“I don’t wanna lose, Asher!” Jo yelled at me, as I handed the lady her phone. She looked at Jo confused, “Dear, the man was hurting you! You can’t let him keep taking advantage of you!”
“He isn’t!” Jo cried, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. I could tell that she was annoyed and mad. She balled her small fists together, pushing them down to her sides. She looked like she was about to say something, but instead groaned and turned around. Jo stomped back into the house.
“So, how long have you heard the yelling?” I asked the lady.
“Um, for about a year, technically speaking, since they moved in. I called the cops a couple times, but that was about it. So, he’s been beating her and…” she lowered her voice, “Raping the poor girl?”
I nodded, “According to what you told me and for how long it’s been happening to her… I knew something was happening to her, but this? Never in a million years would I have guessed that Asher was beating her… they seemed like the perfect couple… Just today she called and told me they were getting married.”
“Wait, they were going to get married?” the lady exclaimed. I nodded, scratching the back of my neck, “Yeah, she told me earlier today… she’s only nineteen and Asher is twenty, so it was pretty shocking to me.”
“Wow… I don’t get why she still loves him,” she mumbled. I couldn’t agree more. I didn’t get what Jo saw in him now that I know his true personality. Why would she still be in love with someone that abuses her? Why couldn’t she be in love with me? I would treat her right and love her more than Asher ever did.
“How do you know them?” she asked me. I looked at her a little surprised, “Wait, you don’t know who they are?” I asked. She looked at me confused, “No, what are you talking about?”
“That’s Asher Lee and Jo Levon. Asher is one of the most popular singers right now, and Jo is one of the most popular actors,” I told her. I guess I could’ve tried to hide it, but it doesn’t really matter. She’s going to find out when the police come.
Her eyes widened, “Wait, really? I can’t believe it! They’ve been living beside me for a year and I had no idea they were so famous… wait, why are they living here?”
“I don’t know…” I mumbled. I decided against telling her who I was. I didn’t want to take the chance. She could sell out my location to the paparazzi. Then, they would know I beat up Asher.
“So, you beat up Asher?” she asked. I nodded, looking down at my knuckles which were cut open. My body was really sore and in a ton of pain. I was just so preoccupied, that the pain didn’t even matter.
“You could come to my house and get yourself fixed up,” she suggested. I shook my head, “No, I’m just gonna wait for the police to come and tell them everything and then head home.”
She nodded in reply. We fell silent for a moment, then I spoke up, “I think I better go check on Jo and check if Asher woke up.”
She nodded and I walked into the house. I walked up the familiar staircase and pushed open the door. I saw Jo sitting on the floor, right beside Asher. Her hand was stroking his dark brown hair. She was whispering something into his ear. Asher was still unconscious, though. I saw her smile at him and then lean in.
I quickly squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see that. I reopened and she had pulled away from his lips. I took a few more steps into the room and Jo’s gaze immediately snapped up to me, “What do you want?” she spat out, like venom on her tongue.
My gaze fell on my tennis shoes, then back up at Jo, “You know the police are coming soon?” I asked. Jo nodded, “Yes, I know, and I’m spending my last few minutes with Asher before they take him away.”
“What is going to happen when he goes?” I quietly asked. Jo shrugged, “I don’t know… I’ll wait for him to come back from jail,” Jo answered. I bit my lip in frustration, “Jo, he isn’t right for you.”
“You don’t know about us, Niall,” she whispered, staring at Asher. Silence filled the room. I guess I didn’t know about them, but I do know that Asher isn’t good for her. She thinks that he wouldn’t kill her, but there is a high chance he would.
“I-I don’t know what to do without him… He as my everything. I don’t know how to go on with life without him. My life revolved around him… I-I don’t even know how to go on now.” Jo’s eyes brimmed with fresh tears. She covered her face with her hands and let out chocked sobs.
My feet slowly shuffled towards her. I sat down on the floor beside Jo, “Sometimes you don’t realize that you have more people there for you than you think. Sometimes the answers to your problems are right in front of you.”
“You know how I told you I’m going to stop talking to you?” Jo asked. I nodded. Hope filled me. Does this mean that she has the possibility of talking to me? God, I hope so.
“Well, I’m staying by that promise,” she said quietly. Another heartbreak occurred. What was it now? Three in one day? I guess so… I just can’t have a break. But, all that matters is that Jo is going to be okay.
“I wish you wouldn’t,” I quietly said. Jo said nothing. My gaze sadly fell to the ground. I glanced at Asher’s unconscious figure. I wonder if he knows how much Jo loves him. I bet he does. He just likes to take advantage of her. That pisses me off.
Suddenly, I heard the noise of footsteps stomping up the stairs. Jo immediately jumped up at the slight noise. She backed up to the wall and pressed her back against the wall.
I pulled myself up to my feet, and then two police officers walked in, “Are you Niall Horan?” one of them asked. Clearly they didn’t know One Direction…
I nodded, “Yeah, that’s me,” I answered, my voice was monotone. So much had happened in so little time, that I couldn’t even react right. I wasn’t sure if I was mad because of Asher, sad because Jo is going to stop speaking to me, happy because Jo is finally safe, or in pain because of the fight. Maybe it was a mixture of all four.
“Is that Jo?” he asked, pointing at Jo who was leaning against the wall behind her. She looked like she was scared of the officers. No, she seemed scared of everything. From all I learned about her, I would be too.
“Yeah,” I answered for her. One of the officers walked over to the unconscious body, “Wait, this is Asher Lee, the singer… He was abusing his girlfriend?”
“Fiancé,” I corrected him. His eyes widened, “Oh wow, this is a bigger matter than I thought. I didn’t realize that we were dealing with celebrities… and you’re in that one boy band… One Direction, right?”
I nodded again. The officer ran his fingers through his hair and his arms fell back to his side, “Wow, I didn’t think I’d be dealing with this type of case. Three celebrities all involved. Damn, the press is gonna be really involved in all this.”
The other officer examined my appearance and the unconscious body beside him, “Wait, you beat him up?” he asked. I nodded, looking down at my bloody knuckles, “Yeah, that dick had been abusing his girlfriend for over a year. I wasn’t just going to let him get away with it. Jo is one of my closest friends and I didn’t even know this secret, no one did. I just found out, and something took over me. I had to beat him up.”
The guy nodded in reply, “Looks like we’re taking him to jail and then there will be a whole trial about this… this is going to be huge. I need to call back-up.”
He pulled out his walkie-talkie and then spoke into it. I glanced to see the other officer calmly talking to Jo. Jo was shaking her head a lot and trying to back up further into the corner. I think I better go see what is going on.
I walked over to them, “Jo, are you okay?” I asked her. Jo shot me a dirty look. Right, she’s still giving me the silent treatment. I turned back to the officer instead, “What is going on?”
“She won’t tell me anything,” he replied, “Can you tell me what happened.”
“Don’t Niall,” she threatened. I simply tore my gaze away from her and turned back to the officer, “Well, I was walking down the street and I saw her neighbor knocking at the door. I came up to see what was going on. She started talking about them, and told me their names. I put together the pieces and realized it was Jo and Asher. The lady told me to walk inside and figure out what was going on. I did so, still unsure if it was actually them. I walked up the stairs and heard crashes and screaming. The house looks like Asher destroyed it, as you can see. I walked in and saw Jo hunched up in the corner. Asher was breathing heavily and glaring at her. Jo’s clothes were torn and rumpled and I figured out that Asher had raped her. I’m not sure if he tried or actually did so. But, I know for sure that he beat her. He has been doing this for the past year, according to their neighbor.”
“Okay, we’ll just take him to jail and the press and higher ranked officers will come and deal with how the court case will go,” the officer told me.
“No!” Jo yelled, causing both officers to stare at her, “I-I love him! Don’t take him away from me! He wouldn’t hurt me, he loves me! He told me he loves me, don’t make him go!”
“Jo, he was abusing you, I don’t want you to get hurt,” I told her. Jo glared at me, “Shut up, Niall!” She yelled, “You ruined all of this! You beat up my fiancé and now you’re letting him go to jail! Just stop talking to me! Go away!”
“Jo-” I began. She gave me the death glare and I fell silent. The officer place his hand on Jo’s back, causing her to flinch at his touch he pulled away, “We’re just going to take you down to the station so you can answer some questions, okay?”
Jo looked at him nervously. Her gaze fell to the ground, staring at her boots. She finally looked up and nodded. The officer led her out of the room.
I walked over to the other officer, “What now?” I asked him. His eyes were fixed on Asher, examining his unconscious body and writing down everything he noticed, “I think you’ll come back to the station, too, when back-up arrives, okay?”
I nodded. I stood beside the officer, waiting for him to make the next move, but it actually ended up being
Asher. I nearly jumped when I saw him starting to move. He stretched his arms out and groaned. His eyes remained shut as he pulled himself up, so he was sitting. His eyes opened and his gaze met mine, “What the hell are you still doing here?” he spat out. I guess he remembers what happened.
The officer spoke up, “You’re under arrest, you have the right to remain silent,” he said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. Asher was completely confused as the officer pulled him up to his feet. He fit them around Asher’s wrists, so his hands were now behind his back, “I-I’m under arrest?” Asher stuttered out.
“Yes, for abuse and rape against your fiancé, Jo,” he replied, pulling him out of the room. I saw Asher’s gaze on me, “Fuck you, Horan!” he yelled, as the officer struggled to pull him out of the room, “I know you’re fucking in love with Jo, and she won’t ever love you! So stop acting like the damn hero, you won’t win her! She’s mine!”
I clenched my fists, but didn’t say anything as Asher was dragged out of the room.
I told you I would update! I wrote this whole chapter in an hour! I’m so proud of myself! Okay, comment, follow, share, vote, and FB like! Bye lovelies!
~Lydia ♥
