Blair O'Connor was the life of every party-popular, fearless, and always the center of attention. But behind the perfect image was an abusive boyfriend who slowly stripped away the girl she used to be.
After finally breaking free, Blair transfers...
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"Hurry up!" Casey shouted from my room as I changed in the bathroom. Me and Eloise had been shopping all morning, and now we were doing a mini fashion show for Casey and Aoife, showing off our latest finds. It was one of those perfect, lazy afternoons, filled with laughter and the thrill of something as simple as new clothes.
I was about to show off my new shorts, paired with a cute bra that had a little bow on the front, something Eloise and I had debated over at the store.
"Okay—I'm done!" I called, opening the bathroom door and stepping out confidently.
Eloise jumped up from the bed, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the bra. "I'm in love with that bra! I regret not getting it, so I'm definitely borrowing it—wait, what the fuck, Blair?" Her voice shifted suddenly as she walked closer, her expression changing from excitement to concern.
"What?" I asked, genuinely confused.
Eloise's eyes widened as she pointed toward my ribs. "Where's that bruise from?"
I looked down, and my heart dropped. I hadn't even noticed it before, but there it was—a deep purple bruise, stark against my skin, just under my rib cage.
Shit.
"How'd you do that?" Aoife asked, her voice curious but a little concerned too, as her eyes moved to where Eloise was pointing.
I froze for a second, panic rising in my throat, but I swallowed it down quickly. I couldn't let them know. I couldn't let this turn into something.
"Oh, uh..." I fumbled, forcing a casual laugh, trying to act like it wasn't a big deal. "I walked into the corner of the table last night. Total klutz move, you know? I wasn't paying attention, and boom."
I could feel their eyes still on me, not entirely convinced but not pushing too hard either. Eloise frowned a little, her eyes lingering on the bruise longer than I wanted them to, but she didn't press the issue.
"Jeez, you've got to be more careful," Casey chimed in, leaning back on the bed, her tone light. "That looks like it hurt."
"Yeah, totally," I said, trying to keep my voice steady, brushing it off. "I didn't even notice it until just now. It's not that bad."
Eloise gave me one last glance before backing off, her playful smile returning. "Well, just don't bruise the bra, okay? I still plan on borrowing it."
I laughed, but inside, my stomach twisted.
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"I don't remember you hitting your side," Eloise said, sitting down on my bed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked at me.
"What?" I asked, my voice coming out a little sharper than I meant.
"Your bruise—you didn't hit the table," she said, sighing, like she was already tired of my answer before I even gave it.
I could feel my pulse quicken, my mind racing to find a way out of this. "I did—"
"Blair." She cut me off, her tone firmer now, less playful. "I follow you around twenty-four/seven. I would've remembered if you hit your side that hard. We would've laughed about it, right? So, really... how'd it happen?"
Shit.
Fuck.
I froze for a second, my heart pounding in my chest. Eloise was always observant, but I hadn't expected her to push this hard. I couldn't tell her what really happened. I couldn't let her know. But I had to say something, and fast.
I forced a small smile, trying to keep my voice as casual as possible. "It's nothing serious, really. Connor and I were just messing around, you know? Like play-fighting. He just... caught me wrong. That's all. It wasn't on purpose."
Eloise's eyes didn't waver. She didn't say anything for a moment, just sat there, staring at me, her expression unreadable. Then, she sighed again, leaning back on her hands. "Blair... come on. That doesn't make sense either."
"It's the truth," I said quickly, a little too quickly. "We were messing around, and it just happened. I didn't even notice it at first."
She shook her head, her face softening but still filled with that nagging disbelief. "Look, I know you two mess around sometimes, but this? I don't buy it. There's something you're not telling me."
My stomach twisted. I could feel the pressure of her gaze, the weight of her concern, but I couldn't crack. Not now. If I told her the full truth... no, I couldn't even let myself think about it.
"It's really not a big deal, Eloise," I insisted, trying to laugh it off. "You're making it sound way worse than it is. He didn't mean to. You know how Connor is—he'd never hurt me on purpose."
She didn't say anything for a moment, just watched me, her eyes searching mine. I could tell she wasn't convinced, not even a little. Finally, she let out a small sigh, standing up and brushing some invisible lint off her pants.
"If you say so," she said quietly, but there was something in her tone that told me she wasn't letting this go, even if she wasn't pushing me on it right now.
I nodded, forcing another smile, but inside, I felt like I was unraveling. Eloise knew me too well, and if I wasn't careful, she was going to figure out more than I wanted her to.
"Yeah. It's fine," I said again, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt.
But as Eloise glanced at me one more time before turning away, I knew she didn't believe me. Not one bit.
