When I've Fallen Too Deep

Chapter 5- Tan Skin and Freckles

Chapter Five [TAN SKIN AND FRECKLES]

Will's P.O.V.

My feet touched against the hot pavement which was odd for the time of year. It wasn't doing anything for my current situation either. I was a nervous wreck and my face was aching. The rest of my body was too, but my main focus was my black eye. How was I supposed to hide that? My mom would completely freak if she saw it. It sent my heart racing. She didn't need this right now. She already had so much on her hands right now. I was the last thing she should have to worry about right now.

I tried to count my steps to calm myself but it only made me more anxious. Makeup, maybe? I had ever even messed with the stuff before yet I was willing to make an attempt at learning now. Anything to hide it.

He was absolutely furious today and it showed. Never had he left a visible mark of a place as obvious as my face before and it made my gut sink. I practically had to skip half of the school day because I couldn't move. My leg still had a slight limp in it which made it hard to walk.

Happy birthday to me, I thought sadly to myself.

As I walked down the path home, onlookers started to give me weird looks ranging from 'Aw the poor kid must have got mugged' to 'what's this street pest doing here'. I got self-conscious and pulled my hood up.

Sooner than I would have liked, I arrived at my small, rundown apartment building. My legs turned to jelly. Why did I think this was a good idea? I could already feel my breath becoming labored.

The man behind the desk nodded at me without looking up from his newspaper when I entered the lobby. So much for home security.

I shakily reached into my bag's pocket and brought out the key to out mail slot. A crumbled up, handwritten letter caught my attention.

Naomi Solace,

127 Vineyard Ave 23D, Houston, TX, 77005

It didn't have a return address or a name which was so incredibly odd, It almost took my mind off the situation at hand. Almost.

I looked back at the desk to ask someone about it but the man was now gone. The world clearly wanted to watch me suffer today.

I decided to take the stairs today to avoid as many people as possible. If I was lucky, I might get her to believe that I had tripped on them this morning. They were surely old enough.

Four stories and a throbbing later, my door was staring back at me menacingly. I gulped.

Slowly the nob turned underneath my hand. I peeked my head slowly through the door and let out a sigh of relief. She wasn't there. Of course, my luck turned shitty the moment I stepped through the doorway.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..." My feet froze in my tracks. "Happy birthday dear William, happy birthday to you."

My mom's voice was like a soft lullaby behind me. I felt the back of my eyes burn in threatening tears.

Not now, please.

"Will?"

I turned around slowly to her holding a small strawberry iced cake. "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I uh- I just don't... feel so good right now."

"What? Look at me, hun."

I take a deep breath and look up at her. Her short brown hair was in a letdown and curled around her ears in the usual fashion. The usual worm smile she wore turned into one of worry when she saw me.