The Trapped

39

39

- S U T T E R -

11.14.16 // 8:34 a.m.

I HISS LOUDLY as I receive another paper cut on my thumb. I suck on the skin to stop the bleeding as I tuck my papers under my arm so I could open the door to the convenient store.

The bell on top of the door rings, signaling my arrival and the cashier's eyes flicker up to mine. He stares for a minute, scowls, then goes back to tapping away on his phone.

I revel in the feeling of the cool air that blast on my face and I wipe the sticky perspiration off of my forehead with the back of my hand. I look around the store before my eyes land on the waters near the back.

I grab a bottle before making my way to the register and setting the stack of papers down on the counter. The cashier eyes them suspiciously and picks one up, examining it closely.

"Blaire Hawthorn, I know her," he mumbles under his breath and I give him a quizzical look. "I didn't know she went missing. That's one hot gal though, am I right?" He jokes, cracking a smile.

"Yeah, she is hot. She's also my girlfriend," I say as I snatch the paper away from him. He raises his hands in a defensive manner and I roll my eyes. His floppy blonde hair falls in front of his eyes as he scans the bottle of water.

"So, you've been handing these flyers around town?" He ask and I nod, fumbling around in my pocket for cash. He waves me off with the flick of his hand. "This one's on me," he says as he hands me the water.

"Thanks," I mumble, feeling embarrassed for snapping at him. His blue eyes turn sad as he reaches across the counter and places his hand on my shoulder.

"I hope you're able to find her. I'll be on the look out," he tells me as he grabs one of the flyers again and tacks it onto the wall behind him.

"Thank you, see you around," I call over my shoulder as I walk out of the store. The sun light rays immediately hit my eyes and I could already feel sweat starting to form again.

I sigh as I look down at the papers. Blaire's face is blown up on the front, her brown eyes sparkling and the corner of her lips tugged up into a soft smile. A stray piece of curly hair falls in front of her face and I remember, after taking that photo, I had pushed that piece of hair behind her ear and kissed her. It was a pure and blissful moment, for the both of us.

If only I would have savored her kisses a little more, maybe I wouldn't be hurting this badly.

Someone runs into my back from behind, snapping me out of my distant memory, and I stumble foreword, catching myself before I fall. I look behind me and Mrs. Rona is there with her head down, looking at the ground.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," she whispers and I raise my eyebrow. Mrs. Rona begins to walk again and I grab her elbow, making her take a step back. "Can I help you?"

"Is everything okay?" I ask and she nods her head, still looking at the ground, her hair covering her face. "Look at me," I say and she shakes her head quickly.

"I must be going now," she mumbles and before she can walk away, I reach out to softly grab her face and lift it up. She tries to duck her head back down, but I am able to catch sight of the black and purple bruises decorating her wrinkled skin. I gasp and she takes a step back, slumping her shoulders and sighing loudly.

"Who did this to you?" I ask and she shakes her head. "If someone is hurting you, you need to say something about it."

"Stay out of this, kid," Yvette snaps at me. "This," she says, referring to her face,"isn't your battle to fight."

"You can tell me," I whisper and she laughs like I am some stupid idiot.

"You're just a teenager, go live your life and stop trying to save the day. You will never find Blaire, I'm sorry."

"You're the one who told me she was dead. What do you mean I won't find her?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest to hide the thumping of my heart that is about to shatter my rib cage.

"Just stay out of this!" She shouts and I raise my eyebrows at her sudden tone. "If you really want to stay safe, if you don't want her to die, I suggest you stop looking."

"I'm not giving up on the girl I love," I mutter.

"Well, she's going to give up on you sooner or later. There is no escaping, not for her," she tells me before finally walking away, leaving me standing there, at a loss for words.

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Mostly just a filler. Thanks for reading, don't forget to vote and comment:) sorry for grammar

-jayymckenziee