Falling for the unloveable

Tainted image

A kid, no older than twenty two sits on a chair, typing away on his phone. Jake approaches him and I follow absentmindedly while my eyes scan the room in further detail. The red and black colour theme makes sense I suppose, if this is a place to release pent up anger. "A session each" Jake tells the guy who starts pressing away at the keys on his computer. "Cash or card?"
"Cash" he presses five or more keys as Jake reaches into his back pocket and fishes out his wallet. "You don't have to pay for me-"

"Shush" he shuts me down without even looking at me and I huff, rolling my eyes. They do an exchange of cash for a pair of keys that peek my interest. Jake turns away from the desk and starts walking away, I frown for a second but soon fasten my pace to reach him. He leads me down a hallway, passing three rooms before stopping at a wooden, battered looking door. He jiggles the keys in the lock until it swings open to reveal a darkened room.

It's practically empty besides large targets decorating the wall opposite me. There's a box kind of thing that's stocked with safety headphones, bullets and a gun. The last time I picked up one of those I was aiming at a target, a target that I missed and I'm standing here now because of it. That thought should probably will me away, make me run out of that door and back outside where I don't feels so trapped and suffocated but it doesn't. Rather it makes me move forward.

My hand reaches for the weapon instinctively. The cold metal counters the warmth of my palm as my fingers wrap stiffly around the handle.
"Do you know how to use it?" My breath halts, every memory of that dreaded night blinding my senses. The clock. The lampshade. The woods.
"Iris?" I screw my eyes shut, imagining Elias' face, his big smile and the way his eyes crinkle in the corners. How he would stand next to me proudly if he was here right now. I wish he was but he's had to go to numerous meetings at his dads company over the past couple of weeks. That's where he is right now.

"Yeah I know how to do it" I breathe out, opening my eyes once more now that I've calmed down to a level that allows me to function. My focus falls entirely on the target around 40 feet away from me. I hold the gun up, fixing my posture and rolling my shoulders back. Adams face stares back at me, those chilling blue eyes replacing the dots on the board. For a bated breath I face him and I know that nothing may ever be as painful as what he did to me so if I can face that, If I can face him and everything he's done, then I can face anything.

Firing two quick bullets, I hit the board with perfect aim and execution. Bulls-fucking-eye. I hear Jake mumbling something on the lines of 'crazy woman' and a few curse words as I line myself up to shoot the next round. My friend appears at my side when I'm reloading and fits the headphones over my head. He pats my hair and I smile before he retreats and I return to nailing every one of my shots.

When I've finished I have no idea how much times is passed but I know that shooting a gun at the imaginary faces of the people who have wronged me definitely feels good. Great even.
"Here" a bottle of water is thrusted into my hand while I pull the headphones off and place the gun down. "Thanks" I take a mouthful,
"Jones has been calling" Jake holds up his phone that has the evidence of Elias' pestering. Quickly swallowing the water, I wipe at my mouth before speaking. "Can you call him back?"

He nods, typing away before the buzz of the call fills the room. It only rings for a moment.
"Jake? Is Iris there?" He hands me the phone and I lift it to my ear. "Hey newbie"
"Moore? baby are you ok? What happened?" I smile, his voice washing away all of my stresses in an instant. "I'm okay" I move away from the gun and remaining bullets, over to the wall that I lean against. My back faces Jake and the door as he keeps himself busy rearranging the equipment I used.

"I know, you always are. Now tell me what has happened that would make any one else upset" he knows me far too well. "It's just-" I sigh, mad at myself for getting worked up over such a stupid thing. I shouldn't care yet I can't help but do exactly that. "The articles, there's so many and I know I shouldn't care but I can't help it" I bite my nail. "Why shouldn't you care? Every one else in the world would. But you must know Moore that it really is all a bunch of bullshit. They don't know you, they don't know your family and they certainly don't know the full story because they don't deserve to. You're worth much more than some stupid article"