The day bleeds

.7.

I lift my shirt seeing more bruises on my stomach and hips, I graze my hand over them making me wince then sliding my shirt back down. I grab a pair of blue jeans and a black tank top, I slowly pull those over my body then grabbing a white baseball tee pulling it over the tank top pulling my hair in a pony tail. I walk down the stairs slowly seeing my mother in the living room looking over a file drinking a cup of coffee. I grab a bag making her look up at me, "where are you going Elizabeth?" she asks looking up from the file she was looking at.

"My friend wanted to hang out today," I explain hearing her sigh. "You were the one who said to make friends." I say putting my bag together.

"Okay, just don't be out to late." she says looking back down at her file while I step back up stairs grabbing my phone seeing Toni is here, I also grab Sweetpea's jacket so I can give it back to him, I step down the stairs and walk out the door to Toni's car.

"Hey, B" Kevin exclaims while I climb next him in the back seat.

"Hey." I respond feeling all their eyes on me. "what?" I ask looking at all of them,

"You look really good today." Fangs explains examining me, I look down at me seeing the opposite covered in bruises but I do look pretty thin.

"Thanks." I say as we pull up to Sweetpea's house where he gets in the car all hyped for the day. I hand him the jacket making him confused. "Here's your jacket back." I say handing him the jacket.

"Keep it... I have a bunch." He claims pushing it back towards me, I take it putting it in my bag. "So what are we doing today." He asks all giddy while Toni drives.

"We're getting breakfast, I didn't want to go alone." Toni admits making most of us laugh, the whole time to the diner everyone is laughing and singing but my mind goes to the night before and how I couldn't move and scream. How I wished to be dead in that moment, the car stops snapping me out of my thoughts where I'm faced with a neon lights and a diner full of families and people eating breakfast. We walk out of the car where I see Malachai staring at me leaning against his motorcycle motioning for me to come to him.

"You guys go, I'll meet you in there." I tell them which makes them go into the diner without me sitting at a table visible in the window. I walk to Malachai folding my arms over my chest. "what do you want?" I ask standing in front of him.

"I want you to come put on a show." he mumbles looking down at me still leaning against his bike.

"No, there's no way I'm doing that." I snicker shaking my head.

"If you don't I'll..." he starts but stops mid sentence.

"You'll what? Kill me, tell mommy that daddy beats me, kidnap me. please you'll do me a favor." I tell him turning around walking towards the diner.

"I'll kill them... in front of you, maybe I'll make them watch you strip with a gun to their head." he calls out making me stop in the middle of the parking lot turning back around to face him.

"Whose they?" I ask standing in the same spot.

"You're new friends... maybe bring your siblings back in town." he says making me become speechless for a second.

"When they're in town, maybe I'll do it." I say walking towards the diner while he calls out after me.

"A week from today." I walk to the table everyone's at sitting down next to Sweetpea looking out the window watching Malachai ride off into the distance.

"What was that." Toni asks raising her eyebrows at me seeing me stare out the window.

"As of right now, nothing." I mumble turning all my attention to the group of people in front of me. We were having fun until Cheryl and Veronica walk in seeing me and smirk siting in the seat behind me. I take the jacket out of my bag putting over my shoulders trying to hide more bruises that might be visible. I take a deep breath biting my bottom lip trying not to lose my sanity. The bell rings again reveling Jughead who comes to our booth.

"Sorry I'm late." he says while me and Sweetpea scoot down to make room for him. I hear Veronica scoff softly behind me while my back starts to stings making me stand completely still squeezing my eyes closed arching my back.

"Are you okay?" Kevin asks me while I feel pressure all over my body and my bruises throbbing. I point to the outside of the booth signaling Jughead to get out while I run outside the diner dropping in the middle of the parking lot trying not to cry. I scream holding my head in my hands standing up and walking to the side of the building. Someone stands behind me while I take off the jacket and the white shirt exposing my black tank top I lift that up exposing my lower back and stomach.

"Betty." Jughead says standing behind me looking at my back that's exposed. "what can I do to help." he questions

"It was too tight, give me a minute." I whisper squatting down into a ball exposing more of my back.

"Betty your bleeding." He tells me watching my back bleed.

"It'll stop." I whisper again when the stinging stops making me be able to breathe again."See back to normal." I sigh pulling my shirt back down and pulling the other one over my head, and pulling the jacket over my shoulders. "Why did you come out here?" I ask walking back into the parking lot.

"I don't know... just got worried." he admits.

"Don't worry about me... a few more months and I'm out of here just like my brother and sister did." I say walking back into the diner sitting with everyone again who are all staring at me. "I'm fine.. Just anxiety attack." I lie looking at everyone. We start to laugh until Veronica is standing at the end of the table,

"So, I heard you talking to this older guy earlier, wasn't he threatening you Betty." Veronica says getting everyone's attention.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I get threatened all the time." I say leaning back in the booth.

"No he said that he wanted you to strip for him." Veronica says making everyone look at me.

"Which I said no to." I respond.

"unless someone is held at gunpoint." she laughs looking at the rest of the table for their reactions.

"Yes, but no one has been held at gunpoint here beside me." I tell her receiving a surprising reaction from Veronica.

"So you won't mind if I spread this around." she says snapping back to her normal self.

"If I'm not afraid of a man who has held a gun to my head, why do you think I'm scared of you?" I ask making her scoff walking away.