Sweet Lies and Bloody Thighs

V

I had fallen asleep. When and where I had no idea. All I knew was that I had woken up in a bed that wasn't mine. The first sign it wasn't my bed was the fact it was comfortable.

My bed at home was a mattress on the floor with blankets barely big enough to cover me. Much less keep me warm. Next was the warmth. In this room it was warm. My room was freezing no matter the time of day.

Lastly the smell. It was a dull, musky, minty scent. It was familiar but I couldn't place from where. Opening my eyes was proving to be almost impossible. How long had I been asleep? When had I fallen asleep?

Finally, I was able to peel my eyes open. The room was dim. Dark curtains pulled shut over the windows, only allowing very little light it. I pushed my self to sit up. All of the pain hit me like a truck. A small gasp left my lips as I sat frozen.

That's right.

Last night had been rough. Well, more than rough but that wasn't the point. I slowly raised my hand to rub the sleep and crust from my eyes. Voices came from behind the door.

"No, you stay out. I will go check on her. Alone." Maverick? The door swung open. Light flooded the room, instantly blinding me. I squeezed my eyes shut and pulled my knees up to my chest. "You're awake." That was definitely Maverick. "I was starting to worry about you. You've been asleep for two days-"

I didn't hear anything after that. Two days?

Oh no. Nonononononono.

I needed to get back home. There was no way my parents hadn't noticed my absence. Panic set in. My legs unfolded and I tried to stand up. Standing, as it turns out, was even more difficult than it had been last night. I almost hugged the floor within a matter of seconds.

"Hey! You need to be careful," Maverick said catching me. I jerked away from his grasp. He didn't understand. He didn't need to understand. "Dakota-"

"I have to go home," my voice shook. Damnit! Not now. Don't start this now. I need to go home before things end up even worse. No warnings were given before I bolted for the door. Maverick cried out in surprise. His finger tips barely grazed my bruised skin. My legs carried me out of the room and into the hallway.

I didn't know this house. But the sounds from the kitchen were enough to help me. My bare feet carried me out of the hallway and to a flight of stairs. I pranced down the steps, barely keeping myself from tripping and falling down the rest.

"Dakota! Hang on a minute!" Maverick said from somewhere behind me. My only thought was getting out and going home. In my state of panic, I didn't notice somebody stepped in front of me, blocking the way to the door. Strong hands wrapped around my arms. The reassure hurt the bruises. Before I could stop myself I let a strained noise of pain. "Kale don't!" Like I had done with Maverick, I jerked away.

"I need to go home..." I hadn't realized I said it out loud. My limbs twitched and then I was slipping between Kale and the wall and fumbling with the lock. Subconscious fingers work it unlocked and the cold air rushed around me. I ran down the concrete until it turned to gravel.

The driveway alone was huge. Rocks stabbed into my feet as I ran as fast as I could. Everything was a blur. In no time, which was probably longer than I thought, I was at the end of the driveway. The courthouse could be seen from here. I continued to run back into town.

Sounds of a distant car reached my ears. It was loud and coming closer. My feet were numb from the cold and pain. Asphalt continued what the gravel had started. A road that would take me home faster came into view. Once I was there, I almost tripped trying to make the turn. The car that had been behind me was close. Tires screamed as it came to a sudden stop. I continued to run. Cutting through small alleyways and a few yards to get home faster. At some point I had lost the car.

When I returned home, I saw the time. It was late and the house was a wreck. Immediately I began to clean. The current pain was the last thing I was worried about. My hands worked deftly to clean and make everything look pristine. Even with the eventuality of it being wrecked in a matter of minutes.

Once the chores were done I retreated into my bedroom. My feet were in excruciating pain. Cuts had been made all along the bottoms. I doctored them as tenderly as I could.

My parents didn't return home that night. As I sat in the silence, I let my mind drift. Maverick had told me at one point that the drive from his house to the school was about ten miles. Apparently I had been running for longer than I thought.

Today was Sunday. Which meant my parents had been gone for the last few days. Which also meant they never knew I had been gone. Neither one of them would be back until Tuesday. Both spent the weekends drinking and getting high. Unlike the rest of the week though, the weekends consisted of cheating on both ends.

—————————

School was like a prison waiting to swallow me Today meant I would have to see Maverick. I would have to find some kind of excuse for my behavior from yesterday. How was someone supposed to explain that?

I walked into the building. The heater carefully brushing my skin. A breath of relief exited my lungs. Only to be replaced when I noticed both Maverick and Kale standing next to my locker. Seeing as neither one of them had seen me yet, maybe I could away.

Son of a bitch.

Kale just so happened to look up as I was about to turn and leave. Maverick noticed his change of attention and looked up as well. The look on his face changed when his eyes landed on my.

"Dakota!" He said walking up to me. I took a few steps back even though he wasn't close. Maverick stopped in where he stood. It was obvious he didn't understand what was happening. Kale didn't move a muscle. "What was that?"

He could be talking about one of two things. My backing away, or, what had happened over the course of the weekend.

"Don't talk about it," I said barely above a whisper. Tears stung at my eyes. Both of them had seen me in a state I never wanted anyone to see me in. My reputation wasn't much. I had decent grades, I never skipped class, I never talked. There wasn't much more than that.

"What the fuck do you mean don't talk about it?" Kale's voice was clipped. Anger burned in his eyes. "He found you at the god damn park, bleeding fucking everywhere. And the first thing you tell him is no hospitals?"

"Kale stop!" Maverick said sternly.

"No, the least she could is tell us what the hell is going on. Why she ran away the way she did," Kale argued. He was mad. And he had every right to be.

"No! Just don't talk about it. Pretend it never happened. Please." I begged. I never asked anything of anyone.

"Pretend like it didn't happen? Yes, let's pretend that 9/11 didn't happen either." Kale snapped. "We deserve some kind of explanation. And none of us are going anywhere until we get it."

Tears managed to escape the prison that held them. I wiped away quickly. The two boys did deserve an explanation. But that was something I wasn't ready for. Telling them meant coming to terms with the fact my life was wrong. That nothing about it was supposed to be happening. When I didn't say anything Kale moved and grabbed my arm. Even I knew there wasn't much pressure, but it felt like he squeezing as hard as he could.

I dropped all of my school stuff and grabbed at his hand. He let go a few seconds later. I held my arm to my chest.

"That's not normal Dakota. It is not supposed to hurt that much." His eyes burned.

"I know. But I can't tell you okay? Please just leave me alone." I choked on my words. Without any other exchange, Kaleston dragged Maverick away. I was left as tears began to slip.