Jennie
I couldn't take my eyes off of the wall. There were pictures everywhere of me, not just me though that was the scary thing, Lisa was there as well. There were pictures of us together laughing or hugging, but in every picture Lisa's face had either been scratched out leaving it white, or burned out leaving a ragged hole. I knew it was her because of her clothes and where we were. These weren't pictures of us as kids, these were pictures of things we'd done recently. Us at the football game, us at the store, at the movies, damn there was even one of us loading paint cans into Lisa's trunk, so I knew that one was less than a week old.
How long had he been following me, taking these pictures? Why hadn't I seen him, he literally must have been following me all the time. The ones that scared me the most were the ones of me or Lisa at our apartment, there was even one taken from the street outside where Lisa was closing the drapes in just her sports bra and boxers so she must have been ready for bed. That meant GD was camping outside our apartment at night with a damn camera just waiting and knew that we lived together.
I felt lightheaded and my lungs were starting to burn because I just couldn't remember how to breathe. Every inch of the wall was covered in photos, but why would he take Lisa out of the pictures? And in such a violent way too, did he want to hurt Lisa? Oh God what if she comes here without the police and GD goes crazy? He has totally lost his mind so he could literally do anything.
He was looking at me, obviously waiting for some sort of reaction and I didn't know what to do. How could I pretend this was normal? How could I put on a fake smile and pretend like this didn't make my blood run cold in my veins? I couldn't, my reaction was already starting and I had no control over it at all.
I felt the scream trying to force its way out so I clamped my jaw tight so all that came out was a little whimper. Oh crap, oh crap, OH CRAP! My hands were shaking, my legs felt weak and all I wanted to do was run from the house screaming for Lisa to run as far away from here as possible so GD didn't do anything to her.
"This one's my favourite." He moved me forward, closer to the sick shrine on the wall as he rubbed his hands up and down my arms softly, making bile rise in my throat. He pointed to a picture of me sitting on the bleachers on a game night, I was laughing at something, you could see I was wearing Lisa's jersey but I had a jacket over the top so that's probably why he didn't scratch off Lisa's number or something. There was another photo of me overlapping this one, obviously cutting off who I was sitting with but I knew it would be Rosè, I always sat with her at the games.
"You look so happy here, I love it when you smile. It lights your whole face, makes you look so damn hot. Actually I love all the pictures, but that one's special." he whispered, his breath blowing down my neck as he pressed his chest against my back.
"Because Lisa isn't in it?" My voice broke when I said her name as I tried desperately not to have a full blown panic attack. As soon as I said the words, I immediately wanted to punch myself for mentioning her name. Why? Why did I say that? I'm so stupid!
His hands immediately tightened on my arms, his fingers digging into my skin making me wince. He made an angry snort. "That fucker ruins all the pictures; I never get a nice one of you on your own. Little shit. You need to stop hanging around with her Jailbait!" he ordered looking at me hard and accusing.
How long had I been here now? It was literally only a few minutes since I'd called Lisa, how long would it be before the police turned up? Surely they hadn't seen this freaking shrine on his wall otherwise they would be taking my complaint more seriously.
The pain in my upper arms started to get worse as his grip tightened on me. "G you're hurting me," I whispered as my eyes filled with tears.
He frowned angrily and let me go running a hand through his hair, his eyes not leaving mine. "Why do you have to hang around with that asshole? Why not someone else? Any other girl than Manoban!" he growled angrily.
Wow he had such a problem with Lisa, what one earth is this about? "G, why do you hate her so much?" I whispered as I turned away from the wall of photos, I couldn't look at it anymore it was making me feel lightheaded and I didn't want to pass out with him here and leave myself vulnerable.
"She took everything from me! She took the only things I've ever cared about, she's living my fucking life!" he shouted, making me flinch from his anger.
What? What had Lisa done to him? "What do you mean?" I asked trying to keep my voice calm hoping to calm him down.
He growled in frustration and slammed his hand down on the dresser. "When my parents died the only thing I had left was football," he stated.
I nodded, he'd told me that before that he got injured and Lisa took his spot while he recovered and then when he came back they had to share the running back position.
"So when she took my spot on the team I had nothing, I was in such a bad place and that was the only thing keeping me sane and grounded, but that asshole stole it from me! I missed the talent scouts because coach decided to play Manoban instead of me on the day they came, so I didn't get any college offers. I got stuck in a dead end job, earning shit money and no hopes for anything because of her. Everything's her fault and now she's trying to steal you! You're the only girl I've ever liked and she wants to take you away from me too!" he shouted, he was clenching his jaw so tight I'm surprised his teeth hadn't cracked and broken from the pressure.
"G, none of that is Lisa's fault! She didn't ask to take your spot, she didn't ask to be played on those games when the scouts were there!" I cried, swiping at the tear that fell down my face. How could he hold Lisa responsible for that?
"I don't give a shit if she asked for it or not! Everything she has should be mine, she has everything and she takes it for granted. She doesn't even care what I went through, not once did she say sorry to me, not once!" he stepped closer to me and I instantly flinched back from the anger on his face. "Well she's not taking you away from me. You and I are meant to be together Jennie and I won't let her ruin it." he stated matter of factly as he brushed his hand across my cheek, wiping my tears. I pressed back against the wall trying to squirm away from him.
"GD please, you need some help. Something's not right and you need to talk to someone about it. They can help you." I whispered desperately.
I just prayed that Lisa was listening to this through my cell phone so she would know not to come in the house on her own. If she was hearing how crazy GD was talking right now then she should just stop the car and wait far far away, because GD sounded like he really wanted to hurt her. The thing that broke my heart though is that I knew Lisa better than that, I knew she would come for me and if she got here before the police did then she would burst in here on her own.
GD laughed quietly before bending down and kissing my cheek lightly, "I don't need to see anyone silly. I just need to spend some time with you, you'll see I'm not such a bad guy. Just give me another chance and I'll prove to you what a great boyfriend I can be." he stepped closer to me and pressed his body against mine lightly.
I felt sick; my whole body was shaking as his hands moved to grip my waist softly. He smiled and pressed his forehead against mine as one hand slipped down to my ass and the other went around my waist holding me in place. I whimpered and bit the inside of my mouth hard enough to draw blood, just so I would have something else to think about other than the lust I could see in his eyes.
"Let's just put the past behind us and start over. Please?" he whispered, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke. Oh god please don't let him rape me, please. "Please jailbait? Give me another chance, I promise I can make you happy." His hand tightened on my ass, pulling me closer and I felt the bile rise in my throat.
"Ok G, sure. We'll start over." I whispered knowing my voice would break if I tried to speak properly.
He grinned and pressed his lips against mine making me whimper, I turned my head to the side quickly. I felt sick that he'd done that, I was married and he'd just kissed me. I felt dirty, but I guess that was nothing compared to what I would feel like if I didn't get the hell out of his bedroom.
He almost growled in frustration as he pressed me harder against the wall. "Kiss me then for fuck sake."
I grasped at anything I could say to change the subject and get his mind onto something else. "G, I'm hungry now. Do you think we could go downstairs and make something for dinner?" I asked quickly as he gripped my chin, pulling my face around to his again.
He sighed and frowned, obviously annoyed that I was making him wait. He looked at me for a long time, it felt like forever and finally he smiled. "You're hungry?" he teased playfully. Oh my god he really is bipolar!
I nodded quickly, "Yeah, are we going to get a takeout? I could go get one while you choose us a movie or something to watch." I offered hopefully. Please say yes and I could get the heck out of this house!
He smiled, "I'll cook something, I like to cook actually. I might even impress you with my culinary skills." He took my hand and nodded for the door. I smiled gratefully and felt some of the tension leave my body just because we'd be further away from a bed. Hopefully we'd be in the kitchen for a while cooking and that would give the police time to arrive.
When we got to the kitchen he headed straight for the fridge, I hung back looking around quickly for the door. It was off to one side, could I discretely go check to see if it was unlocked or would that totally give me away? Just as I was inching my way towards the door he turned back and smiled making me stop quickly.
"How about I make chicken stir fry?" he offered holding up a packet of chicken.
I nodded quickly, "Yeah sure, you can cook that?" I asked wanting to keep him talking as long as possible so it would string it out.
He laughed and threw the ingredients on the side, grabbing noodles and vegetables from the fridge. "Like I said I'm a pretty good cook. Dara's terrible so I do most of the cooking." When he had everything he wanted, he pushed some mushrooms towards me and a chopping board. "Want to help?" he asked grinning happily.
I gulped and nodded, how could he just be so casual about all of this? He really was freaking crazy and I don't think jail time would help him at all. He needed to talk to someone and maybe have some sort of medical help, because something was wrong with him. Maybe losing his parents like that had done some damage to him inside and no one knew. Maybe it was some sort of attachment disorder or something, which is why he seemed to latch onto me and get so possessive so quickly. I actually felt a little sorry for him, if he was ill then this wasn't actually his fault, maybe he was a nice guy but just couldn't help it because he was sick.
He smiled and stepped closer to me, his side brushing against mine as he started cutting up the vegetables. I reached for a knife from the block and wondered if I should just turn around and threaten him with it, demand he open the door or I'd stab him or something. I had a feeling that wouldn't really work though, I wouldn't be able to stab someone and that would probably be evident on my face as I spoke the words.
No, I'd just stick to the original plan and keep him talking until the police arrived. I flicked my eyes to the clock on the wall, it was almost five now, I'd called Lisa about fifteen minutes ago so hopefully it wouldn't be that much longer. He hadn't hurt me and I don't think he would if I just played nice and pretended everything was ok, if I freaked out or something there was no doubt in my mind that he would hurt me if he got angry.
I forced myself to make small talk with him while he cooked, I just made sure to position myself as far away from him as possible without being too obvious. When I'd finished cutting the mushrooms I'd slid my knife over to the edge of the counter and put a dish cloth over the top of it. If I needed it I knew where it was, but I was praying it wouldn't come to that, the police would be here soon so that was just a precaution. The thought of hurting him made me feel slightly sick, he needed help there was definitely something wrong with him.
After another five minutes or so there was a knock at the door. I held my breath and flicked my eyes to the clock, it had been twenty minutes since I'd called Lisa, so that had to be the police and not her, she said that the school was half an hour away from GD's house so it was too soon for it to be Lisa.
GD frowned, his eyes flicking to me for a couple of seconds. "Stay here and watch the food for me, I'll get the door." He nodded towards the pan on the stove.
I smiled sweetly, "I'm not too good at cooking, I'll probably burn it. How about I just get the door?" I suggested as I walked towards the hallway quickly.
He grabbed my hand and yanked me to a stop, he pulled me to him making me slam against his chest roughly. "Watch the food jailbait, I'll get the door." he said sternly. He pushed me back towards the stove and I tried not to show any reaction, maybe as soon as he left the room I could run out of the backdoor. I nodded and he smiled turning and heading out of the kitchen to go and answer the door.
As soon as he was out of sight I ran to the back door trying the handle, but it was locked. I groaned and looked around for the keys, I spotted a little key hook just off to the side with a set of keys dangling there and I felt my heart skip a beat as I grabbed them quickly. My hand was shaking as I tried to look for the most likely key. I could hear GD fumbling with the lock and chain on the front door, so I knew I needed to be quick. Just as decided on a gold key that looked like a door key, I heard a loud crash and someone groan in pain.
I felt the breath catch in my throat as I looked towards the hallway door. Did the police have him? Could I just walk out of the front door now instead? I could hear sounds of a scuffle coming from the hallway so I fumbled with the key deciding I just needed to get outside. I tried desperately to get it in the lock but my hands were shaking too much.
Just as the key slid in, I heard someone shout.
"Where the fuck is she?"
I felt the colour drain from my face as my blood ran cold in my veins. That was Lisa's voice! I pushed the key into the lock so I wouldn't have to find the right one again just incase we needed to make a quick exit, and then ran to the hallway door so I could see what on earth she was doing here. I just prayed the police were here as well; please don't let her have come on her own, please!
As I got to the door I saw GD on the floor, Lisa was on top of him straddling him, her face murderously angry as she punched GD over and over. Oh God she's going to get into trouble this time!
"Lisa!" I screamed trying to stop her before she went too far, she was showing no signs of stopping at all and I was actually a little scared for GD. Maybe Lisa didn't realize he was sick, maybe she just thought he was trying to hurt me, or maybe she just didn't care either way.
Lisa looked up at me quickly, her eyes wide as her body seemed to relax slightly. I smiled weakly at her, she had never looked so beautiful to me, she looked like an avenging angel or something. The fury that was on her face softened as she looked at me, the corner of her mouth twitching with a smile. I felt my panic start to recede as I looked at her; Lisa was here so I knew everything was going to be fine. Everything was always fine when she was near me, my world just that little bit more complete.
Suddenly Lisa was thrown back slamming against the wall; GD pushed himself up obviously taking advantage of Lisa's distraction. I screamed again as Lisa's head hit the wall hard, her eyes squeezing shut as she hissed through her teeth. Oh god she was hurt! My heart was trying to break out of my chest, I couldn't see her hurt, I just couldn't. I tried to run forwards towards her, but GD was on his feet blocking my way.
"You little shit Manoban! What the hell are you doing here? Just get the hell out, she doesn't want you near her anymore!" GD shouted as he grabbed the front of Lisa's shirt and yanked her to her feet roughly, slamming her against the wall again.
I gripped GD's arm tightly trying to get his attention so he wouldn't hit Lisa. He turned to look at me, a sneer on his face. He looked so hateful that it scared the life out of me, he didn't just want to hurt Lisa, he wanted to kill her, I could see it in his eyes. He really had lost it and somehow had pushed the blame for everything that was wrong in his life, onto Lisa.
"Please don't," I begged as uncontrollable tears rolled down my face.
He almost growled in anger as he shook his head, he didn't say anything. He brought his arm up and slapped me hard across the face. Pain exploded in my head, making my eyes get watery as I stumbled against the wall feeling a little dizzy.
I didn't see what happened next as my eyes were a little blurry, but something knocked me to the floor. A loud crash and sounds of breaking wood came from my right. I pushed myself up on my hands and knees and looked in the direction of the crash.
Lisa had obviously gotten over the initial shock of the bang to the head and she and GD were now rolling around the floor fighting. It was horrifying to watch, not like when you see a fight on TV or anything, this was scary and I could hear the sounds of the blows, each one seemed to echo through my head making me feel sick.
GD shoved her off of him and pushed himself up to his feet, he looked a little unsteady as blood dripped from his nose and a cut under his eye. Lisa jumped up and rammed into him, throwing them both over the top of the kitchen counter scattering the cooking food and plates all over the floor as they just continued to fight.
"Stop it!" I screamed as I crawled into the kitchen. I couldn't bear the thought of Lisa getting hurt and although she definitely looked like she was winning I hated it and she was breaking my heart a little. I needed to get her out of here and wrap my arms around her waist and sob onto her shoulder.
They didn't pay one bit of attention to me as they shouted at each other, reining blow after blow down onto each others faces and bodies. Suddenly the door slammed against the wall behind me and I heard feet running up the hallway.
I barely had time to look round before three people ran past me into the kitchen and someone else grabbed me around the waist pulling me up to my feet. I looked up at the guy holding me, he smiled reassuringly and I noticed his uniform. I felt my body relax as I realized the police were here, it was over. They would look in GD's room and see that he needed help; they would take him somewhere and give him the attention he needed.
"Are you ok Miss?" the guy asked.
I nodded and leant on him heavily as my legs threatened to give out on me. I looked back to see the three officers that had run into the kitchen had stopped, and were looking at GD and Lisa who were still fighting on the floor.
"Stop immediately and stand up! Face the wall and put your hands on the back of your head!" one of them commanded.
Oh god Lisa's going to get into trouble! But it wouldn't be that bad, would it? They would take into consideration that GD already had the restraining order out against her, they would know that Lisa was coming here to protect me, wouldn't they? Surely the most she would get would be a slap on the wrist for this, none of this was her fault and they had to take that into consideration. I hoped so anyway.
They stopped struggling, Lisa was on top of GD pinning him to the floor. She looked up at the police officers who were both pointing what looked like Taser guns or something at them. Lisa nodded and let go of GD, climbing to her feet slowly.
I looked at every inch of her face, she didn't look too bad, her lip had split and her jaw had a big red patch on it that was probably going to bruise. Other than that though she looked her perfect beautiful self and I felt the fear and panic start to recede. I relaxed against the officer who was still supporting a lot of my weight and couldn't help but smile sadly. Maybe something good had come out of this after all; GD was finally going the help that he desperately needed.
Lisa moved over to the wall and did as she was told, spreading her legs and putting her hands on the back of her head. GD pushed himself up from the floor, he definitely looked worse than Lisa, my girl was definitely a badass. He looked at me and frowned before shaking his head and bending down quickly, grabbing something from the floor.
I saw the officer closest to him move and step forward as he shouted "Knife!"
Knife? What the hell?
GD turned quickly, I just had time to see a flash of the blade that I had hidden under the cloth on the counter. "NO!" I screamed as I thrashed to get out of the officers hold. There was no indecision on GD's face, he looked so angry, so hard and like a completely different person from the one I had met only a short time ago at the football game.
Everything seemed to be happening in slow-motion as GD stepped towards Lisa and shoved the knife in to the side of her chest. It felt like my world stopped spinning, I couldn't breathe and the panic started to take over.
I could hear the officers shouting for GD to drop the knife, but it seemed like they were so far away from me, like I was listening to them from underwater or something.
All my brain could register was how Lisa flinched and seemed to crumple slightly as she slumped against the wall. GD leant against her heavily and I saw him pull his arm back again, making Lisa yelp in pain as he pulled the knife back out of her side.
GD stepped back slightly grabbing the top of Lisa's hair, yanking her head back as he threw his other arm forward again and shoved the knife deep into Lisa's lower back.
I was vaguely aware that the guy that was holding me up was shouting orders and shoved me against the wall, putting his body in front of mine, that there was a loud bang and then the cops all rushed forward. That they grabbed GD, almost throwing him to the floor as they all literally jumped on him, pinning him down as he thrashed and tried to get up screaming like a crazy person.
None of that properly registered in my brain. The only thing that registered was that my wife was slowly sliding down the wall, her face a picture of pain. I felt my heart breaking and I couldn't move, I couldn't cry, I couldn't even breathe. My whole world was shattering around me; all my hopes and dreams were slowly fading into insignificance. All of the plans we had made were slowly disappearing with every inch that she sank towards the cold tiled floor.
My whole body felt numb, my legs felt like jelly and were threatening to give out on me at any second and I still hadn't taken a breath. Everything was still happening in slow motion. Lisa was still falling to the floor and I could do nothing to help her. I couldn't take it back, I couldn't rewind time and make that knife pierce my skin instead, I couldn't save her from the look of pain that was etched across her face. I was useless, a stupid useless girl and this was entirely my fault.
GD had hurt Lisa because of me, he had stabbed her because of me, even the knife he used was because I had left it on the side when we were cooking. Everything was my fault. I couldn't be more to blame unless I had pushed the knife into him myself. I had killed my wife, my best friend, the love of my life; she was dead because of me and would have to live with that knowledge for the rest of my life. I didn't even want to think about living now that I would be without Lisa, how could I? She was everything good that was in my life, my whole life since I had met her had been centered around her, and now she was gone. How could I live like that? I knew the answer to that question, I couldn't.
Lisa hit the floor with a thump that seemed to turn my blood to ice in my veins; I could feel my hands shaking. She was gone. I was alone. I'd lost her.