Unsteady (Mavi AU)

Prologue

A/N: Hey guys!! This is the first story im publishing on Wattpad! Woo, how exciting!

Anyhow, this first part is in Mitch's P.O.V. The rest of the story will be in third person, sooooo enjoy!

TRIGGER WARNING: Physical Abuse.

Mitch's P.O.V

I thought the cold splash of water on my face would wake me from this nightmare, but it does nothing but ground me in this horrifying reality. The icy water numbed the pain of the fresh bruises on my face and neck.

It's astonishing that these harsh, ragged breaths are my own and the pounding heart echoing in my ears wasn't just my imagination.

I try to catch my breath. My knuckles turning white as I grip the bathroom counter. Blood drips into the sink from my injured lip. I look up, reluctant to see the reflection of a person I don't know. His eyes are bloodshot and puffy, his hair and scruff unkempt. Tears stain his bruised cheek.

He's a shell.

A shell of the man he once was.

Tonight is the last night.

This had to end.

I take a few deep breaths, in and out, in and out, trying to muster up the courage for what I was about to do. I'm terrified. My heart is racing, my body is shaking, my bottom lip is quivering, my palms are slick with sweat, but it has to be done. I can't live like this anymore.

I take one last look at the stranger in the mirror and walk out.

                               ***

Troy is sitting on the couch in front of the T.V with a beer in hand, cackling at some lame sitcom. The sound of his laughter sends a wave of nausea through me. It disgusts me. Disgusts me how he could have no remorse, no shame in having beaten me, battered me, choked me. He just sat there like none of it ever happened. I hate it.

I hate him.

He looks up when he sees me standing in the hallway, eyeing him. He regards me with a scoff.

"What?" He spits venomously, annoyance quickly spreading over his features.

My courage slips. I close my eyes for a moment to compose myself before I say the words I've wanted to say for the past six months.

"I'm leaving." I state. Loud and clear. My voice barely wavers. I use every shred of confidence and strength to maintain eye contact. I gauge him for a response but there's none.

Just silence.

I expect him to yell, to scream, to throw a fit but he doesn't. He sits there, his eyes narrowing and his mouth pulling into a tight frown. I honestly don't know which reaction I find more frightening.

Hs reacts after what seems like an eternity. He stands up and makes his way to me, slow and calculated, like a predator on the hunt. The last of my courage leaves me and I start to tremble. He closes the distance and what he does next I didn't see coming.

He punches me.

His fist collides with the left side of my face. Hard. The contact echoes throughout the apartment but all I can hear is the painful ringing in my ears. I stumble back from the impact and hit the wall.

In a flash, he's on me.

His hands reach for my throat but I dodge him and he hits the wall. It stuns him and I try to make a bee line for the door but I never make it. I'm lurched backwards violently and slam into Troy's chest. I turn around and shove him away as hard as I can. He comes for me again and I react in the only way I can in that moment.

I punch him in the face.

He staggers back and stares at me, blood dripping from his broken nose, with a mixture of fury and astonishment. I should be proud of myself. He deserved that. Deserved that for months. But there's no time to pat myself on the back.

I have to get out of here.

I lunge for the door before he has time to process what's happening and I run down the hall.

"Go ahead and run, Mitchell!" I hear Troy yell after me as I run. "You have no one here, Mitch, NO ONE! You're all alone! You need me, you hear me?! When you realize that you'll come crawling back! I will find you, Mitch. I promi-"

Slamming the front door cuts his statement short.  I refuse to listen to the rest of what he has to say. With my back against the door, I focus on taking deep breaths to calm my frantic heart. I shiver against the cold, let out a shuddering exhale, and step out into the night.

A/N: Wow. That was an intense start. I apologize but it will get better. I'll have the next part up soon but, in the meantime, please leave a comment. Let me know what you think!

I love, love, love, love feedback :))