Red is a 17 year old girl finishing her junior year in high school when she begins a relationship with someone who turns out to be her idol. In this book you will see life through the struggling eyes of a broken teenage girl, who must cope with depr...
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A/n: trigger warning, if you don't want to read about the effects of rape and abuse don't read this chapter as it's graphic, I will put a non graphic summary at the bottom in bold.
I woke up in my back yard. I was naked besides a dirty sheet that had been thrown over me. My purse, phone and ripped clothes were by my feet. I wrapped myself in the sheet and snuck through the back door, tip toeing up to my bathroom. I locked the door, turned on the water and let the sheet fall from my shoulders. I had obviously been assaulted in some way. There were bruises on my hips, legs, wrists, breasts and neck. I looked down the the filthy piece of fabric that had been my only protection last night. It was covered in stains from mud, dirt and blood. There was something stuck to one of the folds. A condom. Well at least I don't have to worry about getting any STDs or being pregnant. My whole body ached. I look at my broken, beaten body in the mirror and the tears began to fall. Soon there were warm tears running from my eyes to my jaw, down my collar bone and coming to rest in a small pool at my belly button. I stepped into the shower and broke down, curling up in ball on the floor and sobbing, biting my knee in an attempt to keep quiet. Blood stained water ran from my scalp down my face where chunks of it had been ripped out. I sat there for what felt like years before crawling to the loose tile and retrieving my blade. The water had run cold.
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
My phone buzzed. I ignored it.
Six
Seven
Eight...
And then I lost count. I went numb and before I knew it I was sitting in a pool of my own watered down blood. Everything went black.
An hour passed
We don't have to talk, we don't have to dance, we don't have to smile, we don't have to make friends, it's so nice to meet you, let's never meet again, we don't have to talk, we don't have to dance, we don't have to dance, yeah yeah, yeah yeah
I awake to my ringtone. Water is still washing over my body as I lay on the shower floor. I turn off the tap and wrap my self in a towel, quickly answering my phone.
"Hello?"
"Hey, it's V, you didn't answer any of my texts last night or this morning, I was starting to get worried, is everything okay?"
"Sorry, I had a... um... situation last night." I fumbled trying to come up with an excuse.
"What happened, that doesn't sound very promising?" He said sternly.
"Nothing it doesn't matter, it's a new day and I'd rather just forget about it."
"Red," he started, "I know we haven't been talking for long but you can trust me, I just want to make sure you're safe."
"I get it V..." I paused, "if I tell you what happened do you promise not to freak out or call the cops or anything?"
"I promise." He said sounding concerned.
I recounted last nights events from getting to the club to waking up this morning, I didn't pause once, but by the end there were hot tears streaming down my face and I was shaking.
"Red, you need to call the police."
"V, you don't understand I'm not in a good situation, my brother is an addict and my dad is an abusive alcoholic, so much so that my mom left years ago. As soon as I turn 18 in June I'm leaving. Calling the authorities now wouldn't do anything good for me, the last thing I need to deal with is a lawsuit, I don't have the money and I'm not using my savings for when I leave."
"Is your dad just going to let you leave?"
"No... my birthday is June 6th, the same day as the warped tour date that's closest to me, I'm gonna pack my bags and leave for the festival and not come back. I'll probably stay in a motel until I can find an apartment."
"June 6th... you live in New York, I'm going to be at warped tour that day, if you want you can crash with me for the weekend."
"Really V??"
"Yeah," he said, "I want to meet you anyway, and it'd be great if I could help you out too."
"Thank you so much V, you have no idea how much that means to me!"
We talked all afternoon until I had to go work at the club. Collin and his friends didn't show up, it was quite an effort to cover the bruises they had left on my face and neck, and I had to wear long leggings and a long sleeved lace shirt so the other bruises would be hidden. I got home and wrapped myself in blankets resting my head on my pillow. I thought about V. For the first night since my mom left I had hope, I couldn't wait to meet V and get away from this place. I was so close to freedom.
Summary: Red wakes up in her backyard and realizes she's been raped. She takes a shower and self harms, passing out still in the bathroom. She wakes up to her phone ringing, turns off the shower and answers it. It's V. She tells him what happened last night and how she plans to run away on June 6th, the same day that she's going to warped tour. He is going to be there also so he says that she can crash with him for that weekend, because she doesn't have an apartment.
