And She Was Strong.
15
Bones hit the floor. That’s all she was anymore, anyway. Her brown hair had been falling out for weeks, and although she’d tried to convince herself she was only stressed from work, she knew it was more than that. He’d taken her and called it punishment for not loving him anymore, and that was the final straw. There was no more playing the quiet game.
It was either get out, or become so entangled in him that she’d never find her way out.
He shoved her down onto the hardwood floor as he chased her toward the front door, her only salvation; her head hit the wood and she coughed. Air wouldn’t reach her lungs fast enough, and she struggled to pick herself up off the floor.
“What the fuck were you doing?” Jeremy shouted. He came downstairs with heavy footsteps, spit flying from his lips, not giving two shits whether or not she was breathing.
“Leave me alone!” she shouted.
There was something inside her that lit as the words left her lips - it was the first time she had ever said anything that had implied she was fed up, that she had had enough, that she was done putting up with everything he had done to her and was telling him to stop. Finally, the words left her lips, even if they were too late and he wasn’t listening. He never had, for the record, and he never would as long as they were living under the same roof.
“You listen here,” he said as he reached the bottom of the steps. He walked to the place she lay, crumpled on the floor and shaking as she attempted to stand; the steps she’d been pushed down were jagged and jutted out from each other, and her head had hit each one as she was knocked to the bottom, right in front of the doorway.
Jeremy grabbed her hair and pulled her head upward to meet his eyes. She cried out in pain he ripped some of it out.
“You aren’t going anywhere. You’re going to march right back up those steps and get to bed because I’m not ready to deal with you acting like a little bitch tonight. I’m tired. I’m going to bed, and when I fall asleep, you’d better be right there next to me, alright?”
She didn’t say anything for the longest time. So he just sat there, crouched near the floor and leaned in to look at her face.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said. “You make me feel like a dick for loving you.”
Lily couldn’t help it at that point.
She laughed.
And that only made him angrier.
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted at her. It must have been three in the morning. It was pitch-black and hard to see, but he could see the whites of her teeth shining in the glow of the moon as it crept through the windowpane beside the door. “Why the hell are you laughing?”
She just smiled wider.
“Because,” she said simply, “you just threw me down the stairs.” Her voice was strong, not one ounce of regret shone through it. “You slap me. You hit me. You touch me when I tell you no and pretend it’s all a game.” She pointed at the seam on her chin that dripped crimson from her trip down the steps. “Is this a game to you?”
The whole house stood silent. For the first time in the longest time, Jeremy didn’t know quite what to say. Was it the fact that he realized something was wrong, or that he had changed from the person he used to be? He couldn’t tell, and neither could Lily. Whatever the case was, he’d been quieted, and he released his grip on her hair.
He didn’t say one word before walking back upstairs and shutting the bedroom door.
Lily sat on the ground, bleeding from her chin. Her fingertips reached upward to greet it; hot liquid dripped onto her fingertips, and although the cut wasn’t deep, it was prominent.
She grabbed onto the wall and pried herself up onto her feet. Her legs shook and she felt sore all over. But she kept her head up high and walked out of the house.
And she knew exactly where she was going.
It was either get out, or become so entangled in him that she’d never find her way out.
He shoved her down onto the hardwood floor as he chased her toward the front door, her only salvation; her head hit the wood and she coughed. Air wouldn’t reach her lungs fast enough, and she struggled to pick herself up off the floor.
“What the fuck were you doing?” Jeremy shouted. He came downstairs with heavy footsteps, spit flying from his lips, not giving two shits whether or not she was breathing.
“Leave me alone!” she shouted.
There was something inside her that lit as the words left her lips - it was the first time she had ever said anything that had implied she was fed up, that she had had enough, that she was done putting up with everything he had done to her and was telling him to stop. Finally, the words left her lips, even if they were too late and he wasn’t listening. He never had, for the record, and he never would as long as they were living under the same roof.
“You listen here,” he said as he reached the bottom of the steps. He walked to the place she lay, crumpled on the floor and shaking as she attempted to stand; the steps she’d been pushed down were jagged and jutted out from each other, and her head had hit each one as she was knocked to the bottom, right in front of the doorway.
Jeremy grabbed her hair and pulled her head upward to meet his eyes. She cried out in pain he ripped some of it out.
“You aren’t going anywhere. You’re going to march right back up those steps and get to bed because I’m not ready to deal with you acting like a little bitch tonight. I’m tired. I’m going to bed, and when I fall asleep, you’d better be right there next to me, alright?”
She didn’t say anything for the longest time. So he just sat there, crouched near the floor and leaned in to look at her face.
“Don’t give me that look,” he said. “You make me feel like a dick for loving you.”
Lily couldn’t help it at that point.
She laughed.
And that only made him angrier.
“Shut the fuck up!” he shouted at her. It must have been three in the morning. It was pitch-black and hard to see, but he could see the whites of her teeth shining in the glow of the moon as it crept through the windowpane beside the door. “Why the hell are you laughing?”
She just smiled wider.
“Because,” she said simply, “you just threw me down the stairs.” Her voice was strong, not one ounce of regret shone through it. “You slap me. You hit me. You touch me when I tell you no and pretend it’s all a game.” She pointed at the seam on her chin that dripped crimson from her trip down the steps. “Is this a game to you?”
The whole house stood silent. For the first time in the longest time, Jeremy didn’t know quite what to say. Was it the fact that he realized something was wrong, or that he had changed from the person he used to be? He couldn’t tell, and neither could Lily. Whatever the case was, he’d been quieted, and he released his grip on her hair.
He didn’t say one word before walking back upstairs and shutting the bedroom door.
Lily sat on the ground, bleeding from her chin. Her fingertips reached upward to greet it; hot liquid dripped onto her fingertips, and although the cut wasn’t deep, it was prominent.
She grabbed onto the wall and pried herself up onto her feet. Her legs shook and she felt sore all over. But she kept her head up high and walked out of the house.
And she knew exactly where she was going.
♠ ♠ ♠
this story will probably end soon. it's gone on far too long, i believe. i guess if you want you can let me know what you think of this but i know that since it's so old, it's really cliche. i'm basically just writing it at this point to get it over with because i swore to myself once i started this one, i was going to finish it. and dammit, i'm going to finish it.