The Loudest Silence

Isabella

I could see my fingers trembling as I slowly clenched my hands into fists. I pushed myself farther into the fetal position and rocked back and forth on the hardwood floor as sobs escaped my lips.

"Please don't. Please." I begged as the throbbing pain in the side of my bed intensified. I was met with silence before I could see Rick circling around me. The aroma of cigarettes filled the tiny office as I pinched my eyes shut.

"It's been a frustrating few weeks, Isabella. I need to release my anger somehow." He slowly said before chuckling to himself. I kept my eyes pinched shut and curled into a ball as Rick crouched down beside me. Before I could beg Rick to stop, I felt my arm being tugged as my body flew across the floor. 

I laid still on the floor, and didn't make a sound as Rick crossed the room over to me. With my hair covering half of my face, I watched as Rick blew out a puff of smoke before examining his cigarette. 

I could feel my breathing come out in short labored breaths as Rick bent down beside me. As he grabbed my arm, more tears leaked out of my eyes as I whispered for him to stop repeatedly. My words fell on deaf ears as Rick took one last puff of his cigarette before giving me a sinister smile.

"This'll leave a mark." He said before the butt of the cigarette made contact with my bear skin. A scream tore out of my mouth as Rick loudly laughed. I tried pulling my arm back, but Rick was relentless as he brought the hot cigarette down on my arm repeatedly. 

The sound of laughter from a group of people walking by brought me back to present day as I brought my gaze down to my arm that was covered by a denim jacket. Lifting the sleeve of the jacket, I lightly grazed over the the marks Rick had made a few nights ago. The wounds still stung when I made contact with them, but they had begun healing. It had been difficult trying to hide the marks from Lila today when she was helping me get ready. She insisted on me trying on every outfit from her closet, and she had come close to seeing the burns a few times. 

Today was my date with Mason, and as much as I wanted to ask him to reschedule, I ultimately decided against it. I had finished getting ready a couple minutes ago, and decided to come out and get fresh air as I waited for him to arrive. A few minutes passed of me coming in and out of my thoughts, when I heard footsteps approaching the bench where I was seated.

Turning to my left, I watched as Mason walked towards me with a massive smile on his face. He held a single daisy in his hand as he stopped in front of me. Gone was his casual t-shirt, and instead it was replaced by a navy blue polo shirt paired with a black jacket and pants. 

Compared to Mason, I couldn't help but feel bland. It was no secret that Mason was good looking and was popular amongst the ladies, whereas I looked homeless the majority of the time. 

"You look beautiful." Was the first thing out of Mason's mouth as I felt the blood rush to my cheeks. A shy smile covered my lips as I looked away from Mason's intense gaze. Something about his eyes intimidated me. Sometimes it felt like if I let him stare too long, he would uncover everything I had kept hidden. 

Taking Mason's outstretched hand, I stood up from the bench and straightened out my clothes. It had taken a lot of convincing but Lila agreed to let me wear pants to my date. She had been pestering me to wear a dress, but I avoided any clothing item with skin exposure. My legs weren't nearly as bruised up as my arms, but I decided to avoid a dress all together. The scars that had developed on my skin across the span of a decade were horrendous and I couldn't stomach the idea of Mason, or anyone else for that matter seeing them.