Common People (frerard)

Chapter 8

I got up for the day and went down to find Frank waiting in the lobby. He smiled as I stood up and I looked down.

"Hey, how are you doing today?" He asked.

"I'm good, I guess," I said with a small shrug.

My neck was still sore from the choking that Andy gave me and a solid bruise was forming on my face, not to mention the other marks all over my body. There was also the puffiness from the non-stop crying I've been doing.

"I can carry your bag for you," he offered.

"It's okay, I got it," I said.

Frank smiled softly, resting a hand on my arm.

"It's gonna be okay, Gee," he said

we walked to the school store and I grabbed my apron, sitting behind the counter as Frank left. I was thirty minutes into the shift when someone came up and set down a bouquet of roses, a stuffed bear and a box of chocolates. I looked up at Andy, my heart clutching in fear.

"Hey," he said softly. "I'm sorry about everything that happened last night. None of that was supposed to happen. I love you so much, you're my baby and I don't wanna lose you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

My lip quivered as I looked up at him.

"You were going to rape me with him," I whispered.

"No, no," he denied. "It was going to be okay and you would've seen that before those assholes interrupted. We were gonna kiss you and cherish your body. We wanted to take care of you."

"You hurt me," I said.

"You were being disrespectful," he said. "You were the one not listening and being a little bitch. If you had just behaved it wouldn't have gone that way."

I sniffled and looked down.

"You know, that hair is growing on me," he said and I looked up. "Yeah, I like it, you look good."

I smiled softly, my hand brushing over the stuffed bear's fur.

"I'm gonna pick you up tonight," he said. "We can go to one of those comedy nights you like. We can both get kind of dressed up and then afterwards we can get some ice cream."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," I said.

"Baby, I'm so sorry, let me try to make it up to you," he said.

"Okay," I said quietly.

Andy smiled and kissed my cheek before he left. I felt sick as I put the items behind the counter. When my shift ended, Frank came with a cheery smile.

"So, what's your next class?" He asked.

"Math," I said.

I took off my apron and put Andy's gifts in a bag.

"What's that?" Frank asked but it sounded like he already knew the answer. "You can't."

"He's sorry and it was my fault—"

"It wasn't," Frank interrupted. "Don't believe a single thing he says."

"You don't understand, we just have a complicated relationship," I said. "I was misbehaving."

"It's not complicated, it's abusive," he said. "What did he say?"

"He's taking me out tonight," I mumbled.

"No he isn't," he said. "Come on, we can go back to my house with Jamia and have an awesome movie night. It's a Friday night and I have this awesome movie room."