Wool Over His Heart

Chapter One

I listened to the silence of the morning, and it drove me crazy. I couldn't stand not having headphones on, but the more I did the math, the more I couldn't justify buying a new pair. I looked at my broken pair across the bed and tried to imagine all the scenarios where they weren't broken.

"That's it," I said to myself getting up from the bed. I got changed and was about to open my bedroom door when I heard footsteps from the hall. I went across the room and slipped out the window. I sat under it as I listened to my mom open the door and call my name. I waited under it until the sound of her footsteps faded.

I let out a sigh and got up. I would make up a lie to tell her later on why I left so early. I couldn't let her see my bruises. She would try to "help" me, which would only make things worse.

Making my way to the store this early in the morning was my accidental habit. I never planned on going, but there have been a lot of mornings the eerie silence of house full of people didn't let me sleep. The lack of people around at this time was also appealing.

"Yo, Oliver," Barry said as I walked through the front of the shop, bells chiming. Those are the only words I had ever him say to him besides the initial "What's your name?".

He sat on a stool behind the counter, chewing gum. He had a magazine in his hand with a buff dude holding a bottle of something that was to make anyone look the way he does, it wouldn't. I might be the only person that comes to Barry's shop enough to realize he was always reading the same magazine. I might also be the only person that knows that inside that magazine was another magazine of the latest trends in fashion he liked to read. He never told me why he hid his admiration for vogue.

I walked down the aisle looking at the few different headphones there were, pretending I wasn't going to immediately buy the cheapest one, I just needed a music fix. I put them on the counter, and Barry barely looked up as he gave me my change.

I wore them out of the shop as I blasted music into my ears. I contemplated going back home now, I still hadn't come up with a good excuse to tell Mom why I'm all bruised up, but it looked like it was about to rain.

I decided to take my chances with the rain, but I had yet to decide where to go since I graduated high school I barely ever went anywhere. It felt like the world was finally open to me, but there was nowhere to go. I could go try to find a job again, but the more applications I filled, the more I lost hope.

My town wasn't the biggest, and most kids just spent most of their time going into the woods and explore, whether that be the woods or each other.

Between my indecision, I spotted Easton and his gang walking towards me. I put the hood of my jacket up and tried to hide my face as best I could as they walked straight for Barry's shop. They gave me a side eye a few times, but they didn't seem to know it was me.

I was about to turn the corner of the building when I heard "Hey!" and footsteps approaching. I turned for a second to see them running at me and started running as fast as I could into the woods ahead. A couple of glances back let me know that if I didn't run more quickly, they would catch up. I saw a hill up if I went down it and get out of their line of sight; maybe I could lose them long enough to escape.

I braced myself to run downhill but halted almost falling down the steepest hill I had seen yet. I would have to go down it slowly if I didn't want to get hurt. I turned to see how far they were when someone grabbed me by the hood and pulled me towards them. They put their arms around me and held me in place as I struggled to get out of their grasp.

"We got interrupted last time, didn't we? This time there's no more running." Easton said out of breath. He walked in circles until he stopped suddenly and stomped on my foot a little higher than my ankle. My leg split under me, and I went blind with pain for a moment. It felt like a fire was lit under, and I didn't know what to do. Everything got blurry, but the pain kept me awake.

I was on the ground now, and Easton was standing over me, he crouched down and slapped me.

"This is what happens when you mess with my sister. I don't know why she would ask someone like you to prom but for you to stand her up like that...", He clicked his teeth a few times, "not the best choice, Little Olly. You know people disappear in these woods all the time? You should too."

As much as I screamed, no one seemed to hear me, and I watched as some of Easton's friends ran away as he swung at me again.

"No one's going to miss you." He said, lowering himself until we were face to face. Driven by anger or pain or both, I headbutted him as hear as I could, listening to the crunch of his nose. He was of me immediately and holding on to his nose as best he could. He was yelling at everyone around him, but I didn't stay to listen.

I was on the edge of the hill, and it took everything I had in me to push myself off and began rolling down at full speed. Between hitting trees on the way down and the warmth of blood, I felt all over, I wasn't sure my leg was the only thing broken anymore.

It was too much to bare, I had reached the bottom of the hill, but there wasn't much left of me. I was more broken than not, and I felt myself slipping. I felt a flush in my face as I stopped feeling the pain.

Maybe this wouldn't be the worse way to go. At least it was now and not later.

I couldn't move much anymore but I was able to move just enough to watch someone getting closer and closer, I tried to squint my eyes to see them through the blur, but I couldn't see much anymore. They right over me now and they were speaking, but the words just wouldn't reach. I tried to talk, but I doubted my mangled words came out as intended.

They were lowering themselves towards me now until their face was right over mine. They were so bright and alluring. I couldn't help but try to reach towards them, but my hands didn't move.

They unusually tilted their head, and their face darkened.

I tried to scream as I felt pressure against my neck, and I fell unconscious.