The Year of Maybe

Chapter Three

About twenty minutes later we pull up to a secluded farmhouse which seems to me like it's in the middle of nowhere. Don't get in over your head... Stay a few days, heal, then leave.

A small white wrap-a-round porch welcomes us up to the heavy front door. Ricky opens it and follows me inside. "Wow..." And "wow" was right. I was immediately greeted by a bright yellow corduroy couch with a few grayish pillows in the shape of circles in his stunning living room. A painting of a giraffe stared at me from behind the couch and candles light up the open space.

"Best part: this is only the living room." Ricky winks at me and grabs my hand as he leads me towards a hallway lit up by a single bulb in a mason jar. He opens a tall door that leads to what looks like a bedroom. A circle shaped mattress lies on the floor. The bed looks freshly made.

"Hey... Would you mind if I took a shower?" I turn to look at Ricky.

"Be my guest. Bathroom is right there," He points across the bedroom to a white door, "There are fresh towels on the counter. Oh, and there is a hamper shoot in the bathroom that leads right to the laundry room. Throw your clothes in there and I will have them washed in a few hours. Feel free to rest or listen to music or whatever when you are done."  

"Thanks, Ricky... For everything."

I close the bathroom door behind me, start peeling out of my clothes and I catch a glimpse of something in the mirror. I squint my eyes at an attempt to focus on the horrific scene before me. There is a girl standing there... She's in the mirror with swollen eyes and a small cut on her face that has somewhat healed and left a trace of dry blood on her cheek. On her stomach is a large bruise stretching from the middle of her rib cage to her belly button. Her ribs threaten to break through her skin and her cheeks are sunken in slightly. That girl must have been through something really terrible to leave her in this shape. I choke back tears of sympathy in my throat for the girl, and then that's when I realize the girl is me...

 What happened to you... You aren't even recognizable anymore... I twist a silver faucet handle and let cold water run over my fingertips as I rub them under my eyes to remove any traces of leftover makeup. Then, I toss all of my clothes down the shoot and run hot water in a deep bathtub complete with three different sets of jets. I step in the tub cautiously and lower myself into the water. The heat sends a wave of goosebumps up and down my body leaving any part of my body that is out of the water freezing cold.

The water becomes a pasty pink as I wash the blood from my hair and my face. How did this happen? What did I do? Questions, questions, questions are all that I have. I'm tired of not knowing. I am tired of the blame, and the agony Eli gave me. In some ways I am glad that he's gone... But in others, I'm not ready to accept the fact that he is. 

I submerge myself under the water and open my eyes. The white noise is calming, yet a bit eery. This is the most relaxing I have had in days. When was my last bath...? I sit up and wipe my eyes.

I shiver as I exit the tub and wrap myself in a towel. Crap... "Ricky...?" I exit the bathroom and find my way to a small kitchen. "Ricky? Ri-" I let out a scream as he pops from out of nowhere. 

"Well, it's nice to know you have a good pair of lungs..." He offers me a half smile.

"I don't even want to know... Um... I meant to ask you... Do you have an extra pair of clothes or something that I can borrow for the night?"

"Actually," He holds a nicely folded black t-shirt and blue plaid boxers out to me, "I just grabbed you some. You can thank me later." He smirks as I grab the clothes.

"Well, I am going to change. Do you have any toothbrushes I can use?" I turn around and start walking towards the bedroom.

"Bathroom, top drawer. Blue one is unused. Red one is mine. Your choice, Angel." I turn around to glare at him before continuing back to his room.