Status: New !
Kristie, Are You Doing Okay?
1.
Crimson colored blood trickled down my arm as the razor cut deep into my skin. Pain eased its way out of my veins and down onto my bedroom’s carpet. I began to feel light-headed and decided to lay down on my bed and ignoring the tap on my door.
“Kristie Annabelle Morrison! Open the goddamn door right now!” my dad slurred.
He was an alcoholic. Scratch that, he was worse than an alcoholic, he was a substance abuser. If he wasn’t at work he was at our town’s local bar drinking his problems away. I continued to ignore him, maybe if he didn’t think I was home then he wouldn’t break down the door.
“I know you’re in there,” he slurred again.
I quietly tried to clean up my blood and climb out my window. Even from outside I could hear my dad banging on my door. I started the car and drove to my best friend Charlie’s house. She knew about my family trouble and offered time and again to let me stay with her but I knew it wouldn’t be fair to my little brother Gable. Half way to Charlie’s house my boyfriend’s ringer rang signaling him calling. Even though he wasn’t as bad as my dad he was still abusive. It started with a slap of rage. I know he didn’t mean to, well that’s what I told myself. He was just angry about losing the football game. But then a slap turned into a push which turned into a punch which eventually turned into a full on beating. I probably should have told someone but no one would believe me. Brody Foreman was our town’s star. He was everything from star quarterback to the president of his senior class. Girls loved him, guys wanted to be friends with him, and teachers begged to have him in their classes. That was the personality he had at school, he had everyone fooled. Back on the first day of my junior year I was excited when Charlie told me that Brody Foreman was going to ask me out. Dating a senior would make me even more popular, what could have been better than that? By lunch time he came up to my table and asked me on a date; the rest was history. If I had known what I knew now I wouldn’t have even gone there. I knew I should’ve gotten myself out of the relationship but I was even more terrified of him than my dad.
“Where are you?” he asked without greeting.
“Going to Charlie’s,” I said pulling into her driveway.
“Come over,” he demanded, “ You’re always with her. How about you spend some time with your boyfriend.”
Lie. I was always with him, “I promised her that I would help her with her homework. What if we hang out later?”
“No, now.”
“Okay.”
His voice sounded angry, I pulled out of Charlie’s driveway and headed down towards his house. He opened the door with a kiss and led me upstairs to his room.
“What’s so- ”
I didn’t get a chance to finish before he was trying to make out with me. I wanted him to stop but my five foot four inches and hundred pounds was no match for his six foot, one hundred fifty-eight pound body.
“S-stop,” I said in between breaths.
Brody pounded the wall behind me but stopped, “What! Now you don’t wanna make out? We never do anything; we sit here and talk about stupid shit. I’m so over this.”
His pressure never stopped causing me to loose circulation against my throat. His fingers were digging into the back of my neck causing me to whimper out of pain.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked softly.
Not knowing if it was a trick question or not, I nodded my head silently begging him to stop. His gripped softened and he backed away.
“I-I’m sorry,” he apologized, “Kristie, I’m sorry.”
Tears were forming in his eyes and for once he actually did look guilty for hurting me. He sat down on my bed and placed his head inside his trembling hands.
“What’re we coming to?” he questioned, “This is all my fault.”
I could all ready see a bruise forming around my wrist and when I touched my neck there was blood on my fingers. This was by far not the worse I had gotten from him and not the easiest. He sat on the bed with a faraway look in his eyes.
“This is going to stop,” he promised, “I-I’m not gonna do this to you anymore.”
I couldn’t look him in the eyes; he said the same thing every single time after he hit me and nothing changed. It was like he thought by telling me that he was going to change it would make me stay with him longer. I only stayed with him out of fear of what he would do if I broke up with him. Brody stood up from the bed and came closer to me, by instinct I flinched. He took a step away from me. Every day I thought about what would happen if I left him. Would he be fine with it? Probably not. I’ve seen him on the football field; he was even more vicious out there than he was to me. I could hear the downstairs door slam shut signaling that his mom was home from work.
“Anybody home?” I heard her call up.
“Yeah just me and Kristie,” he shouted back down.
“Come help me with the groceries!”
Brody walked towards me and gave me a quick kiss then ran down the stairs to help his mom unload the groceries. I walked to his bathroom and took a good luck at myself. Mascara ran halfway down my face and my eyes looked a little red and puffy. I quickly washed my face and followed him downstairs.
“Kristie Annabelle Morrison! Open the goddamn door right now!” my dad slurred.
He was an alcoholic. Scratch that, he was worse than an alcoholic, he was a substance abuser. If he wasn’t at work he was at our town’s local bar drinking his problems away. I continued to ignore him, maybe if he didn’t think I was home then he wouldn’t break down the door.
“I know you’re in there,” he slurred again.
I quietly tried to clean up my blood and climb out my window. Even from outside I could hear my dad banging on my door. I started the car and drove to my best friend Charlie’s house. She knew about my family trouble and offered time and again to let me stay with her but I knew it wouldn’t be fair to my little brother Gable. Half way to Charlie’s house my boyfriend’s ringer rang signaling him calling. Even though he wasn’t as bad as my dad he was still abusive. It started with a slap of rage. I know he didn’t mean to, well that’s what I told myself. He was just angry about losing the football game. But then a slap turned into a push which turned into a punch which eventually turned into a full on beating. I probably should have told someone but no one would believe me. Brody Foreman was our town’s star. He was everything from star quarterback to the president of his senior class. Girls loved him, guys wanted to be friends with him, and teachers begged to have him in their classes. That was the personality he had at school, he had everyone fooled. Back on the first day of my junior year I was excited when Charlie told me that Brody Foreman was going to ask me out. Dating a senior would make me even more popular, what could have been better than that? By lunch time he came up to my table and asked me on a date; the rest was history. If I had known what I knew now I wouldn’t have even gone there. I knew I should’ve gotten myself out of the relationship but I was even more terrified of him than my dad.
“Where are you?” he asked without greeting.
“Going to Charlie’s,” I said pulling into her driveway.
“Come over,” he demanded, “ You’re always with her. How about you spend some time with your boyfriend.”
Lie. I was always with him, “I promised her that I would help her with her homework. What if we hang out later?”
“No, now.”
“Okay.”
His voice sounded angry, I pulled out of Charlie’s driveway and headed down towards his house. He opened the door with a kiss and led me upstairs to his room.
“What’s so- ”
I didn’t get a chance to finish before he was trying to make out with me. I wanted him to stop but my five foot four inches and hundred pounds was no match for his six foot, one hundred fifty-eight pound body.
“S-stop,” I said in between breaths.
Brody pounded the wall behind me but stopped, “What! Now you don’t wanna make out? We never do anything; we sit here and talk about stupid shit. I’m so over this.”
His pressure never stopped causing me to loose circulation against my throat. His fingers were digging into the back of my neck causing me to whimper out of pain.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked softly.
Not knowing if it was a trick question or not, I nodded my head silently begging him to stop. His gripped softened and he backed away.
“I-I’m sorry,” he apologized, “Kristie, I’m sorry.”
Tears were forming in his eyes and for once he actually did look guilty for hurting me. He sat down on my bed and placed his head inside his trembling hands.
“What’re we coming to?” he questioned, “This is all my fault.”
I could all ready see a bruise forming around my wrist and when I touched my neck there was blood on my fingers. This was by far not the worse I had gotten from him and not the easiest. He sat on the bed with a faraway look in his eyes.
“This is going to stop,” he promised, “I-I’m not gonna do this to you anymore.”
I couldn’t look him in the eyes; he said the same thing every single time after he hit me and nothing changed. It was like he thought by telling me that he was going to change it would make me stay with him longer. I only stayed with him out of fear of what he would do if I broke up with him. Brody stood up from the bed and came closer to me, by instinct I flinched. He took a step away from me. Every day I thought about what would happen if I left him. Would he be fine with it? Probably not. I’ve seen him on the football field; he was even more vicious out there than he was to me. I could hear the downstairs door slam shut signaling that his mom was home from work.
“Anybody home?” I heard her call up.
“Yeah just me and Kristie,” he shouted back down.
“Come help me with the groceries!”
Brody walked towards me and gave me a quick kiss then ran down the stairs to help his mom unload the groceries. I walked to his bathroom and took a good luck at myself. Mascara ran halfway down my face and my eyes looked a little red and puffy. I quickly washed my face and followed him downstairs.
♠ ♠ ♠
*Newly Submitted/Revised!*