It's Not A Love Song

“Leon why are you yelling at me?” I shouted to his shaking angry frame, “I haven’t done anything wrong. You’re the one who’s cheating on me!”

“Cheating on you?” He roared charging towards me. Leon tackled me to the floor, pain erupted through my back as he straddled my small frame.

He drew his fist back and punched me in the cheek bone and eye. I screamed out in pain and attempted to block my face, continuing to scream. He punched me again and again while I writhed about underneath his muscular body. After realising my screams he punched me into the stomach, knocking the wind out of my body leaving me unable to breathe properly.

Leon roughly grabbed my face and snarled like a raging lion. “Scream again and I’ll kill you.”

His hand covered my mouth rendering me unable to breathe even more. My lungs pumped out jaded breaths through my nose and some through my bleeding mouth. I could only see partially now, my eyes welled with frightened tears as he stared at me, eyes burning with rage.

Slowly he removed his hand from my mouth and I immediately let out the loudest scream I could muster. His hand connected with my cheek in a violent and brutal slap against my cheek. I watched with wide eyes as he grabbed a shirt that was laying on the sofa to his right and began to shove it into my mouth, in hopes that it would stop the screams.

He was going to kill me, this wasn’t supposed to happen to me.

I had to get away from him. I choked relentlessly on the shirt in my mouth, I bit down on it stopping it from going down my throat. I raised my hand though it felt like I couldn’t lift it at all and reached for a plate that had been left on the sofa from earlier in the day. With all the strength I could muster I whacked it around his head.

He wobbled giving me the chance to push him off me and stand up. I pulled the shirt from my mouth and inhale a lung full of air, wheezing as it came in and out shakily. I grabbed a pan from the sink and hit him around the head with it, knocking him down to his hands and knees.

Run. I had to run.

I tripped over my own feet as I ran through the bus and to the door. I tugged it open and slammed it shut. As fast as my feet would take me I ran, crying and scared for my life, into the venue and down the corridors.

Joe. I had to find Joe.

I saw a line of teenage girls from where I stood in the middle of the corridor. Passing crew members stared at me in disbelief and so did the queue of girls who were all whispering amongst each others suddenly not focused on meeting the Jonas Brothers.

Meeting. That was the queue for the meet and greet.

My feet took off running again towards the door where Jeff, one of the security stood. “Julia!” He shouted as I ran towards him.

I looked to the floor to see blood dripping from me, I didn’t know where though and I didn’t care. I pushed past Jeff and ran into the room. The whole of the room was suddenly dead quiet and looking at me. Joe stood talking to a fan with his brothers, he dropped the pen he was holding.

In my blind panic I ran over to him and into his arms, I began to babble in my confused state. I put my shaking hands on his face.

“I should have told you before but he told me he loves me and that he wouldn’t do it again but he kept doing it Joe. He kept hurting me and now he says he’s going to kill me.” I cried in despair. “Don’t let him kill me, Joe. Don’t let him kill me. Don’t let him kill me.” I chanted gripping onto his shaken frame.

“I won’t, I won’t.” He assured me, gripping onto my aching frame.

I gripped onto his torso as he lowered the both of us to the floor, cradling me into him. Suddenly, there was shouting and screaming coming from the open door. I looked to the door and saw Leon there, trying to get past Jeff.

I screamed, utterly terror-stricken. “Don’t let him kill me!” I shouted to Joe, “Please, I’m begging you.”

Big Rob ran towards Jeff and grabbed Leon by the arm then flung him to the floor. He ruggedly grabbed him along with Jeff and took him out of the room and away from me.

“Don’t worry he won’t get near you. Never again.” Joe promised, kissing my forehead and holding my head against his shoulder hidden from everyone.

I held onto him, my life depended on it. There was a constant hustle and bustle around me, I didn’t know what was going on. I knew my mom, Denise and Paul had come into the room but I didn’t focus on what they were saying. I just tried to relax into Joe’s arms but I was failing.

“What can you tell us son?” A strange, deep voice asked. I didn’t know who to though.

“She just ran in and started babbling to Joe and repeating ‘don’t let him kill me.’” Okay, so a strange man was talking to Nick.

I looked up to Joe’s still frightened face. “Joe.” I whispered, he snapped his attention to me as well as everyone else in the room. I wanted to be alone with Joe, there was too many things going on. “There’s too many people. I want to go.” I declared, a few tears rolling down my cheeks.

“Okay, I’ll take you to Jordin’s dressing room.”

I wondered why we couldn’t go to theirs but then I realised they had to put Leon somewhere. I shuddered at the thought and wrapped my arms around Joe’s neck as he stood up with me staggering as he got used to carrying me. I hid my face in is neck and closed my eyes, I didn’t want to see the look on people’s faces. The pity and the shame. I couldn’t handle it.

Jordin wasn’t in her dressing room but either way she wouldn’t mind. Joe sat down on the sofa and positioned me so I was on his lap and close to him.

Joe was upset, I could tell. I kept my face hidden in the crook of his neck so he couldn’t feel guilty but either way he did.

“It’s all my fault.” He whispered, gently snaking his hand around the back of my neck then lifting my head up to look at him.

I shook my head furiously, it hurt. I placed my hands either side of his face and rubbed my thumbs against his temples. “It’s not your fault. You can’t blame yourself, you hear me?”

“I knew there was something wrong with him, I should’ve… should’ve…”

I smiled softly, feeling the crusts of blood around the edges of my mouth move. I wiped them away quickly. “Done what? There’s nothing you could’ve done. If you locked me away I would have just escaped and ran back, Joe.”

He ground his teeth together, “You aren’t going to go back to him again are you?”

I shook my head, “Not anymore.”

“Good.” He smiled, showing his straight and perfectly white teeth.

I shrunk back down into his arms and relaxed, letting him soothe me. But we were interrupted by a policewoman coming into the room with Paul behind her. I noticed Jeff guarding the door and I sighed.

She sat down on the table in front of me with a clipboard and a smile. “Hello Juliana, I’m PC Gates. I was wondering if you could let us know what happened.”

Joe rubbed my back. “Will I only have to say it once?” I croaked looking to Paul and Joe, then the PC.

“Yes, if you tell me now then that can be your statement in court and you won’t need to go to the police station.” She said sweetly, still smiling holding out a voice recorder.

I nodded and let out a breath. “We started arguing around ten past three about me wanting to go places with my friends and the fact there was a girl texting him and calling him all the time. I asked him why he was yelling at me and said ‘you’re the one cheating on me’ and then… he just flipped.” Joe swiped away some tears from my cheeks. “He ran towards me and tackled me to the floor and punched me in the face three times and I kept screaming. Then he punched me in the stomach and covered my mouth then said something like ‘scream again and I’ll kill you.’”

I took in a shaky breath a she patted my thigh. “Take your time, sweetheart.”

“He, urm, he took his hand from my mouth and I screamed as loud as I could. He slapped me around the face then g-grabbed a shirt that was on the sofa to his right and shoved it in my mouth. I bit down on it so that it couldn’t go down my throat then quickly grabbed a plate and smashed it over his head. I pushed him off of me then took the shirt from my mouth, grabbed a pan and hit him over the head again then I ran into the venue.”

Joe’s fists were clenched around me and his face was filled with angst. “Officer, can I punch him? Just once?”

She chuckled, “Sorry son, don’t want you getting into any trouble.” The officer scribbled some more down onto her pad of paper then looked to me. “Did Leon ever touch you inappropriately?” I shook my head quickly, “And do you mind if I take a picture of your injuries in case of a court trial for evidence?”

“Not at all.” I mumbled to her. She pulled a digital camera out of her pocket and I closed my eyes for her, then I lifted up my shirt to show the bruises there and then she took one of my neck. “Thanks for co-operating with me and I think a doctor is waiting outside to sort you out.”

Paul escorted her out and I cuddled into Joe again. “Joe, I’m tired. But I don’t want you to leave me.”

“Let the doctor sort you out then we can have a sleep together? Sound good?” I nodded and he kissed my nose.

I smiled bashfully at him and rested my cheek against his, feeling some of his stubble against my cheek but relishing in the closeness between us. His soft hand landed on my cheek, I closed my eyes peacefully as he gently guided my face as it gently turned until my lips brushed over his. My body tingled as our lips rested against each others, not yet a kiss yet. My stomach screamed at this new sensation and my heart pounded like a drum as we both pressed our lips against each others.

Every emotion intensified and every nerve in my body stood on end and tingled happily. The kiss was sweet, but we made it last.

I looked into his shining eyes, “Tell me this isn’t right.” Joe whispered, his voice breaking as he trailed a finger across my jaw.

“I can’t, I’d be lying.” I spoke back to him.