secrets

thirteen

-ADELE-
______

Flashbacks hit me, and I start to uncontrollably shake. Just seeing Alex's dark and vicious stare again makes me go weak, remembering that same stare right before I took the first blow of his angry fist. Then I took another, and another, until I was bawling and beyond inconsolable.

A man like him shouldn't be freely walking around. Didn't Simon put him in jail? I close my eyes and cower behind Simon, too afraid to look at Alex and have to relive that day.

Simon angrily becomes tense, and I can hear their footsteps approaching us and getting closer. My eyes are still closed when I feel Simon's deep voice vibrate through his warm body.

"You're a criminal, you should be in jail." He bitterly snaps. I'm surprised by the harshness in his voice. "And you." He must be referring to his girlfriend. "I'm disgusted with you." He says it in such a spiteful tone that I grin from behind him, part of me wanting to open my eyes and see her face.

"Not so fun to keep a secret from me now, is it?" She says with an attitude, making me clench my jaw.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Clary. Being with such an abusive man and pretending to love me."

"Oh, right, I'm the bad one. Look who's talking."

Simon goes even more tense and his body heat rises. I know there are things he wants to say and things he wants to do to her that would get him in trouble. This is the moment that proves if he truly is different than all the other men I've been with. He redirects his attention to Alex, which makes me absolutely terrified.

"What are you doing out of jail?" He yells, causing other people on the trail to look.

"She bailed me out."

I can just picture the hideous smile on her face.

"Clary, true or false, you're a women's rights activist?" Anger boils through him.

"True." She states, sounding obvious.

"Do you know why Alex was in prison?"

"No, and I don't need to. He's a good man, and he has done more for me this month than you have all these years."

Simon ignores that and gets straight to his point. "He abused Adele, he physically abused her to the point where she is covered in black and purple bruises and she's afraid when anyone touches her. Isn't that the exact thing you protest against?"

She stays silent.

"Adele?" Alex laughs. "I'm surprised she found someone willing to love her. I mean, just look at her. What a strong woman! Cowering behind her new boyfriend, afraid to even look at me because I might hurt her. You know what sweetie?" His footsteps come closer to me, and my heart pounds faster than ever before. My eyes remain closed and I can suddenly feel his breath on my neck. "You made it easy for me to hurt you." He whispers.

Before I can run or scream or punch him, Simon does it for me. My eyes open just as he turns around sharply and Alex tries to run away. But his strength is nothing compared to Simon's. In a split second, he pins Alex to the ground and delivers one harsh blow to his jaw, the same place that Laura hit a month ago.

"I SAID YOU WOULD PAY. WHO TAUGHT YOU IT WAS OK TO HIT A WOMAN?" Simon shouts loud enough for people on the other side of the trail to hear, which causes quite a scene.

Suddenly the entire night takes a dark and frightening turn. Alex reaches into his coat pocket, still pinned to the concrete by Simon. He pulls out a gun, not aiming it, but using it to intimidate Simon.

I swallow down a scream and silently beg that Simon makes it through this night alive.

A tall policeman looms into sight, most likely intrigued by the yelling. Alex's gun shines underneath the street light, and the second the man lays his eyes upon it, he rushes to Simon and pushes him away from Alex.

"Excuse me sir, you can't pull out a gun on a property like this." He says, to which Alex struggles under the man's firm hold. "Drop your weapon."

The gun drops to the ground with a clash, and Simon rushes to my side. Alex is put into handcuffs, and guided away. The policeman stops in front of me, seeing how pale and horrified I am. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

I can only shake my head, my words not forming. The man looks to Simon for an explanation. As a response, he takes one sleeve of my dress and shows the man the dark bruise on my shoulder.

"Did he do that to her?"

Simon nods. "There's many more. This man is abusive and shouldn't go without punishment for a crime like this."

"Believe me, he'll wake up in prison tomorrow morning once I'm through with him."

"Thank you, sir." Simon says, getting out of the way on the pavement so Alex can be escorted to the police car.

Clary stands on the side of the grass, her head low. When the car drives away, Simon says, "Your things will be in the driveway in the morning. Pick it up by tomorrow afternoon or it's all gone. I never want to see you again." He doesn't wait for her to say or do anything, he instead turns around and picks me up from the ground.

Although we've only been together for a few days, he knows I am too weak and shocked to move or speak. So he carries me to the car, silently placing me in my seat and buckling me in. In my mind, I thank him, but the words just don't come out.

He speeds away, and I know both of us wish we could just erase the last fifteen minutes from our lives.

Why is it always the good people who have the bad luck? Why is it considered normal for the innocent to be the victims? Why is it always the ones in the most pain that get hurt most often?  

As soon as I step into my house, I turn around and find Simon directly behind me.

And the only thing I can do is collapse into his arms and sob.