Wish Upon A Sunset

Over The Edge

Emma

One Week Before The Accident...

In the early morning, I awoke with a full bladder. It was still dark outside, so I had inched off the bed as quietly as possible, not wanting to disturb Zack. We had said nothing to each other after the police had been called, and I had fallen asleep before he had even come to bed. I certainly didn't want him waking up now.

After finishing my business, I silently climbed back into bed. I had just pulled the covers up and closed my eyes when Zack's hushed voice caused my heart to race.

"Did you close the toilet seat lid?"

A few days ago, he had insisted that he could smell the toilet from where he slept and stated that the lid had to be closed at all times. It was a new rule of his, and it was hard to break old habits.

"No, I completely forgot. I'm sorry," I whispered back.

An angry growl floated across the small space between us, and my body instinctively tensed up. "Well, maybe if I peed on a rag and put it next to your pillow, you would remember next time!"

Everything always turned into a fight with him. He must get off on it or something and all I wanted was to go back to sleep and avoid dealing with this nonsense. But even though my heart was pounding and I should have kept quiet, that rebellious side of me reared its ugly head, and I still ended up putting my foot in my mouth... again.

"Look, I'm not a child! You're not my father and you have no right to boss me around! Just be-"

I felt the bed shift and sink beneath me as his large frame settled partially on top of mine. His legs pinned me down and his breath washed over the side of my face as he snarled into my ear, "No right? I have a right to not smell piss all night long! If I tell you to close the toilet seat lid, then that's what you do. Got it?"

His muscular leg curled up and pressed into my hip, pushing me towards the side of the bed. Despite my efforts to stay put, I gradually moved nearer to the edge.

His voice hissed in my ear, "And don't think I forgot about how mouthy you got earlier. One of these days, you're going to push me too far, Emma. Like I told you then, you need to learn to shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you."

With another forceful push of his leg, it became undeniable that he was purposely pushing me over to the side of the bed. My body teetered for a second, and I fell before I could right myself. It was dark, and the bed was a good three feet off the floor, making it difficult to brace myself.

I landed hard on my right side, knocking the air from my lungs. I didn't know if it was the shock of his sudden anger, which shouldn't have surprised me anymore, or that he had pushed me out of bed, but I laid there, numb for a few moments. It wasn't the first time he had done something like this, but it still shocked me every time.

I heard his chuckle as I stood up slowly, the ache of the fall settling in.

"Stop making it hard on yourself," I heard him say as I saw the dark outline of his body lay back down on his side of the bed. "Go shut the toilet seat cover."