Someone said that this sounds a lot like the book, Speak, and yes, it kinda does seem like it, but it's not. Whatever it has in common is all coincidental. Even though I kinda got the idea from it, I'm not trying to make another Speak. YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE, AMY, IF YOU LOOK HARD ENOUGH. Alrighty, have fun.

P.S. This is one of my shorterchapters, but eh... I did my best.

Pain
hapter 4

"You do love me, right?"

His warm breath, his warm, smelly breath was on my cheek. I cringed and rested my hands on my thighs. His fair hair tumbled down over his wrinkled forehead, shadowing his brilliant green eyes from my bedroom light. HE was always like this the night before a big business meeting. Always needing to unwind.

But I didn't mind, did I?

"You love me, right?" he repeated gruffly. "Right?"

I nodded and closed my eyes, imagining him on my thirteenth birthday, imagining him being the loving man he should be. But the image wouldn't stay, the bruises forming on my arms and torso, his cold, clammy hand creepy up my thigh...

I had to get away.

Things weren't the same without him. No they weren't. He was so much like Nick... Or should Nick be like him? Maybe... Since Nick came after him.

"What are you thinking about, babe?"

I turned to see Nick staring at me, and I shrugged, shivering in my thin t-shirt and jeans. He had taken me to a party, a party that was boring as hell. But Nick seemed to enjoy getting stoned with his buddies, so why complain?

He was feeling up the little brunette who was sitting on his knee, but she seemed to like it, and so did Nick. Especially Nick. I gritted my teeth and held myself tighter, since it was getting colder and colder with the windows open. At first I thought I was going to puke with so much smoke floating around, but after I opened the window, I think I'll die of pneumonia.

Better that than be discovered baked in a weed oven.

"Hey, babe, will you get me another beer? I'm running low."

Nick held out his now-empty plastic cup and belched. I took the cup from him and walked quickly to the kitchen where it was warmer, and where the keg was at.

As I was standing there, refilling Nick's cup, I heard a couple guys from the football team talking, occasionally taking hits from the roach that was being passed around.

"..Yeah, that goody-goody Neutron? Feel bad for him, really. He doesn't realize that nearly all the girls here are drooling after him... Too bad."

"Dude, I know, last year, I heard a couple girls sent him some naked pictures of them to him and he threw 'em out! What a fag!"

"Yeah, must be to throw out free porn.."

At first I heard some odd grinding noise, but found out it was my teeth. I grunted at myself and tried to calm myself. I had no idea why I was getting all worked up because some dumb jocks were mouthing poor Jimmy off...

Wait, did I just say, POOR Jimmy? I must really be losing it.

"Babe! Where's my drink?" Nick was yelling for his beer, so I walked quickly out to the living room where he was still fondling that brunette.

"Thanks, babe."

He took a long gulp of beer, turned to me, belched, then turned back to the brunette. He smiled and starting kissing her, and I rolled my eyes before working my way upstairs.

It was even worse up here; full of couples making out and individual rooms locked with loud noises coming out from them. Too bad they didn't know the walls weren't soundproof..

I went to the bathroom, seeing if maybe I could get some peace there, but no such luck. A tall, skinny Mexican guy with spiky hair and a letterman jacket was there, making out with some short blond bimbo.

Wait, he looks like Ultrageek... Oh my gosh, he is!

He stopped making out with the midget long enough to take out his cell phone from his back pocket, then kissed her again. When he actually flipped the phone open, he smiled at the blond girl and held up a finger.

"Hey, chicky-babe, what's happening?"

He listened for a bit and then pressed himself closer to the blond girl, who seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was grinding his crotch into her stomach since he was so tall.

"Yeah, yeah, Libs, I'm at home because I'm grounded. Yeah. No, no. I have to stay here, if I sneak out, they're sending me to a military school... Yeah. Love you too, babe. Yeah, see you at school tomorrow."

He hung up and grinned at the midget. I gagged and stumbled toward the stairs, where I could see Nick getting hot and heavy with that girl from before... I hung back, trying to see through my tears. For some reason, the pain that had been numbed for so long, I could feel it now, I could feel the pain rushing at me like a tidal wave.