Breathing

Chapter 44:

"We're closing. You need to leave." I raised my voice, looking over at her. My eyes hardened as my heart was pounding in my chest. My inner voice was screaming at me to get out of there. Something about this situation was not right.

Jenna didn't say anything. Instead, she began walking towards the table where I was standing. Her face was almost completely unrecognizable, she had eyeliner smeared down her face and little red dots marked her skin. She was completely trashed. She kept scratching at her arms like she had bugs crawling on them. I began to start walking back towards the bar. I left my phone lying in the cubby behind it. I needed to call the cops on her to get her out of here. I had a restraining order and she was violating it by being here.

When I started to move, a hard large hand flew to my hair and pulled me back hard, keeping me in place. Someone from the table had stood up behind me and was keeping me from getting away. I looked back at Jenna and she was grinning like a psychopath. A thought crossed my mind. Jenna knew these guys and had set all this up tonight. That was why I hadn't seen them here before. They were with her.

"Aww, are you scared of me? You can't run from me that easily you fucking whore." Jenna walked up to me and stood nose to nose with me while the guy held me in place by my hair. I was trying to pry his fingers off me so I could run. She spit in my face and the group of guys erupted in laughter.

I swung and scratched my nails over the guy trying to get him to let go of my hair. I wanted to go after Jenna, but I couldn't do it if he kept holding me back. The tall thin guy with the long beard came up behind me to help the other guy and wrapped his arms around me, pinning my arms to the side so I couldn't break free.

"She's a fighter, Jen. This should be fun." He put his lips to my ear and I could feel him smelling my hair. I felt so sick from his contact. He was enjoying the closeness too much. Jenna walked back up to me and stared into my eyes. I felt the sting on my cheek before I saw her hand move. My cheek was burning and on fire; my eyes began to water from the searing pain.

Jenna grabbed my hair, twisting and yanking as hard as she could. "Stupid little slut, you ruined everything for me. You took him away from me. He was fucking mine!" She hit me again, this time, I could feel the slow trickle of blood from the corner of my mouth and I could taste the copper on my lips.

"He was never yours." I said, looking back at her defiantly. She may have had the upper hand, but I wasn't going to let her see me back down from her. I twisted and fought again against the thin man and got enough motion to raise my foot up and stomp on his. He yowled in pain and dropped his arms long enough for me to try to run towards the bar. I almost made it to my phone when I was tackled from behind. The pressure was too hard to be Jenna, the hands turned me around to my back and I saw the face of the second man with long hair on the ground on top of me. My shoulder was throbbing from the hit and I couldn't breathe as his knee pressed hard into my chest, pinning me down into the ground.

Jenna and the other two walked down towards where he held me on the floor. All three of them were amused, watching me on the floor fighting and not able to breathe. I could barely move. The guy who tackled me stood up, looking down at me. I was gasping and wheezing, trying to catch my breath. I had to get out of here. I had to save myself.

I pulled my strength together to try to stand and ended up on my knees and hands, staring at the ground. I was on all fours about to push myself up when I felt a hard boot in my side, knocking me back off my feet. My vision faded in and out as the pain shot through my body. Were they trying to kill me? I could hear a voice in my head screaming at me to fight. You have to get up and keep fighting.

I heard a noise towards the back and saw Rachel walk in. Her mouth was open in surprise when she took in the scene.

"Run!" I screamed as loud as I could. Her eyes met mine and she turned and started running back towards the employee entrance. The third guy took off after her and I lost sight of them once they got around the corner. I heard Rachel scream, followed by a thud. Terror ripped through me, hearing my friend yelling. I couldn't even get up to try to help her. I was confused and about to vomit from my injuries. My body was aching with every gasping breath.