Abuse: A Colby Brock Fanfiction

Chapter 2

My legs were unsteady below me, and I ran the last few steps to get to the bathroom. After a few failed attempts of my hands fumbling with the handle, the door latched behind me. It happened so fast that I didn't even feel the aching pain pounding into my kneecaps until after I fell to my knees in front of the toilet, leaned over, and coughed harshly until bile burned my throat and mouth and spilled from my lips.

The stench was putrid, causing me to scrunch up my nose. I attempted to spit out of the rest of the acidic taste into the toilet, but the taste still lingered, feeling like it was prickling my tongue.

I took a few deep breaths until my stomach wasn't turning anymore. A single tear fell from my eye. I brushed it away with my fist. I didn't want any of the roommates to see me like this or make them even more suspicious of something being wrong, as if my disappearance for over 4 days hadn't already alerted them.

I flushed the toilet and hoped that no one else would pick up the obvious smell of vomit. When I went to the sink to clean myself off, I was shocked that a smudge in my concealer was the only thing that stood out as something being wrong in my appearance. I rubbed at my cheek until it was as blended as it was gonna get.

I swished some water around in my mouth and spit in one more attempt to rid my mouth of the taste of vomit but realized it was no use.

"How many people will be at the party, Sam? I need to know how much pizza to order," I overheard Colby say from the kitchen. I gladly let my curiosity block out my other worries and left the bathroom.

"I have the list of everyone who said they could make it tonight on my phone," Sam said. He slid his phone across the table to Colby, who began to mumble the names on the list to himself.

"Xepher, Kevyn, Katrina, Tavin..."

"What's that for?" I asked, peering over Colby's shoulder.

"We're having a party here tonight. We're celebrating Corey hitting one million on YouTube," Sam explained, grabbing all of our dirty dishes and walking them to the sink.

"And you're invited!" Colby said, nudging me with his elbow.

"Don't worry. I'll be there," I said.

I helped Sam clean the mountain of dishes that head been stacking up for who-knows-how-long, and as we worked, the rest of the roommates woke up and trickled in. We got a mix of enthusiastic and confused reactions when they saw me at the house. They all got the same false explanation as to why I was gone, just adding on to the guilt I already had.

Finally, the last bowl was washed, dried, and put away. Sam and I double high-fived, making water from our wet hands fling into each other's faces. The small droplets left dark spots scattered over our shirts.

"I wonder what all my lazy roommates are doing," Sam said as he tossed me a towel to dry my hands.

"I think I might have an idea," I said, talking over the sudden shouting that came from the gaming room. Of course, Sam and I found Corey and Jake playing Rocket League while Devyn and Colby watched. The occasionally shouting from upstairs made it obvious that Aaron was in his own little world of Fortnite.

Sam and I sat next to Colby on the couch, and for the next few hours, with a break for lunch in between, we passed the controllers around and took turns playing Rocket League. It wasn't very productive, but it benefited everyone's mental health to take a break from filming, editing, and social media. The Trap House was my home away from home, and I hadn't realized until then how much I missed the guys' company.

Around 6 pm, we started setting up the house for the party and doing some basic cleaning. By 7:30, guests were beginning to arrive, and at 9:00, the real party began when the DJ Colby hired showed up.

"Hey, you're lookin' smoking hot tonight, Elowen," Brennen said over the music, just loud enough so that only I could hear him. His words made me think of my dad and hit me like a bullet to the chest. I gave him a fake smile and mumbled a thanks before leaving the dance floor in a hurry. My heart began to pound faster and faster, and my balance was way off. Everything seemed to be attacking me all at once, out of nowhere.

The music. The screaming. The drinks sloshing around in their red solo cups, on the verge of spilling. The flashy skintight dresses. The feet that hopped around in no pattern whatsoever. The laughing. The pointy elbows. The people that towered over me due to their height. The colored lights. The smell of citrusy perfume. The swaying hips. The strong scent of foul body odor.

It was all too much.

I stumbled through the crowd of people and didn't notice Brennen following me even when I went upstairs. I pressed my back up against the wall and slid down until my butt hit the floor.

"Elowen," Brennen complained, squatting down in front of me.

"Brennen, there are a million other girls here who would gladly sleep with you. Go bother them," I hissed. Brennen's eyebrows raised in shock before he put on his best puppy dog eyes.

"But the only girl I want is you, Elowen," he pleaded. "Come on."

Brennen grabbed one of my wrists and stood up in an attempt to pull me with him. I cried out in pain. His rough grip had pulled at my skin, tearing open some of my newer cuts. All the scars that I had hidden with makeup for years were now exposed.

Brennen gasped and pulled away, some of my blood on his finger tips.

"What the hell, Elowen?!" Brennen stared in horror at the scars on my arm and the blood on his fingers.

"Please, please don't say anything," I begged. Brennen looked at me as if I had just confessed to the murder of Jon Bonet Ramsey.

"COLBY!" he screamed.