House Empty Like My Heart

Chapter 8

Dan's hair had dark brown color and I realized that Max's probably bleached his. This darker shade must have been their natural color. It was the same as mine.

Did Dan know how I look like? He didn't even spare me a glance so probably not.

"Honestly Smith, what kind of pussy bullies a girl?" Dan mocked and I was shocked to see that Brian did not say anything back at him, he wasn't throwing punches "Take it somewhere else you're ruining my good mood"

"I'm sorry"

Did Brian just admit to someone that he was wrong? I looked with admiration at my brother who still didn't look at me. I realized that he doesn't know I'm me. I mean I saw him on TV but he never saw me.

"What are you waiting for? Get out of my sight" Dan said with clear disgust in his voice.

Surprisingly Brian and his group of friends did. They disappeared as soon as the order appeared.

"And you? Are you deaf? Get out"

I realized that he speaks directly to me. Because I was the only one of Brian's group who stayed behind.

I blinked twice to stop myself from crying in public and ran away to the bathroom where I waited till the class started. I let myself cry for a moment and then I wiped my eyes aggressively and tried to endure another lesson. The school was truly unbearable. I didn't feel motivated to study at all, I couldn't even listen to what the teacher has to say.

This is when the next lesson started and I could get away.

I didn't have a chance to share the story with Jenny until lunchtime.

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"The Perfect Twins are back!" Jenny said overjoyed just as she saw me.

"Did you just call them The Perfect Twins?" I looked at her with clear judgment in my eyes.

"Everyone does. And now finally Brian will stop terrorizing the school. You should tell on him by the way. You know how fucked he is when your brothers will find out?" Jenny asked with sadistic glee at which I raised my eyebrow.

"First of all I can deal with my own problems second of all I don't need their help and lastly Max hates me and Dan might hate me as well. So what's the point of telling them? They wouldn't care anyway"

"There's no way in hell he would let Brian bully their sister even if they don't know you yet honestly Ellie it's hard not to like you. Even Brian does in his own, abusive and fucked up way" Jenny argued.

"I can handle it. I will just sit at your table, not with Brian. And if he tries something I will just tell him to leave me alone" I said in an unconvincing voice.

Brian didn't force me to sit with him this time I wonder why. Maybe he didn't want to make a scene in front of my brothers.

Honestly, their arrival was a big deal, I had no idea how popular they are until I saw them during lunch.

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Unfortunately, after Spanish, I always met with my tormentor in the corridor, this time no Dan in sight.

"Come here Lizzy" Brian commanded as he saw me walking past him without acknowledging his existence. I hated being called "lizzy", with passion."Liz! Stop" he said annoyed, and grabbed my arm tightly.

"I'm not doing this anymore," I said trying to stay calm and reasonable. Don't cry, don't cry.

"A month. That's how long the deal lasts"

"The deal is off"

"No it's not" he repeated defiantly. Like a child. I despised this immature idiot. 

"I'm done with you right now, unhand me"

"No, we're not" Brian refused and he forcibly dragged me towards the men's bathroom.

"What are you doing," I asked angrily after I was being pushed into the bathroom. I could feel Brian's hand on my throat. I was scared.

"You know I was thinking about it" he started "I can get you off the hook early under one condition"

"What condition?" I asked irritated. Let this end already.

"Kiss me"

"What? No. Absolutely not. Let me go"

"Stop trying to play hard to get," he said quickly getting more and more angry.

"Leave me alone"

He wouldn't.

I tried to get away from him and his grip was tightening more and more around my wrists I could already feel the bruise forming. I tried to get away but I couldn't, I hated being so weak.

When his face started to get closer to mine I did the only thing I could come up with at that moment. I spitted on him.

With disgust, he wiped my spit off and I could feel a sharp pain on my cheek.

Shocked by his own actions as he realized that he just hit me with full force.

I took a step back but I tripped over my own legs like an idiot I am. I fell down on the floor in unfortunate way that resulted in me hitting the back of my head on the cold wall. It hurt like hell.

He took a step away and I used it as an opportunity to get up and ran away from the bathroom.

I was shaking. What if he's going to do something more tomorrow? Or the day after?

I used the fact that he froze in place to pick myself up and run away from the bathroom.

"You need to tell someone," Jenny told me after we finished the last lesson. I used concealer to hide the bruise that was nicely forming on my cheek.

"I don't want to tell anyone I want to fix it myself," I said stubbornly, like a proud, stubborn idiot I am.

"He should be kicked off school for this!" Jenny yelled irritated with me.

"Shit... I can't show myself like that. Wait... does concealer holds? It's not visible right?"

Jenny sighed.

"No, it's not. But you shouldn't have to hide it tell the teacher, your dad or brothers, anyone. Or I will"

"What? Jenny, please don't"

"Just please tell someone? Please, Ellie?"

"I will think about it" I muttered.

"So you're leaving with your brothers now?"

"Yeah"

"That's so cool" Jenny quickly came back to her cheerful self and watched Max with dreamy eyes as he was leaning on the back of his blue car and talking to his group of friends that was by the way the most popular kids in school. I was about to go towards them but I was stopped by someone violently grabbing my arm and pulling me towards himself.

Brian. Of course.

Oh, fuck what was he doing outside of the school was he following me?

"Ellie I'm really sorry I didn't mean to"

"Spare me"

"Please don't be like that. Does it hurt?"

"Of course it hurts you idiot"

"I'm sorry I'm sorry" he kept repeating and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes.

He looked like he wanted to say something more but he stopped himself when he saw who's walking towards us. His face went pale as if he saw a ghost.

"Ellie?"

It was Max. Max was standing in front of us. He looked angry.
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