To Write Love on His Arms

I wake up to the sound of Atticus screaming. The sound cuts through the still silence of the house and Lyn starts to bark her feet scampering down the hallway and into my room. I get up quickly from my spot on the couch, still wearing the clothes from earlier and I dash to my room. Atticus' sobs fill my ears followed by him repeating words.

"Please no, god no. Please. Stop, just stop, please." The words escape himself shakily as he begs and whimpers. "Atticus." I coo, sitting on the bed and pulling his small body into my lap. "Shh Atticus." I whisper to him as his hands clutch onto my shirt and he cries in my shoulder.

My heart squeezed in my chest as my stomach turned, not enjoying hearing the boy I loved cry. I cooed to him, rocking him back and forth as I rubbed his bare back. Atticus just sobbed. The worse part of this situation was that I didn't understand what was causing his tears. Just after we passed the guy on the road. How could he have something to do with this though? I never found out the whole story about Atticus' past.

"Sunshine." I cooed, my hands gently prodding his head out from being tucked in my neck. "Look at me love." I whispered, cupping his face in my hands and wiping his tears. Atticus whimpered, his eyes red and filled with tears. Lyn whined and jumped of the bed, waiting for me to fix this situation. "Atty, love, explain to me why you're crying please. I don't like seeing you like this, it breaks my heart." I whispered to him, leaning my forehead against his and wiping the tears from his face again.

Atticus bottom lip trembled and he pulled away from me, sliding off my lap and sitting at the very end of the bed. He stared at his hands in his lap and just sat there, trying to keep his sobs in. "I-i-it sta-started when I w-w-was seventeen." He began, his voice wavering lightly. I scooted closer to him, his voice so quiet I had barely heard him.

"I was so young, naive and gullible. I was walking home one day, because it was my parents anniversary and I wanted to leave the house so they could have their special day without me there. I was walking down the street, near all these shops and there was this shop that had always caught my eye. It was called The Hatter and I decided to walk in. But the second I opened the door, someone else was walking out and we clashed heads." Atticus sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, letting his hand fall back to his side. I grabbed his hand and intertwined our fingers.

"I was such a dork." Atticus mused, chuckling. "I ran into a boy named Isaiah. The same boy we had almost hit in the car. He looked exactly the same two years ago, except he constantly wore a stripped hoodie and his hair was dyed black. He and I both apologized in unison and I fell for him, in that second." The boy beside me shook his head and side, squeezing my hand and I squeezed back, encouraging him to continue. "So after he helped me back to my feet and he and I both apologized to each other a million times, he asked me out on a date and I said yes. I went home and told my mom about it and she was supportive. After Isaiah and I went on the date though, we went on more. He was always so sweet and such a gentle men that I thought I loved him." Atticus let go of my hand and punched the bed.

"We became official. People t school found out too, he was in my grade and everyone warned me about him. They always said that he screamed sinister and murder. I'd just laugh at them though and assure them that he was normal. But he wasn't normal." Atticus dug his fingers into the comforter. "It started six months after us being together. He s lapped me, just because I had stepped on his shoe. I just ignored it though but soon he began to push my around and when other guys looked at me he'd force a kiss on me. I didn't like it. But then he'd be so sweet to me and apologize so I'd always let it slide, I thought he loved me."

"Then things escalated and he began to push my friends away, he made me get rid of him. Isaiah brainwashed me think that I didn't need them and he was all I needed to focus my attention. MY mother began noticing the bruises and slap marks but I told her it was just me being a klutz, she didn't fall for it though. I just ignored what she said and kept seeing him. Eventually after we graduated, he convinced me to more in with him and I did." Atticus whimpered and grabbed my hand, scooting closer to me, I ran my fingers through his hair.

"Things got really bad then. He always beat me up when I came home from being out and he made me stop visiting my parents. He almost drowned me, he slapped my, he twisted my wrists and ankles. He pushed me into a closet for days. Isaiah knew my greatest fear was the dark and he'd throw me down in the attic for days, until I couldn't talk for two weeks. He forced himself on me, he raped me and he, he fucking carved this into me." Atticus stood up, and turned on the light, pointing at the words written across his stomach. "Beautiful art, isn't it Atticus?" Atticus mocked, his voice sounding crazed and insane.

"Then I'd cut myself and he got so pissed off." Atticus showed me his wrist, one slice bigger than the others. "I cut myself once, knowing he didn't like it and he went insane. Isaiah pushed me to the floor and grabbed me by my hair and dragged me down the stairs and into the attack. He beat me up until i couldn't move and raped me repeatedly, making sure each plunge into my hurt more than the last. I screamed until it hurt to much to breath and he just left me there, naked. He just left one of his shirts there and I put it on, disgusted by the stench of him. " Atticus fell to his knees and began to sob. I quickly took him into my arms, rage bubbling in my stomach and running through my veins.

I wanted Isaiah dead.

"My-my mom had been trying to call me, trying to talk to me so much. And I realized Isaiah had left his phone there so I called her but when I heard he was coming back down I slid the phone across the room and banged my head against the wall. I though I had lost my chance to escape but the call went through. " Atticus gasped as his fingers dug into my skin.

"Isaiah made me look at myself in a mirror. A-and having t-to s-s-see the d-d-damage that had been done was the worst feeling ever. He then lunged at me, making the mirror shatter and shards to dig into my skin. I screamed bloody murder though as he started shoving the shards of glass into my skin. June it hurt so much.." Atticus pushed himself into me and I wrapped him up in my arms, holding him as close as possible as I kissed his hand and ran my hands up and down his arms.

"The call went through and my mom had to endure hearing me scream, the cops sat beside her and traced the call but once Isaiah heard the sirens, he ran. He left me there. When the medics came they said it was a miracle I was alive, June. I was suppose to be dead." I Just held Atticus close to me, the past he had to endure not hitting me yet and I just rocked him back and forth.

Atticus broke down again, until he couldn't breath and he was gasping. I just sang to him again and rubbed his back until he was fast asleep.

I wanted that son-of-a-bitch dead.