Unexpected Liberties

Chapter Twenty- I'm Over Sleeping Like A Single Girl

                                                Tony’s POV

            Harrison was in bed when I got home that night. We’ve been preparing for the tour that’ll probably get started after Christmas, I had convinced our tour manager to let us stay till then. I wanted to be with Harrison our first Christmas together. Me and the guys had been Christmas shopping the past few days. I’d been making sure to get out of the house before Harrison was up, because if not, she’d want to come with but that would ruin the surprise. I woke up and smiled when I rolled over, looking at my own sleeping beauty. Her hair was a mess and the small amount of make up was smudged. She was wearing one of my t-shirts, and she had a small smile on her face. I slowly got up and got dressed, leaving an Advil and water next to her side of the bed, knowing she’d be sore after wearing those boots. I told her not to.

                                                            Harrison’s POV

            I opened my eyes and stretched out, smiling. Until I looked over and Tony was missing from the bed again. This whole “waking up alone” thing didn’t have the same appeal it used to, before I met Tony. I groaned as I kicked the blanket off of me, my sore legs making me realize how much I always regret wearing those boots on long walks. I laughed as I saw the Advil and water, along with a note.

            “Good morning babe, I bet you’re sore. Me and the guys are out, we’ll be back soon, maybe with lunch. Love, Tony”

            Yes… I was definitely sore. Maybe after some Advil I’d go for a run. Yeah, I’d run to that park. The one with the swings. I’d take a break and then come back.

                                                            ***

            20 minutes later I was jogging towards the park. I had left a note, the only way me and Tony were communicating these days, saying that I would be back around the same time as them. I didn’t bring my cell phone, knowing I’d be gone an hour at most and who was going to call me other than Tony? I got to the park and happily walked under the shade of a tree, smiling. The cooler area felt so much better than the sunny sidewalk. I took a sip of the water I’d brought with me and sat down on the swing. I pumped my legs and soon my mind had drifted off to Christmas and my birthday coming up. It was December 15; my birthday was next week, December 22. I’d be nineteen. Only nineteen and I’ve almost been killed twice. I can knock near death experience off my bucket list. I laughed at the stupidity of having almost dying on a do before you die list.

            I got up and began jogging back. It was almost noon; they’d be back soon if they were bringing lunch. I paused on a street corner and tripped on something. My head hit the ground and I felt another hit in my ribs, like someone was kicking me. It was probably the curb. I went to get up but was kicked down again. I groaned, my head was pounding.

            “Stay down sweet heart. Whatcha got on you, besides a nice rack?” A gravelly voice spat at me. I sure didn’t appreciate being sized up by my bra size.

            “Gonna answer me or are you as much of a pussy as your sister?” Sister? I laughed then, he wouldn’t know my sister. She died when we were kids, she had been… beaten. I was being… beaten? Holy shit. I tried to remember back to what happened. She was 14 and I was 7. The larger difference had never been a big deal, she looked out for me. She had gone out for a bike ride with her best friend. Her friend came back and said that Taylor was on her way back to our house. Had they ever found the person who’d done it? What had happened? My head hurt thinking that far back. My head hurt not thinking at all. I groaned again and felt another kick to my ribs.

            “I see you won’t be much help, you were 20 pounds too fat anyway, fuck face.” I heard footsteps fade away, and tried to get up. With slow progress I was up.

            Twenty pounds too fat. I guess the perks of being ugly are I didn’t get raped or killed. I felt my head, it was bleeding. I began walking back to the house. I could clean up before the guys got back, and then pretend like it didn’t happen. It seemed I was too fat for him to want to come back, who ever he was.

                                                                        ***

            I got home, and thankfully the guys weren’t back yet. I threw my note in the trash and grimaced when I bent over, my ribs aching. I got undressed and inspected the damage all over my body. Bruises were beginning to form on my ribs, but the bleeding on my head had stopped. I took a quick shower, washing off the sweat, dirt and blood off of me. I wanted to look perfectly fine when the guys got back. I didn’t want any more questions than I knew they were already asking. They were already wondering why I was so fat, what did Tony see in me? Why was I so fucked up? What was wrong with me? I grimaced as the hot water poured over my aching body. I did my best to relax, the bruise would fade, the scars would fade, the memories would all fade and it would go back to normal. I realized I couldn’t go back to the doctor until the bruises were gone. I didn’t want her to think Tony was beating me. In a few weeks I’d be able to talk to her about my medication. In a few weeks everything would be fine. Tony was probably leaving for tour sometime in the next week. I’d just go to my parents for Christmas. I would live without Tony while he was on tour, it’d all be fine. Why was I freaking out? I wouldn’t die while he finished a tour that is my fault didn’t get finished in the first place. It was all my fault. I got out of the shower and stretched my muscles, hearing the door slam shut and the loud voices of four boys- I mean men- walking through the door. I laughed; they were having an argument over who had the best fast food. The laugh didn’t last long; it hurt my ribs, which were now covered in purplish black bruises.

            I got dressed as fast as I could, Tony wouldn’t knock, he couldn’t know, he couldn’t see. Once dressed in a pair of yoga ants and an extra large t-shirt I smiled and walked into the living room.

            “We got you and asiago chicken ranch sandwich! I hope that’s cool?” Mike shouted at me.

            “Haha yeah, sounds great.” It did, but the calories and fat in that? No good. I’d eat it for show, and then maybe go for another run afterwards. That evens it out.

            I ate the sandwich and watched the guys inhale theirs too. We laughed and talked, and I did my best not to laugh, I hurt too much.

                                                            Jaime’s POV

            Harrison had frowned when Mike said ‘asiago chicken ranch.’ Which was weird, she normally loved those. She smiled and ate it, but as I watched her, she was trying not to laugh and getting a pained expression on her face after she did. Something was wrong, I didn’t understand why she wouldn’t tell one of us, at least Tony, or at least some one else. Could she trust no one? If she told Vic or Mike not to tell Tony, they wouldn’t, but they would tell me. Because even if it was something she just couldn’t tell Tony we would be able to help, to help her, to help her tell Tony. I didn’t understand what was going on with Harrison.