One of us - Nichorello

6.Missing part

<Lorna's POV>

We have been sitting in the same spot on the bathroom floor for only a few minutes and yet I had never felt more comfortable being with another human being. So I tilted my head, resting it on her shoulders, so close that I could hear Nicky's breath. She laid her head on top of mine, and even though I didn't know much about Nicky, I prayed that she would stay in my life forever.

Unfortunately, the door opened a few minutes later, taking us both by surprise. We stood up, looking at each other, smiling over the feeling that can't be expressed with a thousand words.

"See you later kid," she winked at me in that devilish way of hers and walked away.

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"Hey honey"

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, pulling me into a tight hug. He pressed his lips to my neck, which I usually would love, but it made me uncomfortable.

"Christopher!"

I tried to sound excited but failed miserably as he tightened his arms around me, forcing me closer to him. The closeness to him made me feel sick, I couldn't move, I couldn't think, I couldn't breathe. Being in his arms didn't let me feel safe or protected, it made me feel vulnerable and scared. I could hear him breathing into my ear, warning me of my behavior, threatening me. Christopher had never beaten me before, especially not in school; only once he gripped my wrist so tight that it bruised. Exactly then I should have realized that he wasn't a good guy, that he would never treat me with the respect and love everybody should be treated with.

He continued to kiss my neck, forcing his rough lips on my skin, making me feel nauseous. I tried to escape from him, nudging him lightly, hoping that he would be nice and let go of me. But he didn't. He gripped my waist, causing me to flinch in pain. I could feel the anxiety taking control over my body; my tears on the verge of escaping.

"Hey, guys!" The happy voice of Piper rescued me from Christopher.

"Hey Piper" Christopher smiled at her brightly as if nothing had just happened.

"Is everything alright Lorna?" Piper stepped towards me, looking at me with concern. I could see Christopher's eyes filling with anger, telling me to lie. I knew that if I would tell Piper the truth that it would get much worse.

"Yeah sure, I'm just really stressed"

"I totally get it, we already got a ton of homework," Piper rolled her eyes. On the one hand, I was relieved that Piper believed me. On the other hand, it was really sad that even my best friend hadn't noticed the sadness and fear in my voice as I lied to her.

We headed towards P.E., relieved that this was going to be the last lesson of the day. Piper kept going on and on about her new puppy, not noticing my quietness. I still felt his hands around my waist, gripping deeper into my skin while enjoying the sound I made when I flinch. I wondered if it already started to bruise in blue and purple, the colors that once had been my favorite.

"Piper I'll be right back" I excused myself going to the bathroom, checking on my injury. Staring at the mirror, I lifted my t-shirt, praying that you couldn't see the truth I was hiding. My skin had already turned red and blue from the pressure. I sighed as I thought back, remembering that a few days ago I had sat here with Nicky, wishing that this life would last forever. Now I couldn't even remember what I was actually wishing for. That this life would never stop? Or that the moments I shared with Nicky would never end?

I pulled my t-shirt back down and rushed towards the changing room. Piper was waiting for me, already dressed in her sports clothes. I changed quickly, hoping that nobody would see my bruises.

"What happened?" Piper asked half-heartedly.

"I bumped into someone earlier. You know how clumsy I can be," I smiled, hoping that Piper would believe me. She laughed as if I had made some funny joke.

"I'll be inside, alright?" she said. I nodded while turning around, trying to hide my sadness. A few weeks ago I had described my life as great, I had a boyfriend, a lot of friends and I was about to become team captain. Today I would describe my life as a misery; my boyfriend was abusing me, my thoughts were a mess and my best friend didn't even notice my suffering.

I was still standing there half naked with a top in my hands as I noticed that I wasn't alone in the room. I raised my head, surprised to see Nicky leaning against the lockers, her eyes fixated on my waist, which was now turning into a yellowish color.

"You wanna tell me what really happened?" she still wasn't looking at my face. Without seeing her eyes I couldn't really tell if she was concerned or if she was just joking and didn't care. Afraid that she would leave me too, I shook my head. I pulled over my top and gathered my stuff, rushing towards the exit. Suddenly I felt her hand on my wrist, softly holding me back. I looked up; her eyes were filled with compassion and honesty as she gently pulled me towards her.

"I'm not good at this stuff, so why don't you just tell me?" She seemed so honest as she spoke those words, but if I had learned one thing from my relationship with Christopher, then to never trust someone you don't know.

"What's the point? It'll go away sooner or later!" I wasn't sure if I meant the bruises, my relationship with Christopher or life in general. She looked down at her hand which was still closed around my wrist.

"The thing about reality is, it's still there waiting for you the next morning."

Her words felt like stings in my heart, repeating themselves in my brain over and over again. I knew she was right, I knew that my all of my problems would still be there tomorrow and the day after, waiting to ruin my day.

Although all of my heart was screaming to tell her the truth, to trust the beautiful girl; I knew that I couldn't. Even if I told her, she couldn't change anything. She noticed my hesitation and sighed in disbelief and disappointment. Her grip around my wrist loosened slowly until her hand completely let go of mine, leaving me alone with all my doubts again. She was shaking her head as she left the changing room, disappointed in me. How I had rejected her when she had trusted me. When she was the only one who had cared about me.

The moment she left I felt the loneliness again. Not the kind of loneliness you experience when you're alone on the streets in the middle of the night, but the deep loneliness. The one you feel, no matter how many people are standing around you. The kind of loneliness you experience when somebody you love just died. The kind of loneliness you feel when somebody you love breaks up with you. You suddenly feel like a part of you is missing, like somebody had ripped your heart out and was refusing to give it back.

It turns out that this missing part is Nicky.