A New Beginning

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

I woke up at five in the morning because practice was from 5:30 to 7:00. I got dressed in my basketball stuff, and I threw on sweats and my jacket. I filled up a water bottle, and I left the house.

I arrived at the gym, took off my jacket and sweats, put my hair in a ponytail, and I started to warm up.

I grabbed a basketball, and I started to shoot around. I felt myself getting into my rhythm. There were fifteen girls on the varsity team, and I was the starting point guard.

The rest of practice went by easily. We did conditioning and drills. Then, we started working on our plays because we had our first game the following week.

I went into the locker room and took a shower. I got out and changed into jeans, a sweatshirt, and boots. I put my bag in my gym locker and walked to my regular locker. I looked at the clock, and it was 7:20. I grabbed my books and went to Math. I waited ten minutes before I saw Elliot.

He walked into class as the bell rang. He was wearing the jacket I had gotten him for Christmas over a dark shirt and jeans. He kept his head down as he walked to his seat. I couldn't see his face, so I knew something had happened. Of course something had happened, but there was a small part in me that had hope that this wouldn't happen.

I waited until free time to talk to him. I gently placed my hand on his shoulder and turned him around. I gasped.

His nose was swollen, his jaw was purple, and his eye was black.

"Elliot." I whispered as I pushed the hair out of his good eye. He placed his hand over mine and gave me a sad smile. My heart broke for him.

The bell rang before I had a chance to say anything else. He grabbed his stuff and walked out of class. The rest of the day, he wouldn't talk to me. I guess he didn't want me to look at him.

At the end of the day, I dragged him to my place. We walked in silence. I opened my door, and he followed me in. I closed the door and started to lift his shirt up. He smirked at me.

"Don't get your hopes up." I laughed at him. I continued to pull his shirt over his head. I looked at his abdomen.

Bruises covered his sides, his ribs, and his abs. Those were definitely not there when we were in Miami. I turned him around to look at his back. The bruises that had started to fade were now more profound.

"How is she." I asked worried for Carol.

"Better than me." He said.

"Elliot, I'm so sorry." I said as I put my hand on his back.

"This is not your fault. It never was, and it never will be. So stop apologizing." He said as he wrapped me in a hug.

"Why don't you fight back." I asked while trying to hold back my tears.

"He'd make it worse, for both my mother and me." He said.

I just sat there in his arms until he had to leave.