Pain
Chapter 10

"You," I managed to utter. He smiled at me and I grimaced, remembering...

"Cindy, is this how you treat your father?"

I glanced over at Libby, who was standing there in surprise, probably thinking I didn't even have a dad anymore. I looked back over at my dad and shook my head, a look of disgust on my face.

"Why are you here?"

He chuckled and sat down on the couch, carelessly shoving my backpack away.

"Because I decided I would come back and say hello."

I shook my head again and pulled Libby's arm so that we were walking away.

"Cindy! Where are you going?"

I looked back at my dad and gritted my teeth. "I'm going somewhere safe. Away from you."

He sported a pained look on his face for about a moment, but only for that moment. He wasn't the type to forget things easily, and I knew that if he was still like how he was before, he would punish me the way he liked it when I got home.

"Well, come home soon, Cindy. Your mom and I would like to speak to you."

His tone of voice was chilling. I couldn't help but look at him with fear running down my spine, but I tried my hardest to not and walked out the door, towing Libby along.

"Your dad seemed..."

I didn't let her finish; I was too busy with thoughts running through my head, trying to figure out what to do. Jimmy was in bed, there was no way he could help me. Nick, well, I knew Nick wouldn't help; he'd probably make it worse.

"My dad is pure evil and I'm not kidding. Come on, let's go back to Jimmy's."

She followed hesitantly, and I had to stop and stare into her eyes.

"We can't go back there. Neither of us. You don't know what he's like. My mom wouldn't really hurt me, but my dad's different. When I was younger... He would... Do things."

Libby stood there with confusion etched into her face, but I pulled her toward Jimmy's house once again.

"Cindy," she gasped when we reached Jimmy's door. "Did he do those kind of things to you?"

Well, I knew she was smart, but I didn't know she was that smart...

I stopped and looked at Libby, my brain practically throbbing with my thoughts and ideas. I would have to tell her my history with my father later...

"Come on!"

She looked at me in befuddlement, but followed nevertheless. I pulled us along to Jimmy's room and burst in, surprising both Jimmy and a certain visitor I wasn't expecting.

Betty was here. And she was apparently trying to kiss Jimmy, seeing as he was holding her a foot away, straining a lot, due to his condition.

"Get off of him!"

I screamed in frustration and pulled her off viciously, my face contorted into an expression of pure fury.

"I have enough trouble in my live without you coming to steal my boyfriend!"

Betty gasped at me and slapped me, her own face quite red and ugly with rage.

"Don't touch me, you little bitch!"

Flashes of memories containing both my father and Nick ran through my mind, and I chased them away with an iron fist; I didn't need any more reminders of how much my life sucked.

"Don't call me that!" I retaliated from her slap by socking her in the mouth, my hand throbbing a moment later.

Everyone in the room gasped except me, and I wondered why, except I knew exactly why when Betty stood up. She had blood dribbling down her chin, and she held several teeth in her hand. Tears ran down her cheeks, and I rushed to help her keep standing.

She pushed me off, and I knew why, but I still tried to help her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know-"

Betty glared at me and I stepped back in fear. She almost snarled a threat to me, but apparently a bruised jaw and a mouthful of blood wasn't a good combination to use when speaking.

"Mmm-mmm!"

She mumbled her threat and ran out, her face still soaked with tears and blood.

The shock in the room eventually wore off and I stared at the spot on Jimmy's carpet where a few drops of Betty's blood had fallen.

"I didn't know I could hit that hard," I whispered. I looked up with tears in my eyes, and staggered over to Jimmy, my heart beating wildly, oblivious to Libby's presence.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy, I didn't mean to hurt her... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

This was one of those moments in a person's life when you immediately regret what you had just previously done. I couldn't believe I had done such a thing to Betty, even though she had just tried to force herself onto Jimmy. It didn't feel right; life didn't feel right.

"Shh, Cindy, it's okay... It's okay." Jimmy rubbed my arm like the comfort he was, like the comfort I needed, and I suddenly remembered Libby was in the room.

Gasping for air, I faced her and wiped away a couple streams of tears, my face raw. "I'm sorry for... I'm sorry, Libby."

She nodded at me in a motherly fashion and I couldn't help but smile at her; she was the other support I had abandoned when I started going out with Nick.

"So," breathed Libby as she sat down at the foot of Jimmy's bed. "Gonna tell me about your dad?"

I nodded and rested my head on Jimmy's chest again, my hair shielding me from the horrors of the world as I began to tell my story...