Bad Liar

Chapter Twenty

~ Alice ~

"Chris don't do this you can't, please I'm begging you." I stood with my back pressed right up against his office door. I'd been in detention and there was very few members of staff left in the school now, other than cleaners and I suspect the head.

Hot tears streamed down my face and clouded my vision, but I could still see Chris and the determination on his face. He walked towards the door but I pushed my hand out in a feeble attempt to stop him.
"Why are you doing this?" I all but screamed, by now I'd stopped caring who could hear us. The pain was tearing through my body, ripping every cell apart and I was fighting to try and stop it but there was almost no point.

"Because it's wrong. This should never have happened." His voice was cold and emotionless, and that hurt more. He wasn't crying, his body wasn't on fire with pain - Chris tried to reach for the door again and he stared directly at my crumpled face. His eyes bore into mine and with each second he looked at me, more and more of my heart was breaking.

I screamed, a pain filled primal scream. I didn't care anymore, I wanted people to know I wanted people to see what love had done to us. Chris didn't even flinch, his body remained tense and cold and I knew there was nothing left. There was nothing left for me to fight with.

"Alice this shouldn't have happened. It's disgusting. It's wrong and it's your fault. You tempted me, I didn't want this but you wanted nothing more. You are disgusting."  He spat at me,  there was emotion this time it was complete and unadulterated hatred. I sunk to the floor, my body gave up, Chris dropped down to me his gaze locking with mine.

"You disgust me." His tone was calm, the words he spoke were meant to do nothing more than cause me pain. And that's what he did. Once again I screamed, I poured every piece of  pain and energy into the sound, I poured and poured until everything began to disintegrate.
Like flakes of ashen paper drifting violently in harsh winds, the world around me began to crumble and burn.
~~
I woke up, not peacefully, not naturally but violently and with force. I jolted forward, as my body flung forward it abruptly stopped, I moved my hands to try and understand what was stopping the involuntary, forceful action my body was determined to carry out.

"Alice, baby clam down it's me." A voice entered my ears, who was it? Come one Alice think. My head still felt fuzzy, the nightmare had smothered my senses completely and while my body knew it was safe my mind still didn't think it was.

My eyes began to adjust and the familiar objects of my bedroom became clear, a figure sat on the chair by my desk with a drawn tired looking face, one hand pressed on their forehead the other wrapped tightly around their stomach. Blonde hair, pink blazer, mum.

I looked down at the arms that were wrapped around me, the watch. It was dad.

"What happened?" I muttered, my eyes and ears still adjusting. My door was open the light from the landing flooding in, my clock on the side read 10:13 and the noise softly buzzing from downstairs meant the pub was still busy.
"You were screaming, we came upstairs and you were asleep but we couldn't get you to wake up. That was about half an hour ago." Mum spoke softly moving from my chair to the end of my bed, she looked exhausted. Not just tired, there was no energy in her anymore, there was no fight in her anymore. Even her voice sounded empty.

"I'm sorry." It was all I could say, I could explain the nightmare, even if I tried I wouldn't be able to lie.
"It's okay baby." Dad gently kissed the top of my head and my eyes fell upon mums face, she didn't say anything she didn't even look like she felt anything.

"I better go downstairs." Silently and quickly she got up and left the room, no 'goodnight' no 'I love you'. Nothing, not even a second glance. I didn't even try and fight the tears that began flooding down my face, nor did I try and fight dad as he pulled me closer, gently rocking me, trying to calm the pain that was worse than anything I'd felt before. The pain of your own mother giving up on you.