Forced to Love (Original Version)

Chapter 2 - Macaroons

Trigger Warnings:
~ Explicit language

Isabella's PoV <3
........................................

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The sound on my bedroom door forces a groan to escape my lips and I roll over in frustration.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

It sounds like the painfully heavy pounding vibrating throughout my skull, despite my lack of alcohol I drank last night.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in!" I yell through the bedsheets, still exhausted even after a night's rest. My makeup from last night has smudged against my white pillows and left dark streaks of concealer.

My head pounds against my skull despite the fact that I barely drunk any alcohol at the club last night.

Lex walks into my room in her grey sweats and a white hoodie. Her long blonde hair hangs wet down her back, and she's made a poor attempt at covering the dark circles under her eyes with makeup.

She sits down next to me, and the bed dips under her weight.

"You almost look as shit as me." She smiles while rubbing her darkened eyes. I pull the bedsheets away from my face and smile back, her sarcastic comments always making me feel better.

"I can assure you, it feels worse than it looks." Yawning, I stretch my arms out above my head and chuck my legs off the side of the bed.

The carpet soothes my aching feet, and I run my toes through the soft material before limping over to my ensuite.

I lock the door behind me and start peeling the black dress off my skin and examine my body in front of the mirror. There's no major damage, just a few bruises on my arms and stomach.

Gallo also left some faint hickies across my neck and exposed shoulder. I cover my mouth and gag at the thought of his lips on my skin, and my neck burns with hatred.

I reach for a nail brush on my counter and begin scrubbing the marks harshly. The brush burns my skin, but the hickies burn more, and I don't stop until the skin on my neck has turned the same shade of red.

The hickies are just camouflaged amongst the flared skin, but they're no longer visible, which is good enough for now.

I step into the shower and flick the dial on. Hot water burns down my back and soothes my aching muscles. I manage to scrub all of the blood from beneath my fingernails before washing it from my hair.

Once I've rinsed out my conditioner, I step out of the shower and wrap my body and hair in towels. I use the edge of my arm to clean the steam off the bathroom mirror, before smearing a healing cream across the sore mess on my neck.

Lex is still in my bedroom, and gives me a light smile as she changes my dirty bedsheets into my favourite velvet ones. I notice she's also emptied my laundry basket and cleared the makeup off my vanity desk.

What did I do to deserve a best friend like her?

We finish changing the bedsheets together, and I head into my wardrobe, where I locate some black sweats and a pale blue hoodie. Needing to feel comfy, I pull the clothes onto my body and snuggle down on the freshly smelling bed with Lexi.