No Pain: Book 1

Chapter 56: Star

          I slam my fists into the punching bag, being back in my regular black pants and black tank top feels good. I can move again. I can fight again. I feel strong as I attack the punching bag.

"Looking good." Najee says, stepping into the room, Keller and Kader trail in after him, their faces drawn. Kader's not joking. Keller looks like she's about to break and Najee, he just looks hollow.

"Thanks." I feel my heart slipping down into my stomach. I don't want to hear what they are going to tell me. "Wanna spare?" I ask.

"Not today, St-ar." Najee's voice breaks on my name. "We have to..." he clears his throat "we have to talk about something."

I swallow hard. "Please don't say it."

"Maybe we shouldn't..." Kader starts, but a sharp look from Najee makes the rest of Kader's words fall short.

"We need to say it." Najee sighs. Keller steps forward, a black sweater in her arms, she's cradling it as if it were something precious. Maybe something of her she's giving to me to remember her by.

"I'm sorry, Star." Tears are trailing down her face "I'm so sorry." She falls back with the others, her eyes on the ground, tears spilling from her cheeks as she silently sobs into her sleeve.

"I don't understand." I look at the ordinary black sweater in my hand but there's something familiar about it. I've probably seen Keller wear it before. I hold it up by the shoulders. My heart stops when I see the white letters across the back spelling a name, my name. Annalise.

"How did you get this?" I can't take my eyes off the jacket.

"You know how..." Kader's voice is thick with unshed tears.

"No pain, right?" A guy with broad shoulders and light brown hair stands there smirking at me.

"No." fear trickles down my spine, if he knows other people know and they'll take me away.

"Mind your own business." I snap again trying to figure out if I can hop this fence before he can get to me but I know I can't. This guy is strong and way too confident.

"Trying to run?" He asks with an air of nonchalantly around him, as if he doesn't have a cre in the world.

"From what?" I slip my jacket off. I don't want to ruin it, Emily and mom just got it for me and dad ordered letters just so he could put my name on the back of it like I wanted. I throw it over the fence with my bag.

"I do have to be home soon though, so if you could hurry up." My hands curl into fists. I don't care how strong this guy is. If I can't feel his hits and he can feel mine, I can win.

"Nice jacket." A girl's voice purrs from behind me. I whirl around to find a girl with black hair and a body lined in mucle holding up my jacket, slipping her arms into it.

"Very nice," She twirls in it and looks to the boy "what do you think?" She poses. My anger is filling me so fast I can barely form words.

"Give that back!" I scream lunging at the bars as if I can get through them like that.

"I think it looks better on me." She winks at me and turns around as if she can just walk away, as if I'm going to let her just walk away. I jump onto the fence, ready to throw myself over it.

"Not so fast." The guys' arms circle around me waist and yanks me back.

"Let go!" My voice is a shriek as I thrash around in his arms. "That's mine, you can't have it!" I throw my arms back trying to hit him but he knows what he's doing.