Bleed Myself Dry

Just a Little Late

We entered the cave. It was kinda difficult to get in. I looked around in awe. It was old and falling apart, but it was still so beautiful.
"Wow. This place is awsome." I said.
"Thanks." David said. Paul draped his arm around my shoulder and took me to a small torn couch. We sat down.
"So, what do you do for fun?" Paul asked. They all looked at me with interest.
"Not much. My parents don't usually let me to a lot." David sat in an old wheelchair.
"That's gonna change." He said.
"What do you mean." I raised and eyebrow.
"Friends?" David asked. I didn't expect that so soon.
"I just met you guys-" Marko interrupted.
"Come on! Please? You seem cool." I hesitated for a moment.
"I mean...I guess. I haven't really met anyone else." Paul gave me a small squeeze and smiled. But David...he had a mischievous smirk on his face.

I looked away from him. Something about them didn't quite sit right with me.
"You sure you're not gonna murder me or some shit?" I asked. Dwayne chuckled.
"We promise. I know we look scary, but we're not." Dwayne seemed like the most trustworthy out of all of them. I mean, Paul wasn't scary, he's just a little intimidating...and hot. Marko is a little scary. But he's also kinda adorable. David was full on creepy. He didn't seem like a bad person...just creepy.

I looked at my watch. 9:00. Good. I still have some time before I have to leave. Suddenly, Marko appeared with a box.
"Feeding time!" He said.
"Chinese. Good choice." David said as he took some. Paul stood up.
"Over here, bud." Marko tossed him two. Paul handed me one. I couldn't lie, I was hungry.
"Thanks." I said. Paul nodded and opened his food. I did the same. Rice. Yummy. I picked some up with my chopsticks.
"How are those maggots?" David asked.
"What do you mea-" I looked at my food, and to my surprise, it was maggots. I threw it to the ground with a gasp.

I looked at David again.
"What. The. Actual. Fuck." All he did was laugh.
"Hey, man, leave her alone. Let her eat." Paul said. "Here, we can share." He said.
"No, thanks. I lost my appetite. How did you do that?" The only response I got was a snicker from Marko. I took a deep breath. David was still staring at me. I looked him in the eye. As soon as my eyes met his I got a throbbing headache. I looked away and gently touched my forehead.

David put his food down. He looked at Marko and gave him a look. Marko nodded, stood up and grabbed a wine bottle. Oh nah uh. David took a sip from the bottle. He then held it out to me.
"Drink some of this, Brooke." I shook my head.
"I can't. I'm underage." I said simply.
"Come on. Live a little." Marko said. Paul just smirked.
"Okay, this some horror movie type shit." I said. Paul laughed.
"No it's not. You're safe, I promise." He said, still laughing.

I looked at my watch again. 10:00. Shit!
"Fuck! I need to get home right now!" I stood up.
"What? Why?" Paul asked.
"My parents! Their gonna kill me, and that's not an exaggeration!" I frantically adjusted my jacket.
"Here, I'll take you home." Paul got up. David shot him an angry look. Paul ignored it and rested his hand on my back. We left the cave and got on his bike.
"Hold on, girlie." He said, and we sped off. Shit shit shit. Once we got to the boardwalk, he asked for directions.
"Just go down this road and turn left." I said.

⚠️TW⚠️

When we got to my house I immediately hopped off.
"Thank you so much!" I patted his shoulder and jogged to the door. He didn't leave until I got inside. I checked the time. Oh no. 10:12. I tried to get to my room quietly as possible, but of course with my luck, my mom caught me.
"Where have you been!?" I froze in fear.
"I- I met some nice people who showed me around the boardwalk. I lost track of time, I'm sorry." I said shakily.
"You irresponsible bitch. I raised you better!" She grabbed me by my hair and pulled me to my room. She pushed me in and slapped me across the face. I teared up. I hate it when she does this to me. It's even worse when it's my dad. She left and slammed my door. I sniffled and went in my bathroom to change into my pajamas. I looked in the mirror to see a harsh red mark on my cheek. I took off my jacket and saw a bruise from her pushing me.

I sighed and changed. I grabbed my Led Zeppelin record and played it quietly as I brushed my hair. I hope one day I can leave this place.