How to Stay Afloat

~39: Where She Confronts Her Past~

Their eyes widened in surprise for a moment.

"Tell Cindy to open the door." I grit out.

Billy gave me a wounded look. "Come on Fallon. Don't be like that. We just wanted to talk."

The scissors shook as my hands started to tremble.

"Ask her to open the door." I grit out.

Billy sighed. He gave Jenny a nod before finally shouting, "Cindy open the door!"

My heart soared with sudden hope.

But that moment of distraction was a grave mistake.

"Psyche!" Jenny screamed as she grabbed my wrist and twisted it at a painful angle making the scissors fall to the floor and at the same time, Billy came at me. He tackled me to the ground. I cried out in pain as my cheek hit the hard concrete. His hands restrained my arms behind my back and one of his knees pushed into my back keeping me pinned to the floor.

Jenny clicked her tongue disapprovingly.

"You know, we were going to go easy on you... " Jenny drawled out. She squatted down on the floor right in front of me.

My eyes widened in fear as she ran the pointed end of the scissors over my cheekbone.

She laughed, "But after the stunt you just pulled, you deserve to be punished." She hissed.

I tried to struggle but Billy just pushed more of his weight on me, making it difficult for me to breathe.

I screamed when I felt her grab a thick chunk of hair in her fist with so much force that my head jerked back.

I screamed when I felt Billy chuckle over me.

I screamed when I felt the scissors slice through my hair close to my scalp.

Strands of fiery red cascaded around me as she cut away at my dignity, my self-worth.

I screamed and screamed till my throat was raw.

But no one came to help me.

~~**~~

|Present|

"Fallon, is that you?" Jenny Scott's voice pulled me out of my dark thoughts.

My heartbeat spiked and a familiar feeling of dread and panic started to consume me.

"Yes, it's me," I responded and my voice came out louder than I'd intended making me wince.

Finally, I took in the woman standing in front of me. She looked the same as she did five years ago, yet completely different. She was wearing a uniform and nametag which indicated that she worked here at the convenience store.

She was thinner now. Her eyes were wary and dull. Her lips were thin and drawn into a permanent frown.

For a moment we just stared at each other, not speaking.

After a beat, she wrung her hands together awkwardly and finally spoke up,

"How have you been?" Her voice was a little shaky.

My disbelief must have shown on my face because she winced.

She tucked a strand of dull blonde hair behind her ear and swallowed.

"You must really hate me." She whispered.

I could feel some of that old hatred and anger start to resurface.