A Harsh Reality | ✓

Chapter 21

Amanda

Hailey hugged me tightly as I cried into her shoulder. I could feel blood coming out of my lip and a bruise forming in my right eye. We were in the changing room in the Field Sports Club. I had come here as soon as I could, without my gymnastics clothes, ibuprofen or anything. I had ran the few blocks in between my house and the Club containing every little bit of emotion in me. As soon as I saw Hailey, I broke.

She helped me clean my injuries and we agreed to tell Coach that I was not feeling well. We stepped out of the changing room, Hailey hugged me again before heading towards the gymnastics gym and I towards the exit.

I wrapped my covered arms around myself as I walked. Obviously, as soon as I placed a foot outside, I ran into Noah. Why is he everywhere I go to?

"Mandy," he said. I just looked at the ground, trying to avoid him seeing my eye and busted lip. "Woah, what happened to you?" Was I really that bad hiding things?

"Nothing," I said, "I'm fine, I should get going." I kept on walking but he grabbed my arm.

"You are obviously not fine," he said, "You have a black eye, that's not what I call being fine."

"I'm okay, seriously," I replied, "I got hit with a ball in the face...?"

"Whatever," he said, not believing me. I knew I should have covered it with makeup. He was still grabbing my arm as we looked at each other in silence.

"Noah," I winced as his grip tightened around my arm, "You're hurting me." He didn't react, just looked at my covered arm. He suddenly pulled my sweater's sleeve up, revealing my old scars and some bruises mixed with cuts.

"What the heck?" he said, " Did someone do this to you?" I just stared at my arm, then at him and then back again. I didn't know what to reply so I stood there in shock and in silence. What could I say? That my father is abusing me? Noah would tell the cops, and my father's friend would know, making the situation even worse!

I felt the first set of tears come out of my eyes. I was not going to let Noah find out about what's going on at home. I tugged at my arm.

"Let me go!" I sobbed as I tried to pull away from his grip, but he was firm. He just stood there, watching me try in vain to go away from him. "Please." Rivers were now coming out of my eyes, streaming down my cheeks and landing on my clothes, some even on Noah's hand.

He finally let go, and with a final glance at him, I ran. I ran and ran, not even knowing where I was going, I just ran. When my body gave up on me, I was at the park where I had seen Noah with his sister. There was no one around since it was pretty late, so I just sat on a random swing, buried my face in my arms and cried.

As I cried, I heard a pair of footsteps approach me. I raised my head from my arms and saw Noah. He silently sat in the swing next to me as I stared. I brushed my hand against my face, drying the tears as I tried stopping my sobs.

"Why..." I broke the silence, "Why did... you follow me?"

He shrugged without looking at me. Noah was staring into space as I looked at him.

"Noah," I said, "You... you can't tell anyone about this, nobody can find out."

"Why not, Amanda?" he finally looked into my eyes, "Why can't you even tell me the truth about that?" He motioned to my face and my arm.

"I just can't," I said and stood up, "Don't you get it?" I grabbed his shoulders and shook him a little. "It will only make things worse!" I let go of him and sat down in the sand underneath the swings.

"It will only make things worse," I repeated and let the tears fall again. Noah sat down next to me on the sand as I cried. He let me cry in silence.