Better

Chapter 2

When I woke up again, the first thing I noticed was that I was inside. There was a ceiling fan spinning above me, and a blanket was draped across my body. I felt nauseous, and my whole body hurt. I didn't know what else that sick bastard had done to me. So I had no idea how bad the damage was.

I managed to sit up a little and found that I was in a bedroom. The TV was on, and the chair near it looked like it was being used. There was a trashcan beside the bed, and a melted ice pack next to a box of bandaids and some rubbing alcohol sitting on the bedside table. Someone had actually used their own time to help me.

"Hey, you're awake."

I hadn't heard the door open. But now, there was a boy standing in front of me. He was tall and mildly skinny, with dark blonde curls and an undercut, and had a camera hanging on his neck. For a second, my mind went back to the conversation I'd had with Paul earlier. I didn't know what kind of guy I'd go for. But I'd said I liked blondes. Maybe I wasn't wrong; because I thought he was beautiful.

I was silent while I connected my thoughts. So he continued.

"How're you feeling?"

"What happened?" I asked, not meaning to ignore his question.

"I don't know." He shrugged, pulling the chair closer to me and sitting down, "I found you passed out on the side of the highway."

"That prick." I mumbled, then felt my heart stop for a second, "Fuck! Where's my wallet?"

"I don't think you had one on you."

"Fuck!" I repeated.

"Hey, it's fine. We'll figure it out."

For some reason, his voice was calming me down. As soon as he came into the room, the air had felt different; cleaner, somehow. I had no idea what was going on. But for a guy who hardly knew how to feel, looking at him was making me feel a lot of things.

"What's your name?" He asked me.

"Uh, Keaton."

"I'm Tanner." He smiled, "Do you remember anything?"

I did. But I didn't want to tell him. People always freaked out when they found out how I supported myself.

"Some guy shot me up with something. That's all I know."

He just nodded, raising his eyebrows a little.

"What?"

"Nothing." He sighed, "I just figured it was drugs."

I looked down at my arms. I'd never felt so embarrassed about them. I was nothing but claw marks and pin pricks. When I looked back at Tanner, he was smiling at me. His blue eyes were calm, waiting for me to say something.

"I'm an escort." I said, surprising myself with the confession, "I run into crazies all the time. But last night, I let some asshole shoot me up with what I thought was Heroin. But it turned out to be something else, and I passed out. Judging by how shitty I feel, he probably beat the shit out of me and raped me a couple times. Then I guess he dumped me on the street."

He waited a second before he spoke, letting me calm down.

"I feel like you should be more upset than you are."

"The only thing I really care about is that he stole my money."

"But, he hurt you."

I just shrugged my shoulders; letting my eyes fall to the bed. It didn't matter that he was making me feel unfamiliar things. I still hated myself.