The Bad Boy (16 page)

She slowly placed
herself down making sure her back was completely straight and that
she didn’t move the bed as she adjusted herself. She looked me in
the eyes and they grew gloom. “How are you feeling?”

Matt came back in
the room and eyed Hailey but I sent him look saying it was okay and
he handed me the water this time letting me drink it by myself. The
water moistened my throat well enough for me to start talking
again.

“
How
long have I been out for?” I placed the cup on the nightstand,
noticing the clock said ten-thirty p.m.

“
A
couple of hours, maybe a little more.” Matt supplied running a hand
through his hair. “You don’t have a concussion just a bruised
stomach. You might have a headache for a while though.”

“
Why
are my lips so dry and my throat?”

Hailey spoke up
and pulled out Chap Stick from her jean pocket. “You’ve been
sleeping with your mouth open. Like always.” She laughed and kindly
gave me her Chap Stick. “You do need to eat something though.
That’s why you’re shaking. The last thing you ate was cotton candy
which is pure sugar.”

I finished with
the Chap Stick and nodded. “Can I get up from the bed now?” I gazed
at them curiously itching to stretch my legs. They felt stiff and
uncomfortable.

“
Do
you feel well enough to stand?” Matt asked.

“
Yeah.”

Hailey and Matt
got up from the bed and Hailey came to my side. They both grabbed
an arm and helped me out of the bed. I was happy for their help
because my body was a little weak from fainting and hitting my
head.

“
Thanks.” I said starting off slow with my steps and by the
time I reached Jared’s door, I could move fine and pulled my hands
from theirs. Then a thought hit me. Well two actually. “Where is
Conner? Do my parents know?” My heart stopped at the thought of
Conner and then spiked into over drive when my thoughts came to my
parents.

I wondered if
anyone called them and if they were on their way home or if they
knew anything that happened with me. Conner on the other hand, I
just hope he was in jail or been arrested. I hope he was sent to
some insane asylum far, far away.

“
We
called your parents and they were about to come home when I told
them that you were fine and we could take care of you.” I was about
to say my parents wouldn’t have just gave in when Hailey continued,
“I felt bad because they didn’t even make it to the hotel as they
were just finishing dinner and they spent money on it. They are
leaving right in the morning though.”

“
And
Conner?” My head soared with possibilities and I was scared that he
was still out there waiting for me. I put a hand to my forehead at
that thought, feeling myself turning hot from horror.

Matt was by my
side in a second grabbing onto my elbow and placing a hand on my
back. “Do you need to sit Emilie?”

I shook my head
and locked eyes with Hailey telling her to tell me the outcome for
Conner.

“
They
have to further investigate Emilie.” My heart dropped to my feet
and I felt myself sway. Matt slowly placed me on the ground so my
back was resting against the wall next to the door.

“
What?
Beating me in public wasn’t good enough?” I spit out feeling hot
anger rise in me. How could they not realize he was insane and was
going to kill me just from the fair incident?

Hailey bent down
in front of me, kneeling on her knees and grabbed my hands in hers.
Hers felt so much colder than mine. How hot was I? “He was
unconscious when they got to him and they searched him for any
weapons just in case.”

I knew there was
a but coming and I knew it was bad from the look in Hailey’s eyes.
“But? What did they find?”

Hailey looked up
at Matt with pain in her eyes and then she sobered up and locked
eyes with me again. “His stomach was covered in bruises and further
searching, they found cigarette burns on his back. There were even
stab wounds on his lower back.”

Bile rose up my
throat and I looked away from Hailey’s truthful eyes, feeling my
stomach churn with disgust.
Was Conner abused
also?

Of course he was,
why else would he have those wounds all over him? But how could I
have missed it? I have seen him without his shirt on plenty of
times. I would have definitely seen them. “It doesn’t make sense. I
would have seen them.” I declared thinking hard on how I could have
missed them.

Hailey said
rubbing my arm. “It could have started towards the end of your
relationship.”

I nodded my head,
the answers coming together. “It’s true, towards the end he started
declining anything that would mean his shirt would have to come
off.” Is this why he abused me? Why he was so possessive of me
after we broke up? Yes, I concluded. He needed control in his life
because he obviously wasn’t getting it and I was his
victim.

“
So
who was abusing him?” I asked mostly to myself. I couldn’t see his
parent’s doing it but then again people aren’t always what they
seem.

“
That’s what they are trying to figure out. But don’t worry,
Conner is being sent away to some Counseling center or something
for help. He’s sick Emilie.”

My hand clutched
into a fist. I hate whoever abused him. Making him who he was
because not only did they mess with his life but they also messed
with mine. “I don’t want charges pressed.” I said feeling my eyes
burn with anger. Conner was just as much of a victim as me. As long
as he stayed away from me, I wouldn’t press charges.

Hailey jumped up
off the ground with her eyes wide. “Are you kidding me Emilie!?”
Her face was red with anger. “He beat and threatened you and you
are just going to let it slide!?”

“
Yes.”

I got up from the
floor and Matt who had been quiet for the whole conversation held
onto my arm, helping me rise. I sent him a grateful smile and
looked back at Hailey who was glaring at me.

“
Emilie I can’t let you do that. He deserves to be punished.”
She said her voice hard with hatred.

My heart went out
to my best friend who was being so amazing to me. I walked over to
her and pulled her into a hug, tightly wrapping my arms around her.
After a moment she wrapped her arms around me, being careful of my
stomach. “Hailey you are my best friend and I love you with
everything I have.” I pulled back to look in her face. “But he was
a victim too and was punished enough. Like you said he’s sick. Who
knows what else he went through? At least it is over for me but for
him he has a lot to go through still and I can’t add more to that.”
I smiled at her warmly and dropped my arms turning
around.

I smiled
gratefully at Matt placing my hand on his arm. “You take care of my
friend or I swear I will hurt your family jewels and you will
regret it.”

He smirked at me
and nodded.

“
Em…”

I turned to Hail
and raised an eyebrow. She smiled sadly and said, “I’m glad you are
okay and I love you too.”

“
Yeah,
I know you do.” I winked at her laughing. She joined me too and I
headed for the door. I held onto the door frame and turned my head
about to say something when Hailey cut in.

“
He’s
in the kitchen.”

“
Thanks.” I quickly—well as fast as I could move—walked down
the hallway and stairs heading to the kitchen. I had to talk to
Jared. Thank him, see how he was and most importantly talk about
the kiss and me confessing I was attracted to him.

It didn’t sound
too bad but I knew that it actually was. Saying that I found Jared
attractive meant that I was like all the other girls and had a
thing for him. I didn’t want that little slip up to ruin our
friendship even though Jared confessed he thought that about me and
even kissed me to prove it.

I still had to
talk to him and sort everything out.

“
Fuck!” I heard him curse from the kitchen as something
clattered to the floor. I walked through the doorway and spotted
Jared picking up a broken plate from the floor. He didn’t notice me
until he was done throwing the plate away and turned my
way.

His face was
blank but I gasped when I caught the sight of him. My stomach went
downhill as I took in his face. It was gruesome and my fault. He
just stared at me not saying anything or showing any expression.
Not that he really could.

His whole left
eye was swollen shut, a yellow, purple, and blue tinge to it. His
nose was swollen but didn’t seem to be broken. His jaw was black
and blue and looked a little crooked. His usual soft pink lips were
cut and in a thin line. I bet it hurt to move them. Maybe that was
why he wasn’t saying anything?

“
Hi.”
I said softly walking further into the kitchen, closer to him. He
still didn’t move or answer me. My pulse quickened as his eyes
stayed glued to one spot. I stopped walking when I reached the
island that separated us and leaned my hands on it. “How is your
face feeling?”

He seemed to come
out of the trance he was in and answered vaguely.
“Fine.”

My heart twisted
at how distant he sounded.
He didn’t even ask how I was.
I
thought sadly. He avoided making eye contact and continued on with
whatever he was doing. He seemed to be making something to
eat.

“
Can I
help you with anything?” Why was I trying to prolong this
conversation when I knew that he wasn’t going to talk? His
shoulder’s stiffened and his whole body stopped moving.

After what felt
like an eternity he talked. “You can leave me alone.”

I didn’t expect
that.

“
Excuse me?” I said surprised, it showing clearly in my voice
because it rose a little.

His hands slammed
down onto the counter with so much force some stuff rolled off onto
the floor making a ‘
PING!
’ noise. “What are you deaf now?
I said leave me alone!” He pronounced each word slowly, like I was
a little kid not understanding what he was saying.

His back was
still to me and I felt anger boil in my blood. What was his
problem? I thought bitterly my eyes narrowing in rage. Screw being
upset, I was stronger than that. “What the fuck is your problem!?”
I snapped, my fingers curling into a claw, nails skidding across
the counter top. “I don’t understand what I did to you!”

He pulled his arm
back and his fist collided with the wall that the counter was
lining. A sickening crack echoed around the room and when he pulled
away, I could see his fist imprinted a hole in the wall.

“
Jared!” I gasped about to walk over to him but he spun around
so fast that I caught my footing and stopped, actually taking a
step back in fear. He was seething, his chest moving up and down as
he breathed heavily. “Calm down and—“

“
Calm
the fuck down!?” He roared moving closer to me his eyes ablaze and
his fist clenched so tightly white was coating his knuckles. “You
have got to be fucking kidding me Emilie if you think I should calm
down!” He was yelling so loud that a vessel was throbbing on his
forehead and he was bright red. “After what I saw and was told
today, I have every fucking god damn right to be angry!”

Tears were
welling in my eyes as he yelled at me with so much anger, I thought
he was going to explode. “Jared—“ I tried to reason almost breaking
out in a cry from how he was looking at me.

Like I caused him
to be like this.

He cut me off
though. “Don’t even say anything.” He wasn’t yelling anymore but
his tone was still deadly. He moved around the island and started
coming closer to me. “What was going on in your head that you
weren’t thinking, huh? Why didn’t you go to anyone and tell them
what Conner was doing to you? Why in the fuck,” He slammed his fist
on the island as he kept moving closer to me, “would you just let
him do it? To find out that he was beating you and threating you
was horrible but to actually watch him do it was worse!” He was in
my face now and I could feel his hot breath fan across my
face.

At this distance
I could see his injuries in better inspection and felt a lump form
in my throat. He was right, I was stupid and should have told
someone. But as I stared at Jared and saw his bruises, I felt
relieved I didn’t say anything. If I did, Conner would have been
locked up and no one would have known about his abuse.

In a way, a very
weird and terrifying way, I helped Conner out of his abusive life
and even though I had to take a couple hits along the way, I was
still happy that he got help and was free. That made me free
also.