Chapter 4. Punishing

The bell rings and period five is over which also means that school is over for the day. I did it. I survived the first day in my new school. After going to my locker and getting my homework, I head outside. Our house is only a couple blocks away from the school and right next to the local convenience store that my mom works at. For my mom, the house was an instant buy when we were house shopping. No need to drive to work every day. I have to head around the back of the school, cross the school’s field and then walk down the street to get to my house. It is in the middle of fall and it is a bit cool out so I flip up my hood and stuff my hands in my jeans pockets.

I reach the back of the school. I hear the rustling of leaves behind me. My field of vision is narrowed because of my hood so I have to turn all the way around to see where the noise is coming from. I start to turn but I don’t get any farther. Someone gives me a rough push from behind. I am standing flat footed and the push came all of a sudden so I have no chance to steady myself and instead go flying towards the ground. I can’t get my hands out of my pockets fast enough to catch myself and the side of my head hits the ground hard. Immediately I have a blistering headache. My glasses fell off when I hit the ground and I hazily see them about 5 feet away from me. I roll on my back, or rather my backpack, and look up to see who pushed me. My eyes focus on the kid who I accidentally bumped into at the end of third period before lunch. I vaguely see some other kids behind him.

“You’re gonna stay away from my girl Violet, alright? Or else you will find yourself in some serious pain,” the shaggy haired guy says to me in a husky voice.

He must see my confused face. “Yeah, I saw you two at lunch time chatting away,” he growls.I hear a voice behind him. “Mike, let’s get this over and done with before someone sees us.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Mike says to the guy, annoyed. “I’m gonna give you a little taste of what will happen if you start hanging around with my girl.” Mike then kicks me in my side. I let out a moan as my ribs scream in pain.

“Haul him up,” Mike says. Two of his friends come and yank me up by my arms. “Gag him so he won’t make any sound.”

I find a dirty cloth being shoved in my mouth and then tied around my head to secure it in my mouth. The two guys who gagged me now hold me steady and I see Mike walking towards me. As soon as he is in arm’s length from me, he punches me in my stomach with a rock hard fist. All the wind is knocked out of me and I am desperately trying to get air into my pleading lungs. The punch would make breathing harder but the gag makes it even difficult. I glance up to see a smile playing across Mike’s lips as he relishes the pain he is bringing me. He comes at me again, eager to hurt me again. I try to brace myself by tightening my stomach muscles but I can’t manage it; my stomach is paining too much from the punch.

Mike punches me again and again. After five or so punches I lose count. After what seems like an eternity he stops punching my stomach, but only to give me a hard right hook across my cheek. I immediately taste the unmistakeable tang of blood exploding in my mouth. Mike punches me twice more; once on my mouth and the other on my nose. I feel no breaking sensation in my nose and so I figure it must not have broken. The two guys on either side of me let me go and I slump to the ground. Mike gives me one final kick to the head and then he and his buddies leave. I lie there in a daze. My head is pounding and cloudy thoughts swirl around. I have no strength in me to do anything else but lie there.

A drop of water lands on my cheek. Then another. All of a sudden it is raining. The water pours down on me relentlessly, penetrating my clothes and reaching my skin, slowly draining my warmth. My head starts to go dark along with my vision. My face is wet with the moisture of the rain and blood mixing together to create a viscous mix that runs slowly down my face. The last things I see as I slip into unconsciousness are the millions of raindrops falling down all around me.

Reviews

[Patricia Williams]

OK this is going to sound weird, but I really liked this chapter.
I am an extremely empathetic person, and I respect you for writing so realistic a scene I had to stop reading a catch my breath!

Another thing I liked about it was how when Thomas was punched, he wasn't all like "Oh yeah?!?! you punched me to the ground, them punched me in the stomach, well here's what I think of that!" And then explain his strength with something like, FOR VIOLET!
No. It does not work like that. Being punched just once huts sooo much (and I didn't even get punched full on, it was an accident)!
I Feel you wrote this extremely accurately, good job! (good ending btw)

I like you character development too!

[Patricia Williams]

Darn. To; I meant TO catch my breath.
And sorry, I didn't go into a lot of detail with my made up scene. after "here's what I think of that" Thomas punches the daylights out of that dude and his friend; leaving them both unconscious. :)

[Legolas]

Thank you for the review! It means a lot that you like this. I haven't written really anything past what I have because I thought it was a weak storyline. But you've possibly changed my mind;)

[Patricia Williams]

Oh Goodie! I hope you do write more. I really like it! :)

And it doesn't have a week storyline, it is very emotional and beautiful work about the struggles of everyday life and blossoming romance. :)

[Legolas]

I'm posting a new chapter now:)

Thank you:) those are the two things I wanted to combine.

[Patricia Williams]

yesyesyes THANK YOU!

[Legolas]

Haha, you're welcome:)

[Pax]

a cliffhanger that's good. a good climax. keep going. its getting more interesting.

[Legolas]

Thanks.

[Becky]

Woah. Was not expecting that.

Interesting start, though a little more detail would be nice. It has a good plot though, and that's really what counts.

Nice work!

[Legolas]

Oh, sorry. I don't know if you read my previous chapters.

[Becky]

I did, and it just seemed like you were rushing a little to get to the interesting parts. Which I always do, it's not really something to be sorry about, just something to notice and work on. :)

[Legolas]

Oh. I'm sorry.

[Becky]

GAH.

Stop being sorry or I'll.... throw marshmallows at you!

[Legolas]

I am sorry though. I'm sorry that I didn't meet your expectations.

[Becky]

*chucks marshmallows*

Now don't say I didn't warn you...

[Legolas]

Ow.