This story is not for you if you cannot handle abuse. However, this story is for you if you like a story that gets you angry, teary-eyed, smiling, laughing and begging for more (just give me a few chapters to win you over - please)!
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"Stars are the scars of the universe..."
― Ricky Maye
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Chapter One:
Nola attempted to focus on her history teacher, Dr. O'Hare, as he lectured the class on World War II and the effects it had on the economy, people, and job force. Two years ago, Nola would have had her ears perked and mind ready to absorb all the information Dr. O'Hare was giving out.
However, nowadays, she was doing enough just to keep her eyes open.
Today, like many days, Nola had barely any sleep. If her calculations were right, she had a cumulative two hours and thirty-one minutes of sleep the night before.
Truth be told, she would have slept more had Nola not been given the task of staying awake and waiting for Mitch, her boyfriend, to come over. She had learned a while back that if she was not awake for when he came over, at any time, he would be enraged.
It was not until the clock rounded five-thirty in the morning that Nola figured he was not coming. For a split second, Nola found herself relieved that he wasn't coming because it meant that she could get some shut-eye. However, it dawned on Nola as soon as her head hit the pillow that even when Mitch was not physically there, he was still 'teaching her a lesson.' She learned to always be prepared, even when if she didn't need to be - or, at least, that was what Nola had assumed.
Sitting in class, deaf to Dr. O'Hare's lesson, Nola knew she'd suffer through another day of exhaustion. When she was to arrive home, Nola knew without a shadow of a doubt that Mitch would be there. He would stay for the whole night, keeping her up and making sure she stays at his beck and call.
Tonight, she would be lucky to get a few hours of sleep and come to school tomorrow without any bruises or cuts.
Nola closed her eyes, not to go to sleep like she wanted but instead to reflect on all that Mitch had inflicted on her in the past two years.
Inflicted, that was a harsh word. He never inflicted — he punished, Nola thought.
As she let the word bounce around in her mind for a minute, the word inflicted felt wrong. It had been a long time since she had considered the bruises, cuts, or broken bones that he caused as anything more than him teaching her . . . Teaching her to be a good girl and a listener.
Nola had always been bad at listening and obeying people, which use to be her biggest flaw — until Mitch.
He was kind to her, Nola believed. He was teaching her in the best way he could, to act like a normal human being. The scars and the pain she had and felt were just tiny reminders to: listen, be silent, and do what people say, with no questions or hesitation - at least that is what Mitch instructed Nola.
Nola, over the course of two years, had learned to remember every syllable that Mitch spoke. She had to if she wanted to please him, which was one of Nola's main goals in life: to make Mitch happy.
She loved to make him happy, the best she could because he was good to her. He, unlike anyone else in her life, had taught her how to be the woman she was made to be.
Her dad never instructed her that a woman should never talk unless spoken to. No, he let his daughter grow up having a mouth of her own that would get her in trouble, more often than not.
Nola's mother had led her daughter into believing that women are independent and don't need a man to survive.
As for Nola, Mitch showed her and instilled in her mind that that was far from the truth.
Thanks to Mitch, Nola knew how to act and be the woman society needed and wanted. She owed Mitch everything and Nola knew she was to never find a man better than him. He was as good as she was going to get and Nola was okay with that.
"Ms. B., are you listening to me?" Dr. O'Hare asked as his green eyes bore into her with a deep frown planted on his face. He knew she was not this kind of student — to daydream and ignore every word he was saying. However, Nola had been changing - she was becoming less and less 'here'. While he noticed her change in behavior when it came to class and had, at one point, confronted her about it, Dr. O'Hare believed when she lied to him and said that she was only becoming unfocused in class because she was taking some night shifts at her work and not getting enough sleep. After she told him that, he dropped the topic with a final piece of advice that she focuses more on school right now. Of course, Nola smiled sweetly and said she would do exactly as he advised.
"Yes, Sir, I'm listening," Nola wanted to stutter and fidget, but she held it in.
The people in the room knew Nola since kindergarten, excluding Dr. O'Hare. Her peers knew Nola was never a fidgeting type and all growing up she voiced her opinions with a clear, stubborn, know-it-all voice. To stutter or fidget would raise eyebrows, that much she was certain. So, she did the next best thing — or so she thought — by tilting her head down letting her long black hair cascade around her face, shielding her from Dr. O'Hare and the other student's stares.
Dr. O'Hare moved on with his lesson, thinking Nola was now truly listening since he had called her out in the midst of class. However, that was not the case because the minute Dr. O'Hare went on with his lesson Nola started to think about how her eighteenth birthday was tomorrow. She wanted to be happy about it, but she was quick to remember what Mitch has told her: a girl is never allowed to be selfish and to have a day in which she celebrates herself — it's selfish.
Nola knew how her birthday would go: she'd wake up on tomorrow and go straight to the kitchen. Upon entering, she'd check her voice messages from the home phone. She'd find a message from her father and mother saying they were going to stay in Peru for another month or two but wished her a happy birthday. After that, Nola would get straight to fixing breakfast for Mitch, who would have probably left her house about three hours beforehand and would, like normal, return right at six-thirty in the morning for his breakfast.
She'd serve him breakfast and if she cooked the meal just right Nola would not be taught a lesson.
After Mitch would finish his breakfast, Nola would give him a gift, something she'd been saving months for. The reason Nola gave him a gift was that he told her that on her birthday — or other holidays, such as Christmas — a woman must never accept gifts but give them. The gifts, as he put it, needed to be expensive — giving cheap gifts was rude and call for a lesson to be given.
Nola knew all too well what 'being taught a lesson' meant, though it varied depending on how Mitch felt. Sometimes she'd get bruises, other times cuts, or even the lesson she hated the most: broken bones and vailated. But, it had to be done so that she could fix her ways.
The bell rang, signaling for the classes to change.
Nola stood up and grabbed her torn-up, worn, backpack from the ground. She wanted a new bag but never had the money to buy one. All the money Nola got was to be saved for the gifts she gave to Mitch.
Walking out of the classroom Nola heard a group in front of her talk about Senior prom that was five weeks away.
Nola wanted to go, but Mitch would not want to attend — dances were not his thing. So, she wouldn't go. But, even though he didn't want to go, Nola couldn't help but dream about what it would be like to go to prom. This year's theme was Winterland and the student government had posted signs all around school saying that the color theme was blue, gray, and, of course, white.
Nola thought about the perfect dress, a blue one that was strapless and puffed out after her midsection. She couldn't help but smile, for Nola had always liked puffy dresses and she thought she could rock the dress she envisioned, enchanting everyone.
But, Mitch wouldn't allow it and because of that, Nola was okay with not getting dolled up, dressed up, and going to her senior prom . . . Like stated before, Nola was all about making Mitch happy. . .
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A/N:
Please for the love of Fruit Loops:
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P.S - Chapter dedicated to TheFirstWinterSnow for helping me with this story. Stayed up all night reading and editing it! Thank you!!