Broken, not Shattered

Trouble

I can't tell you how nice it is to get on and see people reading and voting on all of my stories 😍 I love you all!!

T/W: underage drinking, sexual assault and physical abuse you have been warned...

I knew you were trouble when you walked in

So shame on me now

Flew me to places I'd never been

'Til you put me down

Now I'm lying on the cold, hard ground~

~Taylor Swift~

At the age of 18 and seven months, Sophie knew her life was as good as over. Since she left her mother's apartment and gotten to Gotham City, she had tried so hard to do what was right. She stayed away from drugs and alcohol. She didn't even smoke cigarettes. It was all for nothing, six months earlier, she had screwed it all up. When she first arrived, Sophie had found a job almost immediately. They paid her under the table until she turned 18 and was able to take care of herself. For almost an entire year she had been working at a small laundry mat, and just gotten a promotion. She had an entire shift to herself. It wasn't the best shift, but it was hers. It was going great, perfect.

Then she met a guy and the guy was perfect,  until he wasn't.

He was the complete opposite of her. He was tall, she was on the shorter side. His hair was sandy blond and curly, hers was dark and perfectly straight. He was beautiful, and she felt just plain. This was the main reason why she felt so off kilter when he approached her. She was behind her gated off area, working on the clothes press, getting a drop off laundry order finished up for the next morning. His voice startled her.

"Excuse me?"

Sophie looked up from her work. "Can I help you?"

"The coin machine won't take my dollar. Can you break it for me?" He smiled, showing a dimple on his cheek.

She stepped over to his outstretched hand. She took the crumpled dollar bill he offered and set it on the desk. She reached for the small roll of quarters they used for this exact issue and pulled out four of them. She moved to drop the change in his hand, his fingers brushed her wrist as she let the coins fall.

"Thanks." he winked as he walked back to put the coins in the washing machine.

She shook off the strange feeling she'd gotten from him and went back to work, finishing the clothing and hanging it neatly. She had it wrapped in the plastic bag to keep it all fresh. She put it on the rack for the morning pick up time. She sat at the desk watching the small TV she had back there to pass the time.

"You work here long?" His voice startled her again.

She smiled politely. "What?"

"Have you worked here long?"

"Oh, yea, just over a year."

He looked surprised. "A year? Why haven't I seen you here before?"

"Oh, I just took over this shift. The usual lady just had a baby and was needing time off. So here I am." She shrugged.

"Ah, that explains it." he smiled at her. Sophie felt her insides melt and squirmed uncomfortably.

"What time is your shift over?"

"Why?"

"I'd like to take you out for a late dinner."

She felt her face heat. "I close up at 11:30, and get off at midnight."