• 102: Ice •
Melody
"Melody!" Carson's voice travelled down the hallway behind me as I reached for the coat closet's door handle. "Where are you going?"
I froze. I didn't know the answer to that question. Where could I go?
"Do you know what he–" the word 'said' died in my throat. "And I can't go home because she–" and 'is a murderer' couldn't come out my mouth either. "Everything... everything is falling apart and I don't know what to–I-I don't know how to–" I took a breath so deep it almost made me lightheaded. "Hungry is the last thing I feel right now."
"Melody," Carson said.
"I can't right now," I whispered, taking a step towards the front door.
"Please don't go," Carson said, he walked toward me slowly, his eyes pleading, stripping away at my flight response.
"Cars–" it was hoarse, not even a whisper.
"Just stay. You don't have to eat if you're not hungry. But don't go."
"Okay," I mumbled, staring down at the floor as he stopped in front of me. Carson gently took my face in hand and lifted it to look at him. I tried not to squirm as he searched my face with his brown eyes.
"You didn't sleep at all last night, why don't you lie down in my room?" he offered. His thumb stroked my cheek softly, soothingly. But I wondered if he was seeing the bags under my eyes.
"Okay," I repeated. Carson let go of my face and took my hand, gently leading me up the stairs. When we got to his room, he guided me to his bed, and I sat down on the edge of it.
"Do you want anything? Water? A comfy shirt?" he asked.
I shook my head. "I have a t-shirt under this." I began pulling my hoodie off and could feel my shirt lifting once it was over my head. I threw the sweater down and pulled my shirt down, not missing the horrified look on Carson's face. "What?"
I got off his bed before giving him a chance to respond and stood in front of the mirror had over his dresser, lifting my shirt to where it was before.
"Oh," was all I could manage as I saw the large bruises forming across my waist, creeping towards my ribs. There were even bruises on my arms. Where Diesel grabbed. Where he gripped. I pressed my cold finger against the one above my hip. A rush of air left my lungs, making a strangled sort of noise when I felt the pain of the bruise.
"Melody–"
"I bruise easy. It's okay," I said quickly, unsure as to why I was justifying it. Maybe I just didn't want him to worry. I pulled my shirt down and I went back to Carson's bed. He sighed before walking over to his couch and grabbing the blanket off of it and putting it on the bed next to me.
"In case you get cold," he said. "Just make yourself comfortable."
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"Do you want me to stay?" Carson asked.
"No, it's okay. Go eat, spend time with your family," I said, a small reassuring smile on my lips. I hoped that it didn't look as forced as it felt.
"Okay, I'll come check on you in a little bit," Carson replied, before leaning over and kissing my forehead. He left the room, closing the door behind him and I sat staring around his room for a moment. But my heart had settled down and adrenaline wasn't coursing through my veins anymore, so the decision to peel back Carson's covers and try to fall asleep was a quick one.
***
Ice.
Ice everywhere.
It covered the ground. The sidewalks, the asphalt, the grass. It covered everything. The trees, the light posts, the road signs.
Ice.
Ice in my lungs.
It was hard to breathe.
It was harder to breathe once I recognized where I was. I was across the street from where it happened. Where the accident happened.
The street was empty. It hadn't happened yet. I could stop it.
There was a red Mercedes driving towards the intersection. It hadn't happened yet. I could stop it.
I stepped towards the street ready to shout but suddenly a figure pushed me back. A large figure. Towering. Looming.
Its hands wrapped around me and gripped me despite my struggle to get away.
Ice.
Ice in my lungs.
It was hard to breathe.
It was hard to scream.
"I told you a fat ass was better to hold on to."
The figure revealed its face and it was Diesel. My heart pounded and I struggled to get away. He held me in place.
A large blur swept by the red car and suddenly it was spinning. It spun and spun and spun until it hit a light post.
Ice.
Ice everywhere.
Ice in my lungs.
It was hard to breathe.
I couldn't scream.
***
I sat up quickly, my breath rapid, my body quivering. It took me a moment to process that I was in Carson's room and not on the corner of Sound View Drive and Arch Street. I laid back into the bed as tears began to well up in my eyes. I blinked them away and turned onto my side, to stare out to big window overlooking the trees.
"Is she okay?" Harper's voice, though hushed, could be heard from the other side of the door.
"I don't know," Carson replied after a pause. "She's sleeping right now."
"Did something happen at that party?" A mother's intuition. I wished I had my mother around. I felt my cheeks grow damp again.
"Uhhh..."
"Carson," Harper said.
"I don't know if she's ready to talk about it," Carson's voice went up slightly in defensive.
"Your knuckles are bruised," she commented.
"Mom," Carson protested. Harper's sigh was audible.
"I'm here if you need to talk," she said. The door opened and I closed my eyes quickly and tried to slow my breathing. I heard it close and then felt Carson sit down on the edge of his bed. I could feel his gaze on me, as I pretended to sleep. I felt so tired my eyes wanted to remain glued shut, but I was terrified on dreaming again.
"I'm not sleeping," I sighed, opening my eyes. I stared out the window, my back still turned to him.
"Can't sleep?" Carson asked.
"No," I mumbled. "I keep replaying..." I didn't know how to tell him about Margot. What if I was wrong about what I heard?
What if I was right?
"We should report him," Carson stated. I stat up quickly.
"No," I replied forcefully.
"Why not?" Carson asked, clearly taken aback.
"I'm not ready to talk about it," I said. He nodded.
"Okay. But you should think about it. He shouldn't get away with what he tried to do," Carson said.
"Can we...can we just watch a movie or something?" I asked. Carson nodded once again and stood up.
"What would you like to see?"
"I don't care. Something Disney. Peter Pan, The Little Mermaid... doesn't matter," I mumbled, crawling out of his bed.
"A Disney movie it is," Carson said, holding his hand out to me. I took it softly and let him lead me downstairs to his living room. I didn't care what we watched; I just wanted something to stop both of us from talking for a few hours. Hopefully to stop me from thinking for a few hours.
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Author's Note: Yay! It's only been like a week since the last chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one! Melody's dreaming and can't sleep! What do you think of that? What's your favourite Disney movie? What do you think might happen next?
Special Shoutouts go to:
and one super special shout out to my really good friend aharding10! Thank you for reading and supporting me <3
Thank you all for reading! Hope you all have a wonderful week!
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