BAD BOY ABUSED (male pov)

#12 She would run for the hills if she knew.

After lunch I brought Olivia to the arcade so I could earn my wage and pay the bills. It was a small arcade located not too far away from school on my motorbike. It was dusty and old and only the middle aged gamblers hangout here but it pays money and that's all I'm here for. 

"Liam dudddee, boss wants you to stay until four when Cami takes overrr." Barney who handed the shift over to me dragged out all of his syllables. He was the biggest stoner I knew, he was high right now but he grows the best weed and sells it to me at a discounted price.

"I have a game tonight, warm ups start at 4:30 and I can't be late." This messed up all my plans, it wouldn't be a problem if I had my bike but I can't ride a bike with these handcuffs on me. The plan was to get to school, get the handcuffs off and quickly change for soccer. This is going to be an issue for me.

"Runnnn duddeeee." Barney said encouragingly before leaving Olivia and I alone.

I can't change in front of her, I need to get the handcuffs off before I go onto the field. I can't be late. Cami better be on time. 

"You work here?" Olivia said, pausing my mind from doing overtime. 

"Yeah when I can. Need to earn extra cash so I pick up shifts here and there. The place is basically run by stoners so there is plenty of work available when I need it." I informed her, secretly still freaking out in my mind about how I'm going to get to school on time. Cami is always late.

"What do you need the cash for anyway?" she asked with a burning curiosity.

Woah. I felt my face drop as she asked that question. Nobody is brave enough to question my business, not even my friends. But now I'm finding myself having to answer to somebody, explain my reasons and actions. What do I need the cash for?

Let's see. My dads invisible. My moms a drunk whore who spends all of her money on heavy drugs. Jax is a violent pimp who also spends his money on drink and drugs. Nobody stocks the kitchen. Nobody pays the bills. If I don't work here then I don't eat. I don't shower. I don't have a phone. I don't have a bike. I can't afford to buy pain meds off the chem kid. If I don't work here then I have nothing. What do I need the cash for?

I could lie, tell her it's for drugs or something else equally as believable. But I don't want to. I've lied to her too many times today. Would it really be so bad to let her in? Stop it Liam. Trust nobody. She would run for the hills if she knew.

"To live." a whispered in a really quiet voice, hoping she wouldn't hear it. 

She didn't ask me any further questions and I relaxed a little as we spoke about soccer, the easiest topic to talk about. I started tensing up again as time went on. It was four o'clock and Cami still wasn't here. I needed to get to school, get the handcuffs off and change all before entering the pitch on time. My whole future relies on soccer, I can't fuck around with the practices. Where are you Cami?

At four fifteen the door flung open and she walked in with a huge smile on her face. I was livid, I could feel the heat emitting from my body and I'm surprised it didn't leave condensation against the perspex of the information booth.

"You're late." I said with a bone-chilling tone. 

"Sorry Liam, I'm here now." She said with a shy smile as she chewed on gum with an open mouth. I was stressing out. We finally left at four twenty, I had ten minutes to get to school and it took twenty minutes to walk here. 

"Stupid Cami was late, coach will have my balls if I'm not there for warm up. We gotta run Liv, you good with that?" My eyes pleaded with her even though it would be a miracle if we got there on time regardless of running. 

My legs went as fast as the handcuffs would allow, she couldn't keep up although she tried. I ended up grabbing her hand to encourage the speed. It was weird, holding a girls hand but right now I didn't care because my nerves were wreaking havoc inside and I felt like I was going to combust. Mentally thinking of ways to get out of taking my shirt off in front of her. My hands were sweating and my heart was racing, I knew it wasn't because of the light exercise I was doing.

When we finally got to school I noted that the time was four thirty and I needed to make the choice between being even later, getting the handcuffs off or changing in front of her. Soccer was my only way out of this hellish situation, I couldn't be later. I needed to face my fears so I pulled her towards the locker room. As we approached the door she halted immediately pulling me backwards from the yank of the chain.

"Ow! What are you doing? Come on! I don't wanna do suicides." I hissed at her, she was delaying it even further. I needed to get this ordeal over and done with.

"Liam this is the boys locker room, I can't go in there." She said looking alarmed and out of place. I rolled my eyes feeling slightly amused by her innocence.

"Liv, we're late everyone's going to be on the pitch already. It's just me and you I'm already half dressed, I just need to change my shirt." My voice trembled as I said the last part of the sentence and I hope to God she didn't notice my confidence dip. 

I pulled her inside and took her to my locker, she looked around curiously taking in the scene. The boys locker room wasn't anything special. Large, silver lockers lined the walls, showers to the corner and big wooden benches in the middle. It smelt like sweaty ball sacks and I don't mean the ones that carry the soccer balls to the field. 

With shaking hands I took out my red jersey from my locker. Looking down at our interlocked hands I realized I didn't think this through. How was I going to change my shirt with my hand attached to hers?

"Hmmmm... we didn't really think this through, did we?" I said trying to work out the puzzle.

I turned my back to her, making sure my front was fully facing the locker. Taking a deep breath I pulled my t.shirt up over my head. Exposing my raw skin to her watchful eyes. Slipping my t.shirt along each of our arms I carefully guided it over her head so she was wearing it inside out. 

I turned around to face her, I don't know why it was stupid move and I instantly regretted it the moment I felt her eyes all over my body, making me naked, exposing my secrets. 

"Jeeze Liam!" she said through a gasp.

Her fingers reached out towards the huge bruise across my ribs. It was still tender and stood out in a bold display of blue and purple. As her fingers got closer I flew backwards, flinching away from her grasp. Pulling hard on our wrists as my back slammed into the cold metal locker. Nothing about my sudden movement was unmissable, I just freaked out in front of her.

Her eyes travelled everywhere, taking everything in. There was no hiding this. My bruise, my reaction to her touch the fear in my eyes. She was seeing it all. She was seeing me. 

"What? I got a soccer ball slammed into my chest the other day. It left a bruise." I tried to play it down and shrug it off but I knew she could see right through me. I slipped my jersey on hiding my bruise from her sympathetic eyes and swallowed down my fear. 

I was ready for these handcuffs to be off now.