WARNING: this chapter may trigger someone, it has some violence, so if you don't feel comfortable reading, you can skip a few parts.
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time passed, one week to be precisely. david and a few of our friends went to lollapalooza and i stayed here in los angeles, since i had a lot of stuff to do. i only had two more weeks before my first presentation and i wanted to take all the time that i had to prepare a few things regarding my work. i also didn't buy my tickets so i had no choice but to stay home.
it was monday now and i'd just finished cleaning my apartment after work. david texted me yesterday saying that he would come over after finishing filming. i was crouched down, organizing my dresser of art supplies, feeling a little bit sad that i didn't have enough time to paint or draw anything.
then, someone knocked on my door. was it david? i looked at my phone, checking the time. it was not possible, he would only be able to come over in an hour or two. i frowned, getting up to answer it. i didn't look at the peephole, opening the door with a small smile on my face. i hoped that it was someone from my building or one of my friends, since the doorman didn't call to ask if i was waiting for someone. but i was wrong, really wrong. it was a man, a very tall man, wearing a white button up shirt and a black trousers, with very fancy shoes. when i looked at his face, i felt like i already saw that man somewhere. he looked so familiar, but i couldn't remember who he was. probably a new neighbor or something.
he had a terrifying smile playing on his lips, but i ignored it, clearing my throat. "hi, can i help you with something?" i asked. the man took a step forward, making me freak out a little. "i'm sorry, what are you doing?" i grabbed the door tightly, ready to close it.
"angela, right?" i only nodded, feeling like i could shit my pants in any minute. "i'm jeffrey smith," I gasped. "and we need to talk." he entered my apartment, basically shoving me inside to slam the door behind himself.
i was lost. i didn't know what to do or what to say. i opened and closed my mouth a millions times, but i was speechless. "that your mother was a piece of shit, i already knew, but i thought she was smarter and told you to stop looking for me!" i took a step back while he took one in my direction.
"you should leave, now!" i squeaked. i was terrified. what the fuck was happening? why was he at my place? why did he come looking for me?
"i said there was going to be consequences!" he growled. after a few steps, he was cornering me against the wall. "your mother was this stupid girl who was willing to do anything to get to the top." he gripped my neck, making me gasp with difficulty. "when i suggest fucking her to promotion, she didn't hesitate for a second." jeffrey laughed. "she was on her hands and knees in less than two minutes."
the tears were sliding down my face while i tried to get his hands away from me. "please..." i choked.
"i knew it was wrong to go raw, but i just couldn't hold myself." he leaned in, inhaling my scent. "two weeks later, the bitch came crawling inside my office to tell me she got pregnant," his voice trembled. "i felt like killing her!" this time, he screamed.
"i'm sorry, please..." his nails were digging my skin since he was chocking me with so much force. i felt dizzy, like my head was about to explode.
jeffrey only shook his head, now grabbing my wrists to stop me. he was way stronger than me. "i fired her a few weeks later after she gave birth, telling the bitch to not open her mouth to anyone or i would hurt her pretty bad." my feet weren't touching the ground now, he was pressing me against the wall. i couldn't fight back because he was holding my wrists, stopping me from trying to hurt him back. i tried to kick him, but i couldn't move my legs anymore... i just couldn't. it felt like my head was going to explode since there was no oxygen circulating in my brain, probably.
"then, i get a call from a good friend," he shook my body against the wall, making me whimper with difficulty. "telling me that there's this girl looking for me, oh when i heard your name, i really wanted to kill you both."
"please... please." i choked, gasping for air.
"now you want me to feel pity for you? really?" being conscious was way harder now. "you disgust me!" he growled.
god, was i going to die? like this? being choked to death by my own father? no, this couldn't be true. i am so young for this. i didn't play my first concert yet, i didn't get over my fear of singing in front of a crowd, i didn't manage to be friends with my own mother, didn't spend enough time with my dad... i didn't tell david that i love him. i didn't live the fullest, things couldn't end like this.
i wasn't listening him properly, since i was about to pass out, but then, i heard a few names. "that little shit you call a brother will go down too, a guy you're always with, matthew king... oh, and don't forget about that friend of yours, what's his name? yeah, david, i won't hesitate to kill all of them." he whispered into my ear. then, he dropped me, my weak body falling on the ground. i took a huge breath, my lungs filling with air and my entire body feeling grateful for that. "so don't you dare open that dirty mouth of yours." jeffrey spat before turning around to leave my apartment.
the door slammed behind him and i started to cry even harder. i was sobbing with my face buried in my arms. my head felt heavy, my neck and my wrists were sore, i didn't know if i was going to get up. but i had to. david said he was coming over, but i can't see him. seeing that my phone was on the couch, i crawled to the side of it, grabbing the device to text him.
angie👼: please don't come
i'm feeling very sick
like
puke
everywhere
don't come, i'll see you another time
without waiting for his answer, i dialed the number of the only person i needed to see right now. he picked it up in a few seconds. "matt." i cried hoarsely. i couldn't even speak, i was forcing myself to.
"angela? what's wrong? what happened? why are you crying?" he was already desperate just by listening to me crying.
"please come over, i need you." i sobbed.
"okay... i'm on my way right now." he said before hanging up. the phone slipped from my hand and i just leaned myself against the couch, crying.
waiting for matt felt like hours, but i knew he would be here in less than 20 minutes. i just couldn't bare the thought of being alone right now. "i'm here!" i heard him opening the door with eagerness. "what happened?" he asked one more time.
"please lock the door!" i quickly said, afraid that he would come back. my head shot up, but i felt so much pain that i whimpered, dropping it back on the couch behind me.
"oh my god!" matt exclaimed after he did it, dropping on his knees by my side. "who did that to you?" his fingers touched the skin of my neck lightly. he didn't really touch it, just hovered it.
"is that bad?" i cried.
matt ignored me. "angela, who did this?" he asked more firmly this time.
i looked at him with my teary eyes. "my father." i whispered.
he widened his eyes. "what? your dad like the guy we just saw on your birthday? how could he..." i stopped him right there.
"no! no! not him... my biological father." i closed my eyes for a brief second. "he came over and..." i couldn't finish because i started crying again.
carefully, matt grabbed my frail body to rest against his. "you can tell me when you feel ready, okay?" i nodded, hiding my face in his shirt, staining it with my tears. "you're okay now, angie, i got you." he kissed my forehead.
"thank you." i mumbled, intertwining our fingers together. with that, i felt something wet falling on top of my head. when i looked up, i saw matt crying too. "don't cry, please."
"i can't..." he took a deep breath, cupping my jaw carefully with his free hand. "i can't bear the thought of you getting hurt." his bottom lip quivered. "and i couldn't do anything to help you."
i shook my head, wiping away his tears. "you didn't know, matty." i sighed. "you're here now."
he nodded. "we will take care of this, as soon as you're feeling better we will go to the nearest police station to report him."
as tempting this sounded, i shooked my head. "we can't, matt, we can't, please." i squeezed his hand. he said he would hurt me if i kept looking for him and he did just that, imagine if i reported him to the police? god, all my family and friends would be dead.
"what? what do you mean? we have to report him! are you kidding me?" matt frowned his brow.
i took his hand out of my face. "i said we won't report, please respect that." i said more firmly this time.
"but.." he tried to argue, but i cut him off.
"end of discussion." matt only nodded, staring me with attention. he could read every bit of me and it was obvious to him that i was hiding something. i don't know why, but i don't feel the need to tell him that jeffrey threatened every single person that was involved with me in some kind of way. i was terrified of him, and i was not going to push him to show me his powers again.
matt wrapped his arms around me again, hugging me and drawing a few circles in my lower back, since he knew this calmed me down. "do you want me to call someone? like zac... or david?"
"no, i just want you." i mumbled against his shirt.
he sighed. "i love you."
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just want to make it clear that every women who suffered/suffers some kind of violence/abuse doesn't need to be afraid and should speak up (or at least try - i know these situations aren't easy for anyone). as a person who has being through this and didn't, the right thing to do is report, to speak up, to talk to someone about it. it's a crime and the person who did it needs to pay for what they did. don't be afraid to do so. every time we do it, it motivates someone to do the same.
also, corey's death broke my heart. i don't even know what to say right now, he was truly an angel. i grew up watching kian and jc and he was always there and i inevitably ended up watching some of his stuff too. my heart aches for his family and all of his friends right now. please, don't drink and drive, you're putting your life and someone else's life at risk.