Stealing Kisses

Chapter 16

Tim POV:

I stare at the last of the orange bottles, hearing the toilet run as I watch the pills that had once filled the bottle swirl around before disappearing. I toss the empty bottle into the trash and stagger into the bedroom, lying back and trying to sleep once more. I can't get the sight of her damn near bleeding out in front of me out of my mind, no matter how hard I try. 

She thrashes in her sleep, her legs shifting around so hard it shakes the entire bed. I open my eyes, watching her carefully as she winces and begins to shake her head. I place my hand on her cheek, trying to gently wake her up. 

"Faith..." I call out, before all chaos breaks out. She erupts into screams, her eyes launching open as she squirms away.  She falls out of bed, while I quickly follow her, making sure she's not hurt. 

"Fuck you!" She screams as her fists fly while tears pour from her eyes, one catching the bridge of my nose. She sobs loudly, wheezing as I try to hide my astonishment. I've never seen anyone so terrified... 

"Baby..." I call again, trying to grab her shoulders. She shrivels with the motion.

"Don't touch me!" She screeches, causing me to pull away. I take a few seconds to breathe, before approaching her again. I kneel down in front of her, before trying to lift her chin, attempting to get her to focus on me. 

"Faith... It was just a nightmare..." I let out, as her tear-filled eyes rise. She crumbles, tipping over onto her side, before covering her mouth and screaming. Her entire body shakes violently, hollowing me out completely. "Baby, it's okay." I reassure her, rubbing her back slowly. I gently lift her up, cradling her for a moment. She clings onto my shirt, burying her head into my chest as she cries out.  I rock her carefully, feeling her calm down ever so slightly. "Everything's okay..." I whisper to her, before kissing the side of her head. 

"Why me?" She cries, making me pause. "I was just a kid... why..." She sobs, causing everything within me to ache as I start to feel my chest pound. 

"What are you talking about, babe?" I ask carefully. I glance at her as she looks into my eyes with tear-soaked cheeks. "Faith, what are you talking about?" I order, feeling a little panic fill me. She starts to freeze, as if she didn't mean to release it. 

"He forced himself..." She starts, before covering her mouth and sobbing even harder than before. My blood runs cold. 

"Who did?" I say, as rage strikes. 

"I don't know his name." She spits back, before shutting her eyes tightly as if the memory were agony. "I remember his face... I remember his fucking face..." She says, before releasing a gutting cry. Her chest caves in with every sob, as I try to process what she's saying. 

"When? When did this happen, Faith?" I demand, as she places a hand on her chest. 

"Sixteen." She says, making me pause as I try to understand. "I was only fucking sixteen." She sobs, as I cringe. I hold her a little tighter. I shut my eyes, leaving the questions alone for the night. 

I open my eyes, searching for the clock. It's 3 am. It's only been thirty minutes... 

I toss and turn a little longer, before deciding to turn on something as a distraction. I thumb through my box of records in the closet, picking one at random. I pull out Slowhand by Eric Clapton. I smile briefly at it, before walking toward the record player in the corner, setting the vinyl on the table. I slowly lower down the needle. 

Faith sits on a couch, Cocaine by Eric Clapton playing from a cheap record player in the corner. A couple guys pass a joint, while a girl snorts coke in the kitchen, hanging off a guy. The guy whispers something in the girl's ear, before she looks toward Faith. She nods, walking down a hall with the guy. Within moments, you can hear their moaning, making Faith grow uneasy. She continuously looks down at her watch, as someone stands in front of her with a drink. 

"Loosen up a little, honey."  A guy says, trying to get her to take the drink. She stares at it, before shaking her head. 

"I don't drink." She says gently. The man sits down right next to her, causing her to slide away from him a bit. She nervously taps her knee, as another guy walks over and sits on the arm of the chair she sits by. She looks down at her lap, trying to keep to herself, but they won't let her be. They both try to get her to take a drink, but she refuses. 

"Oh come on, sweetheart. One won't kill you." He remarks, before she reluctantly takes the drink. She takes a sip, before cringing at the medicinal taste. He places his hand under her cup, forcing her to drink the entire thing. She immediately begins to feel a little drowsy, but her heart feels like it may explode at the same time. One of the men places his hand on the inside of her thigh, causing her to get squeamish. She stands up, taking a few steps away, before her knees give out under her. She falls on the floor, panting, as she seems to lose control of her limbs. Her body seems to be stuck in ice, her blood and skin feeling cold, but her mind is racing. The man who attempted to touch her stands over her, looking around at the other men in the room. "I think I'll take her to the room to sleep it off." He says, before grabbing her and tossing her over his shoulder like a cheap rolled rug. 

He walks her down the hall, before dropping her down on a bare old mattress, lying in a back bedroom, next door to the room her sister retreated into earlier. Her chest inflates and deflates quickly, and almost painfully so, as terror fills her eyes. She slowly moves her hand, but she can hardly move anything else. Her toes twitch in her pink flip-flops, before they're knocked off as he tears down her shorts and underwear. He lifts up her shirt to reveal her chest, grabbing it, while staring into her eyes. Her eyes travel around quickly in a state of complete panic. She tries to shake her head, only causing it to fall to the side. He grabs her chin, forcing her to look up. 

"Look at me." He whispers, before thrusting toward her. She winces, before tears start to run down her cheeks. "No, no, no... no crying." He says, kissing her cheek. He pulls back, realizing she's crying harder. "Come on, pretty girl. This will be fun." He continues, as she tries to push him away with her hand, but she's too weak, given the drugs they slipped in her drink. She lets out a whimper, as he continues with complete disregard. He looks into her eyes the entire time, as she tries to look away, desperate to find an out. He suddenly balls a fist, punching her in the cheek so hard, her entire body shifts. "I said 'look at me'." He orders, grabbing her chin as she begins to sob. 

"Stop..." She finally finds the power to shout. He grabs onto her throat, before slamming her down repeatedly like a ragdoll. She shuts her eyes tightly, deciding that she is completely out of control. He grips onto her throat until her eyes roll back, only releasing her then. She slowly regains consciousness, before he stands up and walks across the room, putting on a record. Pink Floyd plays, as she stares up at the ceiling, tears running down her cheeks. She opens her mouth, before taking a few large breaths. "Mere!" She shouts, her voice rasping. "Mere!" She strains, before he approaches her once more. "Mere, please!" She screeches, as he hushes her, starting once more. 

After he's finished with her, he leaves her lying on the mattress, the Pink Floyd record still spinning. 

"I become comfortably numb..." rings out, as she tries to ignore the pain that is gradually growing more severe. She's too weak to move still, but she can feel every ounce of pain. She manages to roll onto her side, causing a sharp pain to radiate through her. She cringes, while sobbing. She covers her mouth, not wanting them to know how terrified she is. The door opens slowly, ending nearly an hour of lying by herself. Meredith kneels down by her bed, fresh track marks on her arms and still clearly high. She runs her thumb down the bridge of Faith's nose, trying to soothe her. 

"It's okay." She whispers, as Faith weeps. "Shh..." She hushes, before fixing her clothing. "You're alright. Everything's alright." She reassures her, before curling up in bed beside her and holding her as she cries. "You're okay." She repeats, rubbing her back.

I pull my hand back from the record player, feeling unable to breathe.