The Way They Loved, chapter 3
"Adrienne? Are you in there, baby? Come out, you can't hide forever you know!" Keane shouted from one end of door. I opened my eyelids slowly, and spotted the tiny but sharp blade lying on the floor, stained with my blood. Making my way up, I grabbed for the sink and caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. Scrawly hair, blood stained cheeks, smudgy black eyes and a pale teary face. He was sure to notice.
"Oh my god, what did you do in there? It's been an hour, and..." he took hold of my scarred wrist and stared blankly at me. I just looked away and started to tap my foot like he was my mum reprimanding me for taking the cookie jar.
"Adie, slitting is not the solution..." he began, swallowing a lump in his throat. Why couldn't he just swallow his adam's apple and stop talking?
"Keane, it's my wrist, and it's my life, but the point is..." I said, staring into space. Then I turned to him and finished, "It's your baby."
Keane had seemed to forget all I was crying about and stood still for a moment, still gripping my wrist lightly. I let my hand go and went back into the bathroom to take a shower and clean up.
I let the steaming hot water pour down my body and untwine my tangled muscles. My long hair regained its silkiness and my skin turned back into the way it was supposed to be, well-tanned and smooth. Creak! The familiar sound of the door opening made me shudder.
"Adri...enne..." a slurred voice sounded. I turned the shower off and looked from behind the curtains, wrapping myself in a towel. Keane was slumped against the white wall, a beer bottle in hand. He dropped the already broken bottle on the floor and started to walk towards me. I felt scared all of a sudden, shielding myself with the curtain and towel, afraid of what Keane would do.
"If you dun' wanna 'bort da babe, I'll do it' fer ya!" he screamed drunkenly, waving a knife out of nowhere. Now there was a reason to be terrified. I ducked below his arms and ran out of the shower, hot, wet, and slippery. Using my ability to slide, I accelerated out of the apartment and rapped on my neighbour, Jazreel's door. "Whoa, Adie babe, wassup?" a bubbly Jazreel smiled.
"Please Jazz, let me in! I need to escape! From..." but before I could finish, Jazreel pulled me inside, locked the door, and sat me down.
"It's that blonde guy, isn't it? I knew he was up to trouble when he drank all that beer in an hour. Who the hell is he, anyway?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"Yes, how do you know? He's my boyfriend, or rather was, and he got me pregnant, so..." and I told her about the abortion and the slitting and the knife.
At the end, she simply tutted and asked me to drink my tea while she got me something decent to wear, other than a towel. I sipped the hot tea and after a while of silent crying, Jazreel came out with a showy black halter top and really mini mini-skirt. She couldn't help being sexy; her figure was given an A+ by some model guy. I put the clothes and an extra overcoat on and traveled all the way to Mike's.
At Mike's place
"Adie! What are you doing here? Not that I'm being hostile," Gina asked. She was Mike's girlfriend at that time, and was really nice to me. "Sit down and I'll get you a drink. Wait here," she said, and left for the kitchen. I waited for an eternity, until I couldn't take it anymore. I walked into the kitchen, and there was Gina, naked, and Sheila, likewise. They were kissing and touching each other, and it was gross, so I wouldn't elaborate. I heard Mike come from behind me and gasp heavily.
"Gina? Sheila? God, this is fucking sick!" he yelled, scaring the two sex partners off the kitchen table top. Billie ran into the room, asking, "What's wrong, buddy? Is everything okay?" It was then when we locked eyes, and he just stood there, but turned to Sheila after a while, to my dismay.
"Mike, were they..." and he stuck his finger into his hand, which was shaped into a hole. Mike nodded slowly. Gina and Sheila were pulling on their clothes, and in the end Gina ended up with her pants and Sheila's top while Sheila with the opposite. They both walked up to their respective lovers and started explaining.
In the midst of this process, I noticed Billie stealing glances at me with his bright green eyes and I blushed every time. It was the whole tenth grade again. After everything was over, Gina and Sheila both ended up getting dumped, but I bet they were pretty happy about it, since they could fuck safely. I decided to stay and wait later so I could get some of Mike's great advice, which was my original motive, before the very disturbing episode. I sat on one of the single couches while the two miserable men were sprawled on the long couch, watching some dumb reality show, but they were really thinking about other stuff, like the last time they left their two girls alone, and the first time as well.
I just dazed, thinking of my own problems, like my pregnancy, and the way Keane tried to kill me. I stared at my wrist, trailing the scars, and all of a sudden, Billie said, "Adie, would you marry me?"
"Oh my god, what did you do in there? It's been an hour, and..." he took hold of my scarred wrist and stared blankly at me. I just looked away and started to tap my foot like he was my mum reprimanding me for taking the cookie jar.
"Adie, slitting is not the solution..." he began, swallowing a lump in his throat. Why couldn't he just swallow his adam's apple and stop talking?
"Keane, it's my wrist, and it's my life, but the point is..." I said, staring into space. Then I turned to him and finished, "It's your baby."
Keane had seemed to forget all I was crying about and stood still for a moment, still gripping my wrist lightly. I let my hand go and went back into the bathroom to take a shower and clean up.
I let the steaming hot water pour down my body and untwine my tangled muscles. My long hair regained its silkiness and my skin turned back into the way it was supposed to be, well-tanned and smooth. Creak! The familiar sound of the door opening made me shudder.
"Adri...enne..." a slurred voice sounded. I turned the shower off and looked from behind the curtains, wrapping myself in a towel. Keane was slumped against the white wall, a beer bottle in hand. He dropped the already broken bottle on the floor and started to walk towards me. I felt scared all of a sudden, shielding myself with the curtain and towel, afraid of what Keane would do.
"If you dun' wanna 'bort da babe, I'll do it' fer ya!" he screamed drunkenly, waving a knife out of nowhere. Now there was a reason to be terrified. I ducked below his arms and ran out of the shower, hot, wet, and slippery. Using my ability to slide, I accelerated out of the apartment and rapped on my neighbour, Jazreel's door. "Whoa, Adie babe, wassup?" a bubbly Jazreel smiled.
"Please Jazz, let me in! I need to escape! From..." but before I could finish, Jazreel pulled me inside, locked the door, and sat me down.
"It's that blonde guy, isn't it? I knew he was up to trouble when he drank all that beer in an hour. Who the hell is he, anyway?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"Yes, how do you know? He's my boyfriend, or rather was, and he got me pregnant, so..." and I told her about the abortion and the slitting and the knife.
At the end, she simply tutted and asked me to drink my tea while she got me something decent to wear, other than a towel. I sipped the hot tea and after a while of silent crying, Jazreel came out with a showy black halter top and really mini mini-skirt. She couldn't help being sexy; her figure was given an A+ by some model guy. I put the clothes and an extra overcoat on and traveled all the way to Mike's.
At Mike's place
"Adie! What are you doing here? Not that I'm being hostile," Gina asked. She was Mike's girlfriend at that time, and was really nice to me. "Sit down and I'll get you a drink. Wait here," she said, and left for the kitchen. I waited for an eternity, until I couldn't take it anymore. I walked into the kitchen, and there was Gina, naked, and Sheila, likewise. They were kissing and touching each other, and it was gross, so I wouldn't elaborate. I heard Mike come from behind me and gasp heavily.
"Gina? Sheila? God, this is fucking sick!" he yelled, scaring the two sex partners off the kitchen table top. Billie ran into the room, asking, "What's wrong, buddy? Is everything okay?" It was then when we locked eyes, and he just stood there, but turned to Sheila after a while, to my dismay.
"Mike, were they..." and he stuck his finger into his hand, which was shaped into a hole. Mike nodded slowly. Gina and Sheila were pulling on their clothes, and in the end Gina ended up with her pants and Sheila's top while Sheila with the opposite. They both walked up to their respective lovers and started explaining.
In the midst of this process, I noticed Billie stealing glances at me with his bright green eyes and I blushed every time. It was the whole tenth grade again. After everything was over, Gina and Sheila both ended up getting dumped, but I bet they were pretty happy about it, since they could fuck safely. I decided to stay and wait later so I could get some of Mike's great advice, which was my original motive, before the very disturbing episode. I sat on one of the single couches while the two miserable men were sprawled on the long couch, watching some dumb reality show, but they were really thinking about other stuff, like the last time they left their two girls alone, and the first time as well.
I just dazed, thinking of my own problems, like my pregnancy, and the way Keane tried to kill me. I stared at my wrist, trailing the scars, and all of a sudden, Billie said, "Adie, would you marry me?"
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