Fallen (Austin Mahone Short Story)

Chapter 11: Bruised

When she'd left yesterday I couldn't help but feel hopeless, unwanted. She didn't even say bye, she ran out of my house. One thing I could say is that she looked confused, like she didn't know how she was supposed to be feeling. I knew how I was feeling, like shit.

I pushed away my covers, throwing on some decent but random sort of pajamas. I was going to our spot. Something said she obviously doesn't want you so why even bother? but another part of me couldn't help it, I needed it. Maybe she would be there, more likely than not. We didn't have to talk about it, we could just move on like it never happened. It was an honest mistake if she felt like that.

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She was relaxed in front of the rock today, not on top of it. She was still, like she was sleeping, barely moving a muscle unless it was to shake her foot a few times. Her hair was pushed back in a sloppy ponytail, wearing a green longsleeved shirt that matched her eyes, which were dark today and not their usual enchanting green, with black sweats. She was twisting her necklace between her fingers, staring up at me for a few quick seconds then forcing her attention back to the creek.

"What's wrong with you?" I crouched down next to her, she kept her focus on the water.

"Well hello to you too, how was your day?" She smiled, tilting her head towards me. 

I couldn't tell if she was being serious or her sarcasm was just that good. I shrugged it off, sitting down next to her, watching pebbles skid across the creek. She giggled, scooting closer to me, I could feel that nervousness creeping up on me again. I let her get comfortable, feeling my breath hitch in my throat. She still had this effect on me, whether she liked me or not, my feelings never changed. There was an awkward silence between us, "So..."

"Soooooo..." She mocked me, smiling up at me.

"Ha-ha, very funny."

"Ha-ha, very funny." She pulled away from me, crossing her legs in front of her. Stared back at me with a look of satisfaction, still twirling her necklace.

I reached out for her but she pushed back, giggling. I have to admit I was laughing too, "Okay, this isn't funny. Stop mocking me."

"Okay, this isn't fun---" I leaped at her and she squealed, twisting onto her feet and running away. I did the only thing I was good at: I chased. She disappeared into the brush, all I could hear were her faint giggles but they were coming from all around. This was like a repeat of the other night except it was daytime, which made it a lot easier for me to find her.

I saw a hint of her shirt sleeve, she was standing still. She wouldn't move, hoping I wouldn't notice her, "Gotcha!"

I snatched for her arm, yanking her out of the greenery before she could take off again. Her back flew into my chest, causing me to stumble backwards. She wiggled in my arms, "Austin, let me go!"

"I win this time! Ha!" I rubbed it in her face, she wasn't the quick one anymore. Before I knew it, we were both on the ground, she was squirming to get out of my grip, laughing as I tickled her.

"Austin, ouch!" She laughed, flailing her legs in every direction, my fingers pressing into her shirt, moving quickly so she couldn't catch them. She jerked at certain spots, almost like cringing as if she were in pain. She kicked, "Austin, stop!"

"I'm not falling for your trick again, Lex!" I kept tickling her and chuckling but she pushed me off, I didn't think she was strong enough, "What's wrong?"

She backed against a tree, folding her arms across her stomach. She shot me a look, "I'm fine."

"No..." I crawled over and sat in front of her, examining her, "I do that to you all the time and this one time you freak out on me? What's going on?"

"I told you, I'm fine, Austin! Can we just leave it at that? I'm. Fine." She snapped at me, turning her attention elsewhere. I extended my arm, if something was wrong it had to be where I was squeezing before. 

She swatted my hand away, widening her eyes at me, "Lex. What's wrong?"

"Nothing! What are you doing?!" I didn't answer, I just moved, slipping my hand under her shirt. I pressed against her skin gently and she sighed in pain, "Your fingers are really cold..."

"Sorry..." I stared into her eyes again, they were dark, not capturing the essence of the sunlight. She broke contact, taking a huge gulp. I went to lift her shirt but she stopped me, shaking her head, "I need to know."

She exhaled deeply, pulling her shirt up just enough for me to see three bruises within inches of each other. Dark purple and green around the edges, they stained her skin. One flaw, she would've probably never told me about. Anger coursed through my veins, "Did he do that to you?"

"Just don't worry about it, Austin... You wouldn't understand." She spoke in barely a whisper, adjusting her shirt back down to her hips.

"Don't worry about it? Lex, you're hurt! You have bruises to prove it! Why do you say that?"

"Because, Austin, while you're living this picture perfect life and you have everything you could possibly ask for and your dreams are coming true, mine are shattering in front of my face! I have just about the worst life I could possibly imagine and I never even saw it coming! My mom's dead, my dad drinks non stop because of it and ever since my sister left for college, he's been beating on me because I'm the only one left! I was bullied in school! Kids would call me a cry baby, saying just because my mom died that didn't give me an excuse to be an attention whore and my sister withdrew me so now I'm forced to stay at that prison, with him dictating my life. I don't have any friends besides you! Everyone either hates me or think I'm a liar, my dad tells me some of the worst things just to break my spirits, calling me worthless, ugly, and a failure, telling me constantly how much of a piece of shit I am to him! So when I say that you wouldn't understand, I mean it." She shot to her feet, running into me, burying her face in my sweatshirt, "Austin, I need help..."

She sobbed in my shirt, gripping it, holding me close. I didn't know all of these things were happening, I felt helpless to her needs. She was broken but I didn't know how to fix her. Seeing her cry like this made me emotional, I wasn't used to it. I teared up, holding back most but letting a few fall, showing that I cared. She was always happy around me, we always joked, or talked about music, she always brought sunshine into my life. Today she was hurt, today was down, today she needed me, and I was going to be there for her.

I cupped her chin, wiping away her tears, kissing her forehead, "I'm here, always, when you need anything. Stop crying, I know this is hard but life gets better. I promise you. I don't know what he's got you thinking but you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen and you're worth everything in the world. You're funny, you're sweet, you're just all around amazing. You're so talented, you're smart, okay, everything they say about you is a lie. All the hateful things people have to say about you is irrelevant, do you understand? You define yourself, don't let others define you." 

She nodded, biting her lip. She threw her arms over my shoulder, pushing herself up to her tip toes. She shyly smiled at me, easing her lips onto mine. So soft, my stomach twisted from the friction, nervousness hitting me like a brick through a window. I pulled her closer, she arched her back into me, taking a deep breath before pulling away slowly. She kept her eyes closed, taking in her bottom lip. She whispered, "Thank you."

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This is a long part, I know.

I would be lying if I said I didn't get emotional while writing this, I don't do that. This hit me hard.

Enough with the gushy stuff okay that's enough for one day. Comment your thoughts! Vote & Share please! Thank you for reading!