ASHLEY - PART I

To,

Everyone who’s left me burning. I want you to stick around and see me rising from the ashes, just like the Phoenix.

 

Yours Sincerely,

The girl you broke.

 

CHAPTER 5

 

“Just tell Jade that he is not going to get to me now. I am in no mood for his tantrums. Also warn him that that if he tries anything on me or on my friends or family, again, he is a dead man walking.”

 

Jade is currently driving me home, after his football practice. I am still thinking about what Chase said to me. Why does he think that Jade has anything to do with the engagement? And why did he say again? I know that they Jade and Chase are not on talking terms, but Axel and Rebecca told me this agreement was made to  promote both the companies. So why does he Chase feel that Chase is up to no good?

 

We soon reach home I try get out of the car as immediately as I can. The keyword being ‘try.’ Before I can even step aside from the car, Jade grabs my wrist and pulls me back into his chest.

“Tonight will be fun,” he says and smirks devilishly. I can’t help but notice the look of lust that he gives me. It just disgusts me to further limit. He leaves my hand and turns around, but I know for a reason that he is still smirking.

How I wish that I could just slap that smirk off his stupid face.

Maybe the feeling of paranoia wasn’t for what happened at school!

I just dash towards the house and head straight into my room without acknowledging the fact that Axel and Rebecca are home early today. Usually, they are back home, from office, just before dinner.

Maybe, today the stars aren’t on my side.

As soon as I reach my room, I throw my bag at one corner and head straight for a cold shower. The water relieves my tensed nerves and soothes my mind that has been in an overdrive since morning. I scrub off all the dirt and then wrap a towel around my body and come out of the bathroom.

I walk up to my closet and grab a lose tee and sweatpants, which are one of the few clothes that I own and am allowed to keep in my wardrobe. After dressing up, I comb my damp hair and leave them open. I look into the mirror and see a purple bruise that has formed on my left cheek. I touch it gently and wince in pain.

I left up my tee and look over all the cuts and bruises that are on my body and skin from years and years of abuse. It’s sad but true how fiction that life changes upon meeting the right person but I don’t know when mine would come along; or has he already gotten hit by a truck?

I go over to my bed and lay down and think about how my life would change tomorrow; how I wold be with a new family in less than 24 hours. But the thing that has been conquering most of my mind is that would I actually be able to live with Chase and his family for the next one year.

With these thoughts I close my eyes and I don’t know when I fall into a dreamless slumber only to be woken up to the face of the devil herself, Rebecca.

“It’s time to wake up and have dinner.” She said in a sickly sweet voice. What has happened - wait, what!? Did she just say dinner?

Dinner!

But it’s me who prepares the dinner always, or more like forced to make.

“Di….dinn…..dinner” I say, confirming if my ears had heard her correctly.

“Yes, my dear, its dinner time. Did you not hear me?” she says in the same tone. I shake my head furiously afraid that she will hit me again. I follow her out of the room and into the kitchen. We all sit down and start to eat. As I eat o see Jade sweetly smiling in my direction and Axel and Rebecca just watching me eat.

“I hope you know that tomorrow is a big day,” Axel says to me. I just nod my head because I am already too scared of their special towards me. Who knows, they would actually want to spend my last day without hurting me.

Yeah, as if!

We quietly eat our food while my heart is beating hard against my chest. I have a bad feeling about this night. But what could be more wrong than being abused? It might just be my anxiety for what will happen tomorrow.

You know that this weird feeling is for tonight, my inner self retorted.

I got up, after finishing my food, and started washing the dishes.

“Go pack your bags, darling. I will do the dishes,” I hear Rebecca’s voice as she comes to stand behind me. All this behaviour has shocked me. I silently leave the dishes and make my way towards my room still pondering over their sweet smiles and behaviour.

I open the door and for a minute or two stand rooted at one position. I have nothing much to pack. Just a few pair of clothes, toiletries and my books and my Diary. It is 8:30 right now so I decide to do some homework, then pack my bag and then go to sleep.

I take out my history book from my bag and sit down with my guides to complete my work. After 45 minutes of copying notes and yawning at regular intervals, my homework is finally over. I reach over to put my book in the bag and then grab an old duffel bag from below my wardrobe.

I pull it out and dust covers the room. As I start packing my bag, I hear a light knock on my door. I respond with a ‘come in’ and see Jade standing there, may I add shirtless. Yeah he is good looking and all, but he is my brother. He comes inside and locks the door behind him.

As he starts walking towards me, I move backwards. He just keeps smiling and moves further towards me. I just take cautious steps and walk backwards, finally hitting the wall. He just smirked and with one long stride he was standing in front of me, intruding my personal space.

He put his hands on my back just above my butt, “so how is it going?”

I just keep wiggling in his hold and try to move out of his grasp. “Stop moving!” He commands me in a dangerous tone.

With this his hands start to move a little lower onto my a*s. He cups my butt cheeks and pulls me towards himself and forces his lips onto mine. The kiss is wet and sloppy and I am too scared to respond. After a minute or two he removes his hands from my hands and slaps me, hard.

“You have to kiss me or this won’t be good for you,” he says in a calm tone which just terrifies me further. So, I nod and he grabs my face with his hand and starts kissing me again. I don’t like this feeling, but I respond back afraid of what he might do, if I don’t.

Soon, I pull away for air and he takes this time to place kisses on my jawline down to my neck. His hands start exploring the rest of my body and make way inside my tee. All I can feel is disgust and filth within me. And as a reflex my knee jerks upwards and hits his crotch directly and at the same time my hands make their way to his cheek.

He grabs his crotch area in pain and hisses when I slap him.

“You b***h, I will make you pay for this.” He says while getting up from the floor. My eyes widen in shock and so I sprint towards the door. But before I could make any other move, he grabs my ankle and pulls me back. I hit the floor with a loud thud and I think my nose would hurt too badly tomorrow.

“Not so easily,” he says and throws me onto the mattress with force.

This night won’t be any good, I feel.

“Behind my smile is a girl in pain.

Behind my laugh, tears fall like rain.

But I will forge ahead, I will give it all I have got

I will fight like a woman and I will never stop.”