Chapter 4: Goodbye to You

Kimberly just couldn't escape Tristan's torments; he was constantly by her side or at least within seeing distance. Three months ago, they had their first incident in Kimberly's apartment. From then on, things began to steadily get worse and more abusive.

Kimberly was ashamed of herself for allowing this to go on, but felt as if she had no hope. It was bad enough that she was being beaten; she feared that Tristan would stop threatening her and do something more serious if she didn't go along with what he wanted. Tristan had "moved in" with her a few weeks ago. No one seemed to find it about odd since they had been seen together a lot, and they neglected to see the changes in Kimberly's personality. They all thought it was because the competition was just days away.

Gymnastics were her solace; it was one of the only places she could go to forget what was happening in her life. Everything began to suffer with her. She had not kept in touch with her friends as much as she had been. Even her phone calls to Tommy were limited severely. He, too, thought it was because of the competition.

She found herself spending more time training, as late as she was able. It was easier to explain the bruises this way. Sometimes, she would fall on purpose and blame it on that, just so people would see and not question it.

Coach Schmidt started to watch her more closely during the practices. He had trained many females and knew that most of them changed during the times. Kimberly was changing more rapidly that anyone else he ever knew. It was very unsettling to him.

He noted the fact that Kimberly still done extremely well in her routines, but he sensed that she had lost her spark for it. She had it up until the time Tristan showed up. At first, he thought that she and Tommy and broken up and he was her new boyfriend. It had been some time since Kimberly talked to him about Tommy.

"Beautiful tumble, Kimberly," Coach Schmidt called over to her; "I would like to see a little bit more height if you can manage it. If you can, I think it'll really impress the judges."

Kimberly just flashed a small smile, nothing like the brilliant ones that light up a room like she was known for. "Thanks Coach," she said with little enthusiasm. For once, Tristan had not followed her to training. She was thankful for this.

Coach Schmidt continued to watch her; he knew that she was going to win Pan Globals. He could just feel it in his bones. He had watched her go from a talented gymnastic to one that just screamed she would be the best. True, he would be sad to watch her leave when it was all over. She would need to go home, but he had hoped into talking her into going further with gymnastics.

"Alright girls," he clapped as all girls came to a halt. "Each and every one of you has done such a great job. I feel that all of you have improved beyond your wildest dreams as a gymnast," he paused as all of his girls either smiled or bowed. "Now, you all know that it is crunch time in here. I expect all of you to keep living up to your potential and my expectations. Just give me another hour of your time, and then you all are free to go for the rest of the day."

The girls cheered and clapped happily. It was common knowledge that Coach Schmidt was a harsh teacher but was always concerned with the girls' welfare and making sure they were at least content.

Every one split up, going to their respective training areas to continue. Each attacked their routines with a new found sense of pride; they didn't want to let the Coach down.

Kimberly felt a sense of dread when he said that he would be releasing everyone earlier than normal. It just meant that she would have to endure another long night of Tristan's abusive ways. Pushing all of those thoughts away from her head, she focused on the mat. No matter how Tristan defeated her physically, she would not let him completely take over her mind.

No, she would do her best at Globals no matter what was thrown her way. She would make Tommy and everyone else proud of her. After that, she would leave Florida forever and never to return. She would find herself back at Angel Grove with everyone. She would feel safe at last again. Everything would be put behind her. Tristan wouldn't dare follow her there. Life would be perfect once more. All she had to do would be to plan it all out carefully to get her stuff moved without him noticing.

The hour came too quickly and everyone was sitting in a small semi-circle with Coach Schmidt in the center. He looked at each of them before he started to talk. They all looked at him expectantly. They knew what speech was coming.

"Globals are in six days. You each know this and know what it means to you personally. I have watched all of you pour your heart and souls into this. If you had not, I would have asked you to leave long ago," he said bluntly. He waved his hand dismissively and continued with his small speech. "We will go to Globals as a team. There are never any guarantees in anything, let alone in gymnastics. Do your best, and then some. Now, since they are so close, we will now have practice for the next five for at least six hours. The night before, there will only be a small practice. This will be the time where all of you will get one chance to go through your performance. Then, you are to go eat and get a good night's rest. "

The girls rose and went to quickly grab their things to hurry and get home. As they hurried out the door, two of the girls noticed that Kimberly was being rather slow at getting her things together.

"Hey Kimberly," called Amy, a tall girl with black hair that was superb on the still rings. "Are you alright?"

Kimberly looked up briefly from packing her things and nodded her head slowly. "Of course," she said slowly and continued to put her things away.

The other girl, Carrie, shot Amy a questioning look. It was not like Kimberly to act so down, even they knew that. Up until recently, they had always seen her happy and talkative. Something had to be up. Since they weren't exactly best friends, Amy and Carrie wouldn't think too much of it.

"Well," Carrie said brightly to break the silence, "Are you excited about Globals yet? I certainly am. I think my vault routine is damn near perfect," she said proudly.

Amy nodded, catching the drift. "Oh yes! I have been waiting for that moment over the last few months. I think it'll be one of the happiest moments in my life this far, even if I don't win. How many people do you know that can say they were in Pan Globals?"

They turned to Kimberly, expecting an answer from her. To their shock, they didn't get much of one.

"I have to get going," Kimberly said vaguely as she stood up and brushed past them. "I will see you both tomorrow," was all that she said as she left. She faintly heard the words "rude… stuck up…"as she left.

No sooner had she walked out, Tristan came up beside her out of nowhere. He grabbed her hand and squeezed a little too tight. "Where do you think you're going," he said softly to not attract any unwanted attention.

She winced as she heard her knuckles crack underneath the strain. The pain wasn't that bad, she had endured much worse. From his manor, she concluded that he was not happy about something. She could also tell that it was not going to be a good night for her."

"Oh, Coach let us out early," she said truthfully. It got her another squeeze and she sucked in a breath of pain. She prayed to those above he wouldn't break her hand, or any other limb for that matter.

"Why," Tristan asked casually in case anyone close by could hear their conversation, "Coach think you all are finally ready? I know I'm ready to see you perform," he said a bit louder as they made their way between the crowds of people.

Kimberly just nodded. "Yes, Tristan; he thinks we're all doing so well and gave us the rest of the day off. I was just planning on going back to the apartment and relax. I have practice tomorrow as well."

Tristan laughed as if she had just told a funny joke or said something silly. "Of course, of course; you are all great. Well, we'll just have to go out and celebrate, won't we," he said with a hint of firmness. He didn't care whether or not she wanted to go or not. She would.

"Er, I'd rather not go out tonight. I'm quite tired from everything," Kimberly pleaded to him. She knew the front he was putting on.

"Are you sure?" Tristan asked with mock concern that sounded so fake to even her ears. "Well, if that's what you want, we can just stay at home and either cook or order out like you want"

Kimberly sighed inwardly; she really didn't go out in public anymore. He was trying to keep her prisoner and was doing a very good job at it. "Yes, I am positive. And carry out sounds pretty good. How about we get Chinese for dinner tonight?"

"That's a great idea, Kimberly. I'll just drop you off at our apartment and I'll go get some. Go ahead and pick out a movie or something to do when I get back. We'll just have a nice relaxing night in," Tristan said as he gradually loosened the hold on her hand.

They remained silence until they got to the door. He had the key out, unlocking the door before them. "Be good," he threatened her and pushed her inside. "I don't have to tell you the rules anymore. I think you know them by heart, as well as the consequences." He slammed the door and she heard him walking down the metal steps.

Freedom! Her voice screamed at her. Call Tommy now, while he's gone! You can have a little bit of privacy. Swallow your pride and tell him the truth!

Making sure the door was locked; she grabbed her cell phone, quickly dialing Tommy's number.
It rang once…twice…three…times.

"Tommy, please pick up..." she moaned into the phone and kept an eye on the door.

"Kimberly! Shouldn't you still be at practice? Are you hurt or something" Tommy's voice sounded worried.

"I need to talk to you. Please tell me you have the time," Kimberly said in a rush. She didn't know how much time she would have before Tristan got back. God help her if he came back while she was still on the phone.

"Of course, beautiful, I always have time for you. I'm assuming that you're calling about Globals? They are next week and I want to be there to support you. I felt like I haven't been there enough for you while you've been training. Please, please let me do this for you," Tommy pleaded with her.

Kimberly stopped herself from saying what she really wanted to, for whatever reason. Her brain decided to just freeze up. He was right; they were next week. Only that much longer to deal with Tristan's abuse.Kimberly knew that he was trying to keep their relationship together, even if he didn't know what was going on. It's too late to tell him, she thought sadly. Nothing can save it anymore. I can only save us if we're separate. I don't want either of us to get hurt. Tristan might actually go through with his plans. I'm all alone.

"I'm sorry Tommy. I would only get nervous and not do my best. Just watch me on the television. I know that you'll be there with me in spirit," she said trying to keep the sadness out of her voice. And that's the only way we'll ever be together while I'm here, she thought. Just hold out a little longer for me, she pleaded inside of her mind.

"But, but," Tommy sputtered. "Kimberly, I-"

He didn't get the chance to finish. Kimberly heard the pounding of shoes against the stairs. Oh god, she thought.

"Sorry, gotta go. My phone's dying. Love you!" Kimberly said quietly into the phone and hung up. Unfortunately, Tristan had opened the door in time to hear her final words.

"So," he said glaring at her. "I don't even have to ask who you was talking to. You know what happens now," he said setting the food down and closed the door behind him. The look in his eyes frightened Kimberly.

"You can't keep doing this! I'll go to the cops. I am through with this! Get out!" She screamed and pointed to the door. She had to seem braver than she felt. Inside, she was trembling with fear. She was tiny, and he easily outweighed her.

He just laughed in her face at her words. "Aren't you cute when you're angry?" Tristan teased her, not making any attempt to move from his position.

"I'm serious! Get out! I'm through with your bullshit. You make me sick," she screamed at him.

Her words only seem to have made him quite angry. She could tell it by his eyes; the way they flashed sent shivers down her spine. No, she couldn't back down now. She wouldn't live this way anymore.

He calmly walked to where she stood defiantly, keeping his eyes transfixed on her own. She refused to look down or break the gaze in any form. A slow smile spread across his lips, making him look even creepier than he did before.

Kimberly saw his hand move but was unable to move herself. Before she knew it, his backhand landed squarely across her cheek. It hit with so much force that her head snapped sideways; she had to bite her lips to keep from calling out in pain.

Tristan stood with his hand still raised as if he would hit her again when she turned her head to face him once more."You little bitch," he whispered to her hatefully so that only she would hear.
"I will make you regret every word you said to me. You are mine. Understand me?"

Kimberly choked back her tears and turned to face him again. Tears streaked her face in zigzagged lines.

This only seemed to send Tristan in more of a rage. "Answer me," he raised his voice to her. When she gave no indication that she was going to, he reached over and grabbed a handful of her brunette hair, jerking her closer to him.

Now taking her by the upper arm, he squeezed until she cried out in pain. She parted her lips to scream, only to be muffled by his hand. "I'll be damned if you're going to ruin this," he snarled. Releasing her hair, he swung his arm holding her own, slinging her hard enough to hit the wall behind her and slide down the wall to the floor. She hit with such an impact that it made her lose her breath.

"Tommy," she panted out, knowing good and well that he couldn't help her.

Tristan laughed at her huddled form. "You are so weak," he said as be bent down on his knees. His hand sought her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "Tommy can't hear you." He curled his hand into a fist and pulled backwards. "He's not here. He hasn't been here. Do you really think he stayed faithful to you? You couldn't even stay faithful. He probably found someone better."

Kimberly winced, thinking he was about to strike her face once more. He sneered at her, shaking his head. "You know better than that. I wouldn't want to bruise that pretty little face of yours," he said before the punch landed squarely in her abdomen. "But any other places are fair game," he said as he delivered another punch to the same place. She barely had enough time to catch her breath in between the hits. She moaned in pain continuously.

Tristan stopped and backed away from her, watching her. With shallow breaths, Kimberly braced herself and tried to push her way back into a standing position. He had to give her props for even being able to move.

"Oh no you don't," he said before kicking her in the ankle with the tip of his steel toed shoes.

She howled in pain and placed her hands on the wall behind her for support. It didn't feel broken. She tested it, moving it back and forth. It would be fine, but she had to escape. She couldn't wait any longer. Things were getting to be unbearable. It had never been this bad before.

"Stay right there. You move and you will regret it," it was an empty threat andTristan left the room, not wanting to watch her any longer. He was growing tired of her. If he kept going, he would lose his temper and beat her until she couldn't stand. A truly sadistic smile came across his lips as he thought about Tommy.

He headed to the kitchen, keeping an ear out to see if she made any attempt to leave. He opened a drawer near the stove. The silver glinted in the dim lighting. His hand slipped in and pulled out a butcher knife. He wanted to scare her into submission once more. "Oh, Kimberly," he called out as he walked back to where she was. He held the knife up and her eyes went wide with fear. "Go to the living room. Do not make me drag you" he ordered. She obliged.

He shoved her to the couch and stood against the door frame, eying her coolly. She felt another stab of fear and kept her eyes on the knife.

"I have decided. I will not beat you any more tonight. Be happy of that. I wouldn't want to ruin you so close before your competition. Instead, you are going to write Tommy a little letter for me. I will dictate and you will write. If you disobey me, I will make your life a living hell afterwards. Now, take a piece of paper out of the side table and write exactly as I tell you."

She nodded stiffly, her body screamed with pain in even little movements.

He paced the floor, deciding how he wanted to go about this. He smiled to himself and looked back in her direction. "Write everything I say, got it?" Without waiting for her reply, he said, "Dear Tommy…" Oh yes, he had a plan alright. He would break up Tommy and Kimberly's relationship for good. He would make Tommy hurt emotionally. She competed next week; he knew without a doubt that he would be watching her. He would send the letter to Tommy right after the competition.

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Teaser to Chapter 5A/N: I got this chapter out faster than I had expected. So, now Chapter 5 will be delayed unless I have more free time. R&R!

The mailman couldn't help but smile when he noticed who the letter was going to. Why it was being sent to the Youth Center, he would never know.

"Hey Ernie," the man called. "I have a letter here for Tommy Oliver. Will you make sure he gets it?"

The man, Ernie, chuckled and nodded his head. "I assume it's from Miss Hart? Good, good. Tommy will be thrilled to hear from her...Maybe it says when she'll be coming home for good. She just won Pan Globals, you know."