Read Taking Chances Online

Authors: Deanna Frances

Tags: #Fiction, #Young Adult

Taking Chances (6 page)

BOOK: Taking Chances
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“Answer me!” This time, he hit me as hard as he could. He then took the lighter out of his pocket, lit the cigarette in his mouth, and pressed the hot end against the skin of my stomach. A scorching pain ripped at my skin, and I screamed. He pulled me toward him then threw me back at the house. My head slammed against the wall, giving me the worst headache I could imagine. I could taste the blood in my mouth from me biting my tongue by mistake.

“Do you understand me?” he pressed himself against me, squishing me against the house. I started losing my breath.

“YES!” I screamed with the rest of the air I had. He dropped me, and I landed on my knees, coughing and trying to breathe. I didn’t hear him walk away. The only thing I could hear was the ringing in my ears and the pounding in my head. The pain was too much to bear, so I crawled off of the deck and tried to lie down on the cool grass, hoping the queasiness in my stomach would go away, but I threw up onto the grass. I clenched my hands together in fists to try and stop them from shaking, but my whole body seemed to tremble, even though it was not at all cold.

That was the worst experience I had ever had with Michael up until then.
Will this get worse?
I thought.
What more can he do to me?

I sighed heavily as my breathing started to slow to its normal rate. I wanted to just lie in the grass and die. I knew if the abuse kept getting worse, I would never make it to my eighteenth birthday, but I knew I had to keep trying, for Lillian and Rebecca. Tears continued to fall from my eyes as I sat up. I stood slowly and my head spun, making the dark night seem as if it was moving. I went back up to the deck and grabbed my backpack. I wobbled over to my car, opened the trunk, took my favorite blanket out, and headed slowly over to one of the barns.

 

 

 

Chapter 5

ACCIDENT

 

 

I woke up late the next morning and got up from the cold, hard barn floor, barely able to walk straight. I could see the bruises on my arm because my sleeves were rolled up, so I pulled them back down. I did not want to see the damage. I was still shaking and wondered if I had even slept five hours. Probably not. My eyelids drooped, and my whole torso felt sore.

I grabbed my backpack and when I got to the yard, the sun hurt my eyes. I looked over to the driveway, and Michael’s truck and Maddie’s car were gone. The only car in the driveway was mine.

I walked over to the sidewalk that leads up to the house, and my vision got a little clearer. As I neared the sidewalk, I saw a figure walking toward me. Spencer. I forgot that he would be there, helping his uncle farm.

“Sydney?” he asked concerned.

I looked down in embarrassment. I didn’t want him to see me like that.

“Sydney, what happened to you?” He walked closer to me. I could see his clear, shocked face. He was in jeans and a thin, dirt-stained white T-shirt, and he was wearing a baseball cap.

I lost the rest of the energy I had, and collapsed. Spencer caught me, and held me in his arms.

I wanted to tell him the truth. I wanted to tell him all about Michael and what he had done to me. I wanted to give him the real explanation for why he was holding this mangled person in his arms. But I couldn’t get myself to say it. I couldn’t tell anyone about Michael. He would find out that I told. I wasn’t brave enough, so I used a new excuse.

“I...”  I was still having trouble breathing. “I was trying to put some things up in the barn but I fell…and blacked out.” I started coughing. I could feel Spencer’s grip around me tighten, making me wince as he pressed on the bruises without knowing they were there.

“Where are your parents?”

“They probably think I’m still sleeping. They left for work early this morning.”

“Are you going to be alright?”

I nodded.

“Are you sure?” he asked, concerned.

“Yes.”

He was silent for a moment and then said, “Here, let’s get you inside so you can clean yourself up.” He lifted me into his arms, and carried me into the house like a small child. When we were in the entry way, he set me down carefully.

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” he asked, still holding my shoulders, probably afraid that I would collapse again.

“I’ll be…fine.”

“Do you think you’ll be alright to go to the movie today? I don’t want you to go if you’re hurt.”

I had forgotten about the movie. “Yeah. I’ll be fine by then. I just need to take a shower,” I said.

“Are you sure?” His light brown eyes stared into mine.

I nodded.

“Hey, I’ll be here working until about three. I'll have to go home and shower but can I drive you up to DeKalb?”

“Um…sure.”

“Okay. I’m sorry, but I really don’t trust you with a vehicle right now.” He chuckled. I tried to laugh with him, but it hurt my chest, so I smiled instead.

“Go clean yourself up.” He smiled. “I’ll see you later,” he said as he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I smiled. That was the first time he had kissed me, and I felt a spark run through my body. Even if it wasn’t on the lips, it was special to me. I watched him as he let go of my shoulders and walked out the door.

I carefully walked upstairs and into my bathroom to take a shower. I looked at myself in the mirror as I walked in. I looked like crap. I felt like it too. My cheek was slightly bruised and my hair was all frizzy and messy. I looked at my arms again and saw they were pinkish purple and there were also scratches covering parts of them. My right arm wasn’t bad; it was just red and had the same scratches as my left. My stomach was aching because it was so sore. I couldn’t believe Spencer had seen me like that.

I took a hot shower, and the warm water loosened up some of the sore muscles in my body; but it also hurt the cigarette burn on my stomach. After my shower, I got dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I put my wet hair up in my usual ponytail and went to sit on my bed. It was a little easier to walk since my muscles were less sore.

On my bed, I opened my backpack and grabbed my phone. I checked the time; it was one thirty. So it must have been about one o’clock when I woke up that day. Well, I wasn’t really sleeping, more like crying while lying down.

I got out my CD player and listened to my Celine Dion CD.

I began listening to a song called “This Time”. The song is about a girl who is being abused by her lover.

This time is the last time. I know that my eyes have seen too much. This nightmare, it’s not fair, and I’ve had enough.

Realizing that the song reminded me of my life, I started crying as I sang along to the second part of the chorus.

You break me, and as I bleed, you just say you’re sorry. You call this love, but this time, your lies are not enough, this time.

And then I realized there were two exceptions to the similarities between my life and the song.

One: She was talking about being abused by her lover; my
stepdad
abuses me.

Two: Her abuser says he’s sorry after he hits her; Michael doesn’t.

Listening to that song reminded me of my mom. At first, Maddie was just an innocent young woman who decided to make bad choices with Violet and Clayton’s dads. She actually married mine, and she thought they’d be together forever. When she met Michael, it was just an innocent marriage again. She was a victim, too. But all the times that Maddie had told me things would get better, and that she was going to get rid of Michael never came true. I shook my head. Obviously, that wasn’t happening.

I decided to go downstairs and watch TV afterwards. I put my stuff back into my backpack, and carefully walked downstairs. I sat on the couch, and set my bag down next to me. I turned on the TV and started to watch one of my favorite movies,
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Grandma always kept DVDs in the cabinet next to the TV. I was able to watch almost the whole movie before Spencer came to drive us to DeKalb. He had changed into jeans and a clean white T-shirt.

As we walked out to his car, Spencer must have still been worried about how stable I was, because he kept one arm securely around my waist as we walked. He helped me into the car and went over to the driver’s side.

The drive up to DeKalb was a little quieter than I would have expected. Spencer and I talked a little bit; but there were times of deep thought and silence.

I put one of Spencer's Michael Buble CDs on, and listened to him sing along to it. I loved hearing his amazing singing voice. He was probably better than Michael Buble himself.

When we arrived at the theater, the rest of the group was already there, crowded around Dean’s black BMW convertible. Spencer and I got out of the car and headed over toward them. After a few minutes of talking outside in the parking lot, Spencer held my hand as we all walked inside.

I enjoyed the movie a lot more than I thought I would, even though I’d never been one for thrilling horrors. I had only seen a couple of movies in Chicago; I never really had enough money to go to the theater.

Spencer had his arm around my shoulder the entire time, and I kept my head cuddled next to his chest. About fifteen minutes before the movie ended, Spencer whispered my name.

I lifted my head, and looked up at his face. His light brown eyes were staring into mine. I began to lose my breath. He looked like he was concentrating on something.

“I’m glad you came today.” He smiled.

“M…Me too.” Looking into his eyes was making me lose my train of thought. He slowly brought his head down and hesitated, making my heart pound faster and harder than it ever had before. His warm breath washed across my face as he sighed softly. His eyes closed at the same time mine did, and his soft lips pressed lightly against mine. My heart thundered in my chest, and I lost my breath. I pressed my lips against his with more enthusiasm, yet just as soft as he had. Even though it was our first kiss, it was not just a little peck on the lips. Although, he kissed me as if I was the most fragile thing in the world. He was probably just nervous. I knew that I was. As I kissed him back, my heart seemed to fill completely. It was like I had everything I ever wanted. He was refilling the pieces of my heart that Michael and Maddie had taken away. I had felt weak all of my life; not anymore. He gave me hope, and that was all I needed at that moment. I
needed
him. When the kiss ended, I wished that it hadn’t. He smiled my favorite smile and lightly stroked my face with his hand. I rested my head next to his chest again, blushing and smiling.

 

* * *

 

When the movie was over, we all walked back out into the parking lot. Jacquie and Annie were talking about how scared they were by the Joker, while Jeremy and Mike were laughing at them and trying to convince them that he wasn’t that scary, and that it was just an actor in make-up.

“He’s not real.” Jeremy laughed as he wrapped his arm around Jacquie’s waist.

“I know
that.
It was just creepy.”

“Girls are such wimps.” Mike chuckled.

“No we’re not!” Annie protested.

“Never mind.” Spencer laughed. “Where do you guys want to eat?”

“It doesn’t matter to me.” Mike said.

“Me either. I just want to eat.” Jeremy laughed, hitting his stomach. “Dean, do you have any suggestions?”

“Um, how about Applebee’s? It’s just down the road,” he replied.

“I’m good with Applebee’s. How about you, Annie?” Michael asked.

“Fine with me,” she said.

“Okay, let’s meet at Applebee’s. As I said, it’s just down the road,” Dean said.

“Alright.” Jeremy said as they walked towards Jacquie’s Lincoln Navigator.

We all walked into the restaurant and were seated at a long table. We talked and ate, and we had a lot of fun. As we were finishing our meal, I saw Matt and a couple of his guy friends all walk into the restaurant.

“Hey, Syd,” he called as they walked towards us.

“Hi, Matt.” I smiled.

“Who do we have here?” he asked, looking around at our table. I saw his eyes lock with Spencer’s for a second.

“Spencer Stevenson,” Matt muttered.

“Spencer’s my—”

“I’m her boyfriend,” he finished for me. “And how do
you
know Sydney?” He took my hand under the table.

Matt smiled. “I used to be best friends with her when she’d come visit. You should remember. We met up again a few weeks ago.”

I smiled shyly.

“Hey, Jacquie,” Matt said.

“Hello,” she replied dully.

I could see the tension between my friends and Matt, and wondered what could be going on with them.

“Sydney, you didn’t tell me you were with
Spencer,
” Matt said.

“I didn’t know you wanted to know,” I said shyly.

He smiled. “Yeah, you should have told me. Spencer and I used to be good friends before I moved.” He then turned to me and said, “Hey, well, call me, and we’ll hang out sometime.”

I caught the glare Spencer threw at Matt. “Geez!” Matt held his hands up in surrender. “She’s my friend. She always has been. That’s it.”

“Matt, come on, we’re gonna order!” One of his friends called as they sat down in a booth near ours.

“Coming,” he replied. “See ya, Syd.” He winked at me, and walked away.

Spencer was silent as he drove me home. I didn’t know why he was so furious about Matt, but I didn’t want to make him mad by asking, so I kept my mouth shut. Spencer didn't call me or text me on Sunday, and I was afraid Matt was the reason.

At school the next Monday, Spencer walked up to my locker with a painful expression.

“Sydney?” he asked as I pulled out my Biology textbook.

“Yeah?” I murmured, closing my locker and looking at him.

“I want to apologize for Saturday night,” he said with a sigh.

“Why?” I asked. “You didn’t do anything wrong. I should have told you about Matt. It’s my fault—”

“No, it’s not. I—I just don’t get along with Matt Johnson very well.” he explained. “I made a big deal out of it, and I’m sorry. If he’s your friend and you trust him.... “

BOOK: Taking Chances
4.11Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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