Unlikely friends

Chapter 4

After college finished that day, I decided to go for a drive before heading home. I wanted to avoid the wrath of Matty for as long as I could. I didn't know where I was heading until it was too late and I was parked outside of my parents house. They'd got a new car, it was an Audi - which they could probably afford now that I was gone. The house wasn't very big, but it was home. At least, it used to be. All of the curtains were open and I could see through the living room window that the television was on with the same stupid game show playing that we all used to sit around and watch together. I smiled at the thought. My family were very competitive, and definitely sore losers.

I rested my head on my arms, and sobbed into my steering wheel. What I wouldn't do now to just walk in there and talk with my mum. Tell her everything that had been going on since I'd left, ask her for advice with Matty. When I looked up and back at the living room window, the curtains had been drawn and I took this as my cue to leave. I drove home in autopilot, completely numb. I fumbled with my key in the door and hardly noticed Matty shouting at me from the kitchen.
"Where the hell have you been? College finished two hours ago? Ola!" I snapped back to reality and looked up to see Matty's nose almost touching mine, his face purple with rage.

"I just went for a drive." I mumbled back in reply, but this wasn't good enough. Matty didn't waste his time asking more questions, whatever he thought I was doing was enough for him to land a hard punch on my jaw. My head swung back and hit the door and then darkness took me into its comforting arms.

When I woke the next morning, my head was pounding. I looked around the room, Matty's side of the bed was empty but there was a note left on my dresser.

You're staying home today. You're not leaving the house until that swelling goes down and I get some answers. Make yourself useful for once and clean the house whilst I'm gone. I'll be back at midnight, going Jason's after college to watch the game.

I was relieved that I had so much time to myself. I wouldn't have to deal with Matty until he came home drunk tonight. I slowly pulled myself out of bed, my head pounding worse than ever, and shuffled slowly into the bathroom. When I looked up, I was horrified at my own reflection. My whole right cheek was puffy, making me look like a chipmunk. Only a chipmunk that had been in a fight, and probably lost for that matter as my cheek and jaw line sported an angry blushing-purple bruise. I sighed sadly.

Around 2pm, I sat down with my laptop and opened it up onto the college website. I signed in using my assigned email and password for the year and checked my inbox for any messages from teachers regarding homework. My inbox flashed a big red number three. As I opened it, the first was from my maths teacher, Mr Davore. I had a maths exam Friday, lovely. The second was from Mrs Lewis, who wanted to know if I was interested in joining an after school language club and the last, was from college user 06542. I frowned in confusion. I didn't recognise the number to be anyone from our lunch table. I opened the message up.

User 06542: Hey, it's Tori.
Are you alright? Missed you in History today.

My stomach flipped. I sat staring at the message. Do I reply? Do I ignore it? I sat for what felt like a lifetime before finally placing my fingers on the keypads.

Yeah I'm fine. I just have a cold.

No less than two minutes later, I had a reply.

User 06542: Oh that's funny. Matty's telling everybody you slipped down the stairs and ached too much to come in? Strange.

I froze. Shit. Why didn't he tell me what my cover story was? Well, I suppose he didn't really expect me to have any contact until he saw me tonight. I rolled my eyes and typed my reply.

Yeah I did fall down the stairs. I'm pretty sore but I'm in bed with a terrible cold anyway.

User 06542: Cut the shit.

It's really none of your business why I'm not in college. You don't even know me.
I frowned down at my screen and was just about to sign out when she replied.

User 06542: If he's hurting you, it is my business.

On that note I slammed my laptop shut in fury. It really was none of her business and I don't know why she felt she had the right to contact me at all in the first place.

I went to bed at 8pm that night. Only, I barely slept a wink. I kept thinking about what Tori said and prayed to god she wouldn't say anything to anyone. When midnight came around, I heard Matty's keys clumsily find their way into the key hole and him stumble on to the wooden floor. He was drunk. I pulled the blanket over my head and tried desperately to get into a comfortable position so I could pretend I was fast asleep. My bedroom door swung open and at first he didn't say a thing. But just then, the bed quilt was ripped away from me. I laid as still as I possibly could.
"I know you're awake, Ola. Open your fucking eyes!" He grabbed my arm aggressively and rolled me over. I opened my eyes but pretended to be blinded by the light.
"Did you miss me?" He grinned. I didn't say anything.
" I said -" he paused as he started to tug on my pyjamas bottoms, "did you fucking miss me?" I whimpered with fear. He was always so much angrier when he was drunk.

He didn't wait for my reply. He undid his belt and tugged his own trousers down. I lay there silently, a hot tear escaping down my swollen cheek as I endured the painful burning sensation he was creating. When he'd finished, he lay over me for a second, and at first I thought that was it. But then he stood back up, and looked down between my thighs where I lay sprawled open. He spat at me.
"You're a real dirty bitch, you know that? First Jake and now that dyke from college?" He grabbed my thigh in his hand and pinched hard until I whimpered. Then he let go, turned around and walked over to the bedroom mirror. He stood there for a moment, leaning on the chair and I wondered what it was like inside his head. But then two seconds later, he spun around in a fit of rage and ran at me. He slapped a hand down on either one of my calves and hauled me off of the bed. I lay on the floor, my already pounding head throbbing some more through the impact.

Matty clambered on top of me, hands now around my neck and he squeezed. He squeezed so tight that his purple face was almost disappearing into the black hole that I was being dragged into. I could barely see him now as I prepared to black out. But then as if by some sort of miracle, he started to gag and raced into the bathroom. The boys of alcohol. I sat up, spluttering and clutching at my neck. Matty fell asleep in the bathroom that night, and we didn't speak about it the next day.