Curious it was, how no one ever asked her what had happened to her. Alex was always so beaten, always so bruised, but no one inquired why. Though, she was glad about this. It was no ones business but her own. But, of course, no one caring at all, made her feel even more worthless. Which is how she should feel. Because it was true, after all.
Limping down the hallway toward her locker, Alex had to stop every few minutes, to lean against the wall. She was pretty positive her ankle was broken. Last night, in an excessively large fit of rage, her father had smashed his foot down on her ankle while she was lying on the floor, after having him thrown her there. All because she hadn’t made enough potatoes. It’s not like it was her fault they had ran out.
Finally reaching her locker, Alex pressed her forehead against it. She didn’t know what was worse, limping up the stairs to get to her locker, or seeing Ashley and Jeremy making out at the top of the stairs when she finally reached it. Suppressing sob that wanted so bad to come forth, Alex straightened herself back up, and opened her locker. She could feel eyes on her back, watching her. But she didn’t care. Not at all.
Taking the books she needed from her locker, Alex closed it, and turned to make her way toward her classroom. Still limping, obviously. “How come you’re limping?” She froze. That voice. That concern. It was all to familiar. A part of her didn’t dare to turn around. But, pushing back the shocked expression, and placing her usual wall of indifference up, she slowly turned around.
Coming face-to-face with Ashley was harder than seeing her sucking face with that moron she called a boyfriend. Ashley’s features showed shock as well. She obviously hadn’t meant to ask. Alex had to push back a smug smile as she realized that the other girl couldn’t help herself. But of course pain consumed her once again.
“Uh… I fell” She said, lamely. She knew Ashley knew what had happened. Moving her glacial-blue eyes to the floor, Alex refused to look at Ashley straight in the face, but could still see her through the corner of her eye. And seen the pain flash across the taller girls face. Alex realized that it had just registered in Ashley’s mind that she no longer had the right to ask. Had no right to inquire further about her so called fall.
Turning back around, Alex limped away slowly. Leaving a shocked Ashley behind. She just couldn’t be so close to the other girl, it tore her up inside. It had been so long since she had touched her soft skin, smelt the delicate scent of her hair, kissed her tender lips. Being near her only roused those memories, leaving them to taunt her.
Over the next few weeks, Alex’s health had gotten so much worse. Each and everyday, something knew was wrong with her. New deep bruises, new broken bones, new black eyes. Everyday. Her fathers temper was getting worse and worse by each passing day, and he was drinking more and more. Him drinking more, meant less money for their food. Less money for their food meant less food. Less food meant her father getting even angrier. Her father getting angrier meant her getting beaten more, and him drinking even more. Thus making the cycle worse. Ashley could only stand back, and watch silently. Pretend she didn’t see Alex limping, Alex in more and more pain. Spend more time with her boyfriend, that’s what she did. Because she loved him, she did.
~~~
A nice day. Wow. The sun was shinning down brightly, smiling upon the people outside, filling their days with bright, warm light. The sky was a clear blue, a beautiful blue. The trees and grass were all lush and green, and the birds were singing in glee. Happiness just radiated off of the school grounds.
Of course, this had no effect upon the broken down shack Alex called a house. She wouldn’t call it home, though. Because, home is where the heart is. And there was no heart here. No warmth. No love. No nothing. Slowly pushing open the squeaky screen door that was nearly off it’s hinges, Alex took a step into the house, letting the door close behind her.
There he was. Sitting there at the table. Alex’s eyes went wide, staring at her father. He sat at the table, a half-empty bottle of whiskey next to him, his glass full to the brim. Turning her gaze to what he was looking at, Alex gasped in horror at what she saw on the table. Two wedding rings. Her mothers and her fathers. And a note.
Her father turned enraged eyes upon her, picking up his glass, and throwing his head back, downing the glass in one shot. Slamming his glass back onto the table, it shattered into thousands of little pieces, little shreds of glass flew everywhere.
Alex jumped back, afraid for her life. She was always afraid for her life. But, really, she didn’t care what happened. Life wasn’t good anyways. Life would never be great like Ash had promised her. Never. Her father suddenly stood, his face redder than she had ever seen it before. “She left! SHE f***ING LEFT!!! And it’s all your fault!!! You little b!tch!!! You’re a stupid dyke, and that’s why she left!!”
Suddenly, Alex was frozen to the floor. Staring down the barrel of a gun. Her father had whipped it out of his belt, where he had tucked it not long ago. “You ruined everything!!! EVERYTHING IS YOUR FAULT!! YOU DON’T DESEVE TO LIVE!!!” He yelled, his voice booming so loud the house shook.
She wanted to run. Wanted to scream. Wanted to cry. Wanted to do
something but she couldn’t. All she could do was stand there, eyes wide, mouth agape, horror on her face. “You’re going to die!! DIE! f***ING DIE!!”
BANG!Everything seemed to be going in slow motion all of a sudden. The sound of gun fire rung in the air, and then everything was still. Eerie. Blood could faintly be detected in the air. Alex waited, knowing any moment she was going topple over. She stood there, eyes still wide, staring at her father. He stared back, his face full of rage. Then it went blank. His features relaxed, then scrunched up. Looking down slowly, her father gasped lightly, as he looked at the trail of blood, rolling down his shirt.
His shirt. Blood began to drip from his mouth slowly, sliding down his chin, dripping onto his already blood-stained shirt.
Turning her head slightly, Alex stared at the outstretched arm next to her. Hand grasping onto a gun, shaking furiously. She knew that hand. Letting her gaze slowly rise up the arm to look at who it belonged to, Alex gasped lightly. Ashley? The taller girl stood there, her face full of rage. But not the same rage as her fathers had been. Her rage was at Alex’s father, and also at herself. If she had of been there sooner for Alex, this wouldn’t have to be happening. Alex let out a muffled sob, watching as her father fell to his knees, one hand over the bullet wound on his chest, the other still grasping at his gun. Then he fell. Face first onto the floor. No longer did he breath. Dead. He was actually dead.
Arms wrapped themselves around Alex shakily, trembling over what she had done. Alex threw her arms around Ashley, burying her face in the other girls shoulders. It was all over. He was gone. Tears streamed down both girls’ faces, “I… I’m so sorry, Alex… So sorry, please… Forgive me… I love you, so much… I can’t live without you, I can’t pretend anymore… I don’t care what my parents think, please, forgive me?” Ashley sobbed out, her arms tightening around Alex.
Alex let out a suppressed laugh, “Of course, of course! I love you, too, so much, never leave me again, never… I can’t live without you, either,” she said, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand. Pressing their lips together, everything fell back into place. The world was right again. Would always be right now. As long as they were together.
Ashley hooked an arm under Alex, supporting her, knowing that she was badly beaten. Turning to leave, they slowly made their way out of the house, never again would Alex have to return there. She didn’t care about her stuff, it was all crap, anyways.
BANG!To surprised gasps filled the air. Horror in both of them. Turning her cobalt gaze down, Alex stared at the round spot of blood that was on her shirt, slowly growing bigger. White-hot pain shot through her as she watched the circle grow and grow. Seeming to go into slow motion once again, Ashley lout out a shriek of horror, whirling around to see what had happened.
Alex’s father, not as dead as they thought, had his head lifted from the ground, arm outstretched, gun in hand, aiming at Alex. And he hadn’t missed. He let out a stomach churning laugh, that slowly faded to nothing, as more blood leaked from his lips, “Told you that you were gonna die, b!tch,” He said, before his head smashed against the cold floor, splashing in the pool of blood he had made.
Alex placed her hands over the wound that was on her stomach, while Ashley’s hands went to the one on her back. It had gone straight through. Gasping for breath, Alex felt fresh tears wash down her face, before she toppled forward, falling down the few steps to the ground. Ashley shrieked once again, flying down the stairs, she turned Alex over slowly. Tears were rolling down her face as well, although they were coming down hers faster, harder.
“Alex, come on Alex… You’re gonna be OK, just hang in there, don’t worry sweetie, don’t worry…” Alex coughed, blood sputtering from her lips, a faint smile on her face. It hurt so bad. So very bad, but, staring up at Ash, the other girls love evident to her, she couldn’t help but at least feel a little happy. Of course, realizing what exactly was happening when she tasted blood in her mouth, the small soon faded.
This was it. She knew it. She could feel it. But she didn’t want to go. Not now, not anymore. Ashley came to her, came to rescue her, came to make the great life she had promised. And now it was going to be ripped away from her. More blood slid from her mouth as she coughed again, trying to fight the inevitable. A large puddle of blood had seeped out through the wound already, and more was flowing.
Ashley began to cry harder, “Alex, no! I can’t lose you! Not now, not ever! Don’t do this! You’re stronger than this, you know it! You don’t deserve to die this way… You deserve to live a long life, with children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren, come on, Alex…I love you, so much… You have to stay with me, you have to!” Her voice was desperate now, pleading to keep Alex with her.
Alex was having trouble focusing now, everything kept going blurry. Lifting a hand, she placed it gentle on Ashley’s cheek, wiping her tears away with her thumb, “Ashley… Ash, I love you… Thank you, thank you so much for making me want to live, making me feel like I actually meant something…” Lifting her head, she captured Ashley’s lips in a sweet kiss, before she coughed once more. Breathing was getting harder. Her head was spinning. All she could do was stare up at Ashley, complete love shinning on her features, despite the pain.
Baby
You're my angel
Come and save me tonight
You're my angel
Come and make it all right
Ashley was the last thing she seen, before the world melted away around her. And all she could think of was that song by Aerosmith, she had often found herself singing, over their time of separation. God how she wished she could hold her girl in her arms, at least once before it all faded to black. But it was to late. Everything went black, and the world stood still.
Weeping loudly, uncontrollably, Ashley clung onto Alex, knowing there was nothing she could do. She was gone. Ash was alone. And it was all her fault. If she had of done something sooner, if she hadn’t of wrecked what they had. So many ifs. Tears ran down her face in a steady stream, never stopping. They would never stop. She needed to be with her girl, now and forever. Lifting her gun up shakily, she placed it against her temple. Leaning over to place one last kiss on her girls lips, she closed her eyes tight.
Pow. El Extremo.
The End.
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