All In For The Same Love

Bruises

Chapter 6:

Arabella's POV:

I wake up in Sam's arms with Chandler staring at me.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"I don't know. Why are you still here?"

"Well gee thanks."

I stretch. "No I didn't mean it like that!" Chandler says. I get up and check my phone. All these Instagram notifications. Then I see Sam and Chandler followed me. Luckily, there aren't any pictures of me on their pages. Just comments and follows.

"Want to play a prank on Sam?"

"What do you mean? Why?"

"For revenge- I mean- for no reason. Just a prank. That's all."

"Uh huh..."

Chandler I don't want to prank anyone. "I'm not doing it, you can!" I tell him. He smiles. Oh, boy...

Chandler's POV:

Now's my chance while Sam is still sleeping! Only one thing left to do: how do I prank him.

Draw a mustache? No that's too cheesy.

Whipped cream? No that's the oldest in the book.

Tell him there's a fire? No he'd be able to smell smoke. What to do, what to do...

Then I have the best idea ever. I know how to prank Sam!

Zoë's POV:

After what Hollie's been saying, I can tell she really, really hates Arabella. But I'm scared at the same time too. All I know, is I have to make sure Arabella doesn't get hurt. I have a funny feeling that Hollie is going to do something awful... I can feel it...

Arabella's POV:

Chandler seems well, you know, like someone you don't want to mess with. And the way he's looking at Sam, I can tell this won't end well...

So I brush my hair and make myself look ok.

Chandler grabs his phone and kisses me. He takes a picture. "Woah Chandler what are you doing?" He smirks. "A prank." He says.

He puts the picture on Instagram. In the comment he puts, "Hanging with Arabella, my girlfriend ;) lol sorry Sam! @therealsamelica" I smile.

Knowing I'm going to get so much hate, I laugh. "What's so funny?" Chandler asks. "Don't worry it's just a prank!" He says.

"I don't know why *haha* I'm laughing. It's just that I'm going to get hate and *haha* it'll be fun reading the comments laughing at them *haha*." I say giggling. He smirks.

"Ooh! And even better, I can respond and make people happy. It used to be my dream, well..." I think whether or not I should say this "... It used to be my dream for you to notice me. And knowing that I'd be put in your position to make other people smile, it means a lot to me. Some people have been through too much to..." Then I stop. I can't go on. Even I've been through too much.

"What's wrong Arabella?" Chandler looks at me putting his arms loosely around my waist. Should I say this? Ok. I will.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" I ask.

"Of course."

We sit down and I put my head on his shoulder. "Well a few months ago my dad brutally killed my mom." I start to whimper. "But his case won in court. So when he comes home, he always beats Noah and me to a pulp. He, well..." I lift up my shirt to show him bruises on my stomach and my back (No, not above her stomach you dirty-minded kids (; #blamenightbot). "This is what my dad did to me. And Noah? He cries himself to sleep. He doesn't like to show it. But when he sleeps in a room next to mine, it's hard to not show. I don't really know what to expect. Noah seems like an ordinary 10-year-old boy when my dad's not around- you know. Cooties, dirt, trucks, cars, those little things called beyblades- but when my dad is around, he always hides behind me. He's been through too much. My dad comes home drunk every night. He likes hurting me more than Noah, well, you know why..." A tear rolls down my cheek. "And it's hard looking at Noah. He has Mom's blonde hair, while I'm stuck looking like my dad. That's the last thing I want to see in myself."

Chandler brings me in close and I hug him back. "Don't worry. I won't ever hurt you, and neither will Sam."

Sam.

Should I tell him? I will. Soon.

"Chandler you and Noah are the only people I trust to know. Luckily the cheer uniforms are a one-piece or I'd be screwed..." Chandler seems to understand.

Chandler's POV:

Holy crap. I didn't know how hard it was for Arabella...

"Why don't you tell anyone?"

"My mom did. But it was already too late..." A tear drops off her perfect face.

"No don't cry! Chandler's got you!" I say. I hold her in my arms like she's a baby. She closes her eyes and goes back to sleep. Even though it's like 10:30 AM.

Then Sam wakes up holding his phone. He shows me the picture I took and starts screaming at me.

Then he looks at Arabella's tear-stained face. "What happened?" He asks.

"I'm not sure if she wants you to know. Wait until she wakes up." Sam accepts it and gets some PopTarts to eat. I put Arabella on the couch and eat some too.

When she finally wakes up it's around noon.

Sam's POV:

I want her to tell me, but I don't want to push it.

"Sam can I tell you something?"

"Yes! Anything! What's wrong?"

She tells me everything. Then a couple tears slip out of her eyes. I sit next to the couch and she stops crying.

Even when she's crying she's beautiful, too.

"That's ok. I won't hurt you. Ever.

"I guess we are who we are." She looks at the ceiling.

"Arabella you're still beautiful to me. Nothing will change that."

Then she shows me her bruises her devil of a dad did to her. I cringe at the black and blue. It hurts just to look at them.

"Is it ok if I bring Noah over? I don't want him in that house with a monster."

I tell her she can and she heads next door to grab her brother.