The Abused Girl |Old Version|

Chapter Five

ONE OF THE downsides of being abused was that sometimes, I physically couldn't go to school. To be precise, I had missed an entire week of school.

It wasn't something I liked doing. I hated staying at home because it just meant I had to see John more and even the thought of that made me nauseous. My entire neck was bruised, with red fingerprints etched onto my skin. If I turned my head to the side, an excruciating pain would blossom and I knew I would have to stay at home for the swelling, redness and pain to go down. Ugly, harsh red and purple bruises decorated my neck and shoulders. I called the school a few days ago and told them I had the stomach bug and that I would be out for the next few days.

They didn't suspect a thing.

Yet one of the advantages of staying at home when I was like this was that John wouldn't lay a finger on me. He wasn't stupid; he knew I couldn't miss too much time from school otherwise, people would begin questioning and getting suspicious. So, he kept his distance from me while I recovered. Something I was really grateful for because I was extremely weak right now and if he so much as even pushed me, I felt like I would probably pass out.

It wasn't as if anyone but the school's secretary cared if I was in or not. Nobody else would notice if I came in or not because I was invisible half the time. And as these thoughts crept into my brain at night, I found myself curling up in a little ball and crying. I felt lonely and utterly pathetic. While the logical side of me was screaming at me to get up and do something, my body refused to cooperate. I was a feeding ground for my self-hatred.

Yet, some people would know how addicting the feeling of loneliness was. The longer I isolated myself, the more I actually got used to the feeling, and thus, the more I found comfort in it.

I uncapped the bottle of the cream I had been using to treat some of the bright red welts that were lashed across my skin. With a shaky hand, I once again covered the injured areas, scrunching my face up at the stinging. I was surprised John had gone so far with this beating. He never usually took it this far before, but as I looked down at the marks and scars on my body, an uneasy feeling settled inside of me as I began to realize this might begin to happen more often.

~~~

BY MONDAY, nearly two weeks later, the bruises on my neck were mostly gone, and I could just cover the remaining ones on my face with foundation. It didn't hurt to talk or move my face and neck too much either.

I decided it was time to go back to school again, even though part of me desperately wanted to hide away at home. My mood was sour and I didn't want to talk or interact with anyone. I felt drained of energy as I sluggishly walked down the hall to my locker.

I kept my head down low at school, hoping to avoid Daniel or Victoria, because I knew they would ask questions, especially Daniel and I didn't want him to suspect anything. I knew I would have to talk to him sooner or later, but I wanted to prolong that moment for as long as possible. We had only just met and I needed to keep him at arm's length as I remembered John's threat.

Despite the fact I didn't know him that well, although I felt I did since he basically talked my ear off the day we met, I still didn't want to be responsible for him being hurt. Especially by my father.

The chatter of students filled the small hallways as I cringed at the loud volume. I kept my gaze on the shiny tiled floor, pushing past people to get to my locker. I reached my locker, pulling it open and getting what I needed. I paused when I heard the conversation beside me.

"Did you hear?" One of the girls spoke quietly, although it sounded like she was shouting. The other girls huddled in closer, desperate to hear the latest news and gossip. "Mike and George are back from their suspension today."

I froze. Mike and George were the names of the two guys that Victoria had confronted in the hall. They had been suspended? Well, now they were back. I had been out for nearly two weeks, so it made sense.

"Yeah apparently their parents were super pissed," She drawled, popping her gum. "I even heard they tried to pay off the principal."

"It clearly didn't work." One girl pointed out.

"Obviously Courtney!" Another one huffed in annoyance.

"Shut up Brit." The first girl retorted.

"Anyways," The first one spoke. "I heard from Dina who heard from Jenny who heard from Kelly who heard from Michelle, that Mike is planning revenge."

A round of giggles were let out as the bell rung. They all huffed before grabbing their bags and stalking down the hallway. I tightened my grip on my locker, my knuckles turning white. This is why have friends or possible acquaintances complicated things. The last thing I needed was an angry football player targeting me specifically for the rest of the year.

I slammed the door shut and started walking to class, trying to clear my head.

Anastasia!"

I froze when I heard my name being shouted in the crowd of teenagers, but quickly sped up, ignoring it. I couldn't tell who had called me but I wasn't stopping to find out.

"Ana!" I heard again. I cursed in my head as soon I recognized Daniel's voice. I knew he would ask questions and I didn't have anything prepared.

"Ana! Please just wait!"

I felt my heart spiked in sheer panic at the annoyance in his voice. I turned my head back slightly and I saw that everyone was staring at him weirdly. He was trying to talk to the freak of the school though, so I couldn't blame them. I pushed out through the crowd of people, bumping into lockers and people bags when suddenly, an arm grabbed my elbow and spun me around.

Daniel looked irritated. His eyes were narrowed, his lips were set in a straight line and he was frowning deeply at me. "What the hell Ana? I've been calling your name for ages?" He spoke, exasperated.

I wrenched my elbow from his hold. "Sorry," I muttered.

He looked down at me, "What's been going on with you? You haven't been in for nearly two weeks,"

Okay Ana, you got this. Look him in the eye, straight face, no fidgeting.

I straightened up and looked at him in the eyes, "I had a really bad vomiting bug, so I couldn't come in,"

Daniel raised an eyebrow, "Really?" He said, unconvinced. "You look fine."

I rolled my eyes. "That's because I'm better now." I said, not breaking eye contact. "Why is that so hard to believe? Being sick is normal,"

His eyes narrowed briefly before sighing. "Okay then." Suddenly his expression brightened. "Hey do you want to come with me to lunch today?"

I opened my mouth to reply when Daniel's phone suddenly started ringing and I let out a breath of relief. Thank God. I didn't know how I would get out of that situation without explaining everything or just annoying him.

He sighed irritated, and took his phone out, "What?" He snapped.

He listened for a few seconds before grunting a 'Fine,' and ending the call. He frowned, agitated. "I'm so sorry, I have to go sign out at the office, something came up." He looked apologetically at me but I shrugged.

"It's okay." I said, and nodded towards the reception. "You go do whatever you need to do."

He smiled at me. "Thanks. I'll see you later?" He asked, looking at me.

I nodded my head. "Of course. See you later."

Daniel turned to leave, hauling his bag over his shoulder. He waved at me briefly before striding into the reception area. I lifted a hand and massaged my temple, feeling a headache coming on.

Why was life just so complicated?