Lost Cause (Tyler Carter)

Chapter 18

I ran home and when I got there, no one was there. I texted my grandpa just to make sure mom was okay.

"Is mom okay?"

A few minutes later, he texted back.

"Yeah, she refused to let me take her to the hospital, so your grandma and I are letting her stay here. She has a bunch of bruises, but she's okay."

I didn't reply. I began to sweep up the broken glass. There were also blood spots on the wood floor that I used disinfectant wipes to clean up.

When I was done picking up the house, I decided to take a shower. I went into the bathroom. The person in the mirror didn't look like me. He had dark circles under his eyes. I couldn't tell if they were bruises or if he was just tired.

I removed my shirt and what shown beneath gave me chills. Starting on the top of the right side of my torso, leading all the way down to my right hip, was a dark bruise. There was a bruise in the shape of a hand going around my left upper arm. There was a deep cut that had dripping blood going across a few of my left ribs. I picked up my shirt to look at it and sure enough, it had a huge hold in it right where whatever cut me went through.

I couldn't see how a piece of broken glass on the floor could have left such a deep cut, though.

I went into the living room and discovered a blood covered kitchen knife halfway under the couch. I had been sliced with a knife and I never even knew.

I put the knife in the kitchen sink and soaked it in water.

I went back into the bathroom and took my shower. When I got out, the cut on my ribs was dripping blood from the water getting it wet. I held a paper towel over it while I put on a pair of athletic shorts. I cleaned the cut with rubbing alcohol, then I put gauze wrap around my torso to cover it up and attempt to keep it from getting infected.

After I got my clothes on, there was a knock on the door. I put on a shirt before going and answering it. It was Rachel.

I didn't say anything. I just looked at the floor.

"So, as I came to do earlier; I want to talk to you." She said.

"Rachel," I said.

"I know you don't want to open up and that's okay." She said.

We were silent for a moment.

"Do you want to stay over tonight?" I asked.

She smiled. "Sure."

I let her in and closed the door.

"I'm not in much pain anymore because of the ibuprofen, but I'm covered in bruises." I said.

We sat on the couch and I pulled her close into my side.

"Can I tell you something?" I asked.

"Of course." She said.

"You know me better than anyone else, you know. You're able to accept me for who I am unlike a lot of other people. Including my parents. I just- I love you, Rachel." I explained. "I'm sorry, but I do."

"Don't say you're sorry, Tyler." She said.

I looked away. She doesn't love me back. God, why did I just say that?

"Hey, look at me." She said.

She cupped my cheek with her hand and began kissing me, intensely.

She climbed on my lap with her legs on each side of me. She started kissing my neck and I pulled her body closer to mine.

"I love you, too." She whispered in my ear.

I put my hands up the back of her shirt and ran them over her warm skin.

"I want you." I whispered.

"Okay."

I gently pull her shirt over her head and dropped it on the floor. I started kissing her neck, slowly making my way down to her chest.

Before we went any further, I stood up and she latched her legs around my waist. I made my way to my bedroom and layed her on my bed so I was hovering over her.

She took my shirt off and threw it to the floor.

I felt her fingers fiddling with the band of my shorts.

I stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes.

"What?" She asked.

"We don't have to." I said.

She smirked. "Shut up."

She pulled my shorts off, leaving me in nothing but my underwear.

I reached over to the bedside table, but she stopped me.

"I'm on the pill." She said.

I undid the button of her jeans and began sliding them down her thighs.

I kissed her skin all the way down to her thighs. I licked her inner right thigh.

"Shit, Tyler, now." She moaned.

I smirked.

I started removing her underwear with my teeth. Once they were off, she placed her hand under my chin and forced me back over her. She pushed my underwear off and kicked them off the bed.

I felt her nails dig into my back as I slid inside of her.

I slightly lifted her off the bed so I could undo her bra. She took it the rest of he way off. I bit onto her neck as I rolled my hips into hers.

She let out a moan, which made me chuckle.

She once again scratched my back and as a reflex, I dug my thumbnails into her hips.

--

I woke up the next morning to a sleeping Rachel. She was wearing nothing but my shirt and I was in nothing but my underwear.

I looked over at the clock and realized that it's nine o'clock. School started at eight.

"Shit, Rachel, wake up." I said, shaking her shoulder.

"What?" She groaned.

"We're an hour late for school." I said.

Her eyes opened wide. "What?"

"It's nine." I said.

"Shit." She said, sitting up and putting her clothes on.

I got out of bed and put a stheart t-shirt and a pair of jeans on.

She put her hair in a bun on the top of her head.

"We're fucked." I said, chuckling.

"What are we going to tell them?" She asked.

"I have no idea."

"Maybe we just shouldn't go." She said.

"How are we supposed to do that?" I said.

"Easy. Tomorrow we'll just say we were sick." She said.

"They won't fall for that. They'll know we skipped together."

"No, they won't. Nobody even knows about us." She said.

"Yeah, no one except everyone." I said.

"Come on, take a chance. Let's just spend the day together. We can watch movies. It'll be fun, I swear."

I thought about it for a second. What could go wrong?

"Okay, fine."