Safe
Ch.1 Face Down
Zoey lay on the ground,clutching at her stomach. The figure looming over her gave a sickening laugh as she groaned in pain.
"Does it hurt,Zoey? Hmm?" growled her boyfriend of over six months,Andy White, as he delivered yet another kick to her abdomen. She refrained from crying out ; It would only serve to make things worse for her. She would wait for him to leave before letting the tears fall.
Andy bent over to be closer to Zoey's ear. "Now,remember this next time you decide it is okay to even look at another one will ever love you the way I do,Zo. " He pressed his rough lips against her cheek before leaving her on the floor of his dorm.
Zoey waited a moment,listening to the sound of his footsteps retreating,and pulled her self to her feet with much difficulty. She managed to slowly make her way to the door,catching only a glimpse of her self in the mirror on the wall. "Not as bad as last time,I guess." She thought, walked out the door,locking it behind her. _ Chase Matthews called goodbye to his roommates,Michael Barett and Logan Reese,and shut his dorm door with a click. He turned to walk down the hall and caught sight of a familiar dirty blonde pony tail exiting the room next door. Andy's smiled widely before realizing the pained expression her face. Concern flooded his feature in the blink of an eye.
"Zoey!"
Her brown eyes widened like a deer's in head lights then she shook her head,as though to erase any sign that something was wrong. A weak version of her 100 watt smile appeared on her lips.
"Hey Chase." she spoke,trying to contain her cries of anguish. Everything just hurt.
"What happened? Are you alright?" He asked. He reached to brush a loose strand of hair from her face,and she flinched as though he were going to hit her. Taken aback,he stepped away slightly. It is then he gets a good look at her.
An angry looking welt ,in the shape of what appeared to be a hand,on her left cheek glared up at him. He sucked in a breath.
"What in the hell is that?" he questioned, eyes roaming all over her to cheek for other injuries.
"Nothing.I fell."
"Yeah,well that looks like someone hit you. I can see the impression of fing-"
"Chase,just drop it okay?" Zoey pleaded,not meeting her best friend's gaze.
"Did he do this to you?" Anger boils in his chest.
"No,of course not!" she tried to be flippant.
"Zoey." He said firmly, clutching her by the shoulders.
"Did Andy do this?" She finally met his worried green eyes with her own terrified brown ones. Her bottom lip quivered and she nodded,bursting into tears. Chase curled an arm around her,ushering her into his room without a second ignored the curious looks of his roomies as he sits a sobbing Zoey on his couch,cradling her to him and whispering soothing words. Her breathing became steady within minutes and exhaustion seems to hit her from out of the blue. As he stood,adjusting her so that she was laying down,Chase covered her with the blue knitted blanket his Grandmother had given him years ago then turns towards Logan and Mike. He appreciates their silence but know he'll have to explain to them why just moments ago he practically carried a distraught Zoey Brook's into their room.
"We have a problem." He sighed,jaw clenched.
"What happened to Brooks?" Logan asked,an uncharacteristic concern in his eyes.
"Do you remember Emily Pratt?" Chase questioned.
"Andy's ex-girlfriend." Michael responded with a nod.
"And why did she leave?"
"Her friends say it was because he was hurting her or something..."Logan paused,his eyes widening.
"Oh hell no."
"He hit her?"
"It explains a lot,doesn't it? The way she's been acting the past few months. We knew something was wrong but never this." Chase said,hanging his head.
He had never liked Andy,even before he began dating Zoey. Something had been off with him even all of those years ago,in 6th grade when Chase came to PCA. Andy always had a single room right next door to theirs,not matter the dorm hall so he was pretty much stuck with the guy. There was something in his eyes though,the way he looked possessively at Zoey. Chase had thought maybe it was his own jealousy but now he is ashamed he hadn't seen all of the signs before hand.
But he kind of had. Zoey had become withdrawn. No late runs to Sushi Rox,nor grape wars or study sessions. She'd even stopped going for pedicures with Quinn and Lola about a month into her relationship with Andy. Her grades were becoming average at best and she started to wear more layers than was necessary for Califronia. He'd even noticed that her already thin figure was withering away to skin and he had done nothing.
He still loved Zoey. He would probably always love her. The thought that she had been suffering for so long tore him up inside.
As tears threatened to fall ,Chase looked to his best friend,Michael, for help.
The boy himself saw the plea in his bushy haired friends eyes. Chase Matthews was heart broken.
"I'll get the girls. We'll get her parents on the phone in the morning,and go to Dean Rivers when they get here. Until then,Zoey can stay here with us."
Chase nodded,his face still clenched in anger.
Michael left for Room 101,leaving Logan to keep Chase in check.
The normally self centered boy placed a hand on his roommates shoulder.
"Hey,we care about her,too. With us three around,he will never touch her again. We won't make the same mistake twice." Logan told him firmly.
Chase looked at him in shock. While he knew that Logan wasn't always a jerk,it surprised him how seriously he took his friendship with Zoey.
Without warning,Chase drew his friend into a tight man hug-and-pat on the back.
"Thanks,man."
