Serendipity ↬ COMPLETE

Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Nobody's Perfect

"Imperfections equal beauty. We're all imperfect." -Miley Cyrus

Later that night, after Connor left, I was getting ready for bed. My parents had ordered pizza for dinner and now I was tired.

I stripped out of my clothes from the long day that I had and pulled on a pair of red Disney shorts. Mickey was on one side, recieving a kiss from Minnie, who was on the other side of the shorts. Next, I pulled a simple gray tank top over my head.

I decided to let Tucker sleep with me on my bed and patted my bed for him to jump up. And he did. He roamed in a circle and then laid down, laying his head on his paws, and closed his eyes.

I smiled and pulled back my blanket so that I could climb into bed. As soon as I laid down and the pulled the comforter over me, my parents walked into the room. "So, did you have a good official second day in Orlando?" my mom asked, sitting on my bed. She pet Tucker's head, but he didn't respond, being already asleep. My dad stood behind her, a smile on his face, and they awaited my response.

"Yes, I did. I loved it! I saw parts of Orlando that I hadn't seen before! And Connor took me to Starbucks for the first time in my entire life. It was so good!" I gushed, smiling at the memory of the day. "And I saw a sign in the window saying that Starbucks was hiring. I was thinking of applying. I need a job," I continued.

"That's a great idea, honey! You can go in the morning, okay?" Mom said, grinning while I talked about my day.

"I'm going to. Right after breakfast," I said.

"That's a great idea. So, tell us, we heard you and Connor arguing earlier today. What was that about?" Dad asked.

I laughed, recalling the memory. He still hasn't told me what the little girl said! "Oh. Well, after Starbucks, he gave me directions to a park. We were walking around when a little girl came up and talked to us. Before she left, she whispered something in Connor's ear and he promised something to her. I was trying to find out what she had said, but he was keeping it a secret," I explained with a giggle.

"Oh, okay. That makes sense. Just remember that he must have a reason for keeping it a secret, Lani," Dad said, chuckling.

"Alright, well, get some sleep, okay, sweety. You have another big day ahead of you tomorrow," my mom said, winking at me.

I laughed and responded. "Okay. Goodnight guys. Love you," I said, giving them both kisses on the cheeks.

"We love you, too, Lani. Goodnight, honey," my dad said.

They left my room and shut off my light while I laid my head on my pillow. I closed my eyes, and fell asleep to the souds of my dogs soft snores and my radio playing quietly in the background.

Leilani's nightmare

"Where are you?!" an angry voice screamed out, clearly beyond ticked off.

I was all alone in my house and he had come.

Joshua.

I ran away, trying to find a place to hide. He was angry and held the look of murder in his eyes.

I couldn't call my parents; they were at a concert.

I couldn't call Connor; he was mad at me.

I couldn't call anyone.

Besides, I had unfortunately left my phone in the kitchen.

I ran and hid in the linen closet next to my bathroom. I covered my mouth with my hands to silence my sobs.

Through the crack in the door, I could see him and I saw the knife. I choked a little in fright.

Someone please save me! I prayed to the Lord.

The door swung open and there was Joshua with a wicked grin on his face. He grabbed my ankle and dragged me out of the closet. I was laying on my back as soon as he yanked my feet from under me and I started screaming.

"Shut up!"he snapped, back-handing me across the face. I whimpered, and stayed silent.

He started beating me and kicking me around. I coughed and blood came out of my mouth. "This is what you get for not taking me up on my offer!" Kick. "This is what you get for being such a bitch to me!" Kick. Punch.

"Please.... Stop," I whimpered quietly.

He paused, as if trying to see if I had really spoken. Then, his wicked smile returned. "Okay. I'll stop," he said.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on dulling the pain.

I felt a tug in my stomach, and a quick jolt in my entire body.

My hands flew up to my abdomen, and I felt something hot and sticky. I brought my hands to my sight, since I was still lying on the ground, and I saw the blood.

My head fell back and hit the ground, as I continued to bleed and was unable to stop the blood.

"Payback's a bitch, bitch," he said, sinsterly. I watched his figure walk away. He walked out the back door just as someone walked through the front door. It was a smaller male figure, not my dad.

It was Connor.

My knight in shining armor.

If only a little bit sooner.

"Leilani!" he screamed, seeing me in the hallway. He ran over to me, almost tripping over his own feet.

Even though he got closer, he still seemed so far away. I noticed my vision cutting out and getting blurry every second.

Connor fell next to me and reached into the linen closet to grab a towel. He quickly pressed it against my wound. I groaned, and coughed.

"Keep your eyes open, Leilani! Keep them open!" he exclaimed, fumbling for his phone.

He typed something and put it to his ear.

My vision continued to blur and fade out until it went white and I went limp in Connor's arms.

End.

I bolted right up in my bed, feeling the sweat and tears running down my face.

"Lani, Lani, it's okay. It's okay. Calm down sweety. You'll be okay," my mom soothed, taking me in her arms. That was the first time I noticed them in my room. Tucker was no longer on my bed and I heard a small whimper. I looked and saw him lying on my floor, looking at me with sad hazel puppy eyes. "He started barking when you started tossing and turning. He knew something was wrong," she added.

I whimpered, knowing my dog felt my pain, and he popped up.

"Tell us about it, Lani," Dad told me gently.

We have this thing that we do that helps me forget about nightmares. I tell them about my nightmare, not leaving anything about and they just sit and listen, without saying a word. And it actually helps me.

I went into full detail about the whole nightmare and didn't leave anything out.

When I finished, I quietly screamed and covered my face in my hands. "I hate these disorders! They make me a freak!" I exclaimed.

"Honey. Never say that. It's an imperfection, but imperfections are beauty," my mom said.

I looked up at her, a small smile on my tear-streaked face. "Did you just quote Miley Cyrus?" I asked her.

"Yes." She laughed and hugged me again.

"I love you, Mommy and Daddy," I said, hugging them tightly.

"We love you, too, Lani," Dad said.

They made sure I was okay before they kissed me goodnight again and left. I patted my bed for Tucker to jump back on and he did. I laid back down and fell asleep again, this time, totally dreamless.