When A Smile Hurts

I just ran. And again, I didn't stop.

I knew that he was waiting for me. I knew he'd be watching. So I went out the back way, and looked around. There in the parking lot, was the beat up red truck. My heart seemed to stop for a moment, my blood went cold, I became frozen. I was scared. I was actually scared.

_
"You worthless piece of shit!" he yelled at me. I tasted blood in my mouth. "You're nothin'! You shouldn't be here, you're fucking worthless!" I was on the floor, trying to curl into a ball to protect myself. God, it hurt everywhere. My ribs, my back, my head, my nose. It all hurt so much..

I felt him grab the back of my shirt, hauling me up and around to face him. He was pretty much holding me up. We both knew I couldn't even stand on my own two feet. I tried to struggle away, but he held me up by my throat. I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't see straight.

My eyes closed for a moment. Then again.

I felt him punch me right in the face, and I fell to the ground. He kicked me once more before taking a long drink from his beer.

I didn't know what was going on. I was too out of it. I was no longer here.

And then all I saw was that evil grin of his before I blacked out.

_

That memory had me in goosebumps, had me shivering. I was still standing here, outside the doors of the school, and staring at his truck.

I heard footsteps running up behind me, and I felt my stomach turning as I got nervous, scared. My chest was hurting from my heart beating so fast.

I tried to run again, the foot steps growing louder as they came closer. I realized I was shaking, making it near impossible to focus or move. I tried to force myself to think of where to go, afraid that maybe he'd follow me to the treehouse. Where do I go?

I looked around for a moment and saw a blu bike laying near a tree across the street, yet no one was near it. I didnt see any lock on it, and even though it was stealing, it was at least a way out of here.

I started to run towards it, praying that Mark would just turn back and give up on finding me, but something gave me a feeling that he already did..

As I got to the bike, I struggled to stand the bike up, but realized that the bike was actually chained to the tree. I winced and heard the footsteps coming closer, but they sounded as if they were running towards me.

I thought about yelling. Maybe fighting him before he got the chance to even touch me. But as I turned around, I felt someone crash into my chest.

It was Jamie.

I felt so relieved, happy to see her, and oddly I felt comforted by the sight of her.

And just as quickly, I was afraid again. I looked around the entire parking lot, searching for him, making sure he wasn't anywhere near us. What if he came and hurt Jamie? What if she somehow found out about him?

"Seth!" she looked up at me, but I was too busy looking around for Mark. I glanced down at her, gently held onto her arms and looked at her.

"What are you doing here? You should be inside, in class." I was almost desperate for her to leave so she wouldn't get hurt if he did show up.

"It's your dad," she said, her voice a little shaky. I became frozen again, waiting for her to go on. "He's looking for you. He was talking to me for a minute, but something about him just.... Didn't sit right. We have to go." I stared at her for a moment, wondering if she was telling the truth. Then when she looking away from, towards the dark and cloudy sky, I looked her over to make sure he hadn't done anything. Gladly, he didn't.

Jamie quickly grabbed my hand and we ran towards her car. "We have to go, he was looking for you when I had left," She said as we both got into the car and she started it up. "I saw him at the back exit of the school before I found you." That made me glance up at her as I was putting my seat belt on.

She wasn't behind me then?

As she sped out the parking lot, I looked back at the school and saw him there. He was standing just where I was when I was looking at his truck. He was watching us. He had to have been. Me and Mark stared at each other. And before we sped away from the school, I saw him nod at me.

He didn't do anything but stand there and give me a single nod.

And right then, I knew that it was a warning.