Afraid (Harry Styles)

Chapter 2

After I blacked out that night, my life changed drastically..but definitely for the better. I woke up in a hospital bed at St. Larks Regional. It was a hospital for the poor, which I definitely was. Our neighbors came just in time, stopping my father from mid-choking me and called 911. As messed up as it sounds, I missed my father just a bit. Even though he had abused me endlessly, I was used to it. With him, came a feeling of security. Now that he was hopefully gone... I had no one.

I remember flinching when the nurse tried to cover up my painful wounds. She knew about the incident, everyone knew. I had been unconscious for three days and now everyone knew my business. It was the talk of the small town. I was only thirteen but I felt much older. I was alone now and I knew that I had to toughen up. The world is too sinister for the weak.

Reality still had not sunk in...until a prestigious man in a suit came to talk to me in the hospital. He told me that my father was now behind bars, until the trial. He's looking at a minimum of 25 years or more. Since I was a minor, I wasn't required to sit through the trial, but it would most definitely help my case. Then the man continued asking questions about the abuse, he was getting personal but I knew that I had to answer truthfully so I repeated all the sexual, vile things my father did to my brother and I.

That's when I realized that my nightmare was finally over. There would be no more touching, hitting and yelling. I was free to move on, except the self-inflicted scars on my arm was always a reminder of what I had gone through.

A few days later, I was moved to an orphanage. I was too wait there until someone wanted to bring me home.

"Bella, sweetie, are you okay? Do you need water, milk, anything?" Amy says frantically

I hadn't realized that I blanked out on my lovely foster mother. After staying several days at the orphanage, I met Amy and Chris. They were from America, looking for a baby. I was told that Amy had a problem with her ovaries, causing infertility. After meeting Amy, I felt a strong connection to her. She was also abused as a child so she could relate with me. So even though I was thirteen and not exactly everything they were looking for, I packed my bags and left with them that same day.

As much as I was grateful to finally have a true mother and father figure, things weren't going too well. I was shaken up and refused to go to a therapist. As a middle schooler, i had no friends. I didn't put effort in my appearance. I barely brushed my once luscious brown locks and stopped eating. I was constantly bullied as a high schooler and everyone seemed to know about my past. There was no escaping it. It felt like I was slowly fading away. I wasn't the happy Bella I used to be, I didn't even feel like me anymore. Thats why, for my seventeenth birthday, Chris got us a house in America. It felt good to leave the horrid memories in London but I feel like soon or later, they'll catch up to me.

"No I'm fine mum. It's just the usual nightmare" I say quietly

"Ok baby, get some sleep then. I was thinking about going shopping tomorrow? So we can look around Virginia and you can get used to everything. And you do need new clothes for your senior year in American right?" Amy says a bit to enthusiastically

"Um I don't know. I was actually hoping I could get homeschooled for this last year.." I say desperately. There is no way in hell that I want to go back to high school, America or not.

"Issabella, you can't hide from your problems. You've gone through a lot, I get it, but you need to face the real world. This is a new start for you. You can meet new people and maybe act like a teenager more often. I promise Bella, it may seem like it, but not everyone is out to get you" Amy says putting a hand on my lap.

"Alright mum but don't expect me to be out partying every night..." I say while laying back down.

After I hear her close the door to my large room, I start pacing frantically. Ever since my incident, I haven't been really social, nor do I want too. I much rather stick my nose in a good novel like Pride and Prejudice, which I've read about 13 times. I have no idea how to make friends or talk to boys. The last boyfriend I had was back in 6th grade. I don't necessarily think I'm unattractive, I've been called pretty a few times, but I tend to stay away from boys. It sounds foolish for a seventeen year old girl to stay away from guys, but I know what they can do. They can hurt me in so many ways and I vowed to never let another person to hurt me the way my father has.

I plan to keep to myself this year just as I had back in London. If I make it through this year, I can be done with school. I don't plan to go to college so I'll finally be able to be by myself. I hate attention, which is why I put zero effort in my clothes and makeup. I grew up knowing attention only leads to dangerous things, so I know better. That's exactly why I'm reluctant to go shopping with Amy. She'll probably try to get me to buy attractive clothing, hoping that maybe I might get a boyfriend or something. I can already sense that this shopping trip will be hell.