Chapter 3

Warning: Language, Violence I want to be clear,never,ever,under any circumstance do I use this sort of language. However, I wanted to be realistic when writing this scene and therefore I included it.

{Chapter Three} Who do you run to, to stop the tears, when the only person who can, is the one who caused the hurt. ~Chas Yousey

Heather stood outside the door of B209, staring at it as she tried to gather the courage to knock. The thought of what would happen if she was late was the only thing that made her raise her hand and rap on the wood. The door swung open and there he stood, leaning against the frame.

"Come in,” he commanded, unsmiling. That wasn't a good sign. Caleb closed the door behind her and turned the lock.

Heather shuttered at the click, hearing her only means of escape removed. She watched as Caleb pivoted to face her, her body tense with fear and anticipation.

"What the hell was that?" he exploded, advancing on her.

"W-what?" Heather's voice quivered as she stuttered.

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." he screamed, his eyes black with rage. "Physics class, does that ring a bell?"

Heather franticly thought through her day, trying to figure out what she had done wrong during Physics so she could apologize before he hurt her. She started backing up, trying to get away from him. Hitting a table she stopped, she was cornered. He was coming closer, his eyes blazing with anger. "I'm s-sorry,” she cried. "What ever I did, I'm sorry. It will never happen again." It wasn't enough though; he was almost at her now.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" he shouted incredulously. "You're sorry, are you? I don’t think so. You're right that you will be sorry though." He was barely a foot away now, towering above her, a pillar of rage.

Heather's body shook as she tried to shrink smaller, to disappear into the desk.

Caleb grabbed her shirt, yanking her closer to him roughly. "Do you remember now?" he hissed, lifting her off her feet as she clung to his hands, trying to make him let go.

"N-n-no," Heather shook her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." he screamed.

She felt herself fly back as he threw her, slamming against the table with a resounding crack. Tears were streaming down her face but that only seemed to fuel his anger. She felt his foot slam against her ribs and she let out a sharp cry of pain.

"Be quiet you good for nothing b***h." he yelled, his voice getting louder and louder with every word he said.

Heather whimpered softly as she lay slumped on the floor.

"What was that?" Caleb grabbed her by the throat and yanked her roughly to her feet. She clawed desperately at his hand as she felt them tighten around her esophagus, cutting off her air. She was choking, suffocating. He shook her roughly, his face stone cold with anger. Her head snapped back as he jerked her around.

"Answer me!" He screamed, eyes bulging. Caleb released his grip on her throat and used his hands instead to lift her off the ground by her shirt, the material bunching in his fist. With one hand he held her, with the other he slapped her across the face. "What was that?" He repeated his question, his voice colored by anger.

Heather looked away from him, afraid to meet his eyes. He grabbed her face and roughly turned it towards himself, jerking her head so she had to meet his eyes.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." Caleb's voice was loud and threatening angry. The words rang in Heather's head as she looked back at him, fear in her eyes. That was it, the reason why he was mad. During Physics class, she hadn't met his eyes when he addressed her. She was pulled back from her thoughts when he punched her in the jaw, hard. Heather cried out in pain, unable to stop herself. That earned her a couple more punches and a knee to the stomach.

Caleb started to yell again, "Listen to me you stupid, ugly, good for nothing-" His shouting was cut of by the ringing of the bell that signaled the end of the lunch period. He shoved her away from him in disgust, the force in his arms knocking her roughly to the ground. Heather lay where she fell, gasping and shaking. She felt his foot hit her ribs and then heard him unlock the door and walk away.

Heather struggled to her feet with a groan of pain. She knew that she had to leave the classroom because people would soon start streaming in for their instruction. Luckily, she had the next period free and Caleb didn’t. She could use the time to tidy up. Heather took a limping step forward, testing her body. She ached all over and she knew it would only be worse the next day. Hobbling, one ankle swollen, she made her way out of the room, turning down a deserted hallway that was almost never used. She prayed that no one would decide to use it today. At the end of the hallway was an old bathroom; it was also unused due to its age.

Heather pulled her makeup kit from her backpack and took out her concealer. She dabbed the peach colored liquid over a bruise that was rapidly developing on her jaw, covering and lightening its shade. She had become a pro at hiding things, both of physical and mental nature. She worked quickly, her practiced hands were skilled at the task she was doing. Once she was done, Heather checked her reflection in the cracked, flecked mirror. One eye was significantly puffier than the other one and there were a few slightly discolored patches on her face that she wasn’t able to conceal but, overall, she was pleased with the result.

Heather checked her phone; she had twenty minutes before class started. She also had seven missed calls and fifteen new text messages from Sam. Great, now she’d have to explain herself to Sam and Sam could tell if she was lying outright. With a sigh, Heather picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, wincing at the pain it caused. Slowly, she limped out of the bathroom and down the hall. It was time to face the world, to face him. Caleb would be waiting.

Author's Note

Again, I would never, under any circumstance, use this language in real life. However, I decided not to sugar coat the reality of what happens in abusive relationships and tell it like it is. That means that I did use strong, offensive language. I hope I did not seriously offend anyone and if I did, I am very sorry. Writing this scene was very hard for me as I was waring with the side of myself that wanted to sugar coat it and not use the language and describe the violence in less graphic terms so the last part of it is rather bad. I was done at 700 words but I wanted to make the chapter at least 1,000. Feedback and responses would be great.