Ephemeral (#Wattys2016 #JustWriteIt)

Chapter 8

The guy who was holding me against the wall hard, freed on hand, and fired the first punch, right at the side of my stomach, and I wince in pain. The other two grab my sides, making the main one stop holding me, while he starts punching me everywhere. Face, stomach, ribs.

I feel blood in my mouth and I spit it on his face. He looks at me with a red face of anger before holding on to me again and throwing me in the ground, making me head hit the concrete, causing me to get dizzy.

The main guy throws his legs at both of my sides before punching my face without mercy, but one of his friends stop him, and I hear him say that if he keeps going, he's going to kill me, but I'm too dizzy to know if thats what he said or not. He stand up and kicks me once more, hard, at my side, before I hear them run away, leaving my weak body laying on the floor.

That's the last night I remember, before everything turned black.

*~*~*~*

I wake up in my apartment, and when I try to sit up, a sharp pain courses through my entire body. Mostly from my ribs. I lift my shirt up and see blue, red, purple, and green bruises everywhere in my body and I grimace at the sight.

What the hell happened?

Then suddenly it all came back to me like a wave. The guys, the hits, the guy saying I was going to die if I kept being hit. Then I remember what they asked me.

So you're the one who had Violet, huh?

Violet sent them. The girl I gave shelter to, send those guys to hurt me. I can't help but feel betrayed.

I look around my apartment in confusion. If I was laying on the floor of that alley, who am I here now? I try to stand up or call our for Anna, Violet, anyone, but I can't find the strength to do either. I feel sore everywhere.

"You're awake" I hear a girl's voice says, but I can't recognize it yet, still being dizzy, but then she stands right in front of me and I notice who it is.

Violet.

"Why are you here? After all you sent them for a reason didn't you?" I ask her and she looks at the floor

"I didn't send them. That was my ex, the one I told you about. I'm really sorry about him. He's been following me since we broke up, and he thinks you did something to me. It's my fault" She said before opening the small one-aid kit and taking out everything that looks like it might help. Bandages, creams, bandaids, oxygenated water, wipes, etc.

She takes a wipe and dips it in the oxygenated water, before placing it on the side of my lip, and I squint away when a pain shots through it when I feel the burn.

"Its just oxygenated water, don't be a baby" She says laughing and I furrow my eyebrows.

I'm not in the mood for jokes. I'm mad, angry. I'm mad that she left without explaining anything, I'm mad that this happened, I'm mad that I even took curiosity in this girl, and I regret the moment I decided to follow her out of that train. Since she came into my life all she's caused me is trouble. I push her hand away and move past her.

"What's wrong?" She asks me and I feel my insides twitch a little more.

"Nothing is wrong. I'm tired and just got beaten up because... Because of you! I don't even know why they hit me. Do they think there's something between us? Apart from this... I don't even know what it is. Friendship? God knows, but it certainly isn't a relationship and will never be" I tell her and she looks down at her hands.

"It's not my fault its not like I told them to come after you or do any of.. This!" She said motioning to my face and body.

"Well, it certainly was because of you! If you would just be a little more careful maybe, just maybe,  none of this would've happened!" I scream at her and she walks back away from me, with a scared expression on her face, and I immediately feel guilty. I know how they treat her at home, and still, here I am screaming and just repeating everything that she was trying to avoid and escape while coming here. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to scream at you like that, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. Just because I'm seen with you doesn't mean I deserve this. You could pass as my daughter and here they are thinking we're lovers or something! I'm worried about you and the environment you live you, that's the only reason why I brought you here" I tell her and she nods her head.

"I know. I'm sorry all of this happened. I'm sorry" She mumbles and I grab my phone, starting to dial Anna's number. Maybe a little girl to girl time will do her some good.

"I'll be back in a second. Do not move" I tell her and she nods her head, still not meeting my eye.

I walk into the living room and put the phone in my ear.

"Hey baby how are you?" I ask her as soon as she picks up.

"Fine. Whats wrong?" She asks me.

"I need Violet to stay at yours for the night. She popped in my apartment and she can't stay with me tonight. I'll explain everything tomorrow I promise" I tell her praying she says yes.

"Sure thing. I'll go pick her up in 5" She tells me before hanging up, and I walk back to where Violet is.

"Pack your bags, you're staying at Anna's tonight" I tell her and she nods her head again.

"I understand" She tells and walks into her room, and quickly after out of the house.

When the door closes signaling she's gone, I have a feeling in my stomach this is the last time I'm going to see her.