Love Save the Empty

Four

Bella watched Harry drive away in his ice black car. However, Bella could still see his car clearly as he pulled into his driveway. She could see the mischievous smirk as she made eye contact with him.

Harry lived right down the street from Bella. Bella was neighbors with Harry Styles.

It wasn’t until Harry disappeared from her sight that she remembered it was raining cats and dogs. She cursed under her breath and ran inside, instantly turning to shut the door. Bella practically jumped out of her skin when she saw a tall, bulky man sitting at the kitchen table. His ice blue, bloodshot eyes connected with hers and an evil smirk appeared on his face.

“Bella,” Brent spoke as he got up and slowly walked to the frightened girl at the door.

Bella has never held a conversation with Brent, partially because Aunt Kelly ordered her to steer clear of him. Also because whenever he’s here he’s a drunken mess beating the shit out of Aunt Kelly.

At this point, she was face to face with the one man she feared even more than Harry.

“Oh Bella, you’re soaked,” Brent lifted his shaky hand to touch her hair, then moved it down to caress her cheek, but Bella turned before he could. Brent then violently grabbed her face in his one large hand and yanked her so she met with his strong gaze.

“Don’t turn away from me. Understand?”

The aggressiveness in his voice was apparent as he spoke, his alcoholic breath stung her eyes. Bella was too restricted at her mouth by Brent’s hand and too scared to answer.

All of the sudden, Bella felt a strong force on the right side of her face. The amount of force caused her entire body to fall to the floor. The tear that slid down burned her cheek, revealing that the hit broke her skin.

Brent picked her petite body up by her arm using only one of his in one swift movement. The thought of what he could do to Bella with both his arms made her cry even harder.

“I said, do. You. Understand. Me?”

Her eyes squeezed shut as she whimpered, “Yes.”

Brent ran his thumb against the wound on Bella’s cheek causing her to squeal at the pain the contact forced. When he drew back, she saw blood present in his hands.

“Go clean yourself up. You look disgusting.”

With that, he flung her in the direction of her room, her backpack soon following her path. Bella rushed to her room with tear drops and blood trickling down her face, locking her door and dragging her dresser in front of it in hopes of protecting her from the monster that lurked outside the comfort of her room.

Bella then collapsed on her bed and cried, not because of pain, but because of fear. Never in a million years would she have thought that her life would come down to this. She cried non-stop that night for everything that’s wrong in her life.

A tear for Brent.

A tear for Aunt Kelly.

A tear for her Mom.

A tear for her Dad.

A tear for her dear brother Channing.

A tear for Harry.

A tear for Bella.

*****

It was a rare occasion when Bella would come out of her room that weekend. There were times she came out to get food or a drink, but other than that, nothing. She refused to talk to Aunt Kelly all weekend because of Brent. Aunt Kelly knew what Brent did to Bella and yet she decided not to involve herself. Bella spent half her weekend wondering why Aunt Kelly was even with a man like him; a complete slimeball. She didn’t even seem like she wanted to be with him, and there was no possible was that she was in love with him either.