Emma Pov.
I felt cold. Oddly cold. Which is weird because I always sleep with at least three blankets. Maybe they fell off the bed?
My eyes opened slowly, blinking as they adjusted to the bright sunlight streaming in through the curtains. I had a major headache.
I looked to the window, seeing the cream-colored curtains hanging there as the sun rays invaded them. Wait. I don't have curtains.
My eyes widened & I sat up quickly, now fully awake. I gasped as a sharp pain hit my inner thighs from the sudden movement. Why did my thighs hurt so bad? I looked around the hotel-like room. Where am I?
I leaned forward, testing out how bad the inner-pain was & the thin white sheet fell from my body. I realized I was naked as well.
I pulled the sheet back up, looking around on the floor for my clothes.
I finally spotted them as they were scattered all around on the shaggy brown carpet.
I rubbed my temples as I stood up, trying to get rid of the major headache. My legs shook slightly & I winced in pain. Jesus. What happened?!
After getting dressed painfully, I looked around for my phone. I found it on one of the birch nightstands, there was a notepad next to my device as well. There was messy handwriting on the top of the notepad & it said: If you tell anybody about this, you're dead. - Ethan. My eyes widened & I covered my mouth with my hand. No. I. Didn't. I slept with Ethan?!
Memories from last night suddenly came flooding in & I cringed at every single one. I can't believe I lost my virginity to....him. Losing your virginity is supposed to be to somebody special....not to somebody that makes you feel shitty & doesn't even care about you.
Tears threatened to spill over in my eyes. I feel so used. He probably doesn't give a shit either. I looked blurrily down at my phone to see the time, I had a half an hour to make it to school at least. I didn't feel like going but I had to so that I wouldn't be behind. It's not like my father would care if I didn't go either, he doesn't care at all.
I padded over to the door & quietly opened it, revealing a long hallway with many other doors. I honestly wondered which one was Cameron's.
After making my way through the maze of a house, I had finally been able to catch a taxi home since Hannah had driven me here.
Once home, I got ready as quickly as possible after having a mini-freakout about how many hickey's were scattered around my neck. I covered them up with makeup to the best of my ability & walked out the door.
Getting into my car, I relaxed my back against the leather seat & slowly put the key into the ignition. I turned the gauge that controlled the heat onto high & held out my hands in front of the vents for a moment.
The drive to school seemed to go by too quickly as I parked in my usual spot & stepped out onto the black, cracked concrete.
I walked into the main entrance slowly as I still thought about last night. My inner thighs ached as I dragged my feet to my first class.
The Spanish teacher greeted me as I trudged in & I shot her a small, fake smile. I went to my seat in the back & slowly lowered myself onto it, trying to not cause a lot of pain.
It took a few minutes, but everybody finally filed into the classroom & plopped into their seats as well. I stared at the oak patterned desk for half of the class, trying to sink further into my hoodie that I had randomly thrown on this morning. I still couldn't wrap my mind around all the facts about what I did last night. I wrapped my finger around a stray thread on my sleeve as I thought.
I felt a pair of eyes on me & I didn't want to look up, already knowing who was looking at me but my eyes betrayed me. I reluctantly looked up & saw Ethan staring at me darkly. I scoffed & looked back down.
I knew he wouldn't care about what happened & there was nothing I could do about it. In fact, today, when he goes to beat me up or insult me....I'm just gonna let him do it & not fight back. I don't care today.
Too many thoughts cluttered my mind that I didn't realize the bell had rung until I glanced around, seeing almost everybody gone.
I sighed & pushed myself off my desk carefully so that I was now standing up. I grabbed my items that I had brought & headed out into the hallway, not even surprised when a large hand was suddenly gripping my wrist so tight that it cut off circulation.
Ethan dragged me sharply & slammed me against the cemented wall, leaning in close enough so that nobody would be able to hear him but me. He was still gripping my wrist. "I assume you got my note, cunt. I can't believe I slept with your filthy ass. Like I said, if you tell anybody about that....then I will make sure you can't ever speak again." Ethan spat into my ear & I didn't move, just stared blankly at the wall across from us. He tightened his hold on my wrist & I couldn't even feel it anymore. "I said, got it?" He threatened & I nodded quickly, wanting him to release my arm. He finally let it go & I rubbed the numbed skin, still not having feeling in that spot. He simply waltzed away, back down the hallway & I sighed.
As I walked to lunch with my hands in the pocket of my hoodie, I wondered where my dad was. I was in such a rush this morning that I didn't even notice he wasn't home. He was most likely at work. Like always. I barely ever even get to see him anymore. As for my mom....she left my dad & I a few years ago. I still keep in touch with her every once in awhile, but we were really distant. Ever since my mom left, my dad didn't acknowledge me much & he started drinking alot when she first left. He just couldn't take the heartbreak I guess. He didn't drink anymore as far as I know. But I guess I wouldn't really know.
Somebody bumped into me when I had almost reached the lunchroom & I flinched. "Sorry-" I started, thinking it was Ethan & not wanting to get hurt anymore today.
But when I looked at who had shoulder checked me, I realized that it was the guy Ethan was pinning against the lockers the other day. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." The guy said in a surprisingly feminine voice, while scratching the back of his head.
Oh. Oh. Now I know why Ethan was pushing him around. He's clearly gay. "It's fine." I replied, smiling widely. I couldn't contain my giggle that came out & I covered my mouth with my hand. I was just really excited that this guy was gay, because gay people are always so nice & funny. "What?" He asked, questioning my abrupt laughter. He looked down at himself, playing with the hem of his pink shirt that was almost cropped too short. "It's my outfit isn't it." He stated, almost sadly. "What? No, no. I'm just happy that I bumped into you. You seem really nice." I explained & he made an "oh" expression. "Thanks," he laughed lightly, "My name is James. James Charles. How about you?" He asked. I smiled. "Emma Chamberlain." I answered & he smiled now. "I absolutely love your name." He gushed & I thanked him, chuckling. "Hey, thanks for helping me yesterday by the way. That dude is a real jerk. He has a stick or something shoved up his ass for a real one." He said & I laughed. "I know & you're welcome. Wanna sit with my friends and I at lunch?" I replied & he squealed. Actually squealed. I laughed lightly as he nodded & we made our way to the lunch room, passing the table that Ethan sat at.
He was surrounded by a few other douchebags as he sat there with Meredith on his lap. Ethan was trying to get her attention by telling her something but she was too busy flirting with his friends to notice.
Honestly, sometimes I think that Ethan actually cares about their relationship & her but that she doesn't give a shit about him or their relationship.
I dragged my gaze back to my table, realizing I had already sat down while I was deep in thought. I looked up at Ellie & Hannah who were talking & laughing with James. I smiled to myself. I was happy they were getting along.
When I got home, I decided to shower since I didn't get a chance to this morning.
As the hot water rolled down my skin, I felt as if it was washing away Ethan's touch from last night's regretful activities. Sadly the water wouldn't wash away the memories....or the hickies.
I stood under the shower head for awhile just relaxing & thinking. I stood
there until my legs started to shake slightly from the strain of standing so long & the soreness of last night started coming back.
I sighed & turned off the faucet, shutting down the shower head along with it. I stepped out of the steamy encasement & wrapped a baby blue towel around my sore body.
After I dried off, I put on a baggy t-shirt & sweatpants. Also throwing my damp hair up into a messy bun. I sat on my bed for a little bit, debating about taking a short nap since I was really tired. During my debate I slowly began to fall asleep.
I was on the verge of dreamland when I heard a slamming sound from downstairs, causing me to jolt awake & stand up. I slowly made my way out into the hallway & took a few steps down the stairs.
"Dad? Is that you?" I asked loudly & got no answer. I shivered but continued walking down the stairs until I had reached the bottom step. I heard a few sounds coming from the kitchen & headed in that direction. "Dad...?" I trailed off as I entered the open area of a kitchen, my feet hitting the cold & tiled floor.
I flicked the lights on, bracing myself for anything. But when the lights finally flickered on, I just saw my dad with his back facing me as he leaned against the counter. "Oh, dad. You scared me." I said, laughing nervously. He just shrugged his shoulders & turned around. My heart dropped when I saw that he had a beer bottle in his hand & he looked at me with hazy eyes. "D-dad? Since when do you...drink again?" I asked quietly. He just chuckled lowly, throwing his head back & downing the rest of the bitter drink.
Once he was sure that every drop was gone, he just slammed the empty bottle onto the counter & stared at the ground.
I flinched & turned around, about to walk back upstairs when I felt him grab me by the back of my shirt. He pushed me into the counter & I winced.
Whenever he was drunk before, he would never touch me or hurt me in any way. "You're just like your mom....always judging me for the shit I do." He slurred & I shut my eyes, not wanting to look at him. "I don't care what either of you think." He spat & just as I opened my eyes, I felt a hard fist connect with my cheek bone & my head lolled to the side with an extreme stinging sensation. I bit my lip to keep from making sound, thinking my noises would only make it worse. That hurt more than any other hits ever had. A tear slipped out of the corner of my eye as I stared at the ground, my hands gripping the marbled counter tightly behind me.
I faintly saw my father stumble away towards the living room & I ran up the stairs, locking myself in my room. My back ached from hitting the counter so harshly & I laid down onto my bed, burying my face in the pillows to cry quietly.
During my meltdown, I felt sleep slowly coming for me & I gave in, shutting my eyes.
When I woke up, it wasn't slowly. My eyes snapped open but I stayed still, listening to hear if my...father...was still home & hoping he wasn't.
It had been a few minutes of listening quietly when I concluded that he wasn't home. I tossed the comforting blankets off of me & padded softly over to my bathroom. I flicked on the light-switch & looked in the mirror.
My eyes widened when I saw how prominent the bruise on my cheekbone was. I brought my hand up & lightly touched it, causing it to sting sharply & I winced. I pulled open one of the drawers under the sink & took out my makeup bag, yanking the concealer & foundation out of it.
I unscrewed the cap of the concealer & my stomach dropped. It was empty. I shook my head, throwing it aside onto the counter & unscrewing the cap of the foundation. Tears brimmed at the corners of my eyes. The foundation was also empty. Was I seriously that distracted yesterday that I didn't realize I had used up the last of the two containers?
I tossed the empty foundation jar into the trashcan & rubbed my temples stressfully. How was I gonna hide the bruise?!
I took a deep breath & shook my shoulders out, walking back into my bedroom & into the closet. I swung the doors open smoothly & grabbed my slightly baggy maroon hoodie, along with a plain black t-shirt. I slid off the baggy shirt I was wearing & slipped on the black shirt instead, also pulling the hoodie over it. I tugged the hood up, going back into the bathroom & looking into the mirror again. That's better...I guess. If I kept my head low then nobody could even see the bruise with my hood up. I forced a smile at the mirror, practicing it for school.
I did my makeup that I did have, that being; mascara & eyeliner. Then I just pulled on some black leggings & grabbed my items to head out the door. I was planning on walking to school, but my slightly sore thighs said otherwise & I sighed as I got into my Subaru.
I arrived at the busy high school & sat in my car for a few minutes since I had some time to kill, considering I left my house early. I rolled my eyes & took the keys out of the ignition, tucking them into my pocket & walking into school. I tugged my head further up over my face, wanting to disappear.
Nobody looked at me weird as I walked the halls with my head down low & I took that as a good sign that my hood was working. I reached my locker & grabbed my bright yellow Spanish folder, trudging into the deathly classroom.
I sunk down into my seat in the back of the room & tapped my fingertips against the wood of the desk, waiting as other students piled in.
The teacher got up from her desk & stood at the front of the room, beginning to speak in Spanish after greeting us. I kept my head down as I listened. According to what I picked out from the foreign language she was speaking; today she was just going to talk to us about what's coming for this year. I breathed out a huff of relief, not feeling like doing any work today.
About halfway through her speech, she stopped talking & when I looked up I saw that she was staring directly at me. She cocked a perfectly drawn on eyebrow at me & gave me a stern look.
"Miss. Chamberlain, hood off." She demanded & my stomach dropped. I shook my head lightly. "I-no." I said & she lowered her eyes at me. "Excuse me? Take your hood off or I'll take it off for you." She stated, taking a step towards me & I gripped the seat of my chair tightly. I glanced around & saw that everybody was taking advantage of our conversation by going on their phones & not paying attention. Everybody except for Ethan.
Ethan was just blankly shifting his stare from the teacher to me & back again. I dragged my gaze back to the teacher who was now walking towards me. I clenched my jaw & just as she was about to reach me, I tugged the hood off myself.
The teacher stopped in her tracks & stared at me for a few seconds, before shaking her head & walking back to the front of the room to continue her lecture. I sunk down even lower into my chair & just looked down for the rest of Spanish, not wanting to meet anybody's eyes.
The bell finally rung & as soon as I got out of the classroom, I pulled my hood back up. I trudged to my second period which was Social Studies. I didn't mind history as much. I just didn't see the point in learning it.
I entered the historically decorated room & plopped down onto a seat in the back.
Once mostly everybody was in, the teacher announced that today we will just be watching a film on the 'Revolutionary War'.
The teacher also looked directly at me & seemed to not care that I had my hood up. I suddenly took a liking to this teacher more than I ever had. The teacher walked over to the doorway, shutting the door & flicking the lights completely off. Then he went back to his computer-cart & projected the computer screen onto the giant screen in the front of the room. A clicking sound echoed through the quiet room when he hit enter on his keyboard. The screen flickered a few times before the film finally began to play in black & white. I watched uninterested as the teacher took this time to go on his phone. I leaned back in my seat, crossing my arms & closing my eyes. I sighed. Maybe I could get some sleep in, since I didn't sleep much last night. In fact, now that I think about last night, I wonder if it will happen again tonight. I shivered at the thought. The way my father's hand hit my face so carelessly, felt like he had already planned that he was gonna do it. It felt heartbreaking, knowing that my own father would do that.
I suddenly felt a presence next to me & I jumped, snapping my eyes open. My chair screeched against the floor at my sudden movements. Everybody in the room shushed me & I rolled my eyes, looking to my side only to see what I least expected & what I feared most.
Ethan had pulled up a chair & sat down right next to me. I forgot he was even in this class.
When I met his eyes, he was already starting at me with a dark expression. I swallowed the lump in my throat & looked down, trying to relax my posture but failing.
I sat there tensely for a few seconds & then his hand suddenly moved, causing me to flinch. He chuckled quietly & I realized that he was just adjusting his hair with his hand. He dropped his hand back to his side & his chuckling expression turned dark again.
"Who hit you." He said lowly, not as a question. I shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." I whispered back, playing dumb. Why does he even wanna know? He clenched his jaw. "Don't play dumb Emma." He gritted quietly & I gave him an unamused look. "I'm not. And even if I was, I don't know why you would care." I stated & he glared at me. "Was it a guy?" He whispered stiffly. I didn't respond & he grabbed my arm tightly under the desk. I winced softly as he leaned in close. "Was. It. A. Guy." He repeated & I nodded, just wanting him to let go of me.
When he saw me nod, his stern expression dropped & he looked down at his hand gripping my arm. As if realization hit him, he slowly let go of me & I pulled my aching arm into my lap. I looked down at it, it had a faint bruise like always since Ethan always seemed to grab me there.
"Why do you care anyway?" I mumbled, looking down. He clenched his jaw as he spoke extremely quietly, "I don't know." I just stared at the floor. "Who." He whispered suddenly. I looked at him questioningly. "Who was it." He repeated & my eyebrows furrowed. I didn't answer him. "It was family wasn't it? Your dad maybe?" He asked quietly & I tensed up. How the fuck did he know?!
I continued to stare at the wooden desk, pretending to find interest in it. "How do you know that." I whispered sternly & he gripped the bottom of his seat tightly. "Experience." He mumbled angrily. My eyes widened slightly.
The loud ringing of the bell made me jump from the silence & the teacher
stopped the film, excusing everybody. All of the students including Ethan filed out of the room, leaving me sitting there for a few seconds thinking about what just happened.
Ethan's father used to....beat him?
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Author's Note: hehe hi, I got one vote to keep posting so here's the next chapter. ily whoever voted. :))