A Saint Clair Girl NOVELLA

Chapter: One

5 Years After The Prologue
STELLA

It's a windy day in July.  Ohio is known for its crazy weather and of course my moving day it would be a rainy day, and very windy.

I've decided it's time for me to have a fresh start. Away from Tristan. 

Tristan was my very abusive boyfriend who almost beat me to death two months ago. Tristan came up one night from drinking with his friends and decided when I didn't want to sleep together it would be a good idea to punch me in the face, and while I was in the ground from the impact he decided to break my ribs and didn't stop kicking me until was coughing up blood.

When our roommates Grace and Henry found heard him screaming at me they called 911 and he was escorted out of the apartment in the back of a police car while I was in a ambulance on my way to the hospital.

I just got out of the hospital two weeks ago and was supposed to take it easy. I still haven't heard what happened to Tristan, but I don't care.

I couldn't stay in the apartment any longer without having nightmare from the night. I still don't know if me moving out would fix it, but one could hope.

So here we are today, on my way to my new apartment in Saint Clair. Saint Clair was an apartment complex about 10 minutes away from OSU where most college kids lived. Grace, Henry, Tristan, and I wanted to live there at the start of sophomore year but all the apartments were taken so we had to live at a complex 20 minutes away from campus.

Henry and one of his friends, Alex were helping move all my stuff into the apartment. I still couldn't carry more than 20 pounds so I wasn't much help.

"Are you completely sure that you're gonna be ok here?" Grace asks breaking me out of my thoughts.

"Yes, I just need a fresh start, plus I have to be closer to campus now" I tell her.

I just got a new paid internship working as the assistant nurse for OSU hockey team. It was my second year working in the medical field and I'm super excited to say the least. I wanted to be a traveling nurse. I never got to travel growing up and I couldn't save James so I feel like I owe it to him to save other people since I couldn't save him.

"You Know I'm just a phone call away right?" She ask as Alex and Henry were ushering her to get into the car.

"Yes I know Grace, I just needed a fresh start you know?" I said to her

"Yes I love you Stell" She told me as they drove off.

I walk into my new apartment and pull out my journal.

Dear James,

It's been what seven almost eight years now. I honestly miss writing you. It's been two years since I felt the need to write you so I'm going to tell you how everything is going since.

Mom left dad for her 27 year old mistress and I haven't seen her since. It's sad right after I left for college she just disappeared on me for him. I think they got married after dad died. Oh right, I forgot to tell you dad died. He got super drunk one night and burnt the house down right after mom left.

So now it's just me left. I have two friends and I live alone. Also, two months ago my boyfriend of two almost three years his name was Tristan. James it was so bad, he literally tried to kill me. If it wasn't for Grace I would have been dead. And I love her more than she will ever know.

It wasn't the first time Tristan hit me. But I didn't want to be like mom I really didn't but I turned into her. When dad use to hit her she would wake up with black eyes, handprints around her neck, and cuts. But I didn't feel bad for her. I know she didn't deserve it but she craved it, she wanted to attention from dad so much, but she wasn't getting it.

Anyways, this wasn't the first time he hit me. There were 4 other times before that. The first time was a month after us dating we just moved into the condo with Grace and Henry. We were all drinking that night and when we came home we got into an argument because he thought I was cheating. He hit me and left a bruise on my face from it. Three other times besides that were the same. I always forgave him because the next day he would come back with a bigger and better gift for me. I really thought he loved me, but he didn't. If he loved me he wouldn't have hit me I know it but I didn't want to let him go. But the fourth time he hit me, he was stone cold sober. Me and Grace had just came back from shopping at the mall. I walked into the bedroom and showed him a new outfit I got to wear to a party later that night, he said it was to revealing and I believed him. I told him that I was sorry, but he didn't care he slapped my face so hard that day it left bruises for almost a week on my face.

This last time I knew that if I went back that he would actually kill me this time. So I left. I don't know nor care how much time Tristan gets as long as he doesn't come near me.

I love you so much James. I feel like you're the only guy I could truly trust. Everyone I know has betrayed me besides Grace and Henry. I miss you so much. Anyways, I moved into my own apartment at Saint Clair. It's quiet here. I can't remember the last time it was quiet, I either heard yelling, party music, or beeping from being in the hospital for almost a month and a half.

I'm going to enjoy the quiet now James.

I love and miss you,
Ella