Persephone- Completed

Five.

I pushed my hair off my face as I ran back down the stairs. 

"Woah." I looked up at Sonny as I pulled my jacket over my shoulders. 

"What?" 

"I don't think I've ever seen you in black." 

"Thank him for that." I rolled my eyes. "Ready to go?" He nodded and turned to the door, pulling it open. I locked it behind us both as he walked to his car, starting it up for a quick get away. 

Sleeping at Mia's tonight. Super busy tomorrow so might not answer if you call. Hope you're having the best night :)

I text him and felt like I was going to throw up. This was going to be a hard week of avoiding him. He'd be everywhere, clingy. He'd be able to tell something is up. I'm going to be so busy with cheer, papers, mock exams. He won't be able to spend time with me. What a shame. He can spend more of his days with his side chick. It'll be great. 

"You're awfully quiet there." Sonny was taking quick glances between me and the road. 

"Sorry." He scowled. 

"Don't apologise Poppy. You're not exactly having the best day on record." 

"Don't know what you mean. Watching my boyfriend fuck another girl? Highlight of my life. I'm living the dream." His laugh echoed through the car, making me smile. 

"You're funny you know. I never really got the chance to speak to you." 

"A man? Speaking to me? He'd skin me alive."  I chuckled but I could see his face. "He's never hit me. Not intentionally." 

"So he has then?"

"He's thrown things at me. Sure." I shrugged like it was normal for that to happen. "Why am I telling you this?" I said to myself, reading through the texts again. 

"Because you want someone to know how bad he fucked up." I turned to face him. 

"I guess that's true." I sighed and laid my head back. 

"What else did he do to you Poppy. If you've known about this for weeks. I'm guessing the cheating is just the tip of the iceberg." I scoffed at him.

"How long have you got?" I laughed slightly.

"About 20 minutes." He smiled and glanced over at me. "Tell me. Please." 

"Fine." I took in a deep breath. "He always gets angry if I turn down having sex. Like really angry. He threw a glass at the wall on Thursday night and it gave me these." I lifted my leg up and he glanced at the cuts on my leg. I'd definitely under sold it to Will.

"Jesus." 

"He controls how I dress. Has done for about a year. I can't wear anything revealing or short. Jeans and a tee-shirt with his jumper is preferred." 

"Like what you wore last night?" 

"Oh yeah, I didn't choose that." I smiled. "He has to pick me up for school and bring me home. He has to know where I am, what I'm doing, who I'm with, why I'm with them. And then he will usually show up and find a reason to take me home. He'll stay with me for 20 minutes then have to leave so I know he only does it to get me home where I'm alone. I couldn't join a gym so he bought me all the stuff so I could work out at home. It was either that or I could only work out with him. He's punched that many walls in my house above me that I'm sure most of the walls are filler at this point." I sighed and looked at him. Pure shock on his face. 

"He told me I'm not allowed to speak to any of you guys and he is continuously stropping about the cheerleader boys because they are and I'm quoting here 'looking up my skirt'." 

"Aren't they just there to make sure you don't fall?" 

"Yep. I've told him that a million times." I ran my hand through the front of my hair, letting out a deep breathe. "He raped me once. He refuses to admit it but he did. It was too late after when I realised. He's still a little too rough with me though."

"Poppy-" 

"Don't." I stopped him. "It's fine. Don't apologise for it. It's my own damn fault. I should have left him long before it got there. I'm stupid for staying with him as long as I did anyway." 

"You're not stupid Poppy. He's a dick. I just wish we knew how bad it all was. He'd have been kicked off the team long ago." 

"See that's the thing. He can be now. Once I let it all out next weekend-" 

"Next weekend? Like 6 days?" 

"Yes." 

"How are you going to go the whole week without even giving an inkling?" 

"Did you know, I've got so many papers due next week. And then you guys have got that big ball game too, we need to make sure the cheer routine is right. And I've got the after party to plan." 

"So it's going to be Friday night?" 

"Yeah. I think that's going to be best." I looked at him and smiled. "You're cute you know." 

He laughed loudly again and I smiled. 

"I'm not coming onto you. I just feel like myself again. I used to be so honest and loud. He made me shy and quiet. I hated that." 

"Well I'm glad you're feeling better already." I nodded and turned in the seat facing back straight and looking down at my phone. 

So you're single? 

Very. 

What about that cheerleader? 

Oh Poppy? We broke up a while ago. We're just friends now. 

When did you guys break up? 

Like just after Valentines. 

Oh 

Why? 

Just wondering. 

This poor girl was being pulled along for the ride as much as I had been. All he had was lies. That's all he could sprout from his head. I needed to find her and tell her. Maybe she should be at the party Friday. 

"Do you know a girl called Ash?" 

"Ashley?" 

"I think so." 

"Is that who it's with?" 

"Yeah." 

"Do you want her number?" 

"You have it?" 

"We used to date actually." 

"Oh really?" 

"Yeah." 

"When did you guys break up?" He pulled up and I could see Mia stood on the porch of the house. 

"Just now."