Don't Turn Around
Chapter 11
"I think maybe you should just go over there and see if she's home" Kimmy replied in response to my restlessness for the past hour.
I felt terrible, and if she just hear my side of the story I knew we'd be fine. Seeing Sutton's face last night was one of the hardest things to see, knowing that I was the one who caused her to feel so betrayed.
"She hasn't been responding to any of my texts or calls though" I replied, putting my face in my hands. We were sitting in my bedroom where we had spent most of the day lounging around and watching old 'Friends' re-runs to take my mind off things. It wasn't like Sutton to not respond, she never avoided for this long. She was a rational person, something seemed kind of off.
"You're right, I'll just go and see if she's home" I said finally, jumping off my bed and grabbing my car keys, still wearing my sweats.
"Call if you need anything" Kimmy added as I walked out my bedroom and headed down the stairs.
The ride over to Sutton's was nerve wracking, my heart was pounding. I just hoped that she had been sleeping all day and we could talk about what happened and everything would be alright. The familiar drive took about ten minutes and then I was parking on the road outside of the house she lived in. I walked down the side of the house to her side door and knocked.
No answer.
Unsure as to why, I just tried the door handle and luckily it was unlocked. Hey I was her best friend I was allowed to just walk in right?
"Sutton?" I called softly.
No reply.
I took a step inside and I swear my heart stopped in that moment as I took in what was in front of me.
"Sutton?! Oh my god" I said frantically, getting down on my knees to try and wake the unconscious girl in front of me.
"Sutton wake up please, please please you have to wake up" I said, panic rising quickly in my chest. It felt like I was being suffocated, this couldn't be happening.
Her eyelids started to flutter, "Oh my god, Sutton can you hear me? Wake up honey, its Leah, open your eyes!"
She opened her eyes and a look of confusion and terror flashed across her face.
"Its okay, you're okay, I'm calling the police" I said frantically, pulling the phone out of my back pocket.
"No" she said, mustering the strength to reach up and grab my free hand, "You can't" she croaked, "He'll kill me"
Then she just burst into tears, lying her head back down on the floor and covering her face with her hands. I pulled her towards me and cradled her in my lap for what felt like an hour while she cried. I managed to get a look at her face and it looked like he kicked her in the forehead, probably what knocked her out. I knew it was Ian, he was a psychopath, he probably burst right through her front door and did this to her without a second thought. What on earth were we going to do now though?
"Where does it hurt Sutton?" I said finally, trying to asses the extent of her injuries after she calmed down a bit.
She lifted her shirt and the huge purple bruise that was forming on her stomach near her ribs made me feel like I was going to be sick.
"Do you think we should go to the hospital?"
"No" she said, wiping the tears from her face and slowly trying to sit up.
"I'll be fine, Leah he's literally going to kill me if I tell anyone. You're not even supposed to be here, you can't tell the police, you can't tell anyone"
"I won't Sutton, we're going to figure this out" I said, wiping a few more tears from her cheeks.
"I don't care about any of that stuff from last night, lets forget it" she said, trying to smile through everything that had just happened.
"Like it never happened" I replied, trying to smile too, "Where the fuck did Ian go after this? Back home to watch TV? Like how did he even know you were home?"
"He must have been watching me" she replied shakily, "he came right after Jack left, he threatened to hurt Jack too" she choked out.
"Oh god"
She nodded, "I have to stay away from him, I can't let him get hurt."
"This is so messed up. Come on lets get you cleaned up and get you over to my house, you aren't safe here" I replied, my heart beating through my chest.
On the drive back to my house, I really began to realize that this was serious stuff, one wrong turn and someone could wind up dead.
I felt terrible, and if she just hear my side of the story I knew we'd be fine. Seeing Sutton's face last night was one of the hardest things to see, knowing that I was the one who caused her to feel so betrayed.
"She hasn't been responding to any of my texts or calls though" I replied, putting my face in my hands. We were sitting in my bedroom where we had spent most of the day lounging around and watching old 'Friends' re-runs to take my mind off things. It wasn't like Sutton to not respond, she never avoided for this long. She was a rational person, something seemed kind of off.
"You're right, I'll just go and see if she's home" I said finally, jumping off my bed and grabbing my car keys, still wearing my sweats.
"Call if you need anything" Kimmy added as I walked out my bedroom and headed down the stairs.
The ride over to Sutton's was nerve wracking, my heart was pounding. I just hoped that she had been sleeping all day and we could talk about what happened and everything would be alright. The familiar drive took about ten minutes and then I was parking on the road outside of the house she lived in. I walked down the side of the house to her side door and knocked.
No answer.
Unsure as to why, I just tried the door handle and luckily it was unlocked. Hey I was her best friend I was allowed to just walk in right?
"Sutton?" I called softly.
No reply.
I took a step inside and I swear my heart stopped in that moment as I took in what was in front of me.
"Sutton?! Oh my god" I said frantically, getting down on my knees to try and wake the unconscious girl in front of me.
"Sutton wake up please, please please you have to wake up" I said, panic rising quickly in my chest. It felt like I was being suffocated, this couldn't be happening.
Her eyelids started to flutter, "Oh my god, Sutton can you hear me? Wake up honey, its Leah, open your eyes!"
She opened her eyes and a look of confusion and terror flashed across her face.
"Its okay, you're okay, I'm calling the police" I said frantically, pulling the phone out of my back pocket.
"No" she said, mustering the strength to reach up and grab my free hand, "You can't" she croaked, "He'll kill me"
Then she just burst into tears, lying her head back down on the floor and covering her face with her hands. I pulled her towards me and cradled her in my lap for what felt like an hour while she cried. I managed to get a look at her face and it looked like he kicked her in the forehead, probably what knocked her out. I knew it was Ian, he was a psychopath, he probably burst right through her front door and did this to her without a second thought. What on earth were we going to do now though?
"Where does it hurt Sutton?" I said finally, trying to asses the extent of her injuries after she calmed down a bit.
She lifted her shirt and the huge purple bruise that was forming on her stomach near her ribs made me feel like I was going to be sick.
"Do you think we should go to the hospital?"
"No" she said, wiping the tears from her face and slowly trying to sit up.
"I'll be fine, Leah he's literally going to kill me if I tell anyone. You're not even supposed to be here, you can't tell the police, you can't tell anyone"
"I won't Sutton, we're going to figure this out" I said, wiping a few more tears from her cheeks.
"I don't care about any of that stuff from last night, lets forget it" she said, trying to smile through everything that had just happened.
"Like it never happened" I replied, trying to smile too, "Where the fuck did Ian go after this? Back home to watch TV? Like how did he even know you were home?"
"He must have been watching me" she replied shakily, "he came right after Jack left, he threatened to hurt Jack too" she choked out.
"Oh god"
She nodded, "I have to stay away from him, I can't let him get hurt."
"This is so messed up. Come on lets get you cleaned up and get you over to my house, you aren't safe here" I replied, my heart beating through my chest.
On the drive back to my house, I really began to realize that this was serious stuff, one wrong turn and someone could wind up dead.