A Rough Start

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I feel like I’m floating. Am I dead? Surely God wouldn’t keep alive after my second near death experience. I have to be dead, I’m just not lucky enough to survive being beaten like that.

I wonder what happened to Ryan. Did he get thrown in jail? I hope so; I hope he rots in jail for the rest of his life. I wonder if Jake beat him up first.

Oh my goodness, Jake! Where is he? Did he save me? Why am I talking to myself in my head?

Slowly, I try to open my eyes, but bright light forces them closed.

“Jake?” I whisper.

“Beth, its mom, please wake up. Please baby, just wake up. I can’t lose you! Just wake up.” I hear her begin to whimper silently.

“Mom?” I ask her quietly. Her whimpering stops and I hear her sniffle.

“I’m here. I’m not leaving, Beth. Open your eyes, Beth, wake up. Please.” Her pleas break my heart and I struggle to open my eyes. I blink a few times to clear my vision and I see that I’m in a pale white room. The only furniture in this room is the bed I’m in, and an uncomfortable looking chair that’s occupied by my mother.

“Where am I?” I ask her.

She takes a deep breath before answering me. “You’re in the hospital. You’ve been given heavy anesthetics after the doctors set your ribs so they could heal properly. Beth, they said that a guy did this to you. Is that true?” She takes my hand in hers.

“Yeah, mom, it’s true.” I say, and shift uncomfortably. “What happened to him?”

“What happened to whom?”

“The guy that did this to me, what happened to him?”

“They didn’t know who did it, whoever it was got away.” She answers. “I’m going to get a glass of water; I’ll be right back baby.” I nod my head, letting her know its okay.

Ryan got away. He nearly killed me and they didn’t catch him. He’s still out there, and he probably wants to finish what he started. He’s not going to stop until he gets me six feet under.

What happened to Jake and Darren? Did Ryan get a hold of them? Goodness, I won’t be able to live with myself if they got hurt on account of me. My silent brooding is interrupted by a visitor in my room.

“I’d be lying if I said it was good to see you alive and well.” My heart beats like a drum and my whole body runs warm in sheer terror.

Ryan.

I turn to face the reason I’m in here. He’s standing by the door, leaning casually against the frame. I raise an eyebrow at his black eye and swollen lip, and it takes all my self-control not to burst out laughing when he smiles and I see he’s missing a tooth. He takes a step towards me, and I remember that I’m deathly terrified of this boy.

“What do you want Ryan. My mom will be back here any minute.” I say in a threatening voice. He chuckles and shakes his hand.

“You know what I want.” He smiles evilly as he takes a few more steps closer to my bed.

“Obviously I don’t, or I wouldn’t have asked you what you wanted.” I retort. “Dipshit.” I mutter under my breath.

“I heard that.” He growls.

“I don’t care.” I say back. Suddenly he’s right in my face, out faces mere inches from touching. I nearly gag at the thought of kissing him like I used to.