Accidents Happen

Chapter 3

'Oh.' Joe seems to flush in the little light. 'This is awkward, then.' Sally shuffles uncomfortably in her seat. 'Does he know?' Joe's voice now has some kind of gravel in it. 'No, I don't plan on telling him, either.'
'That's bullshit!' Sally chirps up, rushing to me. 'You have to tell him! You know what he's like! You'll be worse off if you don't tell him.'
'What do you mean?' Joe looks puzzled and worried.
'Nothing, Joe.' I whisper, my voice full of fear.

'I can't, you know I can't.'
'But the last time . . . remember how ill you were after?'
'What, you've done this before?' Joe asks, looking surprised. I roll my eyes.
'No, Joe. I haven't. Now fucking stay out of it!' I growl. Joe looks at his feet. 'We'll discuss it later.' I nod at Sally, who just gives me a concerned look. I turn back to Joe. 'Anyways,' I say, shaking my head to rid of the thoughts, 'where were we?'

-*-

An awkward atmosphere arises in the air in the remaining time of talking. I find out much about Joe, I'm just so concentrated on other things that I can't concentrate on him. Oh my God, I'm such an idiot. Sally can clearly tell that I'm nervous, as she knows me better than anyone. I get a nervous itch on my arm, and I scratch it red raw, and I chew my bottom lip. And that's what I'm doing now. Sally gives me a look, as if to tell me not to keep scratching. I give her a pleading one in return.

My phone buzzes and I check it. Liam. "Are you coming?" Oh shit, I forgot. I'm supposed to be at his now. 'Crap. Listen, I've got to go. You're welcome to stay with Sally, though. I've just got somewhere I need to be.' I get nothing but worried looks back as I stand up.
'Okay, don't be long.' Sally says, walking me to the door.
'I shouldn't be. You know I hardly stay overnight.'

Upon leaving, I am so nervous I'm shaking. My phone starts to ring, and my instincts tell me it's Liam, so I pick it up automatically. 'Hey -'
'What was that about?' I go quiet. That's Joe's voice.
'Um . . . her boyfriend. Well, he's not exactly the best at looking out for Ari.' Sally says in monotone.
'How come?' Joe's voice is cold.
'He - he has bad habits.'
'Such as?' I hear Sally sigh as she sits down.

'We were going on holiday. He wanted her to smuggle some drugs back into England for him. And when she refused, he beat her up real bad. She ended up a wreck in the hospital, and we had to tell people that she'd been drunk and got into a crazy-ass fight.'
'And she's still seeing him?'
'I tried to get her to see it how I do, but she won't listen. She's scared, Joe. Can you imagine it? She'd get out of it and he'd be after her.'
'Shall we ring her? Try and change her m -'

I hang up, my breathing shallow and improper, my eyes wide. I round a corner to Liam's house. I knock, and am unable to shut out the blare of the loud music emitting from behind the walls. 'Hey.' I say, and he stands aside to let me in.
'Hey, where the fuck were you?'
'We had a power out. Been stuck in the dark for a while, so I couldn't really come around.'

I just get a nod as Liam lights a cigarette, blowing the smoke in my face. I cough. 'Oh, sorry. You want one?' He offers me the pack.
'You know I don't smoke.' He just shrugs in return and puts an arm around me, leading me into the living room. Some of his friends and their girlfriends are there, and they all greet me with cheery hellos. I feel my shoulder being squeezed, a little too tightly, and I bite my lip, because I know that if I complain I'll get the short stick. But the grip is so tight, my shoulder feels like it's numb. It's his worst habit, it's as if he's scared someone is going to grab hold of me.

Liam is a broadly built guy with short and stubby brown hair and grey eyes, the colour of the clouds on a stormy day. He's tall, about a head and shoulders higher than me. Don't even ask how we started out. It was about two years ago, and I felt so pressured into it that I just accepted. The pressure might as well have made me ill. It was like someone was crushing a tonne on my chest and not allowing me any air.

Before long, however, the strong smell of smoke becomes too much. And by now, the others are all doing weed, making me feel even more uncomfortable. My phone rings. 'Excuse me, I have to take this.' I whisper, standing and heading off outside. I don't even recognise the number, but I'd do anything to get out of there. 'Hello?'
'Hi, it's Joe. Are you on your way back yet?'
'Soon.' I say, still coughing.
'Are you alright?'
'Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine.' I turn around to see Liam at the door. He can't leave me for two minutes when I'm with him. 'Okay, I've got to go.

'Listen, I have to go. Sally has taken a turn for the worse, and I need to keep an eye on her.'
'Was that her?'
'No, she's lost her voice. It was a friend who's with her now, Joe.'
'Joe? Who the fuck is Joe?'
'Oh, we met him a while back somewhere. He's alright.' I wave the question aside with a hand.
'And you've got to go right now? Like right -'
'Yes, Liam! She's ill.'
'Okay, fine. Be all bitchy about it.' He scoffs, turning around and slamming the door as I set off for mine and Sally's again.

I walk at a quick pace, feeling exhausted, as I always do when returning from that hell hole of a house, with its bare walls and cigarette stubs everywhere. And once I'm away from the council house area, as the estate he lives on is pretty rough, I feel like I can breath again. I jog back to mine and Sally's. Opening the door, I fling myself inside. The power here is still down. I slump against the back door, my back sliding down it, and soon I find myself on the floor.

Sally pops her head around the door and smiles weakly at me. I smile feebly back, seeing Joe emerge. Why is he still here? Why does he care? 'You okay?' Sally asks.
'Yeah.' I breathe, still coughing.
'Are you sure?'
'Yeah. I need a shower desperately.' Sally wanders over to me.
'What is that? Smoke?' I fiddle with my top. 'Have you been smoking?'
'No, everyone was having cigarettes! And smoking weed.'
'Weed?!' Sally's eyes are wide. 'And you can't shower, the water won't be warm, remember?' She points up at the ceiling.

Oh shit. Of course, the power out. I sigh loudly. In the little moonlight now seeping through the windows, I see both Joe and Sally goggling at me. 'The state of you! Look at your shoulder!' Being an easy bruiser, there's already a large green one flowering there. 'What? It's not that bad. And besides, I bruise easy.'
'If that's bruising now then it'll be bad tomorrow.'
'You know it's nothing new.' I shrug, standing and walking through to the kitchen to get myself a drink. 'Sorry for the smell, I wasn't the one getting high or any shit like that.'

Joe wanders into the kitchen. 'I have a question.' He says.
'Funny, I have one, too. Why are you still here?'
'Make that two questions and an answer. One, I may not know you but that doesn't mean I'm not in full right to worry -'
'Actually, it does. You don't know me, you shouldn't have to care.'
'Why do you hate me so much?' I guffaw,
'It's kind of hard not to hate someone I don't even know who stole my virginity, thank you very much. I happened to be saving it.'
'What, for the prick you call your boyfriend?'

'Don't call him a prick, you don't even know him!'
'I know enough.' Joe spits. I roll my eyes. 'And besides, that night was as much your fault as it was mine.'
'You don't have hickeys on your hip, though.'
'Look.' Joe pulls a corner of his top down, revealing his naturally sculpted collar bones, where there are some fading bruises all the way along it. I glare at him. 'See? We were both idiots, okay. And my second question is why do you still say you like that guy? We all know you hate him.'

'I don't hate him. He's just . . . physical.'
'You call that physical? That's more than physical, love -'
'Don't call me that!'
'Okay, all I'm saying is to take a look at yourself. You're a mess. I speak for Sally and me and you now, get yourself out of that relationship as soon as possible.' There's a silence, broken by a sigh from Joe. 'Listen, I know you don't want to hear it, but I'll be back tomorrow to check on you. At least let me try and make it up to you for a few nights ago.'
'You would be by staying out of my way.'
'That would only make it worse, Aria. And trust me on that one - leaving such shitty things makes them worse.' And then he leaves. And I cry silently. Not because I'm upset, but because he's right.