Chapter 12
As Lily unlocked the door and threw her keys on the counter she heard her parents yelling in the kitchen. They had been arguing for the past few weeks. Lily was trying to ignore it. She quickly ran up to her room and took off her back brace. She had been out of the hospital for a month and she was starting to heal.
She flopped on her bed and called Travis. It was Sunday night but she didn't have to go to school since it was summer vacation.
"Hey Travis! You want to hang out?"
"Yah, sure."
"Okay, meet me at the warehouse in ten."
"See you there." Both Lily and Travis hung up at the same time and headed out for the station.
Lily just wanted to get out of her house. When she arrived at the station she saw that Travis was already there. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She remained in his arms for a few minutes before letting go. Then she leaned in and kissed him on his soft lips.
"What's wrong Lily? You seem upset." Lily looked at her shoes.
"It's my parents. They're fighting again." Travis wrapped his arms around her when he saw tears well up in her eyes.
"I just don't know what to do. I've never seen them fight like this and it's scaring me. Even Simone is scared." As Lily leaned back she took notice to Travis's arm, which was slightly exposed as he reached for a tissue. His arm was covered in neat, parallel cuts. She suddenly had a flashback of when she first came to Travis's house and saw the blood in his bathroom. Lily took in a quick intake of breath.
"Lily, something wrong?" Travis handed her the tissue and she wiped her eyes.
"No, nothing." Lily shook her head. She knew she should talk to Travis but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Okay. You sure?" Lily nodded.
"Yah, I'm sure. Um, I have to go but can we meet at Mickey's tomorrow around one?"
"Yah. See you then."
Lily headed out of the station as Travis sat in the station. Once he was sure she was gone Travis rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arms. Some of his cuts were scabbed over and some were just starting to heal. One scar was still bleeding since it had only appeared on Travis's arm two hours before. Did she see? I hope not. Travis covered his arm once again and headed home. I'm gonna have to deal with this sometime. Just not now.
As Lily opened the door to her two story, suburban house she was met with the sound of yelling, once again. She had left and hour before and her parents hadn't stopped arguing since. Lily ran up to her room and slammed her door shut. She flopped onto her beanbag just when her phone started to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey Lil's." It was Contessa and she didn't sound good.
"Contessa, what's wrong?"
"It's Ray. We had a fight and he broke up with me." Lily could hear Contessa crying on the other end.
"What were you guys fighting about?"
"He accused me of still liking Travis and I accused him of still liking you. Everything grew out of hand and before I knew what was happening he said we were threw." The line went silent.
"I'm gonna kill Ray! Look, I'll talk to Ray in the morning and I want you to stop thinking about this." Then the line went dead. Lily was once again left to the sound of the screaming from the first floor.
Lily's head was filling with images and voices. Her parents fighting, Contessa crying on the phone, and worst of all was Travis's arm. Why would he do that to himself? Lily started to cry as everything filled her mind. It was too much for a sixteen-year-old girl to take in at once. Lily stood up and picked up a vase holding red roses. Lily hurled it at the wall and it broke with a sickening shatter. Lily fell to the floor and cried into her knees. Why is everything falling apart around me?
The next day Lily met Travis at Mickey's. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. She sat down next to Travis and took his hand.
"What's wrong Lily?" She looked into his eyes with tears in her own. She hated how much she had been crying lately but this was something she had to cry about. "I should be asking you the same thing Trav."
"What?" Lily looked down and rolled up his shirtsleeve to expose his mutilated arm. Travis looked down in shame.
"Travis, why? I saw the blood at your house the day I was hit by the big rig but I didn't say anything. Now I'm saying something."
"I don't know why I do it. I have ever since I first moved to London. I hated moving and having to make new friends so I did this to focus my pain on something else. You, Robbie, and Contessa are the only ones that know." Lily shook her head. "Robbie and Contessa know?"
"Yah. Robbie saw me cutting myself the day that I found out you were hit by the big rig. I made him swear not to tell."
"What about Contessa?"
"When we started dating she didn't know anything about it. Things were great, until I found out that we were going to move in a month to Hong Kong. She caught me in my dorm cutting myself. Back then we were only thirteen so we didn't know what to do. She promised not to tell and a month later I moved." Lily looked away from Travis. Then she abruptly glanced back.
"Robbie and Contessa couldn't help you but I can, and I will." Lily lifted Travis's chin up so she could look him in the eyes.
"How?"
"Travis, I hate doing this but unless you stop cutting I can't be with you."
"What? Lily, please don't do this? I can't handle breaking up again." Travis gripped on tight to her shoulders.
"If you can go two weeks without cutting than we can still be together, but until then..." "Lily." A pleading tone was in his voice.
"Travis, I don't want to do this anymore than you do but it's the only way I can get you to stop. If you love me than this won't be hard."
"Lily, you know I love you."
"Then stop cutting," Lily whispered and then, she was gone.
As Lily unlocked the door and threw her keys on the counter she heard her parents yelling in the kitchen. They had been arguing for the past few weeks. Lily was trying to ignore it. She quickly ran up to her room and took off her back brace. She had been out of the hospital for a month and she was starting to heal.
She flopped on her bed and called Travis. It was Sunday night but she didn't have to go to school since it was summer vacation.
"Hey Travis! You want to hang out?"
"Yah, sure."
"Okay, meet me at the warehouse in ten."
"See you there." Both Lily and Travis hung up at the same time and headed out for the station.
Lily just wanted to get out of her house. When she arrived at the station she saw that Travis was already there. She sat next to him and wrapped her arms around him. She remained in his arms for a few minutes before letting go. Then she leaned in and kissed him on his soft lips.
"What's wrong Lily? You seem upset." Lily looked at her shoes.
"It's my parents. They're fighting again." Travis wrapped his arms around her when he saw tears well up in her eyes.
"I just don't know what to do. I've never seen them fight like this and it's scaring me. Even Simone is scared." As Lily leaned back she took notice to Travis's arm, which was slightly exposed as he reached for a tissue. His arm was covered in neat, parallel cuts. She suddenly had a flashback of when she first came to Travis's house and saw the blood in his bathroom. Lily took in a quick intake of breath.
"Lily, something wrong?" Travis handed her the tissue and she wiped her eyes.
"No, nothing." Lily shook her head. She knew she should talk to Travis but she couldn't bring herself to do it.
"Okay. You sure?" Lily nodded.
"Yah, I'm sure. Um, I have to go but can we meet at Mickey's tomorrow around one?"
"Yah. See you then."
Lily headed out of the station as Travis sat in the station. Once he was sure she was gone Travis rolled up his sleeve and looked at his arms. Some of his cuts were scabbed over and some were just starting to heal. One scar was still bleeding since it had only appeared on Travis's arm two hours before. Did she see? I hope not. Travis covered his arm once again and headed home. I'm gonna have to deal with this sometime. Just not now.
As Lily opened the door to her two story, suburban house she was met with the sound of yelling, once again. She had left and hour before and her parents hadn't stopped arguing since. Lily ran up to her room and slammed her door shut. She flopped onto her beanbag just when her phone started to ring.
"Hello?"
"Hey Lil's." It was Contessa and she didn't sound good.
"Contessa, what's wrong?"
"It's Ray. We had a fight and he broke up with me." Lily could hear Contessa crying on the other end.
"What were you guys fighting about?"
"He accused me of still liking Travis and I accused him of still liking you. Everything grew out of hand and before I knew what was happening he said we were threw." The line went silent.
"I'm gonna kill Ray! Look, I'll talk to Ray in the morning and I want you to stop thinking about this." Then the line went dead. Lily was once again left to the sound of the screaming from the first floor.
Lily's head was filling with images and voices. Her parents fighting, Contessa crying on the phone, and worst of all was Travis's arm. Why would he do that to himself? Lily started to cry as everything filled her mind. It was too much for a sixteen-year-old girl to take in at once. Lily stood up and picked up a vase holding red roses. Lily hurled it at the wall and it broke with a sickening shatter. Lily fell to the floor and cried into her knees. Why is everything falling apart around me?
The next day Lily met Travis at Mickey's. She had bags under her eyes and her hair was pulled back into a sloppy ponytail. She sat down next to Travis and took his hand.
"What's wrong Lily?" She looked into his eyes with tears in her own. She hated how much she had been crying lately but this was something she had to cry about. "I should be asking you the same thing Trav."
"What?" Lily looked down and rolled up his shirtsleeve to expose his mutilated arm. Travis looked down in shame.
"Travis, why? I saw the blood at your house the day I was hit by the big rig but I didn't say anything. Now I'm saying something."
"I don't know why I do it. I have ever since I first moved to London. I hated moving and having to make new friends so I did this to focus my pain on something else. You, Robbie, and Contessa are the only ones that know." Lily shook her head. "Robbie and Contessa know?"
"Yah. Robbie saw me cutting myself the day that I found out you were hit by the big rig. I made him swear not to tell."
"What about Contessa?"
"When we started dating she didn't know anything about it. Things were great, until I found out that we were going to move in a month to Hong Kong. She caught me in my dorm cutting myself. Back then we were only thirteen so we didn't know what to do. She promised not to tell and a month later I moved." Lily looked away from Travis. Then she abruptly glanced back.
"Robbie and Contessa couldn't help you but I can, and I will." Lily lifted Travis's chin up so she could look him in the eyes.
"How?"
"Travis, I hate doing this but unless you stop cutting I can't be with you."
"What? Lily, please don't do this? I can't handle breaking up again." Travis gripped on tight to her shoulders.
"If you can go two weeks without cutting than we can still be together, but until then..." "Lily." A pleading tone was in his voice.
"Travis, I don't want to do this anymore than you do but it's the only way I can get you to stop. If you love me than this won't be hard."
"Lily, you know I love you."
"Then stop cutting," Lily whispered and then, she was gone.