This chapter is dedicated to @fadeawayx for the beautiful cover you see. Thanks and sorry it took so long.
Anyways while I'm here. Hope you enjoy the story. Monday as promised.
*disclaimer
THERE WILL BE VIOLENCE IN THE END.
______________________
I'm in a room. The first words that pop out of my head when I wake up the next morning.
My head hurts, the second thing that comes into mind. It hurts a lot. I look down and realize I'm still wearing the clothes from last night. How foolish of me.
I look at my surroundings familiar with the Coopers guest room. Still like I remembered. After stretching my joints and realizing that my headache was from the massive take of alcohol I went to the kitchen.
Upon reaching the kitchen I found a shirtless Nate. I stopped in my tracks for a moment analyzing if this was just my headache making me dream things. Nope, still shirtless.
He suddenly turned towards me his green eyes shimmering in the morning sun. "Good morning," he said holding a up of coffee in his hands.
"You achieved your dream of having abs," I said standing by the kitchen opening. He always said he would when we were younger.
'Why was I looking at his stomach?' I asked myself not understanding my own actions.
"Come on Bea," he said for the first time since he began talking to me, using my nickname. His nickname.
I looked up from the floor into his green eyes confused. "What made you begin to call me Bea again?" I asked as I entered the kitchen.
Nates smile suddenly dropped. "You don't remember last night," he said more than asked.
I took a seat on one of the stools places by the island in the kitchen. "I don't. My head hurts though. A lot. Was there something I was suppose to remember?" I asked him.
"No. Nothing important, and what you are experiencing my dear friend is called a hangover. You drank a lot of alcohol last night. Here," he said giving me a plate of eggs, bacon, grits, and sausage. With orange juice on the side.
I looked at the food in confusion. No one has ever made me food before. I didn't even know this was possible. "Is this for me?" I ask.
"Yeah. I know how brutal hangovers are. But yours seems faint," he says sitting on the chair in front of me.
"No my head does hurt a lot. But my parents taught me to not complain about the-" I stopped abruptly not finishing my sentence.
"Don't you ever dare tell anyone about this."
Both my parents voices echoed through my mind.
"Bea are you okay?" Nate asked me a concerned look on his face.
"I'm fine," I replied eating the food in front of me. It was odd eating someone else's food. I liked it though.
Nate moved from his seat and now sat right next to me looking at me but I refused to look at him. I finally turned towards him when my eye started to twitch from not looking.
"Why did your parents stop hitting you? If you don't mind me asking."
"I do mind you asking. I'm not allowed to talk about it," I said drinking orange juice.
"Come on Bea, it's me, Nate."
I looked him in the eyes controlling my eyes not to wonder south of his eyes. "You haven't been Nate for three years," I remind him. I was all alone. Freshman, sophomore, and now junior year.
"You should probably go take a shower. You're still wearing the same thing from yesterday," he said not replying to my last statement.
"Okay," I said not finishing the rest of my orange juice. "I apologize for making you feel bad, it was my fault that you left," I said and walked to the bathroom.
After taking a shower and changing my clothes I felt a lot better. My head didn't hurt as much. I changed into black shorts and I wore this black tank top that had stars all over it.
I walked down the stairs to find Nate and Josh on the couch watching tv. "Hey Bella Bea!" Justin said a smile on his face.
"Hi," I said shyly standing by the opening of the room.
"Come on Bea," Nate said patting the space in between him and Justin. I slowly walked into the room and sat down.
"How did you like the party?" Justin asked me as I settled on the couch.
"Well, for the parts I do remember it was interesting," I said looking at the tv. They were watching reruns of How I Met Your Mother.
"Well from the parts I remember, you were having the time of your life. You even kissed a girl."
"I did what!?!" I turned to Justin my eyes bulging out of their eye sockets.
"Woah. Your eyes are huge. I was kidding!" Justin finally said. I exhaled in relief. I would have had a hard time believing that.
"That wasn't funny," I said looking back at the tv frowning.
"Aw come on, what happened to the girl from last night?" He asked pushing my shoulder.
"She's dead," I said abruptly causing both guys to laugh.
"When do I get to go home?" I asked Nate. I had an interesting time while I was here but I knew the longer I stayed here, the longer I'm going to regret it.
"You want to leave that bad?" He joked, but I kept a serious face on.
"Fine, I'll drop you off when Dani comes back from practice."
Daniel Cooper, Nate's little brother. I forgot about him. He never really knew me since I never talked to him when I did come to the house and he was twelve the last time I spoke to Nate.
"How is Dani?" I asked curiously.
"A little jerk face, like usual," Justin mumbled loud enough for me to hear.
"He's fine," Nate corrected. He's a teenager now. That's all.
"Good. Good," I said ending the conversation.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Justin suddenly asked.
"Dude!"
"What? Look at her, she's beautiful," he said looking at me.
Were his eyes always that blue? I thought they were more of a grayish blue actually.
Snap out of it Beatrice!
I felt my cheeks burning so I turned to the tv instead of looking directly at Justin.
"Let's not forget you have a girlfriend," Nate reminded. My heart fell at the mention. I don't exactly know why though.
"Ariana, will be fine and anyways I'm getting the vibe she's already taken."
"What does that mean?" I asked confused. Did I tell someone I was their girlfriend while intoxicated?
"I think someone likes you," he said winking to Nate.
"Who?" I ask curious looking at Nate.
He scratches the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable with the conversation topic. "I don't know. Don't listen to what Justin says, he doesn't make sense."
"Oh," I said, secretly wanting someone to like me. I wonder how it felt like. Thinking about someone twenty-four seven, imagining being married. I had felt that feeling of course while watching tv series, but I wonder how it felt to like someone you had a slim chance to be with in reality.
"How about you Nate, when are you going to make Jessica your girlfriend?" I asked.
Justin bust out laughing, while Nates face got red. "Nate likes Jessica! Nate likes Jessica!" Justin continuously repeated.
"I apologize, I didn't know he didn't know," I said feeling really bad for embarrassing him.
Please don't hit me, please don't hit me.
"Don't worry he already knew. Shut up you ass!" Nate yelled throwing a pillow at Justin's face, I laughed at his reaction.
Nate suddenly stopped and was now looking at me. "What's wrong?" I said, my laughter slowly fading away.
"I made you laugh," he said.
"Yeah, so?"
"That's the first step."
"First step to what?" I asked confused.
"First step to getting Bea back." Before I could ask what he meant by that the door to his house slammed open and close.
"What are you two gay lovers doing?" A boy around fifteen asked entering the room wearing all black. He had hazel green eyes, unlike Nate who simply had green eyes, and dark brown hair
Dani Cooper.
"Who's the chick?" He asked pointing at me.
"It's Bea!" Nate said enthusiastically.
Dani suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Bea as in the girl you were obsessed with when we were younger?"
"I was not obsessed!" Nate said throwing the pillow at his younger brother but Dani dodged before it could hit him.
"Your right," he said now leaving for the stairs. "You adored her!"
"I hate you!" Nate yelled.
"The feelings mutual! Nice meeting you Bea!" He retorted back.
"Well your brother seems nice."
"Nah, Justin's right. He's a jerk face. So I guess I'll be dropping you off home now," he said getting up from the couch.
"Okay. I'll go get my stuff," I said running up the stairs. I grabbed my bag from Nates room and walked out the room.
"Hey, Bea?" I jumped in surprise at Danis voice.
"Yes?"
"He didn't talk about you, ever. I only knew who you were because mom would always force it out of him," he said after a pause of silence.
"But all I know is when you stopped talking for whatever reason, he missed you."
"He did?" I asked for reassurance. It never seemed like that at school. I thought honestly he forgot who I was.
"Like the moon misses the stars," he said walking back to his room.
I walked down the stairs, what Dani told me still running through my mind. "I'm ready to go back home," I said trying to convince myself that was true.
I wasn't ready to go home. I'd be in trouble if I went home.
"Okay let's go. I'll be back," Nate said to Justin.
I'd get beaten to a pulp at home. I'd stay quiet at home. I'd do chores at home.
I looked at Nate almost the whole ride home.
I wouldn't see Nate at home. "This is your stop," he said looking at me with his bright green eyes.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, took my bag, and got out the car and Nate did the same. "What are you doing?" I asked curiously.
"I'm walking you to your door. It's called being a gentleman Bea," he said a smirk playing at his lips.
"Thank you for taking me to the party," I said both of us stopping at the door.
"No problem."
"Thank you for introducing me to your friend."
"No problemo."
"Thank you-"
"Bea. You don't have to thank me. That's just what friends do," Nate said stopping me from another thank you.
"So... we're friends now?" I asked hooking the bag filled with clothes on my shoulder.
"Yes Bea. We're friends now."
I opened the door to my house and entered it. "Thanks," I said simply.
"No problem," he whispered and walked back to the car.
I entered the house to have both my parents sitting on the couch waiting for me.
"Good afternoon," I said my smile quickly fading and my eyes staring at the ground.
"Into the room. Now," my father said getting up and walking my mother following his step.
I dropped the bag on the ground my muscles suddenly feeling weak. I was scared. I was frightened. I was all the synonyms of petrified.
I walked into the room ready for what I deserved. I knew better than to go out. Even if I didn't have a choice, but to say yes. This is what I deserved.
"So how was your little vacation from home?" My dad said holding a black object in his hand. I hated that thing. I was petrified of that thing.
"It was fine," I said silently, tears already threatening to fall.
"Care telling me what you did?" He asked standing next to my mom.
"He took me to a party. Bought me clothes. Drank alcohol."
Then zap! The horrific pain of electricity coursed throughout my body making me unable to breath. I always hated that taser. "You did what!?!" He yelled pulling the taser away from my gut.
"You sorry excuse of a child! Who could love you? Why are you even alive? Why did it have to be you?" He asked hitting me in the gut with every question.
I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Why was I so horrible?
He tasered me again making me yell in agony. My face hit the ground causing me to bite my tongue. I could already feel the blood dripping out.
I looked at my mom. "Help me," I whispered tears falling from my eyes. I couldn't feel anything. My dad kicked me in the gut causing her to quickly look away.
My dad then effortlessly picked me up and dragged me to a chair. "Give me the shot Natasha," my dad said sitting on the chair.
She stood in her place not replying back. Her eyes on me motionless, but I could see it. I could see she didn't want this to happen. "Give me the shot Natasha!" My dad yelled causing my mom to jump in place. She opened a box and took out a shot and gave it to my father.
"Please no!" I began to yell. "I won't do it again! I won't disobey you! Please I beg!"
My dad took the shot and stuck the needle in my brain putting the contents inside. My head shortly after started experiencing serious and horrific pain.
My body started to spas and lose control. "Ah! Please. I'm sorry," I said begging for the pain to be a bit less unbearable. Tears were pouring at this point.
"Never drink alcohol. Do you understand me?" My dad asked kneeling to my level. "Do you understand me?" He slapped me on the cheek causing me to fall on the floor, my body still not connecting with my mind. "And never talk to that boy again. He's nothing but trouble."
All the rules my parents gave me now flashing back causing my head to feel dizzier. It was like my brain was being fried. I hated it. Someone please help me! Help me!
And then it was over. He left the room and my mom followed, her head like mine always was, staring at the floor.
I stayed on the ground until the pain wasn't as strong. When it was beginning to wear off I got up and walked to my room. I walked up to the window staring at the house I didn't go to in three years until yesterday.
"Thank you, Nate. For giving me hope that things can change," I said quietly falling on the floor my world going dark longer than it was supposed to.
______________
My heart hurts from writing that.