Learning to Love

Chapter Five

*There's a scene in this chapter that can be very triggering for some people. Please don't read if it makes you uncomfortable.*

Sophia Woods Point Of View

I sat in what I'm assuming was Blake's car, shifting uncomfortably every few minutes. She seemed to be really focused on the road but I saw that her knuckles were white from squeezing the steering wheel every so often.

"Hey, could I ask you something? I'm sorry if it's too personal." She tapped her fingers on her steering wheel before she stopped at a red light. She glanced over at me, her blue eyes seeming to pierce through my built-up walls.

"Yeah, sure." I quietly replied as I looked out my window. I knew she would ask questions eventually. I mean, she was asking me to trust her when she didn't even know who I was. I expected her to ask why I only wore long sleeves and pants or why I was so jumpy and nervous. But she didn't.

"Where did you move from?" I was a little surprised by her unexpected question. Didn't she want to know why I was so suspicious?

"Um, Columbia. It's about a two-hour drive from here." I said as I looked down and picked at my fingernails. I glanced to my left to see her nodding slowly. She bit her lip before opening her mouth to speak but then shut it. She was being hesitant with words, like if they could possibly hurt me.

"Who do you live with?" I tensed up at her unexpected question. What should I tell her? The truth? 

No, she would judge you. She would make you feel at pathetic as he did. You can't trust her, you can't trust anyone. You should know that by now. And he would find out if you ever told anyone.

I wanted to put my knees to my chest and cry until I couldn't breathe. I felt like I was suffocating. I could feel his hands on me. The scars on me burned like a hot iron was being placed onto my skin. I swore I could feel like he was touching me. I could feel his hands around my throat, pinning me to the wall. I could smell him. The way his breath always smelled of alcohol or tobacco.

I started to breathe heavily as I was suddenly back home. Well, what should have been my home. 

I was standing in the living room, slowly folding laundry, when I heard a sudden crash from the kitchen.

"Come here you little bitch!" I heard his footsteps and voice boom throughout the entire house. I quickly started running to my room and went to lock the door but he threw it open, knocking me onto the ground.

"N-no! Please! I-I-" I begged and pleaded with him to stop but he continued with what he was doing. He sat on my stomach and wrapped his hands around my throat. I pried at his arms, scratching and pulling at him but he didn't move a muscle.

"You shouldn't even be alive, you know that?" He laughed as his hold on my throat tightened. I could hear choking noises coming from my throat as I felt dizzier by the second. "You deserve to die." I  heard him whisper before everything around me turned black.

No... No. No! No!!

I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me. I thrashed around as I breathed heavily. Who was holding me? Was it him? I opened my eyes and saw that the headlights of the car were still on. Shit, shit, shit. Where was Blake? I looked over at the driver's seat and saw that she wasn't there. What happened to her? 

I flinched when I felt someone gently touching my right arm. My head snapped to the right and I saw that Blake was standing next to me with a worried expression. She didn't say anything but instead, she leaned over and unbuckled my seat belt. She slowly hugged me around my shoulders without saying anything.