Restrained

Restrained - Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Amber's POV

I was sitting in the living room with Macy and Amanda when there was a loud pounding on the front door. I couldn't help but jump and hope nobody saw. Dammit, it's not like Mark would be knocking or anything.

"I'll get it," I grumble, knowing Macy would've choked me if I made her miss part of the movie we're watching. Not like I liked the highly predictable romance movie anyway. I trudge to the front door and pull my sweater tighter around me as I open the door.

Niall is standing on the front porch, with the girl Alana from the party I went to with Macy. Niall practically shoves her towards me, a large scowl on his face.

"What's going on?" I whisper, not wanting an angry Macy to come to the door.

"Long story. One that Alana will be telling you because I have to go," he says, not bothering to keep his voice down. He shoves his hands into his pocket and walks back to his car. I run past Alana and to Niall, attempting to pull him to a halt. I grab the back of

his jacket and he turns towards me.

"What?" He snaps.

"You have to give me a better explanation than that!" I yell. My head is going in a thousand directions but I can't seem to come to figure out what is going on. I know nothing about Alana.

"You want a fucking explanation? Ask her," He shouts back, jabbing his finger at Alana. I stare at him, but don't follow again this time as he walks back to his car. He doesn't look back at me once as he opens his car door and pulls out of the driveway.

I hold back the urge to scream at him, and hope he hears. I just want to be done with him. But him showing up at random times, then making me feel like shit doesn't help. It just makes me wish he'd stay and be like before. I walk back to the front door, but can't find myself to look at Alana's scared face.

"Just come in," I whisper, leaving the door open for her and just hoping she follows me inside.

"Amber-" she begins, talking quietly behind me. I hold my hand up to silence her, and just continue for my bedroom.

"Take this sweater," I say as we get inside the room, handing her the large sweater. She's only in a tank top and has been shivering her ass off. She quietly thanks me and pulls it over her head. Jesus this is all so awkward.

"So what's going on," I ask and climb onto the bed.

"It's a lot to tell," she tells me, her voice cracking.

"I have a lot of time."

"Early in the school year I was staying at my Father and Stepmothers house. They've got this annoying three story house about three blocks away from the school. Well anyway they kicked me out of the house about five months ago. Said 'you're not the girl I raised you to be.' Which was quiet ironic because my mother was the one to raise me and my father was the one drunk off his ass every night. So yeah, I wasn't too upset about that. But I didn't have anywhere to stay." She tells, her voice strong now and I can't help but like the girl more now then I had at the party. But I can't let her know that.

"That's all? That's why you're here?" I say, sounding like a bitch to be quiet honest.

"Well no. I told you it's a long story," she snaps back, but her shoulders begin to slouch.

"So I went to college the next day, like I always do. It was one of those times where I would've thought I'd be mad or I'd just randomly break down but I really didn't feel anything. I just walked around compass like a ghost. Then Natalie came up to me, and she took me in. And she introduced me to everyone. I felt like I really belonged somewhere, finally. So I started going to parties with them, even got some tattoos," she says, and I think I see her scowl at the black on her arms.

"One day, about a month ago, I met this guy at a party. He was this tall dark haired man with tattoos up to his neck. I was at the point in my life where I knew I had to get to know people before I judged them for their looks. Even though that may have just ended up fucking things up. He had been listening - or I had been under the assumption he was - to me the night, never breaking eye contact. I felt as though he really cared. So whether it had been my intoxicated state or the sheer fact that I'm the most naïve girl you'll meet, I went home with him. And I had been staying there ever since. But he had come home drunk, and he'd beat my and abuse me. Etcetera etcetera. Then today Niall found me and said 'you leave Amber alone or next time I will kill you.' I don't know what the hell that means but-"

"What's his name," I say through gritted teeth. I'm putting the pieces together and I hope the picture comes out distorted. The hairs on my arms raise as I can no longer hear sound come from her mouth but only watch as she mouths one single word.

'Mark' I think I see her say.

"What?" I say, I didn't hear her, only the pounding of my heart pounding so hard I can feel it in my head as if it's a loud bass coursing through a shaking house.

"Mark," she utters with a questioning look.

"No, no it can't be. You're wrong," I whisper in utter disbelieve and other feelings I cannot handle. Alana is beyond the point of being confused, frustrated maybe. She backs up slightly as I pull my hair in my head and rock back and forth. This is all my fault. This is all my fault. If I had been there Alana would be okay.

But I'm a bomb. An atomic bomb effecting all of those near me. And Alana has been effected.

"I'm sorry," I whisper to her. She barely has time to reply, and then I'm screaming. I am literally screaming and every bone in my body is screaming and my head is screaming and I am screaming.

Macy rushes into the room, both confused and angry and both at the same time when she sees the room is seating two.

"SHUT UP!" She screams. She is done with my shit and I am too. I stop screaming but my head hasn't. It is pounding so hard I want to rip it from my scull.

"You're mad." She whispers from across the room, so quiet I almost don't hear her.

"'Now this is the point. You fancy me mad. Madmen know nothing,'" I quote, most likely not helping my cause one bit. But Macy knows me, and she walks over to me, a small smile creeping in her face.

"Now why is Alana hiding in my room? And why - why - are you screaming?" She asks, and Alana apologizes as Macy's expense. I sigh and begin to explain to her everything. It's not an easy deal and I stop talking several times.

Evidentially, Macy is eventually holding back tears and hugging both of us at the end of the story. And as harsh as it may sound I can't help but be incredibly annoyed at her sympathy for us. As if she actually knows how to feels. But whatever.

"Maybe we should call Niall. To thank him?" Alana asks timidly.

"No," I say immediately, knowing how incredibly immature it sounds. I don't want to deal with him.

"Well we better go down, Amanda was looking at me like I had two heads when you were screaming. You better come up with some story. May I suggest you dropped and iron on your foot?" She says, and I can't help but crack a smile.

A/N okay I really do feel bad that it's taking so long for me to update. BUT 200+ READS? OHMYGOSH! Thank you all so so much. ILY xx