A man, not known to many, enters the life of an unstable family, plunging it down through its already weak restraints.
(Previously known as "The Serial Rapist")
COMPLETED.
We all stared, none of us uttering a word. I would have prolonged the moment, with enough time to contemplate on what Nina had gotten herself into, had she not continued to sob even louder. She was a shame to look upon; clearly dirty from the grime and oil that stuck to her like a sore, her chocolate hair all messy and scraggly, matted to her back. Her lips chapped, obviously lacking the need for a proper glass of water.
And of course, she'd been beaten by the 'attractive guys' she'd been following around. It was evident by the bruises that covered her arms and legs, the angry red spots standing out off her tanned colour.
"Nina," Emmett gasped, taking in her whole appearance. Before everything had gone to hell, we'd been one group, but of course, there was that one person you were close to. For me, it was Caleb, and as you guessed, for Emmett, it was Nina. Darlene kind of just blended in with all of us. It probably hurt him like hell to see Nina in front of him like this; wondering what he could do to help.
"You guys should get her to a hospital," Darlene spoke up to the suited men who stood on both sides of Nina, silent, seeming deadly. They both snapped their heads to us, faces stolid, cold and bitter with no remorse whatsoever for the sobbing teen they had before them. It was only there and then had I pitied her.
Nina's parents were snobbish and rich, wanting the best for their daughter as well as the highest standards of education and living. If she was to return home looking like this, they'd bite her head off. Surprisingly, Nina didn't rub off from them. Being the sweet and kind person she was, gave her quite the name in school, and let's not forget her looks. Boys swarmed around her like bees attracted to nectar during the Spring season.
It was only a matter of time before she fell to their clutches and took part in everything any young girl was forbidden to do at that age. She wasn't 'Nina their beloved friend' anymore. She was 'Nina the stranger.'
"We can take her from here," I told the men quickly before I could regret it. Everyone turned to me, confused and suspicious. I didn't blame them. I was the first one to turn a cold nose to her. Even Nina had stopped crying to gaze at me carefully, probably wondering whether her chances with me were better than going home to her parents and facing their wrath.
"Very well then," they replied, and both stealthily walked back to their vehicle and drove off.
"I-I'm staying with you?" Nina stuttered, wrapping her arms around her bare stomach. A strong gust of wind had already begun to pick up, signalling a sudden change in the weather.
"We'd better hurry," Emmett suggested, and rest followed him quickly to the car. It was a silent drive down the almost deserted road.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The sky was dark by the time we reached the centre of our town. Emmett dropped off Darlene and Caleb at their homes, and then dropped Nina together with me, at my house. Emmett looked weary, not driving off yet as he eyed us with concern.
"You sure you girls are going to be fine?" he asked. I smiled genuinely, not sure why I was agreeing with myself, but some part of me wanted to make things right with Nina. Right now, helping her was the only way to do so, even if she deserved what she got.
"We'll be fine," I replied. He gave us one last glance before driving off into the distance. I turned to face Nina, my heart dropped when I saw her. She looked like an abandoned and scared puppy. "Come on. Let's get you inside and cleaned up. And try to avoid my mom. We don't want her alerting your parents."
***
"These should fit," I said as I walked into my room, throwing Nina a mauve tee-shirt as she was just finishing putting on my black basketball shorts.
"You dress like a boy," she commented as she pulled my shirt off the bed. I shrugged nonchalantly, peering out the window, to keep a lookout in case my mom came home earlier than I expected. Candace was somewhere... I don't know, doing whatever she does, so we were basically home alone. It was the perfect time to get her in shape and cleaned up: the way she looked before she knew what a penis was.
"Are you hungry?" I asked once she was dressed. Her hair was neatly combed out with a slight frizz. She nodded in response and we quickly made our way to the kitchen and she sat quietly while I pulled out a small crate of eggs to prepare. I'd already begun to mix the yolk in with some chopped sausages and parsley when her small voice stopped me.
"Why are you doing this?" I looked up, and she seemed genuinely intrusive, her hazel eyes glazed over. My cold stare warmed a bit, seeing she truly didn't know what she was about. I sighed, my back facing her as I placed the frying pan on the stove, letting it heat up with the oil.
"Whatever's in the past, is in the past. And you're in desperate need of help. I won't deny you that." I spun around on the spot, surprised as I witnessed a warm smile spreading across her lips.
"Thank you," she replied, casting her gaze down to play with her fingers. It was barely a whisper, but I heard it. I was about to return to the pan, but the sound of the front door opening stopped me dead in my tracks. We were both frozen at the moment and made no movement whatsoever, which was incredibly stupid for the time being. I did let out a sigh of relief once I realized it was only Chris walking in with some bags in his hands.
"Gosh Chris, you scared us," I chuckled but he didn't once acknowledge my comment. He was too busy glaring at Nina to notice me even standing there. So I asked what was scratching at my brain. "What's wrong? Do you two know each other?" Chris snapped to me almost immediately, all the enmity evaporated from his steely eyes.
"No." He cocked his head to one side. "Not at all."
***
Hey guys. Thanks for coming this far. Hope you're enjoying the plot.
