Chapter 22

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Melissa

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I lay in the bathtub, ice cream in hand as me and the twins told stories.

They didn't ask me questions about my past as I knew the others would. It was my decision whether I wanted to talk or not.

They did not judge me either, did not shun me as so many would after learning you've stabbed a person.

I felt calm, or well calmer than I had been. At ease.

Maybe that was why when we stopped talking and fell into a calm silence I decided to tell them.

"The boy..." I started not looking at either twin but rather at the ceiling.

"You don't have to tell is if you don't want too" Tristan said to me, before I could go further.

I knew that though and I wanted to tell them, to tell someone other than Baker.

"I want too" I responded breathing in and then out, calming myself "we met at a sports event that was hosted by their school, I was sixteen then"

The twins were silent, knowing I just needed time to find the words. "I ... I was desperate, to fit in, to be normal, to feel any sort of connection" my voice was thick however I didn't not cry, I wouldn't not for them.

"So when they asked me if I wanted to ditch the event with them I did, I had done way worse in my school since mom ditched me so I agreed.

We got close after that, our group had two girls excluding me and three guys, all the popular type.

And I loved hanging out with them, we became inseparable, however the more I hung out with them the more shit they would introduce me too.

It started with alcohol, usually I would pretend to drink it and discard it later but gradually I got into it.

It's not like anyone would notice if I came home drunk off my ass.

But then they started introducing weed and drugs and at first I went along with it, I mean they did it all the time it was fine.

But it wasn't and I knew that.

So when they would invite me to hang with them I'd hesitate and they caught on after a while.

They were manipulative, they prayed on my need of feeling loved, they started saying shut like they were the only ones who would accept me.

Used things I had told them in confidence, and it was so subtle. Small remarks here and there that I didn't see it.

I thought it was all in my head.

But it wasn't and it kept getting worse and worse and I believed every single thing-" my voice had been wavering all through my story and it finally broke.

I hated that more than the drugs or alcohol, the manipulation did more damage than anything else.

"So I let them drag me where ever they wanted, let them get me high or drunk, but I never really was someone who took people's shit for long.

I broke away from them, got a job as an excuse to not have to hang out with any of them.

After a few month I had cut them from my life completely, or at least I thought I did"

I couldn't stop the tears this time, or the crack in my voice as I continued "They showed up at my work place, I told them I was sorry but I didn't think we could be friends and I tried to leave.

They were pissed, apparently they had wasted their money on me and I was ungrateful. I knew they were high, I had seen what drugs could do to people, make them more violent more detached from reality so they wouldn't care what they did to me.

I was fucking terrified, I tried to go back into the age I worked at but they stopped me" I couldn't stop from trembling, as the fear from that night rushed through me.

"Let's be honest, one against one would have been fucking hard but to defend yourself against five teens, three of which were much bigger much stronger than me.

I could do nothing as they attacked me, nothing but curl into a ball on the floor and pray they left me alone soon.

I tried screaming but no one came, no one heard. And then they stopped, I think they had slowly been coming down from their high cause when I looked into their eyes it's like they couldn't believe what they were doing.

They ran, didn't give a shit if they left me for dead they ran. All except one.

He wasn't finished with me, I think he took a vunch of different drugs so it was a taking longer to come down.

He took a knife out, started cuttinge in places and I screamed so loud for so long.

But the odds were now even, it was one against one, I stood a chance so I fought. We struggled and I grabbed his hand with the knife to keep him from killing me. I stabbed him. I don't remember much after that, according to the guy I worked with he found me trying to crawl away from the boy, and he immediately called nine one one" I finished through my sobs.

They had arrested the kids, but because they were minors and it was their first offence they were let off easy. They had to go to rehab and had to do community service. The boy who had stayed however, the drugs he had taken messed with him and he never woke up.

I was left to live with all that shit. I had developed a paranoia that someone was following me. That the kids, despite being in rehab, would come back.

I couldn't live like that, dad had us move and I was so grateful.

I hadn't looked at either twin through out the story, hadn't wanted to face them. But the silence that filled the air had me panicked that they would leave.

That they would hate me, so I gathered my confidence and looked to the side.

They were crying.
For me.
And it made my tears fall faster because I was sure they wouldn't leave.

And I didn't mind the silence that engulfed us.

~•~
I'm not crying...
I'm not crying...
Okay I'm crying.

My poor baby, I wanna hug Mel so badly.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, if you'll excuse me imma go cry in a corner now.