Fighting Darkness

Chapter Eleven

I'm really sorry all my chapters are short, but I feel it foreshadow what's coming next:)

***Nathan***

Paige lays asleep at my side. Curled up into my shirtless chest, one arm wrapped tightly around her. The brightly, but faded, bruises she has are on display, showing me the words that are muffled by her screams and cries. If only I could have gotten her sooner, I could have saved her and made her mine. It was only a coincidence that I was walking through the park.

Only two weeks ago mom finally told me what happened to dad. He didn't want to support a child, obviously, he wasn't ready, but they were married, talked about kids for years, and all of sudden, he had to leave. "What do your parents do, Nathan." Every teacher always asked me. My eyes would fully meet there's because I wasn't going to hide anything. If it was a happy ending they want for me they sure as hell would not get it. "My moms a nurse, and my dads a dead beat and left." My four year old mouth would say. Life couldn't have gotten worse, but slowly and surely it did. I was the jock, every girl wanted me, but I didn't give them anything; the rumors made me look like a man-whore, if only someone would understand that I wasn't that would be great. At seventeen I discovered alcohol, and drugs. Wanting my dad to feel the pain that my mom shared, just looking back watching myself take drink after drink with a group of guys I barely knew and a girl in my arm. After hours, after the bar shut down, after my mom was asleep, I would go to that park and stand on the edge of the bridge, wondering what my dad would do if he knew I what I was doing.

Luckily, that night, I walked into that park watching this girl take a step to end her life. Now I'm about to relive what I use to do, with a girl I've known for a month.

Time passes by, slowly ticking, and mocking who I am. The same clock I stared at when I was ten, waiting to see if he would walk through the front door of the small brick house, but he never did.

I slip out of bed, walking over to the glass door closet, putting on a red polo and khaki pants. The bright green bathroom walls give off different moods every time I walk in. Getting darker if I'm mad and getting lighter if I'm happy.

Hair toddled in every direction, flatting it down to make my lump of curls look decent, my teeth become clean and my face becomes clear. Now all I have to do, is sit here and wait for Paige to wake up. God know how much she needs this sleep, and I won't be the one to take her away from it.

***Paige***

The clubs music blares through the many speaker the small facility holds. People grinding against others, maybe trying to drown out how drunk they are and just enjoy themselves. I couldn't imagine doing any of that, just because I was raised in a religious house hold and it was shunned. Of course I have cousins who thought this was fine and went out every night doing all this, but for me this is new. I'm not even legal and I'm in a club. X's are written on many people's hands, as far as mine, the man out front told me it was for not drinking, but judging by all the teens going into the bathrooms to wash it off, they really want to drink. Taste the sour liquid burning their throat.

Some loud song rocks through the dance floor. All the words I can catch are, "I'm sleeping with my clothes on, and your gone. Gone." The guitar clearly had the lead more than the singer.

Nathan and I stand there taking in the scene. Obviously he's been here before and this isn't new as he flirts with some blonde girl, who probably had some work done. "Well, thanks for your number." Nathan says nonchalantly. What about us? Didn't we come here together?

I guess I'm just new at this, I mean I guess this is normal. You bring someone to a bar and hit on another girl.

Nathan turns back to me, snaking his arm around my waist giving my hips a squeeze. I feel disgusted with myself. This-this place is dirty, filled with unsafe sex and alcohol. Everyone here are minors. I can tell by the pounds of makeup and sluty clothing they wear. Acting like nothing's happened.