Letters From the Lost

~Max~

I had just woken up, my head pounded. Jackson was still sleeping in our bedroom. I went to the kitchen and got him a glass of water and some painkillers. I snuck into our room, setting the glass and bottle of painkillers on my desk.

I found an ice pack and pressed it softly against my eye, hopefully to get the swelling to go down. On the days my bruises are a little more visible or when Jackson is going to have a hangover, we stay home. When we go back to school, we usually have some sort of excuse. We'll see what ours will be this time.

I heard a soft knock, I recognized that knock. It was Noah, I was sure of it. I set the ice pack down and tiptoed to the door and opened it. Surely enough, I saw Noah standing there. "What are you doing here?" I questioned.

Noah pushed past the door, letting himself in. "Something felt off, and clearly I was right," He replied. I closed the door quietly, hoping he would leave before Jackson woke up.

"But why are you here? You didn't need to come here, but you did. Why?" Confusion filled my body. I didn't think I was worth this much attention, he was just wasting his time. After last night, I realized I didn't want to be with Jackson. But I do really love him, so I'm not leaving.

He took a step toward me, I flinched backward instinctively. He took a step back and stared at me solemnly. "Because your safety is all I care about, Max." He took a deep breath. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jackson just didn't feel well, so I stayed home from school to help take care of him," I replied. I heard rustling in my bedroom. "You need to leave, he woke up." Noah looked at me deeply.

"Just say the words and I can help you out," He whispered. I felt Jackson standing behind me, my heart skipped a beat.

"Darling, what is Christopher doing in our living room?" Jackson questioned.

"Darling? You're just going to pretend like everything is just fine?" Noah scoffed.

"What would be wrong, Christopher? I mean, we're clearly staying home because I don't feel well. Just like she told you. I don't feel well so she's staying home to take care of me like the good girlfriend she is." That made my heart flutter, Jackson hasn't said anything that nice about me in a long time, even though it wasn't true. His grip around my wrist softened and I pulled my arm away.

"Well, considering the bruises all over her, it doesn't look like everything is fine to me. So, why don't you tell me again that everything is fine. I'm not just talking about that nasty black eye, I'm talking about the ring around her neck too. So, why don't you tell me the truth this time, Jackson?" Why did he have to mention my neck? I was wearing a turtleneck now, so Jackson would figure out about last night. I was incredibly thankful I made it this far without him knowing.

"How do you know about that bruise? Maxine, why don't you explain to me why Christopher knows about that. And since you are such a great girlfriend you aren't going to leave anything out either."

"W- Well, l- last night, a- after you went to b- b- bed, N- Noah came over. I had n- no idea he w- w- was. He j- just sh- sh- showed u- u- up," I stuttered.

"Oh, so that's when you lied to him and said that I did that to you?" Jackson's hand snaked up my back, he pinched the back of my neck causing me to tense up.

"N- No. I- I didn't s- s- say anything!" I replied. I looked at Noah, hoping he would say something, say anything, that would help me.

"It's not that hard to figure it out when I've already seen you hit her, Jackson. She didn't say shit because she's terrified of you, all she told me was that she fell down the stairs. It's just not that hard for me to figure out," Noah rambled. I let out a slight exhale of air.

"Is that what she told you too? That she's terrified of me? I've never laid a hand on her my whole life! Sure, she isn't the best girlfriend, but I would never hit her! It's exactly what she told you, she fell down the stairs when I was out with some friends. I will admit, I did come home drunk, but I never did anything to hurt her. Maybe the bruises you saw that were around her neck were from us having sex last night, that might be it." My stomach twisted into knots, Jackson and I haven't done anything close to that for a long time. I refuse to let him near me, but the thought of him using that as an excuse made my stomach.

Hit him, hit him, hit him, was all that took Noah's thoughts. "Okay, Noah, I think it's time for you to go. You're overthinking, nothing happened, I'm fine. Please, just leave," I begged, I stared into his eyes pleadingly. "I know that you will do something stupid if you don't," I added.

"Leave, before I call the cops," Jackson growled from behind me. Noah reluctantly turned and left. Taking one more look at me before walking out.

Jackson stared at me, furious. I looked down at the ground. We both listened to the sound of a car door opening and closing then the loud rev of an engine. It was almost silent for a minute, until the sound of a car pulling out of the driveway and speeding away. "Why the hell was he here!" Jackson yelled.

"I don't know! He just showed up, I tried to get him to leave, but he just pushed me out of the way to get inside. I didn't want him here, I swear!" I replied.

"Don't lie, you know you told him to come over when he was here last night. That was probably when you told him about all the bruises too, maybe I'm just going to start hiding them better, it's not that hard to." Jackson punched my stomach, I doubled over clutching my stomach. "I think that's a good place, no one will see anything and you will still get what you deserve. It's what you get for disobeying." I stood up straight and looked at Jackson.

"Please, believe me! I didn't say anything, I swear! I begged him to leave, but he wasn't listening to me, I promise!" I begged and pleaded.

"Why should I believe you? He knew about all the bruises that aren't even showing, I know he does, you must have told him." Jackson's eyes turned black, my stomach twisted. When his eyes turned black, it usually meant something bad was going to happen. I could read his mind, but his vulgar thoughts will haunt my mind forever.

"Jackson, please. He was just talking about the black eye and my throat, that's all. I didn't tell him anything." Jackson wasn't going to believe me no matter how much pleading I did. "He showed up unannounced yesterday, I didn't ask him to come. Please, believe me."