of the staircase, you'll see the bathroom."
"Thanks," I squeak out before walking as fast as I could, my slides hitting the wooden floor. Sure enough, the bathroom's there and I quickly shut the door behind me, pulling my up sleeves. My skin was covered in scratches and bruises, some more dull than others. Using my bitten fingernails, I scratch the surface, finding myself digging deeper until my skin cries out in response.
What type of crazy person are you? You don't see any other girls doing what you do.
Squeezing my eyes shut before opening them again, I swallow what feels to be a pit in my throat, before opening the door and heading to the living room, where I could hear Talita speaking. Walking in, I noticed the smile on her face as she read, her eyes glistening. Everyone around her looked just as captivated, bibles in their hands or laps, their full attention on Talita.
My eyes quickly darted to Kareem's, which were staring at me, causing the butterflies in my stomach to increase. Jaw clenching, I take the nearest empty seat on the tan couch, next to a girl with ginger red braids, shoved into a messy bun that still looked perfect.
"-our God isn't loving. He is love," Talita's voice rises, the excitement in her tone growing as she continues to speak. "He is merciful. And we see that throughout the whole entire Bible. So many chapters and verses have shown God's love and mercy. And because we are made in his image, we are made to be just as loving and merciful to others in this world. John confirms this, saying that we show love to others because he loved us first."
He certainly didn't show you any love. If he's so loving, then why would he watch you go through all of that?
The next half hour, my mind hisses criticism to every word Talita speaks, causing me to end up dazing out, the interest I had now dying out as I slumped on the couch.
"Y'all want pizza?" the ginger braided girl asked, bringing me back into the present where she was holding 4 boxes of food.
"Heck yes!" a guy with a fade shouts, followed by the approval of everyone else except me. Glancing at my phone before picking at my nails, I grab my purse off the couch and pass by the dining room where everyone was lining up to eat, and head toward the door only to hear footsteps behind me.
"Chloe, what's up with you? You ain't going to eat something?" Talita asks me, taking me by the shoulder which I yank away from her.
"No, I won't. I came and did what you asked me to do and right now, I just want to go back home and sleep," I mutter, grabbing the doorknob and heading towards the safety of the car.
