Remembering Raimondo (Complete)

Untitled

When I was 12 I fell off of a tree and broke my foot. My mother wasn't home. She was on a business trip some where in Asia. My father was with his mistress. He figured that I was too young to know or even make sense of the red marks on the collar of his button down shirt, so he wasn't worried. My presence didn't alter the fact that he was an obvious man whore.

But God was right to pair him with my mother. After all, she wasn't a clean nickel herself.

Back to my monkey business. I wasn't aware of the fact that I broke my foot the moment I fell off because I wasn't conscious. But when I awoke, the pain ripped through my foot like lightening ripping through the dark clouds during a summer storm.

That's what I felt when I regained consciousness. I was still lying on the ground in between the trees. I must have been out for a shorter amount of time than I though. Jeff was still on top of me. But he didn't stay there, one second I felt something heavy above me and the next second the weight was off completely.

Realizing what happened, I heard another pair of feet shuffling inches north of my head. Someone must have tackled him off of me. I wanted more than anything to move but every motion I tried to make restricted the air from entering my lungs even more.

I turned my head to the side trying to get a feel of what was happening but I couldn't see a thing. And soon enough I didn't hear a thing, they must've gone farther. Before quiting, I tried one last time to lift my self using my elbows. But the only thing I managed to do was let out a cry of pain.

"Dammit," I clenched my teeth. Again I searched for the wound on my back. I tried to concentrate on my breathing because there was no way in heaven I was going to be able to remove the branch that dug its way into my flesh.

Come on Audrie you can do this. Inhale, Exhale.

“Ahh shit,” I groaned. Someone was coming back. First slowly, then the steps quickened.

“Audrie? Are you okay?” he asked concern masking his voice.

I knew that voice. It belonged to Jeff.

Looking up I expected to see him in that hoodie he was wearing on the bus. But he wasn't. Jeff was standing before me in faded jeans and a white t-shirt.

If Jeff was the one who came to my rescue, then who was the man that attacked me?

“Can you hear me?” Jeff anxiously asked kneeling down beside me.

I didn't answer, I was too distracting by my own thoughts. My mind still couldn't understand what just happened.

“Audrie?” this time his hands touched me, they went directly for the wound. His touch snapped me out of my thoughts. I gasped.

“You're bleeding!” he exclaimed.

“Don't touch.. it hurts,” I cried in between breaths.

“I have to. I have to take it out.” He began to touch around my wound before getting my permission. The smell of blood made its way up my nostrils and before I knew it I was out again.

This time I awoke to complete darkness. Where I was, and how I got here was beyound me. Beneath me, my hands felt soft linen. I knew I was laying on a matress.

I groaned. I wasn't able to move. My shirt was rolled up and there was something white wrapped around my waist. What happened before I got knocked out rushed back to my memory. I remembered the chase, dropping my bag, and being tackled by the man in the dark hoodie.

At the sound of my groan, I felt the matress shift. Someone was next to me. I knew it was Jeff before he spoke.

"Audrie? You awake?"

I couldn't answer. My throat was dry, and my sides hurt. A tried to swallow as much saliva as I could before I answered.

"Yes."