Hate, Love, and Sex Appeal

I desperately dabbed my throbbing face with the extra paper towels Riley had forced me to take, despite the prickles of pain that angrily lashed at my mind as its target as I did so. The ferocious bleeding had nearly halted, however, was still present. The frosty ice had melted in my tight grip, but it didn’t seem to have given much of an aid to begin with. I gently pressed two fingers to my face, I didn’t dare press any harder, fear gripping at me like a desperate cloth. The swelling beneath and around my tearing eyes had doubled by a landslide and was tender and burning to the touch.
Well, this isn’t noticeable.
I don’t think there was anyway to perfectly disguise a broken face, that seemed genuinely clear to me, anyway.
The gritty sand penetrated the insides of my shoe as I walked along, quite alone.
Dizziness rocked my brain harder then the music my ears could still hear blaring from the house. The cone-shaped waves softly yet violently struck the land with it’s body and withered away in white soapy foam. The moon shone it’s bright glitter glimmer across the ocean’s skin with all it’s might. It was almost like therapy after what I’d been through. Cloudless sky tangled with collections of stars.
My head spun me in circles until I finally decided to rest. The pier was clearly in view, I was nearly there. It wouldn’t kill me to sit for five minutes, in the least.

Sleep was gradually claiming my eyes but I didn’t dare fall asleep. The scenery around me made it seem as though I was looking through somebody’s deformed glasses. Everything blurred together, edges no longer clearly defined like marble. Tissues of my stomach ached and the fuming acid that laced the insides of my stomach burned and bubbled, I felt it rising in my throat. The foul bile scorched my esophagus as I leaned forward into an oncoming gentle wave.
I gently wiped my mouth of remnants of whatever had been in my stomach and held onto myself, as if I were the glue that I needed.
I need to get home now, I need a hospital, there’s something wrong.
I felt my insides churn at the thought of a hospital. I didn’t know what Logan could have done to me when he let his wrath unfold in the form of an aching blow to my face. But there was something not right, you didn’t puke after breaking your nose, did you?
My entire body ached, it craved a soft bed with cotton touch. It desperately craved to feel as though nothing was wrong like it had before. My neck was stiff as cardboard and my arms felt like stretched rubber bands, stressed from being shot. However, I had to get up. It was needed, it was desperate, it was inevitable that I needed to seek medical attention.
I slowly stood up as carefully as I could. The lightheaded-ness returned as quickly as it had disappeared; literally forcing my frame to go back down, but I fought against my body’s need for it’s own benefit.
Salty tears streaked the side of my face, make-up with it; at least to my best guess. Everything hurt. I wanted someone here with me to drag me along the beach. Somebody, anybody to tell me that I’d make it. Doubt knowingly teased my defenseless mind with it’s cruel presence.

The very pit of my stomach again dropped like a dagger in a murder movie. Not the same way as it had before. The small hairs on the back of my neck elevated from where the were. Piranhas attacked my stomach as I continued putting one foot in front of the other. I glanced around me and tuned into listening to every acute sound that was possible to exist. Nobody’s here. No sane person is out on the beach right now with me. Yeah, but it’s the insane ones that you have you worry about.
The uneasiness grew as I continued walking in hastened pace. Instincts were kicking in and, for once, I was going to listen, they knew better than I did at this point. I was underneath the pier, cloaked with shadow, no moon showing through the underbelly of the boardwalk.

“Baby, the party wasn’t over.”
Something told me to continue walking, but there was no way I wasn’t keeping everything in my vision, as terrible as it had become.
Logan, dressed in a blackened eye with his hand residing in his sweatshirt pocket, stood menacingly with three larger boys, the three leaders of the pack from the beach.
“Logan, the police are looking for you. Get out of here,” I warned, needing him to be away from me.
“They won’t find me here, don’t worry,” he jeered, tilting his head and continuing to stare at me.
“You don’t know that.”
“Hey, baby, where’s your boyfriend at? You didn’t think I wouldn’t recognize you, did you? I can’t forget something that strikes a chord with me, babe.”
The tallest one spoke up, the one who had grabbed me, the one that completely terrified me.
“Boyfriend? What are you talking about, Steve-o?” Logan whipped his head around to him, confused.
Everything ached, this wasn’t happening. It couldn’t happen now.
“Her boyfriend. He’s tall, black hair, weird voice…”
Logan chuckled, little did he know it sent shivers down my aching spine. Rattling bone in glass.
“Don’t tell me Gerard’s your boyfriend. What the hell is that all about Bri?” He smirked as he continued,
“I thought you hated him, huh? Thought you couldn’t stand to be near him?”
“He’s a hell of a lot more decent then you, Logan.”
“Really?” He stepped forward, carefully balanced like a shark in water, ready to attack.
“Yes, really.”
I took a step backwards out from under the pier’s shadow. The moon’s light shown my figure for all that it was. One girl, barely able to stand, standing five foot three against four boys. Any onlooker could tell this was trouble. I prayed that there was an onlooker, anywhere, seeing this happening, coming to help.
The tallest one squinted and cocked his head to the side, confusion thrusted upon his facial features.
“What happened to your face, angel?”
“Why don’t you ask your best friend there. I’m sure he can tell you all about it,” I spat through my teeth, aching as I clenched them together in frustration.

He turned to Logan who continued to watch me, never loosing a glance or bat an eyelash.
“Messed you up all pretty, huh, Bri? You should have kept your mouth shut, like a good little girl. You wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” His brass voice fortified his drunken slur almost instantly.
“Dude…”
Their faces immediately gave them away as they contorted with confusion, looking from Logan to my mangled face.
My teeth clamped down on the inside of my bottom lip. What’s happening? He’s not the type of guy to just talk; I had learned that the hardest way possible. I was backing up slowly, almost unnoticeably.
He continued to walk forward, his olive eyes danced along my body yet never left my eyes.
“What the hell did you do to Frank, Logan?” I shot out, angst beating against my chest like a broken drum.

“Knew that little fucker couldn’t keep his mouth shut. It’s funny, I thought he cared more about you.”
“He didn’t tell me anything but to stay away from you.”
I shrank back as I continued to stray backwards, his advance still continuing. The others followed him yet not as convincingly as they had before, eyes still glued to the mess on my face.
“Sure he didn’t. So why didn’t you listen to him, baby?” His tone, frosted enough to received frost bite.
“To tell you to stay away from him, Logan.”
He laughed a forced laugh as he grew closer.
“Oh, he broke his promise, hun. There’s no way I can stay away now. You think what I did to him was bad? He’ll beg for death after I’m done with him. I’ll follow up on every word I said to him, don’t test that.”
“What the hell did you tell him?”
“Nothing special. Don’t worry your pretty little face about it. Although, you’re making him go through it worse, you know. You didn’t listen to me.”
His last words forced through gritted teeth as he grew even closer, no less than ten feet away.
“You were going to rape me, Logan. What the hell was I suppose to do? Let you?”
I asked, my voice traced in venom. I blinked a few times as searing tears ripped apart my eyes and gently glided downward, half soothing the pain of my swollen everything.
He laughed once more, revealing the small shot gun from his pocket after he was finished.

I stood frozen. Fear jolted down my spines like eels swimming in the circulations of my veins.
My hands automatically raised as if they could do anything to stop a speeding bullet from penetrating my paper-thin skin.
“That’s all it took to make you stop edging backwards? Thought that be harder.”
Logan hungrily licked his lips as he walked closer, his boys behind him, looking rather uneasy.
Not only was he now two feet away but the cold metal bite of a gun was waiting to be shot.
My solid eyes looked up at his as he smiled like a Cheshire cat with pupils the size of dimes.

“I really did do a number on you, didn’t I?” He stated, rather to himself than anyone, his free hand tracing my bruises lightly, wiping a tear from it’s route.
“Something to be proud of, Logan? You beat girls often after trying to get into their pants?” I asked coldly.
“I would expect you to be nicer to me. Because this gun can rip your insides apart with the flick of finger and it’s in my hands, not yours.”
My breathing heightened and it felt as if I were the ocean, swaying back and forth; not crashing to the ground, but so close.

“Brianna!”
My eyelids pulled back in surprise but never looked away from Logan, who swiveled his glance towards the origin of the shout.
“Put the fucking gun down, Logan. Are you insane?”
I allowed myself to snag a glance at both Frank and Gerard. Their shocked expressions magically appeared like the flash of photography.
“Did he…” Gerard signaled towards me and I understood.
I briefly nodded and my head went into overdrive with more pain.
“You’re a f-”
A strong arm found it’s way around my neck and the gun’s mouth was at my temple, licking the skin to torment me.
“I wouldn’t move if I were you, Gerard. See, the gun? It’s loaded. You want your girlfriend dead?”
He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes froze on the metal killer nearly glued to the side of my head.
“Leave her alone!”
Frank hesitated on his step.
“Frank.” Logan chuckled as he repeated his name several times as he shook his head.
“What did we talk about, hm? You forget what I told you? You really don’t like Bri as much as I thought, then.”
His threatening words reeked of forest fire in the making. Getting louder and louder with each syllable that passed his drug-laced lips. He pressed the gun deeper into my head. I gripped at his arm, it was the only thing keeping me standing. His body pressed against mine as I felt myself violently shake.
“No! No, leave her alone,” Frank replied with traces of how terrified he was leaking through his bulging eyes.
“You should have fucking listened, Frank.”
“No! Just…leave her alone. I swear, I didn’t say anything. Just let her go, please. Put the gun down, and let her go. We can talk about it,” Frank reasoned as he cautiously moved forward towards where we stood.
“Move any closer and her death’ll be on you.”

“Logan, what has she ever done to you?” Gerard stepped in and held Frank back by his arm. “She’s done nothing but care for you and stick up for you. Why should you put the gun to her head, man? She isn’t my girlfriend, by the way. I-”
Logan forced a laugh as he regripped the gun and pulled me closer, backing up away towards the shadows of the pier.
“Logan, dude, come on,” Steve-o said, almost against himself. “She isn’t worth killing over, man. The cops’ll hear that shot and you’ll be in jail.”
“Shut up,“ Logan shouted, gun shaking in his grasp.
“Logan, please, just let me go,” I whined, half hoping that he would listen.
“You, shut your mouth, alright? You’ve done enough for one night.”
His grip found my neck and he thrusted me against one of the pier’s poles. Choking me, gagging me. Everything in my back rattled. It felt like my neck snapped into shattered bones.
“Don’t any of you move closer. I will kill her.”
My desperate hands clung to the one ringing around my neck like a lethal necklace.
“If I can’t have you, why should anybody else?” He manically glared into my eyes, tightening his already suffocating grip.
“Logan, let me go and put the gun away,” I choked, wreathing beneath his grasp, my small hands trying to unclench his.
“Answer me!” He yelled furiously, inches away from my face.

It happened too quickly to comprehend.
I opened my mouth to give him his desired response when his body was viscously thrown forward, my neck relieved from the harsh grip. Steve-o had tackled him down into the beach’s hold and wrestled him for the gun.
“Bri, we have to get you out of here. We need the police.”
Gerard was running over to me with Frank on his heel.
There was a piercing bang and an excruciated yell, both splintered the night sky with their blows.
I swiveled around, pivoting in complete fear.
My eyes went wide as the scene unfolded in front of me.
“Lo…Logan, what did you do?”
Steve-o laid groaning on the ground, his massive hands covered a splattered crimson mess, gushing from his leg, sand soaking up the liquid as it poured. His two friends surrounding him. Shell-shocked mouths gaping open.
“He’ll live. And don‘t you get any closer.”
He swiped at the scarlet liquid on his face and continued to glare at me after warning both Frank and Gerard.
My pulse was like a raging river, coursing around me rapidly. It was more than enough to send me reeling. My fingers felt like they were liquid themselves. My legs were as supportive as dead jelly fish washed upon shore.
“Oh, knock it off Logan. Put the gun away.”
“Shut up, Bri. I said you’ve done enough tonight. What’s a small girl like you gunna do, huh? Gunna beat me up? It‘s your own fault you are where you’re at right now.”
My blood boiled beneath my skin.
“No, Logan. It’s not. And you know what? I don’t need this right now. You just nearly killed your best friend, you tried killing me. That’s it. You have problems, you need help, Logan. And you know what this little girl is going to do? She’s going to walk away like she should have done quite some time ago.”

It happened all too quickly.
I felt the smooth hilt of a knife press into my hand, feeling cold in my too warm grasp. Logan lunged forward, towards me, with a start. The yells hit my senses but they fell on deaf ears. Instead of running in the other direction, I ran straight at him with everything that I had left in me. There was little point in running away now. It felt as if everything had been put into slow motion, yet it happened as quick as a pin drop. I went for his middle as we collided and buried the thick blade of the knife into his thigh. There was a deafening bang shattering more of the sky, pieces falling around, blood sparkling with the glitter-set moon and then…there was nothing.
Everything went cold stone black.