Freefalling

8

He jumped at this sight. The eyes saw his fear and moved up to reveal a nose and mouth. This stranger meant no harm and he could tell.

He went and crawled out the window. The girl outside was in her mid-twenties. This mysterious gal was short and a little overweight.

"Hello. I know that this is probably the creepiest thing you've ever experienced, but I've been called a creepy girl before. Anyway, that girl you visited, she's my neighbor."

"And you're here why?"

"Well, some serious shit went down about an hour before you got there."

"What do you mean?" He was worried now. All of his thoughts were focused on her well-being.

"Those jack-asses, also known as her parents, pummeled her. Like, bad. I was walking my dog, as I do daily, and I saw her open the door and she just took a blow to the face. Her mom threw her around and slammed the door so I went to the window. They were just taking turns pounding her face. It was rough, man."

He had tears streaming down his face. His voice cracked while he said, "How'd you find my place?" This girl followed him to his house to tell him. A silence fell between the two. He suggested that the woman go home and she did.

The next day, he anxiously waited for her. She walked over to him with a pound of concealer on her face. She was completely oblivious to the fact that he was aware of her beating the previous night. She held her arms out for a hug, but he refused.

"What's your deal? All I want is an innocent little hug."

"I don't want to hurt you," he whispered sheepishly. He looked down to avoid her eyes.

"What the fuck are you talking about? Hugs don't injure people."

"No, but shitty parents do." He looked up and saw her biting her lip nervously. "Look, last night I went to your house because you weren't answering your phone. Your mom didn't me let see you. Then your neighbor followed me home and she told me everything she saw." She silently stared him down trying to convince him that her creepy neighbor was lying. He shook his head and reached for her face.

She stopped him and said, "What do you think you are doing?" He took his other hand and quickly wiped off a section of her make-up. A large purple bruise was now exposed. "Oh, and that hug would have hurt." She lifted her shirt and revealed more bruises along her abdomen. He looked at her with sympathy and disbelief.

She put her jacket on and put the hood up. She gave him a peace sign and went into the school. He mumbled a few swears and kicked at the dirt on his way in.

When she got to the bathroom she removed her hood and pulled her concealer out. The bathroom was silent except for her rustling jacket as she prepared to cover her face again. She wasn't aware of the girl in the last stall.

The girl writes gossip on the walls before school starts. The gossiper walked out of the stall and gasped. Her bruise wasn't covered up yet. She recognized this girl, though. This was the bitch in the front row of her history class. 

She was about to explain until the history bitch mumbled, "Oh. My. God."