Bubblegum Bitch

Love Has No Price

•I'm a goner somebody catch my breath•
Phil

   I hear the door open, and I assume it's Dan getting back from work. I hear  it shut carefully, and the clicking of heels, and a loud thud. Dan fell. As I look at my phone, I realize it's 3am, so he's either drunk or clumsy. Except he typically doesn't drink, unless people buy him drinks. I walk out to the front door, where I see Dan taking off his heels on the floor. When he takes off the black stilettos, and puts them by the door, I help him up, taking his hand in mine.

   "I fucking hate those shoes, I can't walk without falling every five minutes." Dan grumbles, walking towards the bedroom.

   "You know you could just get different heels?" I suggest.

"You wanna go shopping with me next week? I need new clothes and stuff so it would be nice." He asks hesitantly.

   I nod, as I lay back down while he goes to his vanity. While he wipes off his makeup and gets changed, I see a look of sadness in his eyes.

    "You look sad, who do I need to beat up?" I joke.

    "Just some stuff at work is all." He fake smiles as he lays down beside me.

   "Dan-" I start, but he cuts me off.

    "I'm fi-ow!" Dan yelps as I grab his wrist.

    I grab my phone, turning on the flashlight, and peer down at him arm. Although now I wish I didn't. Despite the usual markings on him, I see a different one. Bruises. A hand shaped one nonetheless, looking like it grabbed him, and hard.

   "Dan, who?" I ask intently.

    "I don't know, some guy at work. Please Phil I just wanna go to bed. Can we please just cuddle and snuggle like we usually do." He whines.

I let out a sigh, but I comply. Stripping isn't a bad business, if you work in the right place. While Dan makes more money at these places, they aren't the best places in the world. I wish he could just got a job at a decent club. He reeks of pot and alcohol.

   "Dan were you smoking pot?" I ask softly.

   "No people around me were, I don't smoke cigarettes, pot, or do drugs of any form."

  "Okay. Do you wanna talk about what happened today?"

   "A guy grabbed me and tried to take me outside. I told him to fuck off. His grip was really tight and it bruised me, and this actually happened yesterday." He sighs.

I let out another sigh, but don't pursue the topic, knowing it's best to leave it alone. Grabbing my phone off the nightstand, I look through my texts that I've missed. Just a bunch from Louise making sure I'm still alive. I text her back quickly, then set the phone back on the night stand. I feel Dan squirm in my arms, so I let go of him as he rolls around.

    "Get off me, get off me." He yells, panicked.

    "Hey Dan, it's okay, it's okay." I coo softly.

   He sits up suddenly, breathing heavily, and tears running down his face. Nightmares.

"I-I wanna talk." Dan chokes out.

"Then talk, Love." I whisper softly.

"That night. I haven't been able to forget that night at the bar and I just feel like...like I feel so dirty." Dan cries, slight hiccups between his words.

   What is he talking about-oh. That night at the bar, oh shit.

    "Are you referring to that night that you were attacked?"I ask softly, trying my best not to upset the younger.

    He nods and bites his lip.

     "Dan, please answer me honestly. Did he rape you?" It pains me to ask this question, honestly.

He nods again, and I freeze, not being able to think of a response. Like what could it be? 'Hey Sorry you were raped I hope I haven't panicked you'

"Oh my god, Dan. Did you tell anyone? I know he was jailed but not for rape."

"No.." He trails off.

"I'm not gonna be like 'dan you need to say something or else I'm gonna leave you' but I'm gonna say that you need to say something."

"I know Phil, please don't make me more worried than I already am."

"I'm not going to, I promise. You go to court soon anyways."

"I know." He mumbles.

It's then his phone goes off, ringing loudly, making us both jump. He answers it quickly, and I watch his face go from somewhat happy to please shoot me.

"Phil I gotta go, you can come with me." Dan rushes, getting out of bed and putting on a white pair of jeans and an oversized light blue sweater.

"Wait where are we going?" I ask, putting on a hoodie.

"Chris is in the hospital."

"Oh my god is he okay?" I rush, as he grabs his car keys.

"I'm not completely sure of his condition, but it's not good." I watch as he puts on shoes, and we walk out the door.

   The drive to the hospital is silent, the thing here is that I don't know who Chris even is. I assume he's a stripper with Dan? As we arrive to the hospital, I see Dan sprint out of the car, dragging me into the hospital. As he gets information from a nurse, we run into a different wing of the hospital. The ICU.

   I get a sinking feeling when I realize we are in the ICU. As I'm being dragged into a hospital room, and that's when I realize my feeling was right. On the bed is a man attached to more machine than there is him. The energetic Dan is gone, replaced by a somber one. Tears fill his eyes as he takes in Chris's condition.

  "Oh my god Chris." He cries, and that's when it happens.  

   I watch as the man flatlines, the beeping echoing the room as nurses come flying in, shoving us out. It all happens in slow motion. I just watched someone die. It's as though my body isn't mine, and I'm out of it. I'm watching everything but I'm not in my
body.

   Except what brings me back into the present is the feeling of hands grabbing my shirt, and a figure sobbing in front of me. It finally occurs to me that it's Dan, and he's wrecked. I hold him to me as his loud sobs rack his body, his small figure trembling in my arms. I push his brown curls out of his face, as I hold back in my own tears.

    "Dan it's okay. Everything is going to be alright." I whisper softly.

   "Everything is not okay." He rushes out.  

   As I sigh, I don't know what to do to calm him down.

   "I know but it's gonna be I promise love."