Living for the Music

“Get in the car,” Aaron ordered, taking long strides towards the parking lot. I followed him, quickly slipping inside. I quietly set my backpack on the floor, trying not to draw any of his attention. He shoved his keys in the ignition, turning them fiercely. The engine roared to life and we spun out of the parking lot.

I was quiet all the way to his house. I had been going out with Aaron for two years. I was used to this messed-up routine. A part of me wanted to get it over with – I knew that as soon as he’d gotten his anger out, he’d be the amazing boy I’d fallen in…. well, I’d fallen into something with him.

“Get out,” he said in a hard voice. I obeyed, unbuckling my seat belt with trembling hands before following him up the stairs, into the house, and towards his room. I sat meekly on the bed, letting him storm around the room.

“You let Seth read your writing,” he spat. “You’ve never let me touch the frickin’ notebook. And I know you and Seth weren’t working on a project, that day he took you home. Do you want to tell me exactly what you guys were doing in the car for an hour?”

“We were just talking,” I murmured. “That’s all, Aaron. I promise.”

“Your promises don’t mean much,” he shot back. “Didn’t you promise that all you were doing was working on a project?”

I was silent. His hand shot out and smacked my face. “Answer me!”

“I’m sorry, Aaron. But it’s just Seth. We’re just friends. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Nothing to worry about?” he repeated in a dangerously soft voice. “Is that a promise, Sophia?”

I bit my lip. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Aaron reached out and backhanded me across the face. I fell backwards and pain streaked through my body as I slammed my head against the wooden bed frame. Black dots danced in front of my eyes and I took a deep, shuddering breath.

“You know what people are saying?” Aaron murmured, looming over me. “They’re saying that you and Seth are more than friends. That you’ve never been just friends.” He glared at me, clearly expecting an answer.

“They’re just jealous,” I mumbled.

“Of what?” he asked. “You think that being your friend is some big honor?”

I couldn’t come up with a reply. If I said yes, he’d accuse me of being a snob. If I said no, he’d assume….

It didn’t matter. Aaron didn’t give me anytime to think of a safe answer. His hand shot out again and I felt it connect with my stomach. I doubled over, gasping for breath. He grabbed my hair roughly, forcing my head up. I met his furious eyes, instinctively knowing there was no way I could calm his anger. I just had to ride out the storm.

I caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye and raised my hand in a weak effort to deflect the blow. Bad move. His fist struck my wrist with a sickening smack. I let out a small gasp of pain, instinctively curling into a ball, cradling my hurt wrist. The pain in my head faded, and I barely felt the blows that continued to rain down on me. All the nerves in my body seemed to be attached to this one small piece of bone.

I could feel Aaron slowing down, and I gradually became aware of the silence in the room. Everything was quiet, except for my occasional sobs. I slowly uncurled myself, wincing every time I moved my arm.

Aaron was staring at me, a measure of disbelief in his eyes. I couldn’t tell whether he was mad at himself, or at me. I cradled my arm protectively, just in case. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

I shook my head, silent tears streaming down my face. “Shit,” he murmured, taking a cautious step towards me.

I didn’t have the energy to back away. Besides, if he was talking to me, the worst was over. I let him come towards me and didn’t resist when he pulled me into a half-hug. “Is it your wrist?” he asked. “What happened?”

I let out a choked sob. He wasn’t actually trying to pretend to be oblivious, was he? “It hurts,” I whispered. “So bad.”

“It’ll be okay,” he replied, but I heard the worry in his voice. “Come on, let’s go downstairs and I’ll get some ice for you to put on it.”

I nodded, slowly following him down the hall. Aaron turned on lights as he went, and I got my first real look at the house. It was a lot prettier in the light – it made some of the foreboding shadows and unusual shapes disappear. I could see how this house could actually be a home, instead of just the place where my nightmares came to life.

Aaron pulled out a chair for me before turning to rummage around in the freezer. I sat back and watched him as he put some ice in a plastic bag and wrapped it in a dish cloth. “Your ice pack, madam,” he joked.

I wanted to slap him. How could he try to make me laugh, when this whole thing was his fault? Nonetheless, I held my wrist still so he could set the ice pack on it. I let out a hiss of breath through my teeth. It still hurt, no matter how gentle he was trying to be. I could tell it was going to be a long night filled with lots of painkillers.

“Do you think it’s broken?” Aaron asked. I heard a note of panic in his voice, despite his best efforts to keep it even.

I gritted my teeth as I moved it slightly. “I don’t think so,” I murmured, and I could hear his sigh of relief. “Probably just sprained.”

I didn’t want to think how that would’ve happened, if he really had simply hit it. At that moment, I would say anything that would get me out of a trip to the doctor’s office. “Here, I think we have something…” Aaron mumbled to himself, hurrying to look in a closet off the main hall. “Here it is.”

I glanced at the sling he handed to me. “My mom used this when she slipped and sprained her elbow. I can wrap your wrist, and you can use the sling so you don’t put too much pressure on it.”

I nodded silently, trying to ignore the throbbing pain that seemed to echo through my whole body. I could feel it in my head, my wrist, my back, as steady as a heart beat.

“I feel like I should wrap it now,” Aaron admitted, running a hand through his hair. It stuck up even more chaotically, and the style, which I normally would’ve found adorable, just annoyed me.

“Whatever you want,” I muttered.

He grabbed something else from the cabinet before shutting it and walking back to me. He knelt down in front of the chair and gently removed the ice pack. I winced as he picked up my wrist and held it straight.

“Can you hold it there for a minute?” he asked.

I nodded between gritted teeth and he began to wrap a brown Ace bandage around it. I bit my lip to keep from crying out, not wanting to show any more weakness. After he was satisfied with it, he stuck the metal clips in to keep it in place before grabbing the sling from the table next to me. He helped my lift my arm enough to slip it over my shoulder and settled my bandaged wrist inside. Finally, he placed the ice pack on top and tucked the edges down next to the sides of my wrist.

As he sat back to admire his handiwork, I let a few more tears fall down my cheek. “Are you okay?” he asked again. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Did it look like I was okay?

“I want to go home,” I admitted.

“You sure?” he asked, face falling slightly.

I nodded. “Okay,” he sighed. “Let me run grab the keys. I’ll drive you back.”

“Aaron?” I called as he headed back to the entryway. He paused, and I caught a glimpse of momentary hope on his face. “Can I have some Ibuprofen?”

He nodded again and came back into the kitchen. Reaching into one of the many cabinets, he drew out a white plastic bottle. He started to hand it to me, glanced at my wrist, and opened it himself. “How many?”

“Three,” I replied, quickly judging how quickly it would take effect.

He tipped them into his hand and grabbed a glass from the sink. He filled it with water before bringing both over to me. “Drink,” he ordered, holding the glass to my lips. I took a small sip, then opened my mouth slightly. He slipped the pills inside before putting the glass back up. I gagged slightly, but managed to swallow all three without spitting out the water or choking myself.

Aaron nodded in satisfaction and put the glass back on the counter. “I’ll be right back,” he promised. I let my head fall back against the chair, too tired to do anything but think. And even that hurt my brain.

My thoughts were very confuddled as I waited for Aaron. Finally, he returned and helped me out to the car. The drive seemed to fly by, and before I knew it was standing at the door to my house. I pushed the door open and walked upstairs, falling backwards onto my bed. The soft pillows were the best thing I’d felt in awhile. I felt myself drifting off…