Monsters Within

Chapter 4

I walked to the park this time, and it still hurt. The sky has grown dark, showing off a beautiful full moon among the stars.

And, there is Cole waiting, a big smile on his face. Behind him lies a picnic blanket and basket. He runs toward me, and gives me a big hug, lifting me off the ground. I begin to laugh but then I realize how much it hurts and flinch.

"Are you ok?" He says as we walk to the blanket.

"Yeah it was just a little tight." I lie, smiling through the pain.

"Oh sorry, but that's not what I meant. I heard a guy talking about shoving you. Are you alright?" He asks.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." I say, just as he wraps his arm around my shoulders, and when I flinch he gives me a worried look. "Really it just hurts a little, I'll be fine." That was a lie. It still killed.

"Ok. But if that happens again tell me."

"I can take care of myself." I say softly, staring at the ground. Cole brings his hand to my face and gently tips my chin upward to look in my eyes. "

"I know but I worry." he says, seeming genuinely concerned. "I don't want to see you hurt."

"Okay I will." I say. I don't want him to worry, so I lie. Besides, this happens so often that I'm used to it, it doesn't even bother me anymore... kind of...

He gestures for me to sit on the blanket, and I do. I see him starting to pull out food, and inhale deeply as the delicious scents hit my nose. When he has finished setting everything up we sit down and eat. Everything tastes as great as it smells, if not better.

"I worked on it all day, I'm an awful cook so I had to try really hard. But it's worth it, because it's really good." Says Cole.

"I agree thank you." I say covering my mouth as it is stuffed with bread. Something, by the way, he also made himself, not store bought.

"You're welcome." He says proudly.

When we finish I feel like I am going to explode. My stomach is so full and my eyelids have begun to grow heavy as sleep threatens to overcome me.

"Now what?" I ask smiling.

"We stargaze." He leans back, and I do the same. Making my back scream in protest from the gashes that lay across it. I bite my cheek so I don't scream as well. As long as I don't move it'll be fine. Cole slides closer to me, and I make the mistake of turning my head and sliding toward him.

I scrunch up my face to deal with the pain. And sit strait up. Taking deep breaths to slow my now rapid breathing.

"What's wrong?" He asks.

"Nothing." I say with a weak smile, putting a hand on my back.

Cole lightly places a hand on my back and I push my back forward to avoid it. He then grabs the end of my shirt and lifts it just enough to see one of many marks on my back. I quickly yank it back down, only to be chastised by my back exploding in searing pain once more.

"Wha-" He begins, but I cut him off.

"I have to go. I'm so sorry. It was wonderful though." I don't want to leave, not really, but he can't see the cuts, the bruises, the redness of my back. He has enough to worry about.

I stay up for hours in my bed trying to sleep, the slashes on my back prevent me from sleeping on my back and sides. Eventually I drift off, into an uneasy sleep.