bloodthirsty // heathers au

four

Veronica

The next few days were uneventful. JD was being incredibly sweet and aside from the fact that I was now eating lunch with only JD, nothing in my life had really changed yet. That was, until I told my parents that I was pregnant.

"So when's the wedding?" My father asked JD and I.

"We're not getting married." I told him as I started to internally panic. I did not want to marry JD and I was scared that my parents were going to talk him into it. If they did, I wasn't going to have a choice in the matter.

"But you're pregnant." My mother stated with her usual tight smile.

"That doesn't mean we have to get married. We've only been dating for six months, we shouldn't get married." I argued with my mother.

"Regardless, you two should be living together." My mother retorted. "You can live at home until school's over but the best decision in this situation is for you two to live together." She went on.

No! I can't! I can't live with him! I wanted to scream but I couldn't. He'd get mad and then he'd hurt me. Then my parents would see and they'd be mad. They'd call the police but the police wouldn't believe me.

"Okay." I said as I crossed my arms over my chest and dug my nails into my cardigan.

"Good, glad we discussed it." My mother grinned again tighter than before. I nodded and walked away, JD trailed behind me. I led him back up to my bedroom.

"We're going to live together, isn't that exciting?" He asked me and I knew that I had to lie.

"Mhmm." I smiled at him to please him as we sat down on the bed. "I can't believe I have to move out in a week." I added, chuckling awkwardly.

"Well, I have some good news that'll make living with me even better." He told me.

"What's that?" I queried.

"My father is moving the day we graduate. He'll be gone by the next morning, which is when you'll be coming." He informed me with that half smirk on his face.

"That actually makes me feel a lot better." I admitted to him. I was moreso anxious to live with JD's father than JD. While JD can be a dick, his father is a downright pervert whom I tried to avoid at all costs. If I had to deal with Big Bud Dean, I stayed close to JD for protection. I expected that if his father did something fucked up that he'd keep me safe.

"I knew it would." He said sweetly before planting a kiss on the top of my head. "I love you." He added as he smiled at me.

"I love you too." I replied.

"Hey, can I tell you something?" He asked me.

"Yeah." I replied to him.

"I think you're going to be a great mom. You're so kind and giving." He told me and my eyes welled up with tears. I didn't mean to get emotional, it was just the stupid pregnancy hormones making me cry.

"I'm so nervous for us to be living together." I admitted, chuckling nervously before switching to sit criss-cross applesauce.

"Why's that?" He queried as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket. He grabbed a single cig and lit up, taking three deep drags before passing it to me.

I let the cigarette dangle between my fingers for a moment as I thought of how to express my concerns to JD without him getting annoyed. I took my drag and exhaled slowly before I spoke. "It's just such a big commitment to be making six months in, especially when we've been on and off. I'm just worried we'll start fighting more." I explained to him, watching carefully as he listened with an empathetic expression on his face. Absentmindedly, I took a few more drags off the cigarette we were sharing before passing it to him.

"Darling, I absolutely understand that. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious about that too." He told me, instantly making me feel much better about it. If JD was worried about fighting too, then he didn't want to fight. That was good. "Just remember, if you don't piss me off, we don't have any issues." He reminded me, shooting me a sly grin. He took the last pull of the cigarette and I sucked in a breath, frightened that he'd use me to butt out the cigarette. He swiftly grabbed my hand and pressed the hot ash onto my pointer finger's first knuckle. I winced, bit back the tears and grimaced.

"Thanks." I muttered to JD as he flicked the cigarette butt onto the carpet.

"No problemo." He replied easily.

"Why do you do that?" I asked him and he laughed lightly. The sound of his passive laughter made my stomach twist into one giant knot.

"To remind you that I'm in charge in this relationship, it's a subtle way to keep you in line." He answered honestly and my face felt hot with embarrassment for trusting him. He hadn't changed. What did I do to put him in a sour mood?

"Oh." I mumbled. He sighed heavily and laid down, putting his head in my lap. "I need to get burn cream." I informed him.

"I'll get it in a minute, okay?" He said back to me. Not willing to argue, I agreed to this despite the searing pain I felt in my knuckle.

"What if my mom notices the burn?" I questioned as I looked down at him. His blue eyes were unusually dark and he had his eyebrows furrowed.

"Tell her it was an accident." He told me quickly. "You dropped the cigarette onto your hand." He added, providing me with the exact lie I'd tell my mother.

"I love you." I let him know, hoping it would make him sweeten up again.

"Yeah, I know. I love you too, V." He responded before lifting his head off my lap and getting off my bed to get the burn cream from my bathroom. He returned with the cream, gently held my hand and applied it to the burn. "I'm sorry, V. You know that right?" He asked me.

"Yes." I lied to him. "It's okay." I added, a further fib.

"You're such a forgiving woman." He told me, which he always said to me when I forgave him for hurting me.

"You always say that." I remind him.

"Well that's because it's always true." He retorted haughtily. His eyes had lightened up and his brows were no longer knit together.

"You're such a dick." I teased him, sticking my tongue out in a playful manner before smiling.

"And you're a brat." He said back to me, planting a kiss on my lips.

It's the way it always went. He hurts me, he tends to my wounds, he begs for forgiveness and I grant it. Then it's back to normal, as if it never happened. As if he didn't punch me for going to a party, as if he didn't rape me for god knows what, as if he didn't burn me for nothing more than to assert dominance over me. He's sadistic. To be fair, I am absolutely a masochist.