Problems of adults

Chapter 19 : Beaten Up

When Max entered her apartment, she could feel the tension radiating from her mother's body. The redhead walked with small steps, wanting to stay far from her mother. But the woman decided otherwise. She quickly walked to her daughter, who put her arms above her head to protect her, and began to slap her again and again with brutality.

- "YOU'RE A PIECE OF SHIT! HOW DARE YOU HUMILIATE ME LIKE THAT!?" the mother yelled, still hitting Max.

- "I'm sorry...Please, stop..." Max cried.

The redhead begged without real hope. Her mother was so frustrated by her own life that Max was paying for her failure. Susan grabbed Max by her hair and threw her in her bedroom, making her fall on the ground, before throwing her bag on her face and locking her inside the room. Max stayed on the ground, feeling pathetic and crying like a baby, holding her legs against her chest. Her mother just beat her and the only thing she was thinking about was when Neil would learn what she did. It would be ten times worse. She crawled in direction of her bed and managed to raise herself inside to hug her Super-bunny and cry more.

When she re-opened her eyes, the redhead didn't realize she had fallen asleep. The apartment was quiet, meaning her mother went back to work and that Neil was still at his. She looked at her phone and saw a ton of messages from her friends, wondering where she was. She explained them the situation, which worried them more. They sent more messages, hoping for her to answer, but she didn't, preferring staying with herself for now.

The slam of the door made her start. Her heart began to race, ready to leave her chest at any moment. She looked around to find somewhere to hide, but he would find her anyway. She began to breath loudly while his heavy steps were becoming louder and louder. The door opened in a slow creaking. The man was standing there, his eyes bulging, and his fists closed. She could see the smoke getting out of his nose. While he was entering her room, Max could see her mother in the corridor.

- "Mom, please..." Max weakly tried.

The mother angrily looked at her before closing the door. Max knew it was the end. The man grabbed her by her tee-shirt and blocked her against her wall.

- "Who do you think you are to punch a kid in such an important family like this!? Huh!?"

- "I'm sorry...I won't do it again," she cried.

- "I'll make sure of that."

- "No, pl—"

But Max didn't have the time to beg. Neil punched her in her jaw, completely dizzying her. She fought to not pass out. Being unconscious with this man would be the worst thing ever, she didn't want him to abuse her in another way. The redhead got punched in her face and fell on the ground. Now she was at the mercy of her stepfather. She quickly began to feel pain in her entire body, especially her face and stomach which were his favorites targets. She tried to protect her body the best she could with her arms, but they were hurting too. He punched her face, kicked her belly, crushed her fingers, spat on her, and so much more. The girl was crying and trying to breath, but the kicks were cutting the air from her lungs.

After a few long minutes, Neil finally stopped. Max could feel her guts and her face burning. Her face was covered of blood, the redhead couldn't feel it anymore. She thought he would leave like every time he was done, but he didn't. Instead, he grabbed her, opened her bedroom door, and threw her in the living-room.

- "Go show everyone your shame! Go on!"

Max was pathetically crying on the ground, her body shaking and unable to move. As she was too slow for the adults, Neil grabbed her while her mother was opening the entrance door. He threw her again before slamming it behind her. Now the redhead was lying in the corridor where everyone would ignore her, as always. She wasn't stupid, she knew her neighbors could hear what was happening inside her apartment, but none of them never intervened, so why would they now that she was dying in front of them? She was even sure they were all at their doors, looking in the spyholes to see if she was dead or not. 

She struggled but managed to stand thanks to the wall, even if her legs were weak. She limped in the corridor, holding her belly. She tried to find some help, but sometimes she wondered if this building wasn't empty, just filled with ghosts. She took the stairs the best she could and finished outside. Then, everything went black.

When she re-opened her eyes, she was in a white room, connected to machines. She looked around and wondered how she finished in hospital. While she was sitting, a nurse entered the room.

- "No, no, don't force too much. You just got operated, you need to be careful," the woman said with a soft tone. "I'm Meredith, your nurse."

- "What am I doing here?" Max asked with a hoarse voice.

- "Apparently, you got hit by a car."

- "A car? I...I don't remember..."

- "That's what your family told us, but the road hog fled the scene. What a coward."

Now Max was remembering. She certainly collapsed on the road and her "family" found her. They preferred inventing a story before she could wake up, like that they were out of risk. Meredith helped her to sit and explained her what they did. Max had an internal hemorrhage in her belly, and when the redhead looked at it, her skin was blue, green, yellow, and purple. It was the first time she had had such a wide bruise on her. Neil went hard this time. Her left eye was swollen, her nose was broken, her lips were cut, and her skin was covered of bruises too.

- "You'll stay here a few days, to take some rest," Meredith said.

- "Okay. I'm expelled for the week anyway. I've all my time."

The nurse nodded before changing the redhead's bandages. Max could barely realize that she could have died if she hadn't reached the road. But she could less believe that everyone in this hospital believed Neil and Susan about her "accident". Even the redhead could see the marks of hands and feet she had on her body.

- "I told them you wanted to be alone," Meredith said.

- "Because they are here!?"

- "Yes, they came with the ambulance. I won't let them in, don't worry."

The nurse warmly smiled to her before leaving Max alone. Maybe not everyone believed in this story, maybe this woman would help her to get out of this. But she had nowhere to go, she would finish alone, and it was the last thing she wanted. At least, she was safe in this hospital.