Note: Thanks so much for the reviews! I really appreciate them!
As Gil strode up the stairs to the school, his stomach flipped. He expected, and hoped, to see Heather sitting on the half wall as he had the previous day. But she wasn't. And as shocking to him as it was, he was not surprised. Somehow he knew that she wasn't going to be at school. What he had witnessed the day before told him that she wouldn't want to attend it that day.
Gil had to resist going to Heather's house before school to check on her. He desperately wanted to but knew he shouldn't. You'll go over after school and she'll be fine, He told himself as he strode sluggishly into the school.
His suspicions where confirmed when he got to class. Heather wasn't there. He swallowed hard as the rest of the attendance was called, worrying his heart out for the girl he'd only met two days ago.
He watched the clock all day. He paid no mind at all to the teachers or the assignments. They could wait; He wasn't sure if Heather could.
The bell rang at 2:30, and Gil was the first one out of the building. He ran the entire way to her house, not stopping once until he was just two houses away. He would have stopped directly in front of her house, but didn't want to be seen by her father. For some reason, he was extremely worried about her. He shivered at the thought of the 'punishments' her father came up with.
Gil took a step forward to go around to the back of the house. He paused again. What if her father saw him through one of the windows on the side? He pondered things for a minute, then turned his head to the left. The house next to Heather's was old and abandoned. He could sneak though that yard and cut through the bushes to get to the back of her house.
He carefully stepped through the high weeds and grass until he came to a spot where he could get through the tall hedges separating the old house from Heather's. He checked to make sure her father wasn't outside, then walked through the shrubs.
Brushing the leaves off of his clothes, Gil heard someone step out of the house. He looked up and saw Heather standing on the porch, her head hanging down. She walked to the edge of the wooden porch and sat down, letting her legs hang over. The pair of Capri jeans she was wearing showed off her lightly tanned skin, making Gil smile. But something was wrong and the smile quickly vanished.
"Heather, is it okay if I come over and sit with you?" He asked in a loud whisper.
She glanced back into the house, turning her head in the direction opposite him. Her father was passed out on the couch, and it appeared that he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.
"Yeah. But be quiet," Heather whispered back.
As Gil sat down next to her, he noticed her flinch. It puzzled him, but he didn't question it. Not yet, anyway.
"How are you?" He asked in the same soft tone.
"Tired." Heather didn't offer any explanation, and Gil didn't ask for one. She was glad he didn't; She wasn't up to telling him what had happened after he had left the day before.
"Did you get into a lot of trouble?"
Heather nodded in reply. She slowly raised her head to look at him. She had a black eye that was partially concealed by her bangs, which had fallen in her face, and it appeared she had applied some sort of makeup to it to try and hide it more. The second thing Gil noticed was her lip. There was a cut on it, the dried blood flaking off. He didn't have time to notice anything else. She lowered her head back down.
"He did that to you?"
She nodded again.
"Heather, you need to report it," Gil whispered. His voice was gentle, yet firm. She needed to know that no man should ever treat a woman like that.
"No. I can't."
"He cannot keep doing this to you."
Heather was silent for a moment. "Gil," She looked at him, into his eyes, "I really don't want to. It'd make this whole thing a lot uglier than it is." Her voice cracked, and Gil didn't have the heart to protest.
"Alright. But if this happens again, please don't keep it quiet. You don't deserve to be treated like this."
"I won't. I promise." She glanced into the house again and sighed. "I'd better go back in. If he wakes up and I'm not in there…"
"Want me to come back later?" Gil inquired.
"No, that's okay. I'll be at school tomorrow, so I'll see you then." Heather smiled at him as she stood up and walked into the house. As the screen door quietly squeaked shut, Gil stood up also and headed back to his own home.