Breaking the ice

My name is

Nash had been texting Kris for hours with no reply. She'd left the school without warning and now wasn't answering her phone. He'd waited an hour after dinner for a response and when that hour was up, he'd rushed over to her house. He knocked on the door. When No one came to answer it. After a few minutes , he let himself in. He'd never been inside Kris's house so it took him a minute to find Kris's bedroom. Nash pushed the door open slowly. The room was dark. The blinds were shut and the lights had been off. Wires on her desk had been cut to shreds but other than that, her room was spotless. The hot pink walls seemed to glow even in the darkness and the colour reflected off the skin of his passed out girlfriend. She lay on her back, one leg hanging off the bed and her beautiful hair covered most of her face. Her empty laptop bag and purse lay on the floor and Kris still had her shoes on. Her skinny jeans couldn't have been comfortable to sleep in, Nash thought. Nash walked over to the bed and stared. So beautiful, he said to himself. Her Tshirt was pulled up, exposing her tattooed hip . He traced it lightly with his finger and Kris moaned.

" Nash ?"

Nash abruptly straightened while Kris brushed the hair from her face and removed the sleep from her tired eyes.

" What're you doing here ?" She said then sat up on her bed.

" You left and didn't answer my texts or calls so I got worried. " Nash told her. She smiled.

" Aw babe you didn't have to do that . I'm fine. "

Nash fiddled with the fabric on his shirt. " You don't seem fine."

Nash said staring at her puffy red eyes. He pointed to the wires on the desk, the empty satchel and asked where her phone was. He asked about her secrecy towards him and why he knew nothing about her. He asked about the scars on her wrists . He asked why they were even in a relationship when she doesn't trust him. Nash was almost yelling now and in mid-sentence he stopped when he realized he'd gone too far. Tears welled in Kris's eyes and lately it seemed to her that's all she'd been doing lately is crying. Kris had been strong for so long and one leak in her repaired boat caused her to drown all over again.

" Fuck , Kris , I'm so sorry !" Nash walked over to her.

Kris told him it was fine . She knew the secrecy would drive him insane eventually and she was glad he'd been so patient with her. The truth had to come out if things between them were ever going to work. They both knew it. Kris took a deep breath then exhaled.

" Come here." Kris patted down on her bed. " I'm sorry I'm secretive. I'm sorry I've been lying to you about who I am. You don't deserve that and I don't deserve you. But I will tell you anything you want to know. I promise."

Nash didn't know where to begin, what to ask. He had so many question he didn't know if the rest of the day would be enough time to answer them all. Finally he asked, " The wires?"

" I disconnected every electronic device in this house before wiping them clean. That's why I didn't answer my phone. I tossed it."

" Why?"

" Because Ashleigh told me," Kris croaked,"Because I don't want him to find me."

" Him ? Who's him? Who's Ashleigh ?," Nash asked.

" My ex boyfriend." Kris spat the words out of her mouth like poison. Everything to do with him was toxic and lethal. She hated that she'd had any involvement with him. Just talking about him made her feel sick but she continued on.

" My ex boyfriends name is Eric. And he is the sickest man alive. I moved here before junior year ended to get away from him. My bestfriend, Ashleigh, and him had tech together and she set us up. He was so sweet and kind , so genuine even though he's a couple years older. We dated for a while and one day he just lost in on me, saying I didn't love him, that I was cheating on him. He'd been yelling at me and I tried to calm him down. He got mad and pushed me to the ground. In that moment, I'd known the Eric I knew was gone. He became a ticking time bomb , we never knew when he'd go off."

Nash's stomach dropped when Kris had said Eric had pushed her. He thought he was going to be sick when Kris said he'd done a lot worse.

" He became possessive. He never left my side for the fear of me being hit on. Any boy who came near me he beat the crap out of. He scared me to no end, especially when we were alone. I'd go to Ashleigh's house and he'd make me leave the phone on to make sure no one else was there."

Hot tears streamed down her face and fell onto her blankets. She sobbed. Nash took her hand and told her she didn't have to say anything else. Kris had promised to tell him everything so that was what she'd do. Nash asked what the scars were from.

" umm, In May, we were at his house. He'd had a few drinks and we - we were making out. He kept telling to take my clothes off but I kept telling him no. I didn't want to do anything with him. We'd had sex before but after he became this - this psycho, the last thing I wanted to do was let him touch me. He told me if I didn't, I'd never see outside of his house again. So I listened. He wasn't um wearing protection so I told him he better if he didn't want to be a father. He got angry and —" More sobs. This was by far, the second worse day of her life, the first being that event. She'd only ever told Ashleigh everything.

" He tied me to his bed. He was hurting me and I screamed until my voice was raw. The bounds, zip ties, were so tight that it cut my skin. His father came home early that day and heard me screaming. I've never seen him look so disappointed in Eric. His dad untied me and I ran out of there before anyone could say anything to me. They'd gotten into a heated argument and I feared for his father so much but I couldn't stay. I called Ashleigh, told my parents we weren't safe there. We sold the house, closed all our files, changed our names. My parents still don't know the whole story but they trusted my judgment. Now I'm here."

Nash's vision blurred. He pulled Kris into a hug and she rested her head on his chest. Nash apologized so many times that Kris had to shut him up with a kiss. A question loomed in the back of his mind. Nash's brow furrowed.

" Kris. What happened to Eric ?"

Kris pulled back from Nash's embraced and stared at him.

" Why isn't he behind bars ?! He's a criminal ! He raped you and -" Nash now paced the room.

" They can't find him, Nash!" Kris said trying to calm him.

" Well, where is he ?"

" Looking for me."

Kris pulled her boyfriend over to lay on top of the bed. Nash played with her hair, taking in all the information Kris had just told him. Nash knew if he'd ever come face to face with Eric, he'd kill him without a doubt. Anger surged in his veins and his heart beat sped up. Kris felt his pulse rise. She looked up at him , questioning him. He brushed off the question. He had question for her instead.

" What is it ?" Kris sat up.

" You didn't tell me your name. Your real name."

" My names Juliette. Juliette Snyder."

———

Ahh yes. Ive just been waiting to reveal Kris's real name ! My favorite name is Juliette and I really wanted to add it to my book.
Kris/Juliette has a rocky past. Poor girl !
There's something really beautiful how people are shaped after they are knocked down. That's just me though. HBU?

Comment !
Xoxo