We are humans

Chapter five

Chapter 5.    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Chloe    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

I'm standing in front of the mirror in Josh's bathroom. I swallow the lump down my throat and grope for the concealer. I strike over my bruised jaw and wince briefly by my own touch. I stare into my eyes and try my best to cover up the three-days-old bruise on my jaw. "Why did you do this?" I whispered to myself as I keep on staring into my own eyes. "Why did you do this..." I repeated as a sob escaped my lips. "Chloe!" I heard Josh screaming my name. "Baby, I need you!" He yelled. I quickly put the concealer away and ran downstairs as fast as I could, only to meet Josh Hyland; my 'boyfriend' laying on the couch with again another random girl with some sexy lingerie on in his arms. 

"Time for you to go, honey" Josh whispered to the random girl, slapping her butt. I blinked a few times and pressed my lips on each other, not saying anything as I watched how my boyfriend slipped fifty dollars into her hand, and with a wink, the red haired girl took her purse and left our- I mean Josh's house. "Y- You needed me?" I stuttered, awkwardly shifting my feet as I tried my best to ignore the fact that my boyfriend hooks up, and pays, other women. "Needed you?" He nonchalantly asked, raising an eyebrow. He frowned and sighed deeply, putting his feet on the table in front of him while he sat more comfortable on the couch. 

"Oh, right," he yawned, not even bothering to put his hand before his mouth. "My beer bottle is empty," he said, pointing to the fifth, o- or sixth, or... empty bottle on the table. I nodded and turned around, walking towards the kitchen. I opened the fridge, but there were no beers in it anymore. My heart started to beat faster, and I could just feel how I started sweating. Josh is not going to be happy with this. I took a deep breath and walked back to the living room, folding my hands together and standing behind the couch, with Josh's back facing me. "Babe," I began, "we're out of beers..." I announced. 

First he didn't move, but then he turned his head so that I saw his side profile. "How do you mean, out of beers?" He asked. I heard his voice getting deeper and lower, and I felt my hand shaking. "And who's fault is that?" He asked. "Well I..." I said, "I didn't drink them" I said looking at the ground. "What?" Josh asked, standing up from the couch. He balled his fists and slowly walked up to me, and I kept on staring at the ground, afraid of what would happen. "Are you blaming me that the fridge is empty?" He asked, raising his voice. 

"You decided to live here," he growled, "you need to take care of me!" He said, and by now he was screaming. I smelled the scent of alcohol escaping his lips, and I was trembling on my feet. "But Josh I-" I said, looking up.,But I better never looked up because I was staring into the most dead eyes ever, and before I knew it, he slapped me. 

Again. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

"Get the hell to the store and buy me some then!" He screamed. I wanted to say something back, but no sound managed to escape my lips. The only thing I did was nodding at him like a stupid doll and I ran upstairs to get my purse. Getting into my room, tears were already flowing down my cheeks like waterfalls and I took my phone, dialing the number of my mom. Surprisingly, she picked up. 

"Mom?" I chocked out. "I wanna go home," I cried. She didn't respond, I didn't even hear her breathing. She just hung up. Just like that; she ended the phone call as if I never even called her. 

I blankly stared at my phone. Did she just...? 

I held my breath and dialed another number I know I can count on, and after only two rings, he picked up. "Ricky?" I asked, or at least I tried to ask, because the tears were flowing down non-stop. "Who is this?" A voice asked. And it was not Ricky's voice, oh hell no. "I- I'm Chloe, where's Ricky?" I asked. I heard noises in the background, and a faint "Brooke, who are you calling?" My mouth dropped, and so did my heart, and for the first time I felt an ache left in my chest. "One another Chloe," the girl at the other side of the line said. I heard how the phone got taken over, and Ricky spoke to me now, "Chloe?" He asked.

But now I was the one who ended the phone call, and I threw my phone onto my bed, as I walked towards the wall and slid down, my face covered in my hands. I heard my phone ringing, and I knew it was Ricky because of the ringtone he had set up for himself. The lyrics of < I'm too sexy > repeated and repeated in my room, at least ten times. 

But I didn't pick up. 

My heart's been broken three times today. I can't handle a fourth time. 

I just can't. 

END OF CHAPTER