wouldn’t put it past him and I
didn’t want to risk it.
“Go!” I repeated a little louder this time. I closed
my eyes.
“Okay,” she whispered, draping the wet rag across my
hand.
I listened to the sound of her sandals click as she
walked away and finally relaxed once the front door slammed shut
behind her. I remained laying on the cool linoleum floor curled
into a ball, spitting the blood pooling in my mouth out on the
floor. Pain pulsated in my face. I should have kicked Calvin’s ass.
I should have at least attempted to get one good hit in, but I
didn’t.
I had wussed out, again.
The sound of the bathroom door opening and closing
stirred me. My heart jolted, I didn’t want to hear my mother bitch
at me once she saw I was laying on the floor with my own blood
splattered around.
That was a lie.
The truth was, I was scared she wouldn’t care at all,
or that she’d have some smartass thing to say about how I had
deserved it. The best thing to do was clean it up and move on as if
it never happened.
I winced as I forced myself to sit up and the kitchen
swirled around me a few times from lightheadedness. I grabbed the
rag beside me and began mopping up my bloody mess before getting a
clean one for my face.
Mom walked into the kitchen as I was carefully wiping
the crusted blood off my chin. She didn’t look at me, she didn’t
even ask what had happened, even though I knew she had to have
heard it. She sat her half empty bottle down and began digging in
her purse on the counter. I continued cleaning my face over the
sink as I watched her from the corner of my eye. Mom pulled out a
pack of cigarettes and held one out to me.
“Want one?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said and took it from her shaking
fingers.
Mom took one out for herself and stumbled her way out
of the kitchen and into the living room without another word. My
heart sunk.
I tucked the cigarette behind my ear and started
towards my room to change my clothes. No way I was staying another
second in this house if I didn’t have to.
I slid my shirt off gingerly and cringed at the pain
the motion unleashed in my rib. I glanced at myself in the mirror
above my dresser, assessing how bad I looked.
There was a good sized red mark where Calvin’s knee
had met my stomach, which would probably be gone later, leaving
behind a light bruise in its place. But, it was the reddish-blue
swollen mark across the left side of my lower rib cage that I knew
was going to cause me the worst pain of all.
I lightly pressed my fingers against it and a sharp
pain shot through me, making me clench my teeth. Because nothing
was poking out, I wondered if I’d fractured it or maybe bruised it
to the bone. My face looked like hell. My left eye had almost
swollen shut already and my top lip was so puffed up it was
impossible for me to close my mouth all the way.
I hated Calvin, but I knew I’d hate him even more
tomorrow when this looked and felt even worse.
I continued to change and grabbed an extra pair of
clothes. I rolled them up and tucked them underneath my arm before
grabbing the cigarette off my dresser and walking out of my
room.
Mom sat on the couch, watching a movie when I came
into the living room. I didn’t say a word to her, I continued
towards the front door as if she wasn’t there. I stepped outside
and closed the door behind me, pausing for a split second as a
depressing thought flooded my mind. Would anyone care if I chose to
never come back?
I pushed the thought from my mind, afraid of the
answer swimming to the surface and cocked my head to the side to
light my cigarette. I adjusted the clothes under my arm and began
walking in the direction of Trip’s house.
Chapter Seven
The walk to Trip’s was a long one, it was nearly
eight by the time I walked up the front path. His mom’s black Lexus
sat out front, but his dad’s Beamer was gone. It was Saturday
night, his parents were probably at some fancy cocktail party
somewhere getting
didn’t want to risk it.
“Go!” I repeated a little louder this time. I closed
my eyes.
“Okay,” she whispered, draping the wet rag across my
hand.
I listened to the sound of her sandals click as she
walked away and finally relaxed once the front door slammed shut
behind her. I remained laying on the cool linoleum floor curled
into a ball, spitting the blood pooling in my mouth out on the
floor. Pain pulsated in my face. I should have kicked Calvin’s ass.
I should have at least attempted to get one good hit in, but I
didn’t.
I had wussed out, again.
The sound of the bathroom door opening and closing
stirred me. My heart jolted, I didn’t want to hear my mother bitch
at me once she saw I was laying on the floor with my own blood
splattered around.
That was a lie.
The truth was, I was scared she wouldn’t care at all,
or that she’d have some smartass thing to say about how I had
deserved it. The best thing to do was clean it up and move on as if
it never happened.
I winced as I forced myself to sit up and the kitchen
swirled around me a few times from lightheadedness. I grabbed the
rag beside me and began mopping up my bloody mess before getting a
clean one for my face.
Mom walked into the kitchen as I was carefully wiping
the crusted blood off my chin. She didn’t look at me, she didn’t
even ask what had happened, even though I knew she had to have
heard it. She sat her half empty bottle down and began digging in
her purse on the counter. I continued cleaning my face over the
sink as I watched her from the corner of my eye. Mom pulled out a
pack of cigarettes and held one out to me.
“Want one?” she asked.
“Sure,” I said and took it from her shaking
fingers.
Mom took one out for herself and stumbled her way out
of the kitchen and into the living room without another word. My
heart sunk.
I tucked the cigarette behind my ear and started
towards my room to change my clothes. No way I was staying another
second in this house if I didn’t have to.
I slid my shirt off gingerly and cringed at the pain
the motion unleashed in my rib. I glanced at myself in the mirror
above my dresser, assessing how bad I looked.
There was a good sized red mark where Calvin’s knee
had met my stomach, which would probably be gone later, leaving
behind a light bruise in its place. But, it was the reddish-blue
swollen mark across the left side of my lower rib cage that I knew
was going to cause me the worst pain of all.
I lightly pressed my fingers against it and a sharp
pain shot through me, making me clench my teeth. Because nothing
was poking out, I wondered if I’d fractured it or maybe bruised it
to the bone. My face looked like hell. My left eye had almost
swollen shut already and my top lip was so puffed up it was
impossible for me to close my mouth all the way.
I hated Calvin, but I knew I’d hate him even more
tomorrow when this looked and felt even worse.
I continued to change and grabbed an extra pair of
clothes. I rolled them up and tucked them underneath my arm before
grabbing the cigarette off my dresser and walking out of my
room.
Mom sat on the couch, watching a movie when I came
into the living room. I didn’t say a word to her, I continued
towards the front door as if she wasn’t there. I stepped outside
and closed the door behind me, pausing for a split second as a
depressing thought flooded my mind. Would anyone care if I chose to
never come back?
I pushed the thought from my mind, afraid of the
answer swimming to the surface and cocked my head to the side to
light my cigarette. I adjusted the clothes under my arm and began
walking in the direction of Trip’s house.
Chapter Seven
The walk to Trip’s was a long one, it was nearly
eight by the time I walked up the front path. His mom’s black Lexus
sat out front, but his dad’s Beamer was gone. It was Saturday
night, his parents were probably at some fancy cocktail party
somewhere getting
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