Retaliation

Chapter 2

I sit at lunch, thinking about last night, and only wanting to be alone. I lean over to get my bottle of water out of my bag, sending a wave of intense pain over my stomach and chest. Last night Nathan beat me, but not like I've been beaten for breaking a rule before. He took away my ability to fight back, and then beat me in all places that wouldn't show. I rub some of the soreness out of a spot on my shoulder, flinching at the touch.

"Hey, where were you last night?" Jessica asks, sitting across from me.

"Hey, yeah sorry. I got held up at home." I say.

"Well, you missed a great game." she says.

"I wish I had been able to go, I've never seen a hockey game before." I say.

"Really?" she asks, and I shake my head. "Well, they have a scrimmage after school today. So I'm going to kidnap you and bring you with, ok?" she more of tells me, rather than asks.

"Sounds good." I say back, wanting nothing more than to not go home. After the next half hour or so, Jessica becomes the closest thing I have to a best friend. We share a little more about ourselves, and get along like we've known each other forever. Every now and then I catch Blake looking over here, but I try to ignore him. The bell rings and I walk robotically to my next class, and then my last. As the last bell rings I find myself wishing it hadn't, wishing that the day would grow longer. I slowly pack up my things, taking my time to do so.

"Aww, c'mon I gotta clean this room." I look up to see Blake, and I smile at his silly impression. I pick up my bag, and then I hear the door click shut. I bite my lip as Blake walks over to me. "Hey, there." he says, stepping right in front of me. "Hi." I say, attentively stepping back a little.

"You ok?" he asks.

My eyes widen, "Of course, why wouldn't I be?" I ask.

"I just wanted to make sure you were ok last night." he answers, closing the small gap between us and pausing for a moment. "Has anyone ever told you how adorable you look?" he asks.

"Umm, no." I answer.

"Well, let's just say you tip the scale." he says with a smile. I look up, into his eyes, and get lost in them. "You have pretty eyes." I say without even thinking. He chuckles, lightly wrapping his arms around the small of my back, pulling me closer. Then he tilts his forehead down until it's pressing against mine and just looks at me with those eyes. Slowly he starts to lean in. Then he presses his lips to mine, lightly. His warmth spreads from his lips to mine and his little bit of scruffy facial hair brushes on my face. I'm not ready when he starts to pull back, and he smiles as he looks at me again, and I bite my lip. He leans again, this time a little faster, and kisses me again, but harder. His arms pull up higher, one on the back of my head and the other on my back. Then he pulls me all the way up against him. The pain from my bruises makes me grit my teeth and I push him back a little, taking his arm off my back.

"What's wrong?" he asks, looking at me with those eyes filled with worry.

"It's umm... It's nothing." I say.

"C'mon, you can tell me anything. I promise." he says, putting his hands on my shoulders. I flinch and a little bit of fear flashes across his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." I insist. He stares at me with unconvinced eyes. "Look, I've gotta get going." I say, walking around him. But his hands wrap around me, sliding slowly up my waist and across my chest, and he rests his head on my shoulder, kissing my neck. He presses his body to my back and right when I realize what he's doing, it's done. His fingers skillfully undo the last button on my black button up shirt. "Only if you want me to see." he says, hugging me tight from behind. I know there's no reason to hide it. In fact I've been dying to tell someone. He looks down at my chest and torso, and his eyebrows knit together in confusion. Then he gently slides my shirt off. He steps back and stares at my back. I watch his reflection in the window as his eyes study my skin, part in awe and part in fear.