Words 1605
EMERY.
My eyes slowly open. The light glowing in the shape of orbs in between my lashes as I scrunch my face in pain. I press my lower back into the cushions, my body instinctively trying to curl up into a little ball. I close my eyes again, deciding that I don't even want to try to figure out where I am. My eyes are hurting, my stomach feels empty, every time I move an inch it feels like a hammer stabbing my ribs, and my throat is sore. I'm complaining. I know I am. I deserve to be able to. I also deserve to be able to sleep it off and to forget.
He didn't mean to do it. We were both high and he gets mad sometimes. It's happened before. I feel another sort of pain, but it's deep inside. Buried under the feeling of the steel hammer jamming into my ribs, I feel a worse pain followed by a thought; it has never happened this bad before.
You'll think the feeling of a hammer to your ribs would be worse than the feeling of anger and sadness. You're wrong.
The feeling of a hammer to your ribs doesn't last forever like the feeling of anger and sadness.
"Honey?" My head turns to the source but I do not open my eyes. I feel a warm hand in mine and I finally feel something other than the endless pain in my chest and the temporary pain in my bones. I can feel my lips turning upwards in a soft smile and I can feel my fingers slowly wrap themselves around my mother's warm hand. I can feel my lips open and I can hear my brain processing the words as I try to speak it, but I quickly decide against it once I let out a breath and I close my mouth shut. I'll keep my eyes shut too. "I'm glad you're awake." She whispers, her thumb rubbing patterns onto the back of my hand. "I want to tell you this before you hear it from someone else. I called the police and Robby has been arrested. There's an officer here who wants your side of the story but I told him he's not allowed in here. He'll have to wait until you are released." I hear the sound of her pants bending with her knees as she squats down to my level. I can feel the hot breath from her nose onto my pale skin.
"Hmm." I hum, her words slowly processing in my mind. Mom called the police. Robby. Arrested. He's gone?
"I'll kill myself if you leave me, baby." He said. "Please, baby, listen."
My eyes fly open, immediately being met with my mother's worried gray ones and I quickly push myself up, growling in pain as I do so. Mom also launches up, her hands flying to my forearms to slow me down and her eyes fill with fear. "Emery! Calm down. You can't move so much, you're still healing."
Instead of screaming at her. Instead of pitching a big fit like a three year old I truly am, I sit still. A terrible, awful, dreadful, and deadly feeling spreading through my chest, hurting me worse than the anger and sadness lingering in the background.
He's going to kill himself and it's going to be my fault. My fucking fault.
I clench my fists, the stupid-ass comforter scratchy inside my soft hand. Why put this stupid shit in hospital rooms? I'm supposed to feel comfortable in here. Apparently, no one gives a shit about my comfort.
"You alright?" She questions.
"I need water." I mutter, staring in front of me at the big gray walls that are supposed to make me feel comfortable.
◉‿◉
TESSA.
I feel hurt. Why did Hardin have to say such a thing to me? I know it's the truth, but why did he have to say it? He has always been the one to pull me up from the darkness, but this time, he is the one who pushed me into it.
I'll feel better when Emery comes home. I don't like being home alone, maybe just knowing she's here will make me feel a little bit better. She might not be the nicest to me, but I still love her company.
I wipe my eyes where tears had escaped and I flip Hardin's phone over to look at the back of it. It's just black. It's plain and boring. Mine is light blue and I have a flower pop socket on it. I don't really need it, but it was super cute when I saw it at the store.
Thump.
My head darts to the source. It sounded like it was just outside the front door. I stare at the front door for a second, assuming to see Emery enter the house, but after a few seconds of silence I shake my head and open the fridge. It's probably someone's cat or something.
I look through the fridge, my stomach growling as I look at all the options. I settle with cereal in one of the cabinets, because everything else takes time to make. I'm sure Emery has eaten at her friends house and Hardin and Auden will most likely be gone for another hour.
The cereal clinks against the glass bowl, the milk coming next. I sip it up with my spoon, but before I can even take time to enjoy it I hear someone knocking at the door. Assuming it's Emery, I call, "it's open, Em."
I'm not really thinking about how odd it might be for someone who lives here to knock. They knock again and that's when I finally realize how dumb my assumption was.
I slip out of the barstool, wiping my lips and under my eyes to make sure I don't look like a crying mess for the couple tears I shed.
I open the door and it's not anyone I'm expecting it to be. It's someone I don't even know.
◉‿◉
EMERY.
"Fuck you." I giggle, shoving Cole out of my way. "Don't give me that shit just because I won't sing. You're being a dick."
"Oh, oops." He looks away, staring at the floor with the same pout.
"Cut it out!" I shove him again and a deep chuckle escapes his lips. Both of our heads turn as his mother opens the basement door and walks down the four steps to the basement level.
"You have to get ready for church honey. We're leaving in thirty minutes." She explains, and moves her gaze to me. "You can come if you'd like."
I lift my shoulders in uneasiness and shake my head. I've never been a church girl, because if there is a God he's probably so fucking mad at me for everything I've done that it would be best to stay away.
"I'll be up there in a second. Let me save this." Cole replies, saving me from having to answer his mother's question. Kelly walks up the steps, leaving us in the room. Cole instantly turns to face me. "You want to come?" He questions, lifting his brows at me expectantly.
"I think I'm going to go home, Neighbor Boy. My mom's expecting me." I swing my arms, my hands colliding together in front of me creating a subtle slap. "Thank you... though." I say quietly, nodding my head awkwardly.
"It's no big deal." He replies with a soft smile and I nod.
"'Kay. Well, I'll see you tomorrow at school." I say, expecting him to get up and lead me out of the house, but he doesn't move. He's too focused on the song. Wasn't he supposed to save this fucking thing? Does it really take this long to save? I inch my way towards the basement door.
"See ya." He replies distracted and I shut the basement door behind me. His mother is in front of me when I turn around and I slightly jump.
"Is he making you walk out by yourself?" She inquires and swipes her hand in the air. "That boy. Once he gets started on a song, he has to finish it. I knew he wasn't saving it."
I laugh lightly and follow Kelly to the front door where she opens it for me. "You sure you don't want to come with us? You can invite your whole family."
"I'm okay, Kelly." I say casually before redirecting myself. "Or- uh... or- Mrs... Mrs..."
"Just call me Kelly. No Mrs. please." Kelly chuckles and I sigh with relief that she wasn't offended. I don't usually call people by their proper Mr. and Mrs.. I just find it so fucking stupid. Why not just use their name they were given?
"Okay." I reply, waving at her as I walk down their porch steps and pass through their green grass to mine.
I stop once I see the front door is cracked. Odd. It's so slight that it's hardly noticeable. Maybe mom left it open on accident. As I inch closer and closer to the front door step, the sounds of some odd muffled squeals enter my ears. Mice? Rats?
I slowly push the cracked door open and what I see makes me want to throw up chunks all over the dark wooden floor. It makes me sick to my stomach, not only sick but afraid. So afraid that my feet stick to the floor and all I can do is sit... and watch.
◉‿◉
𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎
Cliffhanger...
Thank you for being patient!
New chapter tomorrow!
ALSO! VERY VERY IMPORTANT! Describe what you think Cole looks like...
better yet, give me someone that you think he looks like. Like a celebrity or something...
I want to describe Cole how you guys see him in your minds because that's what makes a good book: ✨ imagination! ✨
Chapter forty one: Jan. 19, 2021