Two- Misunderstanding

I gasp awake immediately feeling my ragged throat and start coughing.

Had I blacked out?

I look around to see the house empty. I slowly get up from the floor where I passed out and look around to find no one home. I look at the kitchen clock to read time 2:30am.

I slowly walk up to my room and lay in my bed and throw the covers over me to sleep.

I wake up and it's 10:30am… way past school time. I guess I missed school today, doesn't matter anyways I can't go looking like this. I go to the bathroom mirror to find my right cheek swollen and scratched with dark bruises around my neck.

I must call my job and tell them I'm sick. I run to grab my phone and see texts messages and missed calls… one from a number I don't know.

I hesitate to think of the attack last night and click play on the voice mail.

"Hey, it's Elijah, pick up your phone. The teacher assigned us a project together and I'm not doing it on my own. Call me back."

Great another problem. I call my work and call in sick for the day, Next, I call Alexander.

"Hey it's me Ali."

"Hey Ali! I heard you got a project with my brother! I guess that's what you're calling about."

"Yes, I was curious if I could come over to your house in an hour?"

"No need I'll pick you up, I'll be there in an hour, ok?"

"Sure, see you then!"

I hang up and rush to get ready. I wear a simple oversized jacket with leggings and a black mask to cover my face. Makeup could only do so much with my cheek since it's till swollen, but my neck is covered. I go downstairs to wait and grab my bag when I hear a car beeping outside. I rush out with my bag and see Elijah in the passenger seat.

"This is the worst," I mumble.

I open the backseat and close the door.

"What's with the mask?" Elijah asked straight out.

"It's fashion, not that you have ever heard of it," I look at him up and down and lift my eyebrow.

"Shut up, if a mask and that jacket your currently swimming in is fashion then I'm sorry to say you're not gonna make the cut," he spits out.

"Aww is that the best insult you can do?"

"Not even close fugly."

"Children calm down, the adult has the car and will not drive two winey children," Alexander says looking at both of us.

"Fine." I sigh, and we drive the rest of the time in peace.

Once we get to his house me and Elijah go towards his room while Alexander leaves to go to his job.

"Is anyone else home? Or just us?" I ask while looking at Elijah and entering his room.

"Just us. you scared?" He smirks looking at me and wraps his arm around my waist pulling me close to his face. I can feel myself blushing and I forget why I even hate him for a second. I was so happy he couldn't see my face because of the mask.

"Not one bit Romeo hands off," I say while pushing him away and sitting on his bed. "We going to do this project or not?"

I hear him click his tongue and sit on his chair next to his desk. "Scared of people entering your cage?" He looks at me with a questionable look "Relax you're not attractive" He rolls his eyes.

"Your right you're not," I smirk throwing it right back in his face.

"Wrong, I got girls lining up outside college waiting just to see my gorgeous face!"

"Ugly face- you mean ugly right?" I chuckle to myself "Iv never seen any girl line up to meet you. There probably scared away by your... how do I say this in a nice way... unusual face."

"Unusually Beautiful I know."

"In your dreams Godzilla," I scoff.

"No in your dreams King Kong!" He throws me a smug face while looking me up and down.

"Damn you." I turn around and I feel my face burning with rage. Why is he so mean to me?

Luckily after we fight time goes by fast and surprisingly, we didn't argue much for the project considering how we usually are. I hear my phone ding and I check the text. My heart sank... it's my father telling me to call him. "I'll be right back my dad wants me to call him."

"Sure." Elijah says opening the door.

I walk into the living room and call him

"Ali? Where are you right now?" His sweet voice tells me he's still at the hospital.

"I'm doing a project at school with a friend."

"What friend?" He questions trying to pry.

"Olivia. We are almost finished I should be home in another hour."

The phone cuts out and I lose signal.

Oh no.

He's going to think I hung up on him.

I frantically call back, but the call doesn't go through. I go to Elijah's room and ask for the bathroom and bolt straight there taking off my mask. I dig in my pocket for a blade. Anything to make me panicking go away before Elijah notices. I find a small knife that was hidden away in my pocket and start cutting my ankle away. I always cut my ankle because no one ever looks at my feet. I just kept cutting and cutting till I felt the pain and began to calm down.

"Crap," I look at the bathroom floor and it's all bloody.

"Are you ok in there? "I hear Elijah say threw the door.

"I'm fine I'll be out in a minute!" I scream trying to dry up the blood on the floor with toilet paper.

"Are you sure? you have been in there a while. I'm making sure you're not dead alright. It would be a hassle to drag your body off the floor."

"I'm fine, ok? Just leave me alone." I snap making it sound way worse than I meant it too. I screwed up.

"What's your problem?"

I panic just trying to hurry up "nothing ok? God stop being annoying, I'm just on my period so can you just give me a second?"

"Oh…" I hear his footsteps leave.

Thank God. Guys always leave when you mention periods. I could feel the awkwardness threw the door already.

I put the knife on the sink and mange to clean the floor. I stuff folded paper towels in my leggings to keep my ankle from bleeding before flushing the toilet with my bloody toilet paper towels.

I open the door to find him outside with a chocolate bar that seems half eaten that he got from the kitchen.

"For you to take home," he looks away from me. I think he's embarrassed.

"Thanks, but why?"

"Girls always feel better with some chocolate in their stomach when their periods comes down right? Sorry, that's all we have in the house." he looks at me right into my eyes and it makes me feel kind of bad for lying.

"Oh. thank you," I slowly take it from his hands.

"This doesn't mean I like you by the way. This is just to keep you from latterly turning into King Kong more then you already are."

"Of course not" I sigh and "goodbye Godzilla," I wave at the door and end up leaving the house.

Alexander drives me to my dad's hospital. I get out and wait till he leaves. I stand outside and wave to Alex's mom I see helping a patient threw the window. She waves back at me before getting distracted by my dad. I turn away and start to head back to the house. I make it just in time before my dad comes back. I clean the house and do the dishes and wait for him to come back. When he comes back, he's dead drunk and managed to wobble over to his bed and pass out.

"Thank God… I'm free for the night." I say before hearing someone banging on the front door like a crazy person.

"Ali open up now!!"

That voice. That was Elijah what does he want? I put on my mask and hoodie I wore earlier and open the door quickly

"Quiet! You're going to wake my dad up!" I say shutting the door behind me and … wait

His face... it seems upset?

"Why the hell did you lie to me?"

"Lie about what?"

Oh no.

No.

No.

No.

Does he know? I was careful.

"You know what," he hands me the folded knife from the bathroom.

"You know if you're going to fake a wound for attention at your daddy's hospital you really are a psycho." He pushes me against the door and stands over me making out height differences clear. "You little faker, you just wanted attention, didn't you? So, after we studied you went where? To show everyone at the hospital you need help so they can what? Pity you?" He jumps off the porch before flicking me off and getting in his car to drive home.

I stand frozen at the door in shock of the misunderstanding. I sigh and just go inside to find my dad half-drunk standing up looking at me.

Without a word I feel a flying fist to my ribs, and I fall to my knees before a feel another kick to my side. I feel myself struggling to breathe and stay conscious.

"You slut! You sleeping with that boy? I knew you were a whore! You get pregnant in my house, and I will kill you with my bare hands and no one will ever find you. I swear to God why couldn't you be the one who died."

I look at the ground not daring making eye contact. I'm going to die one of these days. I don't how much more I can take. I feel myself curl up in a ball after I see him stumble out into the couch and fall asleep again. I slowly go to the bathroom. I can't take any pain relievers because my dad locks them up.

I wash my face and take a shower and pack up all my makeup and toothbrush and go to my room and pack whatever I can into my small school backpack. I put my mask back on and cover up my neck a little, its passible because it's fading away. I take all the money I saved up from tips for years out of my mattress and stuff it in the bag along with my wallet, keys, phone charger, social security card, everything.

I'm getting out of here.

I can't live like this, if I don't leave soon, he's going to kill me.

I don't even bother going out the front door.

I don't want to see that monsters face ever again.

I unlock my window and go out on the roof and jump down to the ground.

As soon as I hit the ground my body screams in pain and tears come out. But I'm not stopping, I get up and make my way down the street to my school. My dad won't notice for at least a day that I've left.

I see the sun come up and check the time and see it's almost time for morning classes.