Unmasked

Chapter 19

Trigger warning: this chapter mentions abuse, and sexual assault.

A loud scream echoed throughout the house, which I soon realized was me. I was sobbing hysterically into the covers and shaking violently. Sweat covered me from my forehead to my feet. Everyone was in my room trying to calm me down.

Someone grabbed ahold of my foot, to stop me from trying to get up and clawing and kicking myself. I yelled out in pain as Andrew looked down at my ankle and noticed it swollen and bruised. He stumbled back, and didn't grab ahold of it again.

I tried my hardest to cover my arms that were filled with cuts and bruises so they wouldn't see them. I knew I shouldn't have worn a T-shirt to bed.

"Hold her down! Don't let her hurt herself!" Luke shouted to everyone. They hadn't noticed them yet, since I tried covering my arms up with a blanket.

Benji grabbed my shoulder and arm to hold it down, while Brandon held my other arm down. A loud gasp from Benji to the right of me was heard. "What-what are these?" He asked, loosening his grip on me, and pointing to the bruises.

Brandon looked at my arm he was holding, and also loosened his grip trying not to hurt me. "What the fuck?" He yelled outraged. Looking from me to my arms. "Who the hell did this to you?" He yelled again, making me flinch accidentally.

Luke came in with a bottle of water, I assumed he heard everything they were saying. "What happened?" He asked sternly, looking from me, to my arms, and to his brothers.

"I just fell really hard on my run the other day.." I lied, making up a terrible excuse. I didn't have one, I couldn't think of one fast enough that they would believe. "Your lying." Blake stated. Not taking my bullshit.

My whole body shook violently as I could feel a panic attack coming on, I had to get out of here. No one could know what had happened to me. They would go to the police and then Zach would do the worse to me, anything he could to make my life even worse. He would probably end up killing me too.

"I'm not lying!" I defended myself. "It's true!" I shouted at them, my voice shaking slightly. I felt a bit dizzy, with my eyes going black here and there. They all had let go of me as I took this as a chance to get out and escape.

I looked at them and to the door, and jumped out of the bed and dashed to the door and down the steps. Each step I took I realized I knew I had nowhere to go, nowhere to stay. My heart thumped in my chest loudly as I thought of the many outcomes this could bring.

I couldn't go back to my house, it was too dangerous. He would find out that someone knew and he'd kill me. He'd kill me! I raced to the front door, with their loud steps coming behind me. I wasn't sure I could outrun them, these boys were athletes. I was just a puny girl with a broken ankle and a broken life.

I could feel the sweat dripping down my face, and my breath becoming ragged. It was becoming harder to breathe, and harder to see. The feeling of fainting coming back to me, reminding me of how I got here in the first place.

The sound of their loud thuds down the stairs brought back the haunted memories of when Zach would chase me around the house. Then punishing me afterwards whether it be staying chained up in the basement, or hours of abuse. Or whatever he was in the 'mood' for.

I got into the kitchen and looked back to see Luke right on my tail. That was it, I wasn't getting out. Zach was going to kill me. Luke jumped up and grabbed me from behind, snatching ahold of my shirt and embracing me in what felt like a hug. It was also just to get a secure grip on me.

"No!" I yelled, tears sliding down my face. It felt like I was crying a lot more nowadays. "Please don't hurt me!" I sobbed, trying to break free of his grasp. "I'm not gonna hurt you." He tried whispering comfortably but all I could hear was Zach. Whispering in my ear after his so called 'fun time' with me. "No! No! I don't wanna do it again!" I yelled, thinking Zach was the one holding onto me. "I'll be good! Just don't hurt me!" I shouted, pounding my fist into his arms to let me down.

"Quinn! It's me Luke, I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I'm not going to hurt you, I'm not going to hurt you." He repeated over and over, pulling the hair out of my face. I breathed heavily, as I realized once again where I was and who was with me. Luke loosened his grasp on me, as Blake went and stood next to the door so I wouldn't get out.

I tried calming my breath down but it wasn't working. I felt like I was dying. I laid my head onto Luke's chest, and listened to his heartbeat. Trying to align my breathing and heart beat up to his. I looked at all the boys watching me, concern and sadness filled their faces. Maybe even pity too, I hated pity.

5 minutes passed and I felt like I could breathe normal again, I didn't have so much sweat on me but I was still shaking violently. He brought me over to the couch, and laid me down on it.

"Where else are you hurt?" Luke asked calmly, trying to get an answer out of me. "Just my arms." I lied. He looked at his brothers who all shook their head, meaning they didn't believe me. "Can you take your shirt off please?" Benji asked. "W-what?" I stuttered, holding onto the bottom of my shirt. "We need to see if there's any injuries on your stomach. Your ribs could be broken, and that's not a good thing. I can probably find and call someone to fix it up too. I'm taking classes that have to do with medical stuff, I'm trying to become a doctor. You just have to let us see your stomach." Andrew informed me, reaching for my shirt.

Instant flashbacks of Zach taking my shirt off, and doing terrible stuff to me played in my mind. My eyes widened and my heart rate quickened again, "N-no!" I whispered yelled, trying to get his hands away.

Luke looked sadly and communicated to them with just his eyes, and nodded. Benji came and sat beside me, as Brandon sat on the other side. They reached for my arms and held them down. "No, no, no please!" I begged them looking back and forth between them. Shaking my head and sobbing.

I looked at Luke and pleaded with him with my eyes. "Please!" I shouted a bit louder. He looked at me with tears in his own eyes and whispered "I'm sorry.." over and over to me. Andrew reached down to me shirt and pulled it above my head, leaving me exposed in just my bra.

The hickeys, and the scars on my collarbone were all exposed. They could see everything littered throughout my body. I had left the bandage on my stomach, trying to heal the wound Zach had carved into me. I could hear Benji crying beside me, and Brandon was practically fuming with rage. Ryder hadn't said anything, but he looked angry the whole time. Finn also had tears streaming down his face, but he was unable to say anything.

Luke looked up to me, and down at the bandage and started taking it off carefully. "No! Stop!" I cried out to them, they all left my gaze and just stared at the bandage. Waiting for it to come off and discover what was underneath it.

A collective group of gasps broke out, as they stared at the word 'slut' on my stomach. I sobbed, unable to wipe my tears though, embarrassing me even more.

"Who did this?" Luke asked, his voice wavering slightly. I didn't answer. "Who the hell did this?" Brandon roared, growing frustrated. I wasn't sure if it was at me this time.

I had to tell them now, there was no point in not telling them. They know now, and they can send him to jail maybe. But what about my mom? They would send her to jail too and I didn't want that.

"You can't tell the police, they'll send my mom to jail too and I don't want her going to jail." I confessed. Luke looked at me, still unsure of what to say. So I continued "My moms boyfriend.. his name is Zach. He's been doing it for 4 years." I admitted, turning my face to the ground. They all think I'm weak, they all think I'm disgusting now.

"You can't tell anyone." I ordered them, pleading to Luke. He looked up at me, and down to my stomach again, trying to decide what to do. "Fine." He concluded, I sighed a breath of relief. "But your not going back there." He informed me, my head shot up. Was he going to put me in the foster care system, that had to be even worse. "W-why?" I stammered, tripping over my words. "Your gonna live with us." He told everyone. I gasped.