In My Mind

Chapter 2

Pain.

That's all I feel. Everything hurts.

What the hell happened?

My eyes pop open. The details of everything rush back to me. I jump up, ready to protect myself from that disgusting man.

"Hey hey hey! It's okay! It's just me!"

My eyes slowly adjust to find Jacob in front of me, his face filled with concern.

"Chloe! What the hell happened? I came outside to let you know we were closing and you were unconscious on the ground! I was just about to call an ambulance," Jacob's voice is on the edge of hysteria as he looks me over.

I look around, taking in my surroundings. The bar. I'm inside the bar. I'm okay.

I let out a shaky breath, "I-I- I was outside getting ready to study and this man came out of nowhere. He-He kept trying to— And I tried so hard to get away but— he just—" I sob, not able to tell Jacob about the horrendous assault.
Jacob's eyes widen as he takes in the news. His face goes from concern to outrage in a matter of seconds.

"WHAT? WHO? I'LL KILL HIM," Jacob begins pacing the floor. "The cops. We gotta call the cops! They have to find this piece of shit and take him down. What if he-"

"STOP!" I scream. "We can't. If we go to the cops, they're gonna ask too many questions. Why was a 17 year old at a bar? Why was said 17 year old working as a bartender? There are too many things that can go wrong if we go to the cops. I'll lose everything: Gran, you, my job. I can't take that Jacob. I can't." Tears roll down my face as I speak.

Jacob looks as me, shaking his head. He knows what I'm saying is right, but he hates it with a passion.

"Fine. But you will never be outside alone at night again, you hear me? Someone better be with you at all times. And if you see that slimy shit again, you come to me. I'll take care of him." Rage pulses through Jacob as he wrings his hands in front of himself. Shaking, I sit down trying to pull myself together.

This could have went a completely different way. I could have been raped. Hell, I could have died. Why did he stop? I don't understand. There was nothing stopping that monster from taking my innocence from me.
A shiver rolls over my body. "Will you please take me home? I don't need Dean walking in here wondering why I look like I've been to hell and back," I say to Jacob, grabbing my bag off the counter.

A sigh falls from Jacob's lips, and he nods. He takes my stuff from my hands and wraps an arm around my shoulder. I lean my head against him. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't come to find me. I shake my head, clearing the bad thoughts trying to take over my mind.

Jacob pulls me towards his truck, opening the passenger door and helping me in. I'm not even completely in the truck when I fall asleep.

***

I'm pulled from sleep as Jacob arrives at my house. I look at Jacob, giving him a small smile. He smiles back while jumping out of the vehicle. He runs around the front of the truck and opens the passenger door.

"Milady," He says while sweeping his hand out, gesturing for me to climb out. I smile and climb out of his truck. He grabs my stuff and we slowly tread towards my door. As we reach the front door, Jacob grabs my hand and pulls me into a hug.

"Chloe, I love you and I'm always here for you. If anything happens, you call me immediately okay?" He whispers into my ear, comforting me. I nod my head and hug him for a few more seconds. He eyes roam over my face, his eyes filled with an emotion I can't figure out. I pull away from him and head inside.

My house looks like any other day. It has to or it could set Gran off. Any tiny change could make Gran go from having a good to a bad one. I gently walk into the kitchen and grab a glass of water. My throat is still sore from the assault and I know my voice is going to be scratchy for the next few days.

I make my way to Gran's room. Her pale blue bed sheets lay softly on top of her as she sleeps. I smile as I watch her. She always looks so peaceful when she's sleeping. I back up slowly, not wanting to accidentally wake her and head to the bathroom. I flick on the lights and look at myself in the mirror.

I gasp. My eyes slowly trail my body from head to toe. My normal, nicely kept dark brown hair is completely a mess. The frizzy mess sticks out in every direction. It looked like something from an 80s comedy movie. My face was in just as bad shape. My left cheek was scratched and puffy, probably from hitting the ground when the homeless man threw me down. Thankfully that was really the only damage when it came to my face. My neck; however, didn't have the same pleasantries. Dark black and blue bruises in the shape of hands covered my entire neck. I raise my own hands, gently grazing my neck. I snatch my hand back, the soreness too much. As I move my hand away from my neck, I notice a long jagged slit on the palm of my hand. A flash of myself stabbing the man with a piece of glass makes me close my injured hand. I shake the memory away as I take in the rest of my appearance.

My clothes are completely ruined. My jacket is nowhere to be found, and my uniform is unrecognizable. The back of my shirt is completely shredded from being dragged on the pavement; my back also red and covered with scraps. My shorts are ripped at the bottoms. Mr. Rapist must have been having a hard time trying to get them off, so he decided to just try and rip them. My legs were goners too. Bruises and scrapes covered almost every inch of my lower body. Whelp, no shorts for a little while.

I slowly drag my head up and stare into my eyes. The pale, grey color is usually quite comforting because they are the only thing that I have that reminds me of my mother, but tonight all I see is a reminder of what could have happened. Tears pool into my eyes as I replay the events of tonight. My body starts to shake and I let out a huge sob.

I pull myself up and go to turn on the bath. I watch the water slowly rise, steam filling the room. I gently remove my clothes, wincing when they graze my bruises. I submerge myself into the boiling water, wanting to soak my aching pains.

I must have dozed off because the next thing I remember is finding myself laying in an ice cold bath. I pull myself out and wrap a towel around my body. I grab my old clothes and dump them into the trash. I walk to my bedroom, comforted by the smell of my vanilla scented candles. I grab some underwear and an oversized T-shirt and hop into bed. Just as I am about to fall asleep, a thought pops into my head.

"Shit. I have an organic test tomorrow," I gripe, "Yep, tomorrow is going to be a great day."

I lay my head my down, and slowly drift to sleep, dreaming of green eyes.