I laughed to myself and pulled my jacket off. "Goodnight, Jace." At least I wasn't alone on this one.
Stacy definitely wore me out. Now I knew what he meant...
"Avery, come out, come out, wherever you are."
I cowered back against the wall, hitting my head on the bottom of my bed. I stifled back a cry as the pain shot through my body, causing my head to throb instantly. I wanted so badly to scream, but I knew that it would give away my hiding spot. So, instead I covered my mouth with trembling hands in an attempt to stay quiet.
I heard the creaking of the closet door opening, before seeing items of clothing as they fell down around the bed. I knew that my father would check there. He had always found me in the past. "We can do this all night or we can get this over with," my father growled. "You're asking for it you, rotten little brat."
My father’s footsteps echoed throughout the little room as he stomped over to the bed and yanked the blankets off. I could hear him breathing heavily as he struggled to free himself from the tangled mess.
"No," I whispered. He was getting closer and my heart was beating faster.
"Henry!" A drunken female shouted. "Where is that little brat of yours? That girl needs to learn discipline," she slurred. "My stash is all gone. That little bitch did something with it."
It was true. I saw the drugs setting down on the toilet and I accidentally knocked the tray over, spilling it into the water. I panicked and cleaned off the filthy toilet the best that I could manage. I knew that my beating would come later. I had been dreading it all day.
The room went silent for a few moments. My eyes widened and I let out a deep breath of relief. I was in the clear. Maybe he had given up.
I was just about to close my eyes and force myself to sleep, when suddenly I felt a firm grip on my ankle, yanking me out from under the bed. My elbow slammed against the leg of the bed and a cry of pain forced its way out through my parted lips.
"I didn't mean to," I cried.
"Avery," Jace whispered. "Are you okay?" His warm breath kissed my cheek as I slowly opened my eyes. I couldn't tell if I was still asleep or if my mind was just playing tricks on me.
I moaned softly as Jace's hand slowly trailed over my shoulder and down my right arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps. His touch was somehow cool and comforting and I didn't want it to stop
. Even if I am just dreaming.
I blinked a few times, trying to focus, before realizing that it wasn't
just a dream
. He really is here.
I groggily turned my head and looked up at Jace as his body hovered above mine. His bare chest moved slowly as he breathed and the look in his eyes was almost painful to look at. It made my heart ache.
"I heard you screaming," he whispered.
I turned my eyes away from his gaze and shook my head. The last thing I needed was to keep Jace awake because of my horrible night terrors. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake-"
"Don't be sorry," he cut in. "I don't really like sleep much anyways. All the good stuff happens when I'm awake." He smiled and grabbed my chin. Then a serious look crossed his face. "Tell me what happened, Avery. I want to know."
I took a deep breath and pushed his hand away from my chin. I still didn't know if I was ready for him to know the truth. Maybe he deserved to know something at least. He had helped me more than anyone else ever had.
I swallowed hard and turned away, facing the wall. "I was having a dream about when I was only ten," I paused to swallow again, trying to find courage. "My father, he wasn't a good man. The look in his eyes..." I flinched at the memory. "I still can't get it out of my head." I-"
Jace threw his arms around me and pulled me against his chest. "Stop," he whispered. "Some things are better left unsaid." He slammed his fist into the wall beside him, leaving a small dent. The outburst made me jump.
"I swear that if I ever get the chance to meet that man that he will wish that he never laid…" He stopped and squeezed his eyes shut. His jaw clenched. "It's okay now. I will protect you. No one deserves to be hurt like that."
I quickly turned my face away as tears threatened to form. I didn't want Jace to see me weak. I didn't want anyone to see me that way. "I don't know what to say," I whispered. "I mean, you don't even know me. I don't know you."
Jace jumped up from the bed, walked over to the wall, and leaned his arm against it. He pushed his face into his arm and took a deep breath. "I don't know about that. I think that I know you more than you think."
He walked over to my dresser and picked up my old black and gray shirt. "This is your favorite shirt. You have worn it ten times in just under three weeks." He tossed it back on the dresser, while keeping his eyes on me. It was driving me mad. "And your hair, you always seem to twirl your finger in it when you think no one is looking. Or, the fact that you brush your teeth like five times a day. It doesn't matter, they are already beautiful." He walked toward the door and stopped to peer over his shoulder. "Just like you."
I sat there feeling stupid as I stared up at him speechless.
How does he... why?
My heart sank.
He shook his head, walking out of the room, before I could manage to say anything else. The door shut behind him before he took off down the hall as I listened to his heavy footsteps. Moments later the door to his bedroom shut a little harder than expected, causing me to jump.
Part of me wanted to go and apologize, but the bigger part told me to stay put. I was an idiot and I didn't mean to upset him. Jace didn't deserve that.
I pushed my face into my moist pillow and closed my eyes, defeated and helpless.
What is he doing to me?
Chapter 9
Hours passed before I decided to just get out of bed and face the day. I couldn't stop thinking about Jace and it made it nearly impossible to fall back to sleep.
Groaning, I pushed myself out of bed and sauntered down the hallway in search of Jace. I knocked on Jace's door. "Jace," I questioned. "Are you up?"
There was no response. I waited by the door for a few minutes before I finally gave up and decided to look through the rest of the house. As soon as I walked into the kitchen, my eyes settled on a piece of paper lying on the middle of the dining table.
Be at work by ten o'clock. Don't be late.
-Jace
I crumpled up the paper and tossed it into the trash. I couldn't believe that he had left without waking me up. We always went to work at the same time.
I quickly got ready for work and called for a taxi. The emptiness in my stomach made me feel weak and I really just wanted to get the day over with.
After arriving at the diner, I tossed the driver some cash and jumped out of the taxi. I was getting close to being late and I didn't want to disappoint Jace anymore than I already had.
I sprinted over to the diner, gripped my purse under my arm, and opened the heavy door. Without looking, I quickly made my way to the waitress station, bumping into Jace in the process. A bunch of papers scattered across the floor, causing Jace to look down at them while slapping his forehead.
"Get it together, please. Now all of these orders are mixed up and we're already falling behind," he grunted. He bent down and started picking them up, without even bothering to look at me. "Just hurry and go find Stacy."
I got ready to bend down, but Jace grabbed my arm to stop me. He looked into my eyes and then quickly looked away. "Don't worry about it. I can get these," he said firmly.
I turned my head away ashamed. I somehow managed to upset him even more. The one thing that I was trying to avoid. "I'm sorry. I didn't-"
"I said it’s fine," he cut in. He looked at me, expressionless and then quickly turned and walked away.
I felt a hand grip my shoulder, causing me to jump away unexpectedly. I turned around to see Stacy, wide eyed, and looking panicked. I'd never seen her that way before.
"Come on, sweetie," Stacy said. "We need to get busy. I'm so behind." She grabbed my arm and started pulling me behind her. "Throw your apron on. I'll let you grab the next table."
Stressed, I grunted to myself and threw on my apron. I couldn't believe that I had managed to mess the day up even more.
Brushing past Stacy, I made my way to the back of the diner, noticing the back of a woman's head as she took a seat in an open booth.
Walking over to the booth, I pulled out my pen and paper and prepared for my first customer. "My name is Avery, what can I-"
"I was hoping I would get you."
I looked down at the woman for the first time since I had walked over to greet her. I had seen the same strange woman a few days before and seeing her again didn't please me one bit.
She grinned revealing her rotted teeth. "Go and fetch me a coffee," she huffed, with a wave of her hand.
I grinded my teeth and shoved my pad of paper in my apron. The last thing that I wanted was to deal with some crazy bitch as soon as I started my day. "Listen here, lady." I leaned into the table and gripped the back of her booth with my right hand. I was tired of taking people's shit. "If you keep talking to me like that then-"
"Feisty. I like that." She laughed. "I guess some things do change." She leaned back in the booth and pushed my hand away, her rough skin scratching against my skin. "Coffee, black."
She ran her hand through her stringy hair and coughed. Her eyes stayed glued on mine, making me sick to my stomach. She sounded as if she were about to cough up a lung.
Who is this nut job?
I pushed past Stacy in a hurry, and over to the waitress station. I grabbed a coffee mug, slamming it down on the station, as I poured it high with steaming hot coffee, hoping and praying that she would burn the crap out of herself.
Who does this lady think she is messing with?
I stomped over to the woman's booth and slammed her coffee down in front of her. She looked up stiffly. "Here's your damn coffee," I groaned. The coffee splashed over the sides of the little ceramic mug and spilled on the woman's hand.
She jerked her ashy hand away revealing a piece of paper underneath. She glared up at me and shook the paper off. Then she pushed herself to her feet and smirked, as she slammed the paper back down on the table. "I've changed my mind on the coffee."
She brushed past me, leaving the smell of booze as it lingered off her heavy breath. She almost fell into a young couple’s booth, but caught her balance and reached out to open the door. Glancing back in my direction, she nodded her head at the table, and laughed before disappearing. Everyone in the diner stared in disgust.
A wave of relief washed over me as the door to the diner closed behind her.
I reached down to grab the cup of coffee when I noticed that the piece of paper had writing on it. It was written in childish handwriting. Almost even a scribble. It looked like some sort of note.
My heart raced as I reached for the paper and shoved it into my apron. I didn't need anything messing up my work performance at the moment and I knew that if it was meant for me that it would just be something to mess with my head. Maybe
even a hate letter or something. I didn't care to find out anytime soon. I already had a lot on my mind and she was the least of my worries.
The rest of the workday surprisingly flew by and Jace somehow managed to avoid me the whole day. It made me angry. I didn't understand why he was so mad. It wasn't even a big deal. I only told him the truth. We barely knew each other.
I stared out the window lost in thought. I watched as the rain splashed against the window and slowly trailed down to the ground. It reminded me of my life. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop falling.