All Along

006

When I look up, I am overwhelmed with fear.

Blood is all I see. Blood on his knuckles and the figure of my brother lays on the floor in a puddle of blood and saliva.

"Jack!" I breathe, and kneel down next to him, ignoring Liam and the others that stand aside him.

"Tessa... Go home- ouch!" He says coughing again and squirming. My brother; my big brother is laying in front of me, a bloody mess caused by the rage of his so-called friends.

"Nice of you to join the party, Tess!" Liam giggles like a school girl and at the moment I want to wrip that stupid smirk off his face. I want him to feel the way I do every time he punches me; every time he hits me. The worst part is, the times he would kick me until I thought I would cough up my insides don't even come close too the pain I'm feeling right now, looking at my brother, physically hurt by someone he thought he could trust.

"Get her!" he instructs, and two of the boys grab me by the arm, forcing me to watch them hurt the only person I love in the world.

"No, stop! Please, I'm sorry! Let him go! Hit me, hit me! Not him, please," I pleaded but nothing worked.

Cory.

"CORY! PLEASE HELP ME! HELP!" I scream.

"Shut up, Hamilton. Your sweet Cory isn't going to save you. He doesn't care about you. No one does. Not even your pathetic excuse for a brother. You should hear the way he talks about you at practice," he trails off and a tear trickles down my cheek. The worst part is, I can't tell if he is lying. It doesn't sound like something he would do but there is always the slight chance that he has never cared about me and does, in fact, a talk about me behind my back. "What was it you said today, Jack? What a fat, ugly waste of space?" He smirks at me and I take the blows.

That smirk. That stupid, stupid smirk that I have seen probably seventeen million times in the past three days.

"Cory?" I whimper as his tall body is being dragged into the locker rooms. A smudge of blood under his nose and he is wailing over. He can bearly stand up straight and its my fault. This is all my fault.

The two boys throw him onto the tile floor, earning a yelp of pain from Cory. I have only known him for a day and he's already being beat up because of me.

I have been struggling to get out of the boys' grip for a while know and at this point I wish I could take Jack or Cory's place. I'm losing track of the time; Minutes, hours, seconds could have gone by and I wouldn't have known because it feels like I have been trapped inside this small room that smells like dirty socks for years, watching Jack and Cory being kicked in the stomach and face.

"And we won't forget you, Tessa," he smirks that wicked smirk, kicking my stomach, causing me to fall to the ground once the two boys let go of my arms. "We told you not to tell; now your innocent brother will carry the weight of the burden of your broken promise. This is your fault." he grabs my face, turning it to look my brother and former friend in the eyes. "You, are the reason their blood is on my knuckles. You, Tessa." With that, they leave; without another word. I don't have any physical injuries except for my broken heart that I'm trying to mend together.

"Now your innocent brother will carry the weight of the burden of your broken promise. This is your fault."

For once, Liam was right. There is no doubt in my mind that this is my fault.

I manage to stand to me feet. Jack is now conscious and Cory was able to stand up... sort of. He took several kicks to the stomach and he has to be strong to though that out. I stand by Cory and Jack's side and help them into the car.

I drive the both of them back to my 'mothers' apartment. By the time we get back to the apartment, its 3:50. I'm physically and mentally exhausted and drained after what just happened.

"I'm so sorry Jack. This is all my fault," he gives me a reassuring nod and says, "Tess... Not... Your... Fault," he mumbles and I quickly apologize again for everything.

"And Cory, its unfair that you had to go through that. That was completely unjust and I'm sorry that you just met me and your already stuck in the web of insanity that is my life," I sigh.

Cory isn't as beaten up as Jack is but he is beyond hurt or injured. They did some serious damage.

After apologizing for everything that has happened tonight,- or this morning, I guess- cleaning up their wounds and telling Cory he is free to stay the night, we are finally all settled in.

Jack was having a hard time walking up the small steps to get to his room so we all decided to sleep in the living room.

Cory helped me blow up the air mattress and I insisted that Cory takes the couch and after a long argument about it, he finally gave in. Jack took the air mattress and I laid on the floor.

"Jack?" I ask.

"Yea, princess?" I love it when he calls me that.

"Why did they attack you?" I asked.

"Well..." he sits up to explain the story, "I thought long and hard about that petty excuse you made up as to why there were so many bruises on your face and stomach. Then I remembered the time you came home when you were 14, crying saying that Liam beat you up and I refused to believe you. I didn't believe my own sister, instead I just let her get pushed around. I connected the dots. Every time you were around Liam, you would get all frazzled and he would always smirk at you. I never understood it until now. Now I know what you have gone through and I will be sure it will never happens again. Anyways, I accused him for hurting you... and he admitted to it. Then he punched me and before I knew it, I was on the ground, debating on weather to stop breathing or tough it out."

If only he knew that's what I went through for two whole years.

"Jack?"

"Yes?"

"Did you really say that I was a waste of space?"