My Summer with New York

She's Under Your Skin

Colby's POV:
When Mrs. Beckett called me, I was just pulling into Ryan's driveway. Her voice was frantic. "Colby you need to get here. It's Rose. Somethings happened and she needs you." Ice water shot through my veins. She's hurt. Somethings happened and she needs me. Ryan looked at me through his window, and I shook my head and pulled out. I sped like a madman to get to the huge Easter egg that she lived in. My hands were shaking against the steering wheel, and I prayed over and over. Please let her be okay. Please let her be okay.

I could see blue lights up ahead at her house. What the fuck? I was even more scared now. I parked against the curb quickly so I could get to my girl. "Excuse me Colby but you can't come in here." A female officer tried to say. "It's okay. I asked for him." Mrs. Beckett says. Her eyes are bloodshot and her cheeks are puffy. She's been crying. "Where is she?" I demand. I can hear the worry in my voice. Justin and her father are no where to be seen. It's just Mrs. Beckett. "She's in her room. Colby be gentle." She tells me warily. I can tell she doesn't like me, but she called me because my Rosie needed me. I nod swiftly and I'm bolting up the stairs two at a time. I open doors frantically until I find her laying across one of the beds. "If you aren't Colby go away." I hear her say. "Well it's a good thing I'm Colby." I joke.

She doesn't move the blanket away from her face right away, and that only scares me more. "Baby let me see you." I softly beg. Rosie is trembling as she pulls the blanket down, and the sight of her face kills me. One of her grey eyes now has a purplish bruise forming near it, her lips are swollen ,and the bottom one is busted. I know exactly who did this to her, and I immediately want to kill him. "Did he do this?" I ask her softly. When she nods her head yes, tears fill her eyes. I lightly reach out and touch her bruise, and as I pull her to me, I see more bruises on her arms. They're shaped like his hands. I hold her to my chest as she sobs. She holds onto me harshly like she's scared I'm going to vanish into thin air. I kiss her head softly and rock her back and forth. I go to pull my phone out of my pocket, and Rosie grips onto me even tighter. "I have to tell my mom I'm here with you tonight or she'll worry." I explain. I'm definitely not leaving tonight. I probably won't leave until Rosie asks me to. I lay her down on her bed before stripping down to my boxers. She looks over at me timidly, and I wink at her. Rosie gives me a small smile, and as soon as I'm back in the bed with her, she comes and cuddles up against me like we sleep together every night.

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The night shift at the surf shop is the one I hate the most. It's busy, but at the same time it's slow as hell. It was my first night working the night shift since Justin came down. Ryan and Aubrey were finally going out on a date, so my mom needed the extra help. "Colby she can go one night without you." She told me as I complained about having to help. I flinch at her words. Rosie refuses to let me tell my mom or Abel. She claims she didn't want them to think she was an awful person.

"How's you're girly?" The night cashier, Damien, says. "Who Rosie?" I ask. He laughs at me, and I realize that it's because I made it sound like I had more than one girl. "Yes Rosie." He says. I smile and shrug like we aren't really a thing. "You smiling like that booooy. It could cause problems for you." Damien tells me. It's my turn to laugh now, but I tell him "We're probably gonna be over by the end of the summer." It hurts to say those words, but I know it's true. "That girl is under your skin, Colby." He says. "I've never seen anything like it."

Damien has worked for my mom since I was Abel's age. He watched me grow up and after my father died, his relationship with my mom grew into something more. "You have plenty of times." I tell him. I know for sure that he's seen me fall for girls more times than he can count. "You didn't even fall for that Macy girl like this." Damien says as a group of outsiders stumble into the shop. I smile at Damien before clocking out to go on break. He's right and I know he is, but I don't want to admit it to myself. It'll be hard enough at the end of the summer when it's time to say goodbye. I pull out my phone to call Rosie, and I'm soon lost in my girl from New York.