I didn’t have time to do anything with my hair or even shower before I was being dragged out the door. Max led me to the car and opened the passenger door for me, and I got in. I watched as he practically ran to the driver’s side and got in, then quickly started the car and began driving. It was kind of scary how he was acting. I had no idea what was coming next, and really didn’t want to find out.
As we made our way along the dirt path, I made sure to take in my surroundings. There were cornstalks everywhere. They would be easy to hide in incase Max and Carl followed Nikki and I. The path seemed to lead on forever, which kind of got my hopes down. We’d have to somehow escape at night, and who knew what kind of crazy animals or people hid in these fields at that time.
We finally hit a paved road and began driving amongst cars. There were many small shops scattered along the sides, all ranging from clothes shops to home décor. It was a nice little town, but I knew if I ever got away, I would never come back.
Max turned a right and we ended up in a parking lot. Once he got out, he stumbled his way over to my side and opened the door for me. Nervously, I took my seatbelt off and got out of the car, then followed him.
“We’re going to get some clothes.” He said, his words slurred together because he was talking so fast.
I didn’t say anything, just simply walked into the store behind him. I knew that he didn’t have a lot of money, so I wondered why he would even think it would be okay to spend it. We had it all planned out on what we were going to spend, and clothes were definitely not on the list.
We neared a rack stacked with skinny jeans. Knowing my size, he grabbed about six pairs, then began walking again.
“Um, Max, don’t you think that’s a little too much?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Nonsense.”
“But shouldn’t I try them on?” I asked.
“Nope.”
I stared at him in disbelief as he walked over to the men’s jeans and also grabbed six pairs for himself. My jaw was now wide open. I knew mania was bad, but I had never experienced it first hand with someone.
Just then a thought crossed my mind. There were a few people in the store, along with the workers, and I could easily ask them for help. I’d need police to go to the house to get Nikki, and I would show them where it was because I didn’t know the address. It was a perfect idea.
But I couldn’t leave Max while he was having a manic episode, could I? After all the stuff he’s done to me, there was still a little part of me that loved him incredibly. I loved the old him. I yearned for the old him to return so we could have a normal relationship. Deep down I wanted to stay with him badly, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew how abusive relationships worked out, and I wasn’t ready to just give my whole life to him, just so he could control it.
Scanning to store so I could find him, I spotted him at a rack filled with flannel shirts. He looked concentrated enough where I could get away easily. Being short was an advantage as I slyly made my way from rack to rack, hiding myself behind the clothes. I finally found my way to the cash register and gave the man a pleading look.
“Please, you need to help me. My friend and I are being trapped by our boyfriends.” I said quickly, then turned around to see Max coming towards me. I gulped and turned back to the man. “I don’t know the address, but the house is literally like, five minutes away from here. Please, there’s a long dirt road with corn all around it and it’s a pretty big house.”
Before I could get anything out, Max appeared at my side. He plopped the jeans and several shirts, sweatshirts, and pairs of socks onto the counter with a giant grin plastered on his face. I nervously looked up at the man and he was giving me a worried expression as he rang up all the items. I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not, but I silently prayed that he did.
After Max paid, he grabbed my hand and led me out of the store. I turned around one more to see the guy still staring, and I gave him a pleading look before we were out the door. Getting back in Max’s car, he began driving in a different direction than the house.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“There’s a local marathon that everyone can compete in. I brought clothes from the house that both of us could wear, it’s going to be so fun and we’re going to do it together and then we’ll probably go look for jobs afterwards or maybe do a craft project at the house but we need to go to the store first and—“
I stopped listening after that because his words became too jumbled. It was hard to comprehend how he had been so violent the night before, and now he was acting hyper and happy. All I wanted was for him to be normal so we could go back to our normal relationship, but I knew that wasn’t going to happen. Part of me wanted to talk to him about being Bipolar, but I knew it would be best if I didn’t bring it up.
Just as Max said, we soon neared a street where many people dressed in workout clothes were standing around. Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and waited for him to park. He seemed extremely excited, but I was the complete opposite. I had never run a marathon and didn’t really plan to. My mind was too focused on trying to get away from him, but it seemed like everything he did was him trying to make me forget about the situation I was in, but that definitely wouldn’t work. I had a Bipolar, abusive boyfriend, and there was no way I could get my mind away from that.
After Max parked, we both stepped out of the car and Max grabbed my hand eagerly, then bounced towards the fitting rooms with a bag in his hands. Once we got there, he shoved some shorts, a t-shirt, and a sports bra in my arms, then raced into the men’s fitting rooms. I sighed then went into the women’s and got dressed.
A couple minutes passed of everyone waiting before the marathon started. After the first couple minutes of running, it was obvious that I was not prepared. Max on the other hand showed no sign on being tired. I couldn’t even see any sweat on him. It was weird considering that he was a smoker, but I didn’t say anything about it. I knew it was because of this manic episode.
When we finally finished, I was doubled over and breathing heavily. Max didn’t allow me to walk one bit, I had to run the whole way. He was standing next to me practically jumping up and down.
“That was amazing, I love running we should do it again I can’t believe we ran that fast you were great too—“
I couldn’t take any more of his jumbled words so I decided to tune out early. As I finally caught my breath, we began walking to the car. Once in, I slumped down in my seat and closed my eyes. I was exhausted. Max continued to talk while we drove back to the house but I paid no attention. I wasn’t in the mood at the moment.
My eyes were closed but I sensed we were on the dirt path so I opened them back up and looked out the window. It was starting to get dark which meant I would have to spend another night with Max, not knowing exactly what he’d do. I didn’t know how long his manic episode would last, and I really didn’t want to find out.
When Max parked, I got out of the car but he didn’t. “Are you coming?” I asked.
“Nope!”
“What? Why?”
“I’ll be back later, I have to go do something but it’ll be a surprise and—“
I waved him off. “Okay. Have fun.” I said and sighed.
I then watched as he drove off and I slowly made my way back into the house. When I got in, I was immediately slammed against the wall, causing me to scream. “Shut up!” I heard from the mysterious person before a hand was smacked over my mouth.
When my eyes finally adjusted to the dark, I noticed it was Carl holding me against the wall. I tried yelling through his hand but it was no use. I could feel his grip tightening on me when I tried to squirm away, so I had no choice but to stop moving.
“So guess what happened today, Hollie?” He asked even though I couldn’t answer. “Some policemen came to the house talking about how some girl said that her and her friend were being trapped by their boyfriends. I wonder who said that?”
After he finished talking, I immediately regretted telling the store owner all the information. Just then Carl pushed me away, causing me to fall face first onto the ground. I elbows scraped against the floor as I cried out in pain and tried to get away.
“You can’t hurt me you jackass!” I screamed. “You’re not my boyfriend, you can’t do anything to me!”
That just caused him to chuckle and step closer to me. “Think again, sweetheart