Never Again

I had spent most of the night walking until the the rain started pouring down rather hard.
Just my luck...
Half way out of town, shivering and cold, I came across a small beat down diner, and if not for the flickering lights and a few rusty old cars, I would have thought it was abandoned.

I hurried my way inside looking for a bit warmth, yet I found none.
I was only greeted by a chilly gust of wind coming from the air-conditioner. Pulling my coat closer to my body nervously, I made my way down to a booth at the very end of the diner.

Plopping down on the seat, I brought my knees up to my chest and tucked them under my chin. Glancing at my watch I noticed it's about four in the morning and I still had nowhere to go.
I was snapped out of my daze when the waitress tossed a menu down in front of me.
" Can I get you anythin sweet pea? " she asked in a thick southern drawl, while popping a piece of bubblegum.

She looked no older than twenty five, yet her bottle blonde hair pulled back into a taught ponytail, exposed the dark bags under her eyes, convinced me otherwise.

" Hey, are you gonna order somethin or not? " she demanded with a hint of impatience in her voice.
For the first time, I looked up and made eye contact with her.
She gasped and her eyes softened with pity. I immediately realized why, and scampered off into the bathroom.
I looked into the mirror and was met with a face I couldn't recognize as my own. My skin was littered with garish purple splotches roughly the size of a fist.
I shut my eyes tightly as watery streaks formed down my cheeks.
" Never again ... " I whispered under my breath .