I'm Already Taken (Sequel to I'm Already Torn)

Chapter 2 - Past Life

Past

            The first time my mom ever came home drunk, I was seven. Dad had left my mom and me when I was four years old. He was driving to the airport for a flight to Guatemala with his new wife when he was hit by an eighteen wheeler and killed instantly. That was the week mom began drinking. I had noticed it even then at five and six but it didn’t seem too serious. I don’t remember much from when I was seven but what I do remember is the overwhelming smell of alcohol on her breath, and the way her eyes were blood-shot and absent. She came over to me with a hot pot left on the stove and hit me with it, hard. She hit me again and again across my back with the steaming pot before falling to the floor and passing out. Oddly I didn’t cry I just stood there as the burns turned my skin red and purple at the same time. I eventually went to bed and got up the next morning for school as if nothing had happened. I thought it was a onetime thing and as soon as I got home she apologized and promised it would never happen again. And it didn’t, not for another eight months. Then the beating started up again. Every time she came home she picked up Dad’s old belt and whipped me. She never touched my face or forearms only places they clothes could hide. I began raising myself from the moment on. Mom was so absent that she didn’t notice how I cooked and cleaned and even at one point paid bills. I was very mature for my age but nobody noticed. My school work was dropping because of how tired I was all the time. Everything started to change in fifth grade.

            I had an amazing teacher named Ms. Honey who saw how bright I really was and gave us extra nap time. One day after a particularly harsh beating I came into school with three cracked ribs and a broken arm. Ms. Honey took me to the hospital where they found 148 healed fractures all over my body. I was placed into childcare and my mother was arrested. I was put in the foster system at 11 and was almost immediately adopted. And just as suddenly I was back in the system. I felt unloved and unwanted for the next five years. I got into some pretty serious stuff and got in trouble a lot. I smoked, drank, and did drugs from age sixteen. Mom died when I was fourteen from liver failure. I got her and my dad’s dates tattooed on my ankle just so I would always remember. I couldn’t forget the bad times but I had to try to think of the good ones.

             I met a guy at a bar one night and we had a one-night stand. I saw him again and again at the bar and the events kept repeating themselves until he finally asked me out. I didn’t learn his name until the second date. His friends called him RJ for Robert Johnson. We dated for about a month before he started sharing me. Yeah, sharing me with his friends. I tried to get out of the relationship but I was always drawn back to him. He gave me clothes and a place to sleep and food, who was I not to repay him. I snuck away finally one night and fled to a small town where I slept on a park bench for about a week. Life was hard but that was all I had known it to be.

            I was going through a really bad time when Maggie’s brother Nick found me. We were at a party and I ended up puking on his shirt. Graceful, I know right. He took me into the bathroom to clean me up along with his shirt. I was so drunk I thought he wanted to have sex so I took off my shirt and began forcefully kissing him. He didn’t shove me off, probably because he was drunk too, but we didn’t go any further. He politely took me home to his house and let me sleep on the couch. The next morning we talked and I ended up spilling everything out to him. I showed him my scars which he kissed individually and told me I was beautiful. That was the first time anyone had ever called me anything but hot or sexy, just beautiful. We dated for the next year and a half. When he left for collage I felt empty again. I hung out with Maggie, his sister, more and more and suddenly we became best friends. I got help, got my grades back up, and ended up getting a grant from child care to go to the collage of my choice for nursing. I choose NYU with Maggie and we both got in. I never expected to change to Kingston for a boy, but he was more than just a boy, it was all five of them.

Present

            “Earth to Lissy!” Liam snapped in front of my face so I blinked out of the memory.

            “Sorry babe,” I laughed and smiled at him. We were parked outside of the dorm entrance savoring out last moments with each other. Liam had taken me to an extremely fancy restaurant that he had rented out then we went for a walk in the park. He kissed my forehead lightly and I gripped his hand. “I wish I didn’t always have to say goodbye to you,” I whispered quietly.

            “Then don’t,” he said looking directly into my eyes with a gleam of hope. I returned the glance quickly.

            “Liam, you’re exhausted,” I laughed.

            “No I'm not,” he protested around a yawn that disproved his statement.

            “Get some sleep,” I kissed his lips lightly.  I stepped out into the cool autumn air and closed the car door. I heard his say goodnight as I climbed the steps to the doors and walked inside. When I got down to our room I stopped and had to stifle a laugh. There was a sock hanging from the door, and actual sock! I took a picture and sent it to Liam hoping he wasn’t far away.

To Liam <3

Hey babe, guess what I found o.O … frisky Lou :P can I sleep over?

            His reply came shortly telling me to come back out front.

            “Hey love, miss me already?” he teased.

            “Lou is going to have very cold feet tomorrow,” I held up the sock and Liam laughed. “Homeward James!” I commanded in a British accent. Liam drove out into the busy traffic and towards his house. I fell asleep in the car listening to him hum me to sleep.