To Love's End

Mimi was fuming but she tried to stay calm for Julie’s sake. In her mind she was contemplating the ways in which she would torture that disgusting bastard Scott. Julie had been acting strange all week. She’d been distant and detached, but Mimi hadn’t been able to point out the reason. Julie had started hanging out with Scott’s group at lunch. She’d also wondered why Julie had neglected to tell her of her relationship with Scott. The girls had always told each other everything and it had worried her. But now her worries were confirmed.

That fucking, disgusting, awful little prick! Mimi thought, glancing at Julie who was staring out the window. Although Mimi had only just found out about Julie’s relationship with Chris she hadn’t been all that surprised. It had been pretty obvious since they were kids.

As Mimi was very close with Julie she’d often accompanied her on outings when Julie’s cousins were over; just as Julie had accompanied her family on outings. She’d always noticed that Chris seemed to stare at Julie a lot. But not in a dazed sort of way. He’d stared at her the way grown-ups did in romance movies. Mimi hadn’t wanted to say anything as she’d known that that sort of thing was wrong. She also had never been sure if Julie had noticed.

In any case, something had sparked between them and their attraction had blossomed into full fledged love. And who was Mimi to say that it was wrong? They clearly loved each other, from everything Julie had told her. Chris had always been so protective and caring towards her. What mattered was that they really loved each other and Chris was treating Julie as she deserved.

But… Perhaps they had gotten a little carried away. And now Scott had found out and Julie’s life had become a nightmare. Mimi suspected she’d neglected telling Chris of what had happened as she was afraid of his reaction. If everything Julie had said was true, there was no doubt Chris would be on the first bus down here ready to set Scott in his place. But no matter how much you hurt Scott, he still had the power of words. He could tell anyone who was willing to listen a secret that would forever tarnish Julie and Chris and end their relationship.

There has to be some way to scare Scott into silence, Mimi thought as she looked at Julie. And she definitely couldn’t keep this from Chris. She’d just have to make sure he understood exactly what would happen to Julie if Chris made any rash moves. It was Mimi’s duty as Julie’s best friend to protect her from this awful situation.

“Julie…” Mimi whispered. “Would you mind if I borrowed your phone for just a second? I forgot mine.”

Julie looked over at her and nodded, fishing in her bag for it. Mimi could see Julie’s hands shaking and it really hurt her. There was no doubt in her mind that something had to be done now. Julie handed Mimi the phone and Mimi excused herself. As soon as she was out of eyesight of the girl, she began looking through the phonebook. She found the number she was looking for and jotted it down.

“Here you go,” Mimi told her, handing back the phone. “Let’s go. I’m going to walk you home. You need to rest.”

“B-But… I’m supposed to go out with Scott tonight.” She said nervously. “Mimi, I can’t risk upsetting him!” Mimi took a breath and wrapped her arm around her friend’s shoulder as they exited the shop.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find him and tell him you’ll meet him at the bus stop tonight at five, ok?” Mimi said. Julie nodded, knowing that she needed to rest. She was so stressed from worrying about Scott that she hadn’t slept well at all.

As soon as Mimi made sure Julie was ok in her home, she started back to school. When she arrived back it was lunchtime. Her first duty was to find Scott. She spotted him sitting with some friends and felt an incredible urge to punch him right in the face but restrained herself. She had a plan and was going to follow through with it.

She approached the group and said, “Scott.”

“Oh hey, Mimi, where’s my girlfriend?” He asked arrogantly. Mimi took a breath before replying. God, this guy was such an asshole

“You should know. Isn’t a guy supposed to take care of his girl?” She shot back, crossing her arms. The group didn’t say anything but just stared at her in awe. No one ever spoke back to Scott.

“Watch your mouth, Mimi. You never know what might happen if you keep that up.” Scott winked at her. Mimi shuddered, remembering exactly what Julie had told her about him. Her hands were held into fists at her sides as she tried to control her anger. That… stupid fucking arrogant son of a bitch!

“Fuck you Scott. I think it’s you that should be watching your back.”

”Is that a threat?” Scott asked, standing up and walking towards her.

”No, just a friendly suggestion.” Mimi glared at him. “I’m just here to tell you your girlfriend will meet you at the bus stop at five. She wasn’t feeling so good so she went home to rest. Though I will never understand why she’d want to go out with a scum bag like you. Now back the fuck off.” She stood her ground and looked him in the eye.

“That’s right. You won’t understand because you don’t seem to know Julie as well as you think you do.” He retorted, a victorious smile on his face.

Mimi took a breath. Oh, I know more than you’ll ever understand. And when you do… It’ll be too late. But for now she had to play into his little game

“I… I guess I don’t.” She said, dejectedly. “Well, have a nice fucking day, asshole.” She turned on her heels and stomped off.

Ok… So she hadn’t exactly kept her anger in check, but she certainly hadn’t hinted to knowing anything about his little escapades. It hurt her to even be accused of not understanding her best friend. She’d found that had affected her most of any of the words he had said. But he’d regret it soon enough.

Now was time for part two of the plan. She pulled her own cell phone out of her bag. So she had lied a little to Julie…But it was required to fix this mess. She also grabbed the piece of paper with the number she’d taken from Julie’s phone.

It rang a few times but finally someone picked up.

“Hello?” Came the voice.

“Hi… Chris?” She asked nervously.

“Yeah, who’s this?”

“This is Mimi, Julie’s friend.” She replied. “We really need to talk.”

“Oh, hi. How’d you get my number?” He asked.

“It doesn’t matter right now. But… Ok, this might be a bit of a surprise and don’t get mad at Jules for it but I know about you two. And I really don’t care about anything. I know how Julie feels and as long as she’s happy… well that’s all that matters to me.” Chris let out a little laugh.

“Yeah, I found out after I came to the park last weekend. You should be more careful sending text messages.” He told her.

Mimi giggled but soon returned to her serious tone. “Chris, you don’t go to our school and I know that Julie has neglected to tell you this. I literally had to squeeze it out of her. she’s so terrified.”

“What did he do to her?!” Chris exclaimed. “If that fucking asshole laid a hand on her I will kill him. I’ll make him wish he’d never even met her.”

“I… It’s not good. But please, for her sake, just stay calm right now. I’m lucky I found out so soon, because Scott really has a hold on her. She’s scared out of her mind to make him angry. Chris, she’s scared to lose you and he’s taking advantage of that. But I have an idea.”

“I know… I just knew this would happen. This is my entire fault. Mimi, please. I need to fix this. Let me help you. I have to…” He pleaded. She could hear the desperation, anger, and upset in his voice.

“Ok. This isn’t the greatest plan, but Scott doesn’t seem like he’s as tough as his words. Here’s what we can do.”

--

I slept most of the afternoon, trying to forget about what would happen tonight. When I woke up it was around four o’clock and I had only one hour until I had to meet him. I began to wonder if telling Mimi had been the right thing to do. She’d said she wouldn’t confront him but doubt was beginning to creep into my mind.

I sat at the kitchen table, watching my mother cook dinner. As far as she knew, I was going to Mimi’s tonight. How I wished that was true. I stared at the clock, the seconds ticking by. I could feel butterflies in my stomach, just thinking about what would be happening at his house. I groaned inwardly.

It was about four forty five and it would take me a bit to get to the bus stop. I nervously gathered my things and made my way out. The whole way I was fidgeting and kept looking around, begging for something to stop me from having to do this. Scott had said his parents would be out of town today and tomorrow for business and they’d left him on his own. And I knew where that would leave me.

As I approached the bus stop, I could see him sitting on the bench. I contemplated just turning around and running home but I knew that would only worsen things. I just had to get this over with and then I could figure out something.

I walked up to him quietly and didn’t greet him. I was staring at my hands, just waiting for him to take us to his house.

“Finally… Took you long enough. Let’s go.” He grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him. “God, you’re so tense, try and loosen up a bit.”

How can I when I know you’re just taking me to use my body? I asked silently.

“I just don’t feel well.” I said quietly. He didn’t reply and we walked in silence. His house was a modest two story structure. It looked like the typical homes in our area. The walk up the steps to the door felt like a death march. I tried to calm myself and stay as unnoticeable as possible. I didn’t want to know how much I feared him because it would only make him more confident.

He opened the door and we stepped inside. There was nothing defining about the space. He led me straight up the stairs to the second floor and took me into his room. It was painted beige and had various posters and pictures adorning the walls. But my focus was not on the room.

He directed me to sit on the bed with him and I began to get extremely nervous.

“Ya think you’d be a bit more used to this kinda thing, Julie.” Scott remarked, smirking at me. “After all you’ve done.”

“I… Please, Scott. I can’t do this.” I said, sliding away from him. “I just can’t.”

“Hey, don’t act all innocent now. I mean, I did find you having sex in a bathroom stall. So, you should just shut up and take it. There’s nothing you can do about it. At least try and enjoy it.” He winked at me and moved closer. I shuddered but he grabbed my arms and pressed his lips against mine.

I closed my eyes, frozen with disgust. He was holding me so tightly I couldn’t move away. He’d forced my lips apart and I could feel his tongue exploring my mouth. Not once did I return the kiss. He climbed atop of me, pressing his body against mine. His hands soon began to wander and I uselessly tried to keep a hold on my shirt. But I felt his hand slid up my shirt and he told me to sit up. He made me pull my shirt off and throw it to the ground. I felt so bare before him and let my head roll to the side as he continued to explore my body.

He undid the button on my jeans and began pulling them off my legs. I shivered from the cold in the room and held my legs tightly together. This couldn’t be happening. I felt his fingers traveling up my leg and gently rubbing my inner thigh. I felt his finger tips gently play with the edge of my panties. He ceased his ministrations for a moment to shed his shirt. He had a decent body, but I lusted after only one being. I bit my lip as he began to undo the buckle on his pants.

“Scott… Please.” I whispered. He looked down at me and I continued, “If you’re going to do this do you have a…?” I couldn’t even make myself say it. It was if I was confirming what he was about to do to me.

He gave a laugh and said, “I’m surprised you’d even care about that.”

“I’m not a slut!” I cried, backing away from him against the headboard of the bed. “I love him!” After I realized what I’d said I held a hand to my mouth and looked away.

”You’re even sicker than I thought.” He said, with a nasty grin, “But enough talk.” He moved up and grabbed my waist. His hands were digging into my pale skin and I cried out.

“No!” I shouted, trying to push him away with my hands. “Get off of me!” I didn’t care anymore. I just could not go through with this, no matter what consequences I would face. I couldn’t let him touch me again.

“Remember our deal, Julie.” He said sternly. I struggled against him to no avail. He was a lot bigger than me and he was using this to his advantage. He grabbed both my wrists and pinned them above me. I squirmed underneath him trying to free them.

“I… don’t care. Just let go! You’re hurting me!”

He moved his mouth violently to mine and pressed his lips into mine. Pushing his knee between my legs, he forced them apart.

“No! You can’t do this to me!” I cried, tears falling from my eyes. He was pushing his hips against mine, grinding his erection into me. I felt disgusted and stopped struggling. I’d just have to accept my fate.
I could feel sharp pains in my wrists. His grip was too tight.

I kept my eyes closed, the tears streaming onto the pillow beneath me as I sobbed silently. How could this be happening to me? What had I done to deserve this?

To my relief he let go of my hands, satisfied that I had stopped struggling. I pulled them to my chest, holding them between us. They were shaking but I didn’t want him to notice so they were balled into tight fists. Both of his hands held the flesh at my waist as his body moved against mine. Our breaths were heavy; mine with fear and his with arousal.

“At least try to enjoy it Julie.” He said with a devious smile as his movements ceased. I felt his fingers hook into the band of my underwear and begin to tug them down. Instinctively I crossed my legs and hindered his attempt which only angered him. “I don’t want to hurt you but-”

“You’ve already hurt me!” I cried out, my anger ablaze as I glared up at him. My hands were back at his chest, trying to push him off of me but again he overpowered me. He pinned my arms down and roughly grabbed my face.

“You’ll fucking listen to me, you little bitch.” His tone was stronger than I’d ever heard it and I immediately froze with fear. I’d never seen him acting like this before. He quickly pulled my panties off with one hand while I remained still with shock and fear. The fight in me was gone and I knew if I struggled he’d only make it worse for me. He was going to get what he wanted regardless of what I wanted.

I shut my eyes again and just prayed that it would be over soon. I heard him unbutton his jeans, heard the familiar sound of a zipper. I let out a small whimper as I felt him press the tip of his cock against me. With a slight push he slipped inside and my whimper became a cry. He leaned close to me and whispered in my ear, “You’re tight for such a slut.” In all honesty, I was still quite unused to this feeling and felt great discomfort. Sharp pains invaded my body with each of his movements.

Chris had never talked to me like this and it only made my heart ache and my stomach turn. I felt absolutely sick with hatred towards Scott but there was nothing I could do. My arms were still pinned above my head and I felt so weak.

I could hear each of his breaths as he continued to move above me and it furthered my disgust for him. His free hand found my chest and began to grab and pull with no consideration for my feelings. I’d occasionally let out a yelp of pain, but all of my cries went unnoticed. His head was bowed and I could feel his lips on my neck.

“Ah…Yes.” He sighed with a grin, “Try an enjoy it, Julie.”

I didn’t reply but tried to let my mind drift somewhere else, somewhere far away from this room. I was unsuccessful in my attempt to distance myself from this moment when I heard him let out a long sigh of relief and shudder before collapsing half atop of me. At once his grip slackened on me but I had no desire to move. I really had no desire to do anything.

As he pulled away and lay beside me on the bed I felt a strange sensation, as if something was… How could he have done that? My insides were burning with rage at the realization that he had ignored my plea to at least use some sort of protection. It was not that was completely unprepared… I’d been on birth control for nearly a year for completely unrelated reasons but it was a mild form, used less for birth control and more to help regulate the body. I could feel a dull anxiety already settling in the pit of my stomach and I felt as though I were going to be sick.

As inadvertently as I could, I peered around the room and was utterly relieved to see that Scott was as spoiled as I’d assumed. There was a door slightly ajar in the far corner which lead to a bathroom. My arms were finally free and I was completely void of any restriction. As quickly as I could I dashed to the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind I me. I was relieved to see that there was a lock and quickly did it.

“Oh, come on Julie…” I heard Scott’s voice call. “It wasn’t that bad.” He let out a cruel laugh and I shuddered. I was completely unclothed and lacked any way of changing that. All of my things were in his bedroom and I cursed my stupidity for leaving them there. Without even thinking I had turned the shower on and was standing under the cascading droplets trying to rid myself of him. I felt as though no matter how much I washed… No matter how hot the water was that seared my skin I would never be clean of what had just happened.

I don’t know how long I stood underneath the water for; time seemed to have lost its meaning to me. Sometime later I found myself leaning against the bathroom door, wrapped in a towel I had found folded by the sink. The realization of what had just happened truly hit me with great impact then. I could… I could be pregnant. There was nothing stopping that possibility and I felt the nausea return to me. I could feel the breath leave me and struggled for it as I fell to my knees on the floor. I was panicking. I had no way out of this situation and my mind kept straying to the day that I found out I was indeed pregnant and how I would explain it to my mother… to Chris. I gasped for breath, hyperventilating and shaking violently.

Why, why, why… The thought kept spiraling around in my head. How had things come this far so quickly? I had always been so responsible, so prepared. But now… Scott hadn’t even cared. He’d laughed when I told him to use a condom. He’d called me a slut. There had to be some way I could escape this but the situation seemed so hopeless. Even if I was rid of Scott he could still tell everyone about my relationship with Chris and that would forever ruin the only aspect of my life I truly treasured. I just couldn’t calm down.

I heard some rustling outside the door and voices shouting. It couldn’t be…
“What the fu-” The surprise in Scott’s voice was cut off by another.

“Where the fuck is she?” Chris demanded. I tried to speak but my voice was gone. I merely continued to shake in fear on the cold tiles of the bathroom floor.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Scott asked before I heard two crashing noises and a loud thump.

“Where is she?” Chris demanded again, this time with more force.

I jumped in fright as I heard a loud pounding on the door. I tried to stand up but my legs were too weak.

“Julie? Sweetie, are you in there?” I felt myself relax slightly at the sound of her voice.

“M-Mimi…” My voice was feeble and I wasn’t even sure she heard me. But she had and as I struggled to stand on my unsteady legs the door burst open. She sort of fell into the room with the effort it had taken to break the lock and spotted me immediately.

She had my clothes in her arms and dropped them to the floor to grab me.

“Julie… Come here, come here.” She whispered, holding me close against her. My eyes were fixed on the scene outside the door. I watched as Chris had Scott pinned against the wall. “Did he hurt you?”

I bit my lip and nodded. Mimi grabbed my discarded clothing and helped me into them. My hands were shaking so badly.

“You disgusting, sick little fuck. Who do you think you are!?” Chris punched him in the face.

Scott struggled against him and shot back, “You’re the sick fuck! Fucking your own cousin.”
Chris punched him again and moved his hand to his throat, holding it tight.

“You’re not really in the position to be talking right now, Scott. So shut the fuck up and listen to what I have to say. I’m only going to say it once so listen up, you dumb shit.” Scott glared at him but he didn’t respond. “I don’t give a fuck what you say to anyone about us. But if you do say one word to a single person I go to the police and have you charged with attempted rape. What you made Julie do… You don’t even deserve to live. You are scum.” He let loose another punch. Scott’s face was getting awful red, but I was feeling no sympathy for him.

“Mimi… He… He… raped me.” I whispered it to, terribly ashamed to admit it out loud. I buried my head in her shoulder, unable to withstand her gaze.

“He fucking did what?” She screamed. “CHRIS!” By this time she had led me out of the bathroom and we were in the corner away from Chris and Scott. She pulled me away only to sit me down in a chair and join Chris. Almost immediately she was upon Scott, slapping and punching him.

”How could you?” She shouted, “What did she do to you? What the fuck did she do to you? Couldn’t take being rejected, you disgusting, awful…” But she didn’t finish her sentence because I had begun to cry and her attention returned to me. With one swift knee to his groin he was on the floor, cringing in pain. Through my tears I saw a flicker of happiness from Chris, despite the situation; he was obviously quite impressed with Mimi.

“They’ll never get me for anything. She wanted to do it. Tell them, Julie! Tell them how you enjoyed it, you slut!” He shouted at me.

I looked at him through tear filled eyes, defeated and unable to respond. But at that moment, I truly didn’t care what he told anyone anymore. There were other worries that filled my mind now. He could tell the entire world about Chris and I and it just wouldn’t matter to me. I was shaking now and sobbing uncontrollably. I never should have let things go past that first Monday in the bathroom. It shouldn’t have had to come to this.

“Can you fucking see? Look at her! Can’t you see what you’ve done to her?” Chris demanded, his voice shaking with anger.

“It’s ok…” She whispered, stroking my hair and shielding me from the sight before us.

”I’ll get to the point. You’re going to keep your mouth shut about this Scott, or you might just get a visit from the cops sometime soon. Do you understand that?!” He shouted at him.

“Sure…” He moaned very unconvincingly, obviously in quite a lot of pain. “Just get off me.”

“Oh I’m not finished quite yet.” He pushed Scott harder against the wall. “If you ever talk to, touch, or even come near Julie again I will find you and make you pay. So you better just keep your mouth shut, you disgusting asshole.”

Despite his obvious physical grievances, Scott’s attitude was still flaring in an attempt to regain some of his tarnished ego.

“She had it coming. Acting like she was so fucking above us all.” He moved to spit at Chris but Chris’ fist connected with him before he had the chance. I thought I saw a trickle of blood from the corner of Scott’s mouth. Chris released his hold on the boy and Scott slid to the ground in a humiliated heap, rubbing his neck and groaning in pain. Chris seemed momentarily satisfied and turned towards us.

“Mimi, take her outside… Tell him to come in now. I don’t think Scott’s getting the idea.”

I was confused and frightened but allowed Mimi to shepherd me out of the house. Once on the sidewalk I lost what composure I’d had left and fell against her, tears streaming down my face. She just held me, letting me cry against her shoulder. My whole body was shaking and my breaths were coming short. I felt as though I’d never calm down but I finally did.

“Mimi…” My voice was worn from all the crying.

”Yes?” She asked kindly.

I knew I had to tell her because if I didn’t tell someone I was going to explode. I whispered to her, through shameful tears, what Scott had done.

“Oh my god… Julie. But I thought you were on the Pill?” She wondered aloud. I told her that I was but it was the weakest kind of birth control pill.

“It was never meant for this… I was always s-so careful w-with Chris.” I stumbled over my words and the tears returned.

“Julie.” Mimi said apprehensively, looking toward the house. “We need to-”

“No!” I cried. “You can’t tell Chris… You just can’t. Please.” The anguish in my voice was extremely evident but Mimi still looked hesitant. “Mimi…Please.”

“I…” But she didn’t finish her sentence as a figure came stalking across the front path to the sidewalk. I don’t know what made me do what I did next. It was probably some mixture of shame and embarrassment but before I knew it my feet were carrying me away from the spot. I’d pulled free of Mimi’s arms and my feet were pounding the sidewalk.

I just couldn’t face him after what had happened. I knew it was selfish and wrong but I just could not look him in the face. My stomach was turning with knots of anxiety and fear, knowing that Scott may have just changed my life forever. I was still in shock from the whole ordeal and I just wanted to escape into a world where I was free of these emotions. So I ran.

I couldn’t have gotten very far my foot caught in a groove in the cement and I tripped, falling to my knees. My pants were torn and I could feel the blood trickling from the scrapes on my knees. I stayed there, feeling truly defeated. I couldn’t cry… merely whimpered and struggled to breath. I couldn’t protect myself… I couldn’t even run away from my problems properly. I felt like such a failure.

It took only seconds before Chris caught up with me but when he reached out to touch my shoulder I instinctively flinched away. I could see that this hurt him greatly and I felt myself begin to cry again. Chris shouldn’t need to share in my pain.

“Oh, what did he do to you?” Chris whispered, more of a rhetorical question. The hurt and defeat in his voice was more than I could. I could barely breathe as I let the hurt rush through me, oblivious to everything outside of my pain. How had I let this happen? No one deserved to be treated as Scott had treated me. I should not have let him touch me… Things shouldn’t have come this far.

When I looked up again Chris was kneeling on the sidewalk beside me, just sitting there watching me. I could tell he was afraid to try and touch me again. I couldn’t bear to see him like that and I just let myself fall into his arms. His relief was quite evident as he pulled me tight against him and began to kiss the top of my head. It was then I remembered how it felt to enjoy the touch of someone I love. I’d been conditioned to dread physical contact after this week and particularly this night. But now, I was remembering why I loved being held by someone.

“Chris…” I cried, laying against him on that cold cement. I didn’t care, I was unaware of all else but Chris.
When we finally pulled away his hands cupped my face and he stared down at me. I’d never seen that look of anxiety from him before.

“Julie…”

“I’m… so sorry. Do you hate me for… that?” I whispered, the guilt over my actions resurfacing.

“What are you saying?” He said, horrified. “Don’t you ever apologize for this.” I could tell he was having trouble trying to express what he was feeling. When I looked back up at him I could see that he was crying. Never… all of my life had I ever seen him cry. This only sparked me into more tears for I could see the guilt that Chris was housing. He must have felt as though he had failed me. Failed to protect me from this.

He just looked at me and reached down, pressing his lips against mine in a teary kiss. He moved away slowly and replied, “Oh god, no. Never. I could never hate you. This is my fault. Don’t ever blame yourself for any of this. I should have protected you better. You should have told me…”

“I couldn’t even protect myself… He just… I tried to stop him but he just wouldn’t…” I mumbled, unable to look him in the eye.

“Julie, no. This was not your fault. You did everything you could. I wish that we could have come sooner.”

“I… I didn’t want this to happen. Scott’s not going to listen. He’s going to come back after me.” I told him.

“No. He won’t. Julie… Scott is a coward and the threats I made are real. If he retaliates we can contact the police. I… already have. You’ll see.” I looked at him in shock and felt my stomach drop. “Don’t worry, it’s not what you think.”

I bit my lip apprehensively, unsure of what he could mean. We sat in silence for a moment and I just let him hold me. The knot was still in my stomach but the fear was gone… I felt so safe. To my surprise a car pulled up to the curb beside us and Chris pulled away to look at me.

“We should go. You shouldn’t be sitting out in the cold here.” He took his jacket off and wrapped it around my shoulders. I tried to stand but the combination of nerves and my injuries from the fall kept me on the ground. He immediately moved back to me and offered his arm. He helped me stand and lead me to the waiting vehicle.

I had absolutely no idea where he had gotten it from. I could see two figures in the front through the dim windows and was utterly confused. He helped me inside and pulled my seat belt in place because my hands were still shaking violently. Mimi poked her head around from the passenger seat which sparked my curiosity of the identity of the driver.

”Julie… You can’t go running off like that.” She said, worriedly. “Did you hurt yourself?” I shook my head. Compared to the injury to my mind, the scrapes on my knees felt like nothing.

“That boy is truly a cruel person. He had no remorse over what he’d done. But I think what I said may have done the trick. More importantly,” said the familiar deep male voice from behind the driver’s seat, “Julie, dear, are you alright?”

My heart stopped as he leaned around the seat and I realized who he was. Chris had and arm around me and I tried to pull away. This was what we were fighting to avoid. Why was no one concerned? Why did no one seem care that it was Chris’ father in the front seat?

--

I’m really sorry that it’s taken me this long to update…
I don’t have an excuse. I mean, I have been doing quite a lot of things but I wasn’t neglecting this story. I’ve just had troubles finishing it with some emotional issues I’ve had to deal with. But they are now out of the way and the story is flowing a lot easier than it was before.

There are fairly major changes throughout, so it’s worth a reread. Things flow a lot better now and I’ve tried to eliminate all grammatical/spelling errors.

Chapters will most definitely becoming quicker now that I’m able to write without worries again!

I hope you enjoy this and expect a new chapter soon! Reviews are always welcome!