Behind These Bruises...

Behind These Bruises...[Part 4]

"Mila? Hey, it's Alisha again. You didn't call all weekend and you weren't at school today. Is everything all right? Call me back! Love you, bye!" the message played. Press 4 to delete your messages. I pressed 4 and laid back down in my bed. I couldn't go to school looking the way I did. My face had a purple-ish bruise on the side of it and my arms were also covered in bruises. There was no way I could hide it. I would just have to sit it out until they faded a bit.

The bad thing about skipping when no one else was skipping was that I was extremely bored all day. I had already done my homework and now I was sitting around watching TV, even though nothing good was on. At about 3, I heard the doorbell ring. I furrowed my brow, wondering who it could be. I looked through the peep hole to see Alisha standing there, a worried look on her face. I sighed. I should've known she would come here. I unlocked the door and opened it.

The first thing Alisha did was glare at me. Then she hugged me. Then she yelled at me for not telling her what happened. Then she sat down with me and told me that everything would be all right. By the end of it, I wondered why I hadn't told her. I could've used the comfort over the weekend.

"So he was really mad?" she asked. I nodded stiffly. "Look what he's done to you! You really need to report him," she said. I shook my head.

"I can handle this. I'm fine," I said.

"Mila..." she began. I held my hand up.

"We're not going through this argument again. I'm not turning him in. I promised my mother," I said.

"Then you should come live with me and my family. You're always welcome there," she said. I shook my head.

"I already told you, I don't want your family to get in the line of fire when he finds out," I said. She bit her lip, still uncertain. "Anyway, tell me how school was. Did you see Jason?" I asked. Her face lit up.

"Yes! I actually ate lunch with him since you weren't here. He's so funny, Mila, you would love him," she told me. I smiled at her.

"I'm glad you're happy," I said. "When are you two going out?" I asked.

"This Friday. He's taking me to dinner," she replied. She looked at her nails. "You want to get your nails done before Friday? My mom gets discount-" she said.

"I don't know. I'll go with you, but I probably won't get mine done," I said. She made a pouty face. We talked for a few more hours, then I told her she had to go because my dad would be home. She left, giving me some medicine to apply on my face to help heal the bruise faster. I stayed in my room when my dad came home after giving him dinner. When I heard that he went to sleep at around 12, I opened my door quietly. I could hear him snoring and sighed. I grabbed my jacket and shoes and snuck out of the house. I pulled my hood up, to partially cover my bruised cheek and began walking to the 24-hour cafe, brilliantly named, "The Cafe". I ordered a grande caramel espresso and walked outside. I didn't know where I was going. But I just wanted to walk. I ended up walking to the ocean shore. I sat down on one of the rocks and sipped my coffee. I let my hood down, because no one was around, and kicked my shoes off. I closed my eyes, feeling the salty ocean air lick my face. I took a few breaths, feeling calm, feeling tranquil.

Then I heard a sound. I nearly dropped my coffee and I looked around. Standing by the rocks a few ways from me was another figure, who was looking at me. I squinted to see who it was in the dark. I was surprised when I realized it was Derek. I was even more surprised when he began walking towards me. I was frozen. Why? I have no idea. I finally found the nerve to move my legs and stand up when he approached me. His hair was messy from the wind; his stare was intense as always. He narrowed his eyes as he studied my face. Then I realized why. The bruise on my face.

I reached for my hood to pull it up, but he held my arm back. He moved his face a little closer, to look at it better. I was completely taken aback when he reached up and caressed my cheek with his thumb, running his finger over it to feel how swolen it was. This whole time, my heart was beating faster and faster. I thought I would die of a heart attack right there.

"Come with me," he said. And for some reason, I did. He led me to a subdivision composed of only a few very, very large homes. The subdivision was closed off by large iron gates. Derek showed the gate keeper an ID and he opened the gates. We walked to the house that was at the very center end of the subdivision. It was the largest home there, and the most beautiful. I gasped when I saw it. He led me around the back, holding a finger to his mouth, telling me to stay quiet. He jumped onto a tree that was close to the side of the house and began climbing it. He beckoned me to follow. I did, although I don't know why. He got to a balcony and jumped onto it quietly. He reached out for my hand and helped me get on the balcony gracefully. The balcony door was slightly ajar, and he opened it, going inside the room. I followed. He closed the door with a click, locked the bedroom door, and flipped on a light to illuminate a large room. It was clearly a guy's room. The walls were painted with thick silver and navy stripes. The couch was a lighter navy color. The wood for the entertainment center was a dark mahogany. It was very fancy. There were two doors in the room. My guess was that the door that Derek locked lead to the house. The other door, the one he was opening now, led to the actual bedroom part of his room. He motioned me to follow him. I walked in. The room was painted similar, the wood matched. There were certificates and trophies on a table. It seemed as if it were the center of the room, even though it wasn't. He opened another door which led to a bathroom.

"Sit here," he said, pointing to his bed. I did as I was told, completely phased by the absurdity and strangeness of the situation. I heard him rummaging through some things and then he brought out a whole of different medicines. He dropped them on the bed and sat down. He turned the bruised side of my face towards him. He applied a liquid called Witch Hazel onto the side of my face. He massaged it gently, covering the bruise and the area around it. He applied some more liquids and creams to my face and then he pulled out a heating pad.

"Heat this for a bit," he said. He packed up all of his things and went back into the bathroom to put them away and wash his hands. When I put the heat to my face, it stung at first. I winced. And then it felt like it was getting cooler, like when you drop nail polish removed on your hands. He came back in and sat down on his desk chair, leaning back, studying me with his intense stare.

"I guess you're wondering what happened," I said quietly. He shook his head.

"No," he said.

"Then why-" I began.

"Because I want to be a doctor. Fading a bruise is one of the things I know how to do," he said. "You can't make a bruise disappear, but you can quicken the pace at which the blood unclots," he added.

"I wish I had known that before," I said, switching hands because the other one was getting tired.

"Lay down with your face on the pad," he said.

"I'm fine," I said.

"No, lay down. It'll reduce the pressure," he said. So I did. It was so bizarre. I was laying down in the bed of the opposite gender. I had no idea who he was or why he was helping me. But I was grateful. Immensely grateful. It was almost 2 in the morning.

"Why were you out so late?" I asked. He shrugged.

"Couldn't sleep," he said simply. "You weren't at school today. I assume it was because of the bruise," he said after a few moments of silence. I nodded slightly. The heat was starting to burn a little.

"Can I take the heat off it's burning me?" I questioned.

"Yeah, you can take it off now," he said. I did. He handed me a small bottom of the Witch Hazel stuff. "Just keep applying this and heat on it. The bruise should fade away in a day or two," he said. I looked at it and then at him.

"Thanks," I said quietly. He shook his head. We stood in awkward silence for a bit. "I should probably get going now," I quipped.

"I'll walk you to the gate," he said. "You won't be able to get out unless I'm with you," he added. I nodded. We climbed back down the tree and walked to the gate in silence.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow, then," I said when we got to the large gates. He nodded.

"Good night, Mila," he said. And with that, he walked away and I walked home. I had this weird feeling in my stomach. But it was a good weird.