Basically, I Hate You

TWELVE

I skipped lunch and went straight to Kohl's suite.

I was nowhere near ready to face all the judgmental stares I knew were coming after that heaping pile of shit I left in the gym. None of these people knew me which meant that was the impression of me that they now had and I was simply too tired and defeated to care enough to change it.

Once the adrenaline wore off my body began to feel the extent of its injuries. My jaw throbbed angrily where I'd taken a punch and my lungs ached with each inhale. As I limped to the doorknob on the suite doors, broken skin and swollen knuckles flexed making me hiss. A hot shower and a nap were calling my name.

I walked into the bathroom and began to undress in front of the vanity. Once my clothes were off I could see the large red and purple bruises all over my body. I had extensive discoloration on my arms, legs, ribs, even my knees. If the bite that Kohl's wolf gave me was still unhealed it was impossible to tell given the new lumps and bruises in that area.

When I prayed for some color I didn't mean this.

I sighed deeply, stepped into the shower, and slowly cranked the water hotter until I could barely stand being underneath it. At first, I just let it run over my body, calming my screaming muscles and washing all the blood covering me down the drain. Once some of the soreness had become tolerable I washed myself gently. Each pass over my ribs was searing agony. I'd never been hit before so all the painful experiences were new. Nowhere near as bad as my first shift but it still took my breath away when I pressed too hard on a bruise.

After I mindfully cleaned myself up I turned off the shower and stepped out. I was grateful at that moment for the heated towel I wrapped around my body before I walked into the closet to get some clothes from my bag. But, I discovered that my duffels were gone.

I searched around the floor in the closet thinking maybe Kohl had moved them but panic crept in when I didn't see them anywhere. As I turned to go back into the bathroom I saw that all my clothes were hanging in a section at the front of Kohl's closet. Where his dress shirts and pants had previously been it was now filled with some of my nicer stuff. I opened the drawers underneath tentatively, looking for my undergarments and saw them folded neatly and placed in the drawers. I wasn't sure how or when this had happened but I was thankful because it meant that most likely Kohl had grabbed the stuff he would need to move to wherever he was staying.

Small victories, Lux.

I slipped into a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved black shirt. For an extra layer of comfort I donned a pair of fuzzy socks and skipped the bra since the band would press into my ribs. Finally dressed I crawled into Kohl's oversized bed. As soon as my head touched the pillows I drifted off, my exhausted body demanding rest.

-------------------------------------------------------

I woke up sometime later to a dusky sky and as I sat up in bed my stomach growled loudly.

I'd missed lunch and after forfeiting my meager breakfast to the trashcan I was starving which meant venturing downstairs for dinner. With a heavy sigh I stood too quickly and my head swam. After giving myself a moment I dragged my feet back to the bathroom to freshen up. Knowing I couldn't cover the purple lump on my jaw I left the suite in search of sustenance after brushing my teeth and hair.

As I got nearer to the elevator I began to hear noises. Trying to discern what was happening I made a grave mistake and focused a little too hard.

Somebody was moaning...loudly.

I chuckled to myself at the thought of Drue or Lochland getting it in and being so loud about it as I called the elevator. I easily forgot that when my body ached from the small jolt of the elevator leveling on the ground floor. In the living room lots of people were there talking amongst themselves and they easily ignored me, which was perfect. I found my way into the kitchen and glorious smells wafted from the commercial ovens to my nose.