The Chim Factor

Chapter 4

Cheryl's POV

It's been a week since I last spoke to Kim. A week since I ran away from her.

The only reason I have to see her soon is because the first set of auditions are taking place tomorrow in Ireland.

She saw some of the bruises, not just the ones on my wrist but the ones on my stomach and hip. Jean had come home in the middle of the night, on the first day I had met Kimberley, drunk out of his mind.

He had gotten angry with me and the new bruises on my wrist were due to him holding onto me too hard when I tried to pull away from him after he had punched and kicked me all because I wouldn't have sex with him.

He came in at 4:30 in the morning and expected sex so I had the right to refuse him.

In he past week he's started hitting me more. He has been hitting me on my stomach and back so when I'm wearing the dresses for X Factor nobody will see the bruises. I try to stop him but it's no use, he's much stronger than me.

When I got to the hotel earlier I came straight up to my hotel room and ordered room service, I couldn't handle running into Kimberley.

Simon thought I was acting weird because we normally all meet up for tea the night before a set of auditions but I told him I was feeling ill and wanted an early night, he seemed to fall for this so I was happy.

I was dressed in my pjs, a big t-shirt and jogging bottoms that I would take off once I got into bed and Kimberley's jumper. I couldn't see to take the jumper off, it was too big for me but it smelt like her and even though I was trying to avoid her I still felt like I needed part of her around. Jean didn't seem to notice that all week I've been wearing a jumper that he hasn't seen before.

It was 8pm and I was about to get into bed because I had nothing better to do but a knock on the door distracted me.

I opened the door to see Kimberley stood in jeans and a t-shirt, a simple outfit but she managed to make it look amazing. I just stood there with the door half open looking at her because I wasn't quite sure what to say but she spoke up before me.

"Hey, you didn't come to dinner so I got worried, I thought I'd make sure you were ok." That sentence made my heart melt because nobody has even done that for me before but she knew too much so I needed to stay away from her.

"I'm fine." I tried to close the door but it was stopped by her hand and at the moment I didn't have the strength to keep the door open so I just let it go and walked back into my room.

She walked in behind me and closed the door. Part of me couldn't help but be happy that she was here with me but I was scared of what Jean would do if he knew that someone knew what was happening.

"What's happening Cheryl? You ran out of my house and haven't answered my calls or texts all week so don't you dare try and say it's nothing."

"I...erm..." I really didn't know what to say to her, I really wanted to tell her but he said he'd hurt me more if I told anyone.

"Cheryl please, you can trust me."

I looked up to find her in front of me holding on to my hands. She was looking straight into my eyes and I couldn't help but do the same.

"Cheryl please, I've been phoning you all week and I would have gone round to yours but I don't know where you live, I've been worrying about you for the past week. Please, just tell me, how did you get the bruises?"

"Jean." I gave up, there was no way I could get out of telling her now and there isn't a way I could have made something up that she would have believed.