The Girl Next Door

Chapter Nineteen: I Love Her

*This chapter contains semi-detailed abuse. And mild, very mild, not really detailed, suggestive content towards the end. (You people know exactly what kind of "content" I'm talking about!)*

I went home pissed. I should've stayed with her. I shouldn't have let her be alone.

I burst through the front door and immediately knew I shouldn't have.

My dad whirled around. His eyes were bloodshot and he gripped an empty bottle of Scotch. "What are you doing slamming doors in my house, boy?" he slurred. "Gotta teach you some respect." He hurled the empty bottle at me. I had just enough time to duck out of the way. The bottle shattered against the wall sending glass rocketing in every direction. Even if he was drunk, he still had a good arm. He lumbered toward me. "You no good piece of s***. I should've thrown you on the streets the moment your mother left me!" he screamed swinging at me once he was close enough. He fist connected with my cheek. I felt his ring bite into my flesh. My hand flew to my face and I bit my tongue to keep from crying out. He just kept at it; punching every exposed place he could reach. Blood ran down my face like tears from places I couldn't even feel anymore. And you know what? This wasn't even the worst he had done. After minutes of the pain I finally collapsed on the floor. "You wimp. You're not as strong as you make people think." he sneered down to me. He revered back and kicked my side. I let out a gasp of pain and curled in on myself hoping for some protection. "Clean up this mess." he commanded before lumbering off somewhere.

When the pain had finally subsided enough for me to move, I sat up and looked around. I was surprised by how much blood had actually made it to the floor. There were little puddles all around me. I slowly pushed up from the floor and went to the kitchen to find something to clean the floor. I quickly wiped the blood with a wet cloth and left the house.

I stumbled my way across the yard, over Shaina's fence and up to her window. Honestly, I was in so much pain, it's a miracle I made it over the fence and up to her window. I glanced in the window and saw Shaina curled in bed. I tapped loudly on the window.

"It's open." she called.

I opened the window and fell into her room which just made everything hurt worse all over again. I groaned and didn't get up. I heard Shaina shuffling in bed.

"Matthew?" Shaina asked quietly. "Matthew, are you okay?"

I just moaned and curled tighter into myself. She knelt down beside me and pulled me gently onto my back. I kept my eyes clamped shut. I didn't want to see how she would react. She gasped. "Oh my god. Does anything else hurt?"

"My ribs." I gasped out. I finally decided to open my eyes. Shaina's face hovered above mine. I immediately notived her eyes were bloodshot and puffy and her nose was red. I reached up and cupped her cheek. "Hey, you've been crying." I was worried about her. School had ended hours ago but she looked like she had just wiped her eyes of fresh tears.

She pulled away from me. "It's nothing. Come on. We need to get you cleaned up."

I pushed myself up on an elbow. "No. It's not nothing." I tried to press. "You're important too." I told her quietly reaching up and gently stroking her cheek with my thumb.

She leaned into my hand slightly. "Let's get you cleaned up and then maybe I'll tell you." she responded.

I nodded and allowed her to help me up.

She helped me sit on her bed and lean back against her wall. I'm going to go downstairs and get ice." she told me.

Shaina left closing the door quietly behind her. Something poked out from under her bed. I leant forward and to get a better look. It was a handle. To what I didn't know. So I grabbed it and up came a knife with crusted blood on it. It didn't take long for me to put two and two together. Shaina's puffy eyes, the bloody blade. And I hurt inside for Shaina. I couldn't believe she had resorted to harming herself.