Author's Note: Thanx 2 everyone for their reviews. I never thought I'd get so many. :)
Callmemaddy: I didn't mean to make Zoey sound like a "jerk" in Chapter One. I wanted to emphasize the point of how much Chase liking another girl while he has a girlfriend is 1. upsetting to Zoey and 2. Just morally wrong for him. Sry if it came off as that and thank for adding me to your favorite author's list. I'm really flattered.
Chapter 3: Breakdown
It was nearly six in the morning when Shay dragged herself out of bed and tiptoed into the bathroom. She pulled off the clothes she had worn playing basketball the night before and turned the shower on cold. Chase was such a sweetie. Why did she have to be such a jerk to him last night? Shay sighed, running her fingers through her hair. The other girls would be up in another half hour and she wanted to be out of the dorms by then. Maybe squeeze in some song practice before classes start.
Shay stepped into the shower and closed her eyes as the water ran down her body in little rivers. They caressed her hips and every curve gently as she lathered herself with soap and watched the bubbles be washed away, taking the makeup with it. As Shay washed her hair and the water continud to wash the soap away, her bruises began to show. Their purple shades, shapes and sizes all as different as their positions. From her forearms to her legs to her stomach. Shay ran her fingers along the jagged dark pink scar across her flat stomach, wincing at the memory.
She couldn't take the abuse anymore and had run off, thinking she could get away for good. But he found her and was furious. He took her home once the police departed and drew out a knife as his screams echoed off the walls. She had tried to run. She tried. But he caught her and...and...
Tears rolled down Shay's cheeks and mixed with the soapy water as she covered her mouth with her hand to silent her sobs. She leaned back against the shower wall and slid down it until she was sitting on the floor tile.
There was blood...lots of blood. It stained her clothes, the wall, and carpet. There were sirens and flashing lights. She heard her dad tell the officer how she tried to commit suicide and he had stopped her. Yeah right. The pain in her side was throbbing, each time gushing more and more blood. The color red was blinding and the sound of the ambulance sirens was deafening. She thought she was going to die.
More and more tears streamed from Shay's ice blue eyes as she sobbed quietly into her hand, reliving that hell-like night. The cold shower water pounded lightly against her bruised legs as her body trembled from her crying.
The next thing she remembered after the blood and sirens was waking up in the stark white hospital room. There seemed to be more than a dozen machines attached to her. Everything was quiet and she thought she was safe...until she saw him there. She wanted to scream, "He did this to me! He'll do it again! Someone help me! Someone get him away from me!" But she knew he would just say she was a crazy teen, blinded by my hormones and making up stories. They'd end up believing him and then he just take her home and beat her worse than before. "Great. You're awake." He sneered as he came to her bed side, "Now get up. We're leaving." She tried to sit up, but she had no energy from her blood loss. That was no obstacle for him. He just jerked her out of bed by her hair, the machines pulled painfully from her arms as he did so. He snuck her out of the hospital and back home...where he...where he beat her again before going out to get drunk. She cried, feeling so ugly...and so worthless. She stumbled into the bathroom and took a pair of scissors. Her long black hair fell right before her eyes with each 'snip'. Soon she was left with the short hair cut she had now. Her father had been furious when he found out...more furious than usual...
There was a knock on the bathroom door followed by Zoey's voice, "Please hurry. I really need to use the bathroom."
Shay quickly stood up, turned off the shower, and stepped out, wrapping a towel around her. She gathered her clothes and wiped at her eyes. She'd have to finish getting ready in her room. Shay opened the bathroom door and ran out before Zoey had a chance to get a good look at her and her bruises.
Once Shay was safetly locked in her dorm room, she tossed her clothes into a hamper and dried herself off before slipping on her under garments. She dug out a large bottle of coverup and proceeded to cover up each of her bruises, from head to toe. This was a ritual she had to go through every morning. Shay soon finished and quickly hid the bottle before pulling on a pair of whitewashed shorts, frayed at the bottom and a light blue tanktop with the same blue flipflops she wore the day before. After blowing drying her hair and styling it like she usually did, Shay grabbed her bookbag and quickly left the dorm before she had a chance to break out in tears again.
End of Chapter
