Song: Right here- Ashes Remain

I promised myself to never fall in love again. All the girls I come across are fakes...they all want a quick fuck and that all it ever will be so I don't bother looking for a girl that will stay with me. Besides Zane was right no girl would ever want to live this life that I live.  

A few weeks later, I walk down to one of the cafés to grab a coffee. I watch as the thin girl behind the counter rushes around to fix every ones drink. Her hair is a golden blonde color and pulled back loosely in a bun; a few strands have already escaped and fell gracefully around her soft face. She rarely looks up as she greets the person in line and asks for what they would like. She turns to fix the order and then hands them their order and goes right on to the next customer in line. When it is my turn, I order. "Can I get a straight black coffee please."

She punches it into the register. "Would you like cream or anything else added to it sir?" She ask without looking up.

"No thank you."

"Ok." She  shrugs while turning to pour me a cup of coffee in the to-go cup and hands it to me. "There you go sir, hope you enjoy it."

I take the cup but grab her hand in the process. I don't let go till she looks up at me. When she tilts her head up at me she tries to smile politely back at me but I see it in her eyes...fear. There is a day old bruise on the side of her right eye and she quickly pulls away from me.  I guess she fixed her hair to fall that way instead of it coming lose after all afraid what people would think.

She glances around to see if anyone is watching and then just a quickly hides her face again. I should have left but something inside me tells me to stay. I find a corner table and sit down to drink my coffee and pick up the morning paper on the table to pretend that I am reading it. I look up every so often to watch her, not once does she look up to see who's order she is taking. Not once does she look in my direction.

For the next month I go into the café every single morning. I order the same thing and every time she hands me my cup I make a point for her to at least glance up at me. The bruise fades in time and I start to see her light up a little more when she sees me. Today is no different. "Thanks for the coffee...by the way I'm Atticus." I finally have the nerve to really talk to her.

She glances up shyly. "Atticus...I take it you want straight black coffee."

I nod my head in response because I replay the sound of her voice saying my name and the fact that she remembered my order not like it's hard but still. I watch her pour the coffee and then hand it to me. Again I graze her hand lightly for her to glance up again at me. "So what is your name?"

She looks around to see who all is watching. "Stella."

"Nice to meet you Stella; thanks for the coffee." I turn and go sit down at my usual table. I take out the paper and open it up to read. I want to talk to her more but I don't want her to feel awkward around me. She already seemed really nervous just telling me her name. As I get ready to leave I call out to her, "Bye...thanks for the coffee."

"Have a good day, Atticus." She calls back. There it is again...her sweet voice saying my name. If only I could hear her say that every morning...in my bed now that would be a great morning. However I am pretty sure that she is seeing someone due to that nice shiner on the side of her face, so I don't bother asking her out.

This morning I walk in and there are several people ahead of me in line. I watch as she works and in the past week I had noticed her wearing her hair up and smiling more however today her hair is back down and she keeps her head down. She rushes around quickly to finish orders and then finally it is my turn. Yesterday she would have looked up at me with a smile and greet me with, "Good morning Atticus...same as usual?" However today she waits for me to tell her what I want with her head still cast downward. "What can I get for you?"

"Straight black coffee...please."

She doesn't look up at me, instead she turns to pour the coffee and I watch her hand tremble as she walks back over to me. She sits it down on the counter and when I hand her the five dollar bill to pay she takes it without looking up at me. When she hands me the change I grab her hand softly. "Everything ok today Stella?"

She nods but still doesn't look up. I reach over with my other hand and tilt her chin up. Her eyes are bloodshot from hours of crying. She tries to turn from me but I move her hair to the side and sure enough there is another nice bruise...this one is fresh. "So this guy...I see he likes to hurt you."

She pulls away from me. "It's nothing...I'm fine."

"It doesn't like you are. You deserve better you know?"

"Please Atticus...don't. You don't know me...you don't know Mark. You have no idea what he is like. I should have listened to him...it was all my fault. So please...Atticus don't worry about me."

"Stella...no one deserves to be hit."

"Drop it...please." She looks past me to the next customer in line. "What can I get for you ma'am?"

I walk over and sit down and watch her work all morning. I think about my mom all those years that my step-dad was hitting her. Telling her that everything was her fault; even though I know good well that my mom always done everything he asked of her. She always went far beyond what he asked in hopes that he would not lay a hand on her and he always did. He always found a reason to hit her.

I watch Stella. I know she is scared of this guy Mark and something in me tells me that I need to find this guy and put him in his place. I hate when guys think that they have the power to control a women like that. Controlling her is one thing if she wants it but hitting her to control her is wrong. I leave but then come back closer to the time that she gets off work. As she is coming out of the café I catch up to her on the sidewalk. I didn't plan on her nearly jumping out of her skin. "Oh my God...Atticus you scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry Stella. I thought maybe I could walk you home." I start to walk by her side.

"I just live a few blocks from here; I will be fine you don't have to walk me." She looks around to see if anyone is watching her.

"Are you afraid that he is watching us? You could tell him that I am just a close friend trying to make sure you get home safely."

She lets out some air with a small little huff in frustration. "Atticus please, if he sees me walking with you it will only make things worse."

"Let me worry about that."

She shakes her head and places both hands in her coat pocket to close herself off from me. I know it's just a gesture that if he sees her he will know that she has nothing to do with me.  I walk her all the way to her apartment and she stops in front of the door. "This is me...well thanks for walking me home."

"No problem; are you sure you don't want me to come up?"

"I will be fine, thank you though."

I nod and back up a few steps to let her go. Once she is inside I walk across the street and look up hoping to see which apartment is hers. A few minutes later a light comes on one of the rooms five floors up. Of course I can't see anything from where I stand so I turn to the building behind me and climb up the fire escape. I go one floor higher so that I can see perfectly into her living room. Whoever the fucker is...he is all up in her face yelling at her. She just stands there and cast her eyes to the floor, letting him verbally abuse her. Reminds me so much of my mother all those years that he abused her.

I watch as she walks to the kitchen and starts cooking. She tries to hold in the tears and only once do I see her wipe the few strays away. When she is done cooking she takes him his plate. He grabs her hand and forces her down on her knees in front of him. He makes her take a bite of everything before he even bothers. I guess he is afraid that she will poison him and if I was her I would have a long time ago. The moment he raises his hand to her, I jump forward. I watch as his hand forms around her neck and he has her pinned against the wall. With the other hand he slowly takes off her clothes and that is when I see all the bruises...his master work. This guy is sick. I am surprised he ever lets her out of his sight but then again someone has to make the money in the house. He pulls his arm back and his fist tightens up before punching her once in the gut. She falls to the floor and curls up in a ball waiting for the next blow.

I don't wait to see. I run down the fire escape and into the front on the apartment complex. I take the stairs to the fifth floor and walk down the hallway. I can hear a commotion coming from one of the room and I debate if I should knock or bust the door down. I knock and wait for him to answer the door. One no one answers I knock harder.

The door opens and I don't wait for him to say a damn word; I hit him right in the gut and when he doubles over I grab him by the head of his hair and pull him into the living room, slamming the door behind me. He reaches over to hit me and misses by two inches. I hit him again and when he looks up at me I show him how it feels with my fist. His head turns in the opposite direction and I grab his head to keep it from moving. I hit him a few more times. Blood shoots out of his mouth and splatters all over the floor as he tries to catch his breath. "You want to hit someone...you hit me...you piece of shit."

"Who the fuck are you?"

"I'm your worst nightmare." I smile and hit him again.

 I was about to punch him another time when she stops me. "Atticus...don't."

"You want him to hurt you...to use you as a punching bag. Look at you Stella...fuck...look at yourself. You are fucking beautiful and this jerk here...can't see how beautiful you are."

"You know this fucker...are you fucking him?" Mark growls under his breath already accusing her of something she hasn't done. I know that he doesn't have any trust in her. She looks frightened...not of me but of Mark. She's afraid that once I leave he will beat the living shit out of her and I will never let that happen.

She looks down at her feet, scared to look back over my way. "No...he is just a concerned customer...he walked me home to make sure I was safe."

"Then why the fuck is he here?" He looks up at me with piericing eyes like daggers. "Do you want to fuck my girl...you perv...this doesn't concern your ass. I think you should leave."

"Anything that concerns my friend Stella concerns me." I look over at Stella. "Do you have somewhere you can stay for the night? I can't leave you here knowing he is going to hurt you."

She nods slowly, still looking anywhere but directly at me. "I can stay with one of my friends."

I wait for her to get a bag together. I step into Marks space and glare down at him. "The next time you lay a hand on her will be the last do you understand?"He never says a word as we both walk out the door.

I take her to her friends place. "You should not have done that Atticus."

"Yes I should have. Are you going to be ok here tonight?" I ask her. It takes everything in me not to reach down and kiss her soft lips.

"I should be fine...thank you."

I should go back home but I don't instead I go back to the apartment. I tell him that she is sorry for all of this and that she wants to talk with him in a calm environment. "Look I over stepped my boundries. I was just worried about her after she came to work with a bruise. She told me everything and feels bad about what happened. She wants me to take you to her."

I was shocked that he was all for it. He got in the car and I drive to a remote location. I tell him that she is waiting inside and the moment he steps it the building. I hold up my gun to his temple. "Dude, what the hell are you doing?"

"Saving Stella."