Secrets of an outcast

Unexpected

The journey was surprisingly long, I had anticipated her to be much closer. It must have taken her a good couple of hours to walk home.

I suddenly felt bad that something had happened to her on the way home yesterday, I had let her walk alone.

I was cruising down bristle drive, which was her street, looking for house number 77. It didn't appear to be here,not even the satnav recognized it. I turned down a narrow bumpy road to turn around and saw the house; parking the R8 on the curb, I climbed out the car and went to the faded door.

I knew this was her house because I recognised the dilapidated black Buick. I tapped the door 3 times and waited...and waited...5 minutes passed before I knocked again. At last, I heard the door unlock and open.

Stacey looked dishevelled, dressed in only a dirty white camisole and matching shorts.

She also looked tired and more shockingly, in pain. Her lip was cut, almost from her nose to her chin ,her right eye was swollen.

"Justin?" she asked whilst rubbing her eyes, unsure if I was really here.

"Hello, Stacey. Sorry have I caught you at a bad time?"

"How do you know where I live? Am I dreaming?" She questioned

"No you are not dreaming and It was on your records Stacey, and no one could get hold of you so I decided to come and get you myself." I explained "are you here alone?" I added.

"Yes" it sounded like a question " but even if I wasn't I would still feel it. I just want to live my life without worries and I can be myself without the fear of being hurt for it. I want to let go of my horrible past, live in the present and hope that I actually have a future." By the end of her speech, tears were trickling down her face.

I stepped into her doorway and held her in my arms, knowing there was no other place I wanted to be.

"Stacey!" A loud voice boomed from inside the house "What's bloody taking you so long, get back here."

I pulled away from her and she shot me a fearful look, A deathly familiar man rounded the corner.

The man from the bar. The 'roommate'.

"You!" He spat, shoving Stacey out the way and onto the floor, he squared up to me.

"Me? ME? Your the one hurting this poor girl aren't you?" I accused him.

"Funny little boy you are ain't ya? Can't take a warnin' from a man when he gives ya one." He shoved me, but I stood my ground and rocked back onto my heels.

"Your not a man, A real man doesn't hit a woman." I retorted angrily.

"How do ya know it was me pretty boy?"

"Well isn't it obvious? She's terrified of you, as soon as you stepped out the door her face screwed up in fear! You just threatened her for gods sake! Oh, and I know it was you that rammed my car and sent me that text" I added that last bit more for confirmation that effect.

"So what if it was me? What ya gonna do about it? Pathetic little boy you are."

"That's coming from the mouth of a man who hits a woman" I spat.

"Oh so you came to visit my little Stacey did ya!? Think you would come and play prince charming? No wonder Anne left you, pathetic piece of a man you are." He slurred.

"You arse! You don't know anything about my life! You can't just come out and say that! You dont know me, my life, or what I've been through! So how can you have the nerve to just come out and say that?" I shouted in his face, wondering how he knew of my former fiancee.

And without warning, He punched me square in the jaw, and it was hard.

I heard Stacey shriek.

Blood flew out of my mouth and drops landed on his dirty white unbranded polo shirt, I wasn't prepared for it so it sent me crashing to the floor.

I grabbed my jaw in response, and my hatred boiled underneath my skin and pulsed thick and strong through my veins I didn't care that I would get hurt, I just wanted this jackass to get what he deserved for hurting this innocent girl.

I wanted him to hurt as badly as Stacey.

I wanted him to suffer for what he had done, I bet Stacey wasn't even the first girl he had done this to.

I punched him right in the middle of the face,over and over my hands came back bloodier with each punch I threw. He slammed his fist into my jaw again and then my eye, followed by a failed attempt to hit my groin. My knees started to become weak from the pain, but I didn't give up. I returned the blow into his own groin with a swift whack of my elbow and he fell onto his knees, and although he was already beaten. I Wasn't finished with him yet, I slammed his head to the floor multiple times until he was rendered unconscious.

I spat on the floor and peered up at a petrified Stacey.

"It's ok, Stacey." I tried to pull her slender body into an embrace but she pushed against my chest.

"What was that all about" She shouted at me, tears where streaming down her face and the afternoon sun reflected off them.

"I'm so sorry Stacey. I'm so, so sorry" I dropped to my knees with my head in my hands.

"Justin! what's wrong?" She panicked, mirroring my action and joining me on the floor.

"I just lost it...He's the one that did this to you isn't he?" I asked her whilst taking her face in my hands.

"Yes, its him." she didn't push her voice above a whisper, but it still carried pain in it.

"I'm so sorry Stacey, I'm so sorry for what he's done to you and what he's put you through. No one deserves to be treated like that, especially not some one as young and exquisite as yourself."

"Now you know that's not true." She grasped my shoulders.

"What part?" I asked, offended.

"The last part. You and I can both tell it's not true just look at me! I'm a broken mess, I'm just a shell of what and who I used to be. I used to be a nice girl, but not anymore, I'm just another victim. I'm useful to no one, just a castoff from society." she trembled, I took her Hands off my shoulders and held them in my own before placing my forehead on hers.

"Stacey, that wasn't your fault, none of it was. There's nothing wrong with you and your not a cast off."

I rose to my feet, and so did Stacey, who was still holding hands with me. I looked down at the waste of a life that was crumpled in agony on the floor. I wish I would have killed him, no one deserves to be treated like Stacey was.

"We need to go, my neighbour called the police..." she pointed to the house just outside the turning, and sure enough there was an elderly woman standing in the doorway with a fearful expression on her face and a phone in her hand that was held to her ear. I could hear the faint sound of sirens wailing from not too far away.

"Let's go." I took one last look at her abuser, who I had not learnt the name of yet, before grabbing her hand as leading her to the R8.

"How many cars do you have?!" She exclaimed.

"I had one, but since the crash it wasn't salvageable so I don't have any cars."

"Oh...Erm about that..." She looked up at me as we both took our seats in the Audi.

"What?"

"That was Marcus..." she said almost incoherently. I shot her a confused look.

"The guy you just punched the lights out of." she clarified.

My lips thinned into a line "I thought just as much, oh can we talk about this later right now I would really love to get out of here before I get put in prison" I laughed, and so did she.

Perhaps it will work out, I thought hopefully to myself.

A/N : sorry about the short chapter, but have lots of art coursework to do (boo!) so I thought short was better than a cliffy hehehe