Chim - I'll Always Be There

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

'Hey' she smiled weakly.

'Hi... what are you doing here?'

'Ashley's gone away for football... I'm not sure where... I weren't really listening-'

'Scotland' I answered automatically, and she looked at me in confusion 'I erm... saw it advertised'

'Oh' she looked away from me 'he wasn't lying?' I think she was talking to herself mostly so I didn't answer, just stood there, unsure what to do.

Cheryl jumped when a crash of thunder broke the silence and I realised she was still stood in the rain.

'Oh god I'm sorry, come in!' I moved out of the doorway to let her in, she looked at me hesitantly before slowly walking past me. 'Go sit down, do you want a drink?'

'No thanks' her voice was weak, she sounded scared. Her clothes were clinging to her body, highlighting how thin she looks, her outfit consisting of a vest top and some light blue skinny jeans, which still looked slightly baggy and were now a dark blue. Her hair was dripping down her back and she looked pale, like the rain had washed the colour out of her features.

I left the room, going into the kitchen and flicking the kettle on. While waiting for the kettle, I grabbed a towel and a spare blanket from the bathroom closet, throwing them over my arm I went back to the kitchen. About 5 minutes later, I returned to the living room, where Cheryl was sat in the same position I left her, staring into space.

'Here. Dry yourself off and here's a hot chocolate if you want it' I passed her the towel and put the hot chocolate on the small table next to the sofa.

I watched as she wiped her face with the towel and then moved slightly so she could dry her hair as best she could. When she was finished I sat next to her on the sofa and wrapped the blanket around her. We just sat in silence for a bit, neither of us knowing what to say.

'I did try to leave him Kimberley. The minute you left.' She whispered.

'Tell me what happened?' I asked gently, trying to calm her down, she still looked scared of something. Was it Ashley?

'When you left...that day... I went back into the house. I told him it wasn't going to work, and he seemed...calm. He asked why it wouldn't work and I told him I loved someone else and he just nodded, like it was fine and he understood. Next thing, he stood up and walked over towards the door, I assumed he was leaving. Something hard hit my head, knocked me so I was lay on the sofa instead of the sitting position I was originally in. I turned and saw him stood over me, furious, with the remote clenched in his hand. That's when it started. The violence. He pulled me up by my hair, pushed me against the wall screamed in my face...' she paused to breathe, her voice shaking now. She was just staring towards the floor in the middle of the room, not blinking. I was heartbroken to see her so scared, knowing there was little I could do. 'he just kept shouting and saying I'm an embarrassment, I've made a fool out of him... but then he stopped, he just calmed down and that... that smirk spread across his face' her expression was stern now, matching mine. '"You're not going anywhere. You're staying with me and you'll regret it if you ever say otherwise...trust me."... His voice Kimberley... I can still hear the anger in it. He was almost roaring at me. I didn't stand a chance against him.'

She broke down in tears on the last sentence, hunched in her seat, head in hands. I pull her into me, holding her close as she cried. She tried to continue but whimpering now.

'When he p-proposed... I didn't have a choice... it wasn't even a question just a drunk statement "you're marrying me... 3 months"... he knew it was you I loved by that time'

'How?' I asked, trying to forget about how that was said in past tense "was you I loved". She pulled away from me, looking me in the eye for a second, then looking away again.

'He realised about two months after I'd told him. We were out with the girls, Justin, Richard and... Jamie was it?' I just nodded; Jamie was my boyfriend at the time, an attempt to get over Cheryl, didn't work but we were together for a good 7/8 months.

'Anyway, you were at the bar with Justin, Ash still thought yous were together' as did everyone else except the girls, Richie and Jamie. 'He saw the way I was looking at you, wishing you'd just speak to me, or smile at me at least' I think she's talking to herself now, almost forgetting my presence, then a sad smile appeared on her face, 'You were happy though, I could tell. When you smiled, it wasn't your fake smile for the cameras' her eyes looked watery as she snapped herself out of it, shaking her head slightly, 'sorry erm... that night as soon as we got home, I closed the front door, and was immediately pressed up against it, he held me by the throat screaming at me again, before throwing me to the floor and kicking me. I promised to only leave the house for professional reasons, like performances or interviews. If he finds out I've came here tonight... he's gunna kill me!' she jumped up suddenly, panicking and making me jump.

'I have to go... I... I'm sorry' she rushed out into the hall dropping the blanket. I quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm, without thinking.

I let go just as quickly as I had grabbed it when she instantly stopped and stiffened, like she was waiting for a blow to the stomach or something. Instead I moved closer to her, putting my arm around her shoulder, I began to slowly walk her back to the living room.

'Please stay here. I don't want you going home alone, and its pouring down outside.' I told her softly as we sat back down.

'n-no I can't... he'll kill me! If he finds out I'm here... I'm... I-' the tears started falling slowly from her eyes, 'I don't want to go back to him'

'Then don't. You can stay here for as long as you want. He won't know where you are.'

'He will... he knows you were there the other day. He saw the paper' I forgot about that. I didn't even know it was published. I noticed the way she was looking, defensively hunched over again, clutching her stomach.

'Cheryl? Oh god... What did he do?' she shifted in her seat, hesitating.

'He just beat me' she whispered, not looking at me.

'Cheryl, tell me what he did. I know your hiding something.' She looked up at me; I held her gaze as a few more tears ran down her cheek, 'its okay babe. You can trust me.' I reached for her hand which was now resting on her knee, while the other was still wrapped around her stomach.

She looked down at our hands, breaking eye contact; she turned her hand over in mine so she could hold it back. She stared at them for a few seconds before a few tears started falling again. With that she broke down, moving her arm from her stomach and resting it on her knee before resting her head in her hand and sobbing. Before I could do anything, she looked up at me again...

'I'm pregnant!'