Stripes In The Devil

This was definitely not how I had imagined my eighteenth birthday party ending. So picture this: I was running down the street out side Spencer’s house racing Andy to the stop sign. To make things even funnier, all I was wearing was a tank top, Brendon’s boxers, one of my new pairs of knee high socks, and Kirsten’s shoes. Andy beat me to the sign but I beat him running back to the house by a long shot (I may have casually pushed him into a pile of grass clippings).

So you might wonder why I was dressed so oddly. The sixteen of us split up into 3 different games of strip poker. Our game consisted of me, Brendon, Sara, Kirsten, Andy, and Spencer. Apart from Brendon I was the worst player so I broke it up before I lost all my clothes - Brendon wasn’t as lucky. I offered to give him his boxers back (lucky for us he at least had a towel), but he declined. “You know I’m completely comfortable with my body” he said placing a hand on his hip “and my sexuality” he added snaking an arm around Sara’s shoulders. She went rigid for a moment but then relaxed and poked his bare stomach making him double over.

Around 2 AM I put one the many copies of the CD I burned for the guys into the little stereo in the corner of the room. We all piled on top of each other on the floor to listen to it (I was laying on Patrick’s back and could definitely feel Brent’s elbow digging into my shoulder blade). But you know what I realized sitting there with some of my closest friends in this world? No matter my doubts about coming to this place and no mater the hardships I hit on the way I was happy. The happiest I had been in a very long time.

Everybody took their own copy of the CD. If I knew my friends back in Chicago very well I knew the boys could have a small fan base within weeks. “Rache do you mind if I stay with Celeste tonight” Aaron asked me on his way out the door to bring his girlfriend home. “No go ahead” I replied “one of the guys can take me home.” Ryan was taking Tara home and the girls to their hotel. Brendon took the guys to their hotel and Brent didn’t have a car (he walked over). Spencer of course was the only one who could bring me home.

I grudgingly got into his car and put my seatbelt on. He slid in silently next to me and turned on the ignition. We drove the first few minutes in silence (the drive from the burbs to my part of the city was pretty long). “Look” Spencer said finally “we can’t go on like this.” I chewed my lower lip furiously just letting his statement hang in the air between us. I personally was prepared to stay unspeaking for quite a while.

“Hayley and I are done” he stated. “I told her that it just wasn’t working.” I just sat there quietly in the seat, opening and closing my hand, counting the seconds of silence. Spencer reached over, put his hand under my chin, and turned my head to face him but my eyes didn’t follow.

Open-close-open-close
5-6-7-8
Open-close-open-close
9-10-11-12

“Well say something” he said. “What do you want me to say? ‘Oh I’m so glad you broke some girl’s heart, let’s go get some coffee’?” I replied harshly.

Spencer was completely speechless and his hands were clenched white knuckled on the steering wheel. “Doesn’t it mean a thing to you that I just ended the most serious relationship I have ever had for you?” Spencer pleaded. “Spencer, it’s just not that simple” I snapped. “God why are you being such a bitch about this?!” he yelled suddenly. I won’t lie; he scared me because I had never heard him yell before.

“Because I’m still trying to figure things out and.. and… and grow a new heart or something” I half whispered half sobbed. “God dammit Rachel” he muttered “I just don’t know what to do about you. What do I have to do to get you to forget him?” “Pull over” I whispered. “I’m not going to do that. I’m taking you home” he stated definitely. “Pull over!” I shrieked and pounded my fists on the center console and the dash.

After a few second s I thrust the door open and jumped out of the car. I skidded roughly on the blacktop and Spencer came to a screeching halt about ten feet ahead of me. I immediately got to me feet despite the pain in my shoulder and started walking in the direction we had been driving in. Spencer drove slowly next to me while I walked. “Come on Rae” he called out “get back in the car and let me take you home.” I kept my head down and tried to block out the sound of his voice. “Fine!” he hollered out the window. He pulled an immediate u-turn and then sped off in the opposite direction. I pushed on towards my apartment as warm wet tears kissed my cheek bones.

******************************************

My tired feet finally reached the top step of the stairs at the end of my hall. As soon as I caught sight of what was waiting outside of my door I knew my night was about to get a whole lot longer. At the end of the hall sat a clearly intoxicated Nick holding a single daisy that looked suspiciously like those of Mrs. Ritter’s potted plants on the second floor. “Hey baby. Happy birthday. Out partying?” he slurred when I got to the door. “Nick” I sighed “you’re drunk go home.” He jumped to his feet scarily quick and seized my wrist.

“Baby I am home. Now let’s go inside and go to bed” he said. “Nick let go of me” I snapped “we aren’t together anymore. Please you need to go get a life and leave me alone.” Nick look slightly sobered for just long enough to ask “But can’t we have a chance again?” I just gave him a look of disgust. “No” I sighed “there will never be an ‘us’ ever again. Besides I’m interested in someone else.” All soberness was gone from his eyes when he crashed his foot into the door sending it sailing open. “Well you know what?!” he yelled yanking me into the dark apartment “If I can’t have you neither can anyone else.”

Before I could get out of his grip or point out how cliché that was Nick shoved me over the coffee table. He knotted my hair around his hand and pulled me to my feet hitting my head on the corner of the table of the process. “Nick please st-“ I started but was silenced by his fist hitting my face. I tried to stagger backward but was still attached to Nick’s hand by my hair. He went on to punch me again in the face and then once more in the stomach before finally letting me fall to the ground.

I began to inch across the carpet to my room. “Where do you think you’re going?” he yelled and snatched my ankle. Swiftly he kicked me in my back and I cried out in pain. “Oh did that hurt? He said crouching next me. “God damn you!” I screeched. He grabbed my balled fist before I could punch him. He twisted my wrist painfully until it made a pop and then finally a snapping sound. I jumped to my feet clutching and kicked him in the leg but he quickly retaliated by shoving me into the wall where I sunk to the floor.

Each intake of breath was sharp and painful. Just as I got a good grip on the end table next to me and began to pull myself to my feet Nick’s foot caught me in the chest bringing me crashing back to the floor again. With on final hard kick to my head I thought he was finished with me. I cringed heard Nick’s footstep approaching me again.

“You know you made me do this” he said behind me. I didn’t respond and just let the tears of pain make their way down my face. “Speak when you’re spoken to bitch” he growled nudging me roughly with his foot. “Kiss - my - ass” I gasped. “Oh Rachel, Rachel, Rachel… go to hell” Nick hissed and dragged a newly revealed box cutter across my stomach. I screamed out in pain as my flesh split and started oozing blood. “I’ll be saving you a seat” I forced out. And honestly I did I was going to die that night. Enraged he pulled the blade across my skin again, and again, and again. Finally he dropped it on the ground and rose to his feet. Just before he closed the front door he simply said ‘goodbye’.

It took all my effort to pull my phone out of my pocket. Without looking I clicked the send button twice to call the last person who had called me. “What do you want?” a familiar voice answered. I tried to form works but all my mouth emitted was soft gurgles. “Very adult” he said “but seriously what do you want?” "S-S-Sp-“ I started “Sp-Spence h-h-help” I finished between panting breaths. “Rachel?” Spencer said “What’s the matter? Is this you idea of a joke?” Conscious of how hot and wet my face was now I gasped "N-no no please –breath- come help me.”

The room was slipping in and out of focus and my head was spinning with concussion. "O-okay” he stammered “are you at your apartment?” I had to force ‘uh-huh’ past the liquid that was building in the back of my throat. Without waiting for an answer I let my eyes slide shut and fell out of consciousness in a dark room, alone, lying in a pool of my own blood.