by S. E. Law
My eyes stay trained on her until that curvy figure disappears. But I have doubts. Instead of leaving immediately, my head rests on the steering wheel while I contemplate what just happened. Did we really just do that? Did I take her innocence, leaving my imprints on her body? Did I really just tongue her anal passage, forcing her to come at my command? Shit, I’ve corrupted the sweet girl, and the appalling part is that I only want to do more.
Even worse, Haley’s not safe where she is. Her dad is going to know immediately what happened the minute he lays eyes on her. Maybe I should have pushed harder for Haley to leave with me tonight. We could have just hit the road and never looked back. It would be okay because there’s something off about her dad, Herb. Haley hasn’t told me a lot about her home life, but it wasn’t hard for me to figure out it’s not great. Her dad isn’t one to be messed with, that’s for sure. I can’t count the amount of times he’s told me, “Down, boy.” Who says that to another human being? It’s like I’m a dog. Why the fuck does Herb hate me so much? I know I don’t have the most desirable background, but I’ve always treated his daughter with respect, and that should be more than enough. Apparently, it’s not though. I’m just from the wrong side of the tracks.
But then again, there are so many maybes in the world. Maybe I should have been gentler when Haley and I were making love. Or maybe I should never have asked her out in the first place, because she’s too good for a poor boy like me. All these maybes around in my head, and I don’t know what to do with all of them.
With a curse, I turn on my car and drive away. Sitting here all night won’t solve any of my problems so I’ll just have to wait until the next time I see Haley. Maybe I can convince her to leave Lenville a little earlier than we’d planned. The original date is a couple of weeks after graduation, but perhaps we should push the date up. After all, we’re in love, and that’s what matters.
3
Haley
I didn’t mean to get all melancholy in the car but going back home always makes me sad. Never coming back would be the best, but my dad? Well, he would never just me let me leave. He’d find a way to get the whole state of South Carolina looking for us because his reach is that long. If I’m going to get out of here, I’ll need to be smart about it. Fortunately, Jace will be right there with me. In a few weeks, Lenville and, more importantly, my dad will be far behind me, and far behind us.
But for now, I still have warm memories of tonight. It was totally unexpected. I can’t believe I was so bold. I’m never like that. I mean, we just made love. Oh my goodness, I’m not a virgin anymore. I’d overheard some of the girls in school talking about it and how you feel different afterwards. Something has definitely shifted inside of me. And I thought it was going to take so much longer for us to get to this point. Jace has always stopped anything from happening. He has more experience than me and I guess he didn’t want to come off as some guy taking advantage of an innocent little thing.
But I’m glad he did because it was marvelous. Plus, he didn’t hold back. It felt raw, powerful, and absolutely amazing. Even though I’m alone now, my cheeks get all warm. They are definitely beyond red. It was better than I expected. It didn’t hurt much, and in fact, I feel very womanly and satisfied.
But as I walk towards the mansion, there’s a trickling feeling on my thigh. Oh my god! It’s his sweet and sticky cum. This is so wrong, and yet I love it because it feels like he’s marked me as his. Plus, there’s already some bruising peppered on my skin. Should I be thrilled by all of this? Does it make we weird that I kind of liked being used? I never thought of myself as someone with a dirty mind, who wanted pleasure like that, but I just want to be with him again. Truthfully, I’m still sore, but I want Jace to fuck me over and over and over until the sun comes up. I want to be covered in him. Watching him come in me was absolutely beautiful. He’s always magnificent, but this was another side of him, primal and wild. I can’t wait to have him inside my body once more.
Opening the door to the mansion, I sneak back in as quietly as possible. The house feels still which is always a good sign. I breathe a sigh of relief and start to make my way to my bedroom when the lights suddenly flicker on. I flinch, and my heart drops to the floor. Oh shit. My dad is standing on the other side of the room with his arms crossed over his burly chest. I’m not surprised to see that he’s mad but seeing his mask of rage scares the hell out of me. I instinctively wrap my arms around myself, wanting to melt into the wall and disappear.
“Haley,” his voice cuts through the room and assaults my ears. But it’s not because he’s yelling because his voice isn’t even raised. There’s just a sharp edge there that stabs down right to the bone.
“Dad.” I swallow, hoping to calm the nerves building up in my body. Showing weakness in front of him isn’t good. Honestly, being in his presence right now isn’t good.
“Where were you?” he demands in a flat voice.
“Um…” I don’t know what to say because, either way, he’s going to get angry, and I’ll be on the wrong end of it. Anything to do with Jace immediately sets him off. Ever since the two of us got involved, Herb attributes all my ‘bad behavior’ to Jace. “I was – I –”
His face twists into an ugly grin.
“Let me guess, you were out with your low-life boyfriend Jace King, throwing your life away on some worthless idiot.” My dad has made it a habit to insult Jace at every turn in some deluded effort to make me stop seeing him. But I’ve always kept my mouth shut during these tirades because it’s for the best. But tonight, something comes over me. I can’t just stay quiet. Not when Jace has made beautiful, gorgeous love to me.
“He’s not worthless,” I protest. It’s under my breath and I can barely hear it myself, but it’s loud enough to carry.
“What was that?” My dad narrows his eyes and takes a step towards me. I stand up straighter.
“I said he’s not worthless,” I repeat, a little louder this time. I don’t think anything good will come out of this because my dad isn’t going to listen to me, but it feels good to finally speak my truth. “I know you don’t like his family because they’re not rich,” I say. “But I don’t care about that.”
My dad grimaces. Herb finds Jace’s family trashy and, yes, there’s some truth to that. My boyfriend’s dad drinks too much. His mom and his sister are strippers, but that doesn’t mean that Jace is bad. In fact, my boyfriend is embarrassed of his family, and wants to make something of himself. He can’t help who birthed him.
So, I go to his defense.
“Jace isn’t a bad person. He’s always treated me well and we’re in love, so there. I know you can’t understand Dad, but there’s so much more to him than meets the eye.” Herb doesn’t look convinced. In fact, he looks even angrier, and unfortunately, there’s nowhere for me to run or hide. The shit is fully hitting the fan.
“You don’t know what love is,” he bites back. “You’re young and you’re stupid and you need to be told what to do. I’m your father, so you are going to listen to me, girl.”
“I –”
But he’s on a roll.
“Do you think this teenaged, shortsighted love of yours will keep designer shoes on your feet? How about those fancy purses on your shoulder? Shit doesn’t pay for itself, so what are you going to do when he doesn’t have any money? What are you going to do when Jace leaves you high and dry? Don’t think you’re going to come sniveling back to me.”
Herb’s sneering at me, and I can’t take it anymore. It’s been years of bad treatment, and something boils up inside, a hot white rage that’s new and powerful and overwhelming.
“I never wanted any of those things!” I scream back. “You only bought me those fancy clothes, so you could parade me and mom around town like we’re the perfect family. It’s all to maintain your image! And for whom, may I ask? You’re a horrible father and a horrible person.” I can’t stop all the hate from falling out because it’s been building inside for years. I thought I could
last a couple more weeks until graduation, but evidently, I can’t hold it in any longer.
Herb glares at me, his eyes shooting daggers.
“You don’t speak to your father like that young lady.”
But this time, I’m the one who’s on a roll.
“If you want my respect, you have to earn it,” I spit back.
It happens so fast that I don’t have time to prepare. My father’s fist raises and suddenly, there’s pain radiating down the left side of my face. I stumble back, grabbing onto my cheek. Then a second blow comes and soon, I’m on the floor and my dad is on top of me, pummeling me over and over again.
“Ow!” is my cry. “Stop, stop!”
My whole body is throbbing and every part of me is in pain. It doesn’t take long for me to black out, but before everything goes dark, the last thing I see my dad’s face contorted in rage.
I wake up in a room that’s not my own, but I know I’m still in the mansion. That’s not really a comfort, but at least it’s familiar territory. Wait, there’s another problem: I have no idea when it is. Sunlight is peeping through the curtains, so it must be the next day. Was I out for an entire twelve hours? Herb must have done a number on me.
A sharp pain runs through my head and I feel it lance through my entire being, making my whole body throb. My dad has never hurt me this bad before, but I guess it was inevitable. He’s always taken small swats at me, but it was never full-on punching. I guess everything that’s been going on led to this escalation.
I sit up, still groggy. I need to find out what time it is and get myself out of here. I look around for my phone, but it’s missing. Shit! My dad must have taken it. I need to call Jace as soon as possible, so that he can get me out of here before my dad kills me or worse.
My body twists slightly and it’s incredibly stiff. It’s so out of whack that I’m finding breathing kind of hard. There’s a small hand mirror on the night table, and I’m able to shakily pick it up. I gasp when I see my face. Holy cow, I have a massive black eye. It’s like twice the size of my actual eye, and ringed in an ugly bluish-green.
There are also some other bruises spotted all over my face. I let my fingers lightly brush over my cheek while wincing from the pain. I barely look like myself. My face is just a swollen, discolored mess. The swelling will go down, but in the meantime, I look horrible.
There’s more pain around my torso, so I pull up my shirt and use the mirror to inspect the area. The bruising is even worse down here. I touch my ribs and wince as pain lances through me. I’m sure they’re cracked. This wouldn’t be the first time my dad has messed up my ribs, but it feels like he’s done a real number on them this time. He must have done more than just punch me. Did he beat me with something? A broomstick? A rolling pin? It wouldn’t be the first time.
I put the mirror down and close my eyes, trying not to cry. I’m in pain, I look horrendous, I’m all alone, and there’s no way for me to call Jace right now. It’s just the pits. Maybe when my dad goes to work, I can get to a phone and confess everything. I’ve never told him how bad my dad really is. Admittedly, I’m kind of scared of what would happen because Jace is definitely protective and would go berserk. Don’t get me wrong, my dad deserves some kind of punishment, but I don’t want Jace to ruin his future because of Herb. He would take any chance to destroy Jace’s life.
I resign myself to lying in bed while waiting for my chance to get out of here. As I’m trying to keep myself calm, I hear a loud commotion downstairs. At first, I assume it’s my mom and dad. When he’s not turning his wrath on me, she gets her turn. He’s probably yelling at her for ‘not raising me right’ or ‘failing in her duties as a parent.’ Nothing new. But then I hear what I think is Jace’s voice.
“Where is she?” I can just barely hear him. They must be on the other side of the house, but I know it’s him. I start violently which causes intense pain in my midsection. I almost scream because of how much it hurts. It literally feels like someone’s stabbing me from the inside of my body. Falling back against the bed, I clutch my rib area. As I writhe in agony, unable to utter a peep, the sounds of arguing fade somewhat. Jace, come back! I want to scream, except I can’t breathe from the pain. There really isn’t anything to do except wait for it to pass. I take long deep trembling breaths, holding as still as possible.
I need to get downstairs and to my boyfriend because he’s the only one who can keep me alive. I keep trying to get up, but every time I try, my body resists. Soon I’m gasping for air and gnashing my teeth from the agony. It’s impossible. My body is simply too battered to move on my own. Suddenly, a fresh wave of pain washes over me, and the world starts going fuzzy again. I try calling out Jace’s name, but I can’t get above a whisper. My muscles go limp and my head falls back as the world goes black once more.
4
Haley
The two lines on the indicator stare back at me. It can’t be. I can’t be pregnant.
Yet the two blue lines exactly match the picture on the box. I’m definitely pregnant … with Jace’s child.
Happiness flows over my form. I’m going to be a mother to a baby with the man I love. Granted, I haven’t seen Jace in weeks now, but there’s a reason for that. I was beat up, and my dad locked me in our house. Given my bruises, I could understand why. Herb didn’t want the whole town talking about how Haley showed up at graduation with two black eyes and a limp. As a result, I missed all of that because I was shut up behind closed doors, and my diploma was mailed to the house.
But now, I’m back. I’m able to walk and smile without wincing. The bruises have mostly faded, and the worst ones are now nothing more than a greenish-yellow shadow. I can cover them with long sleeves and long pants, even if my clothes seem a little strange for a summer day.
But for some reason, I haven’t been able to locate Jace. It’s been weeks since I stepped outside, and my boyfriend seems to have disappeared into thin air. I asked a couple people, but no one seemed to know.
“What do you mean?” asked Mrs. Valente, our guidance counselor. “He was at graduation. We missed you, honey, I’m so sorry you were sick.”
I put a fake smile on my face.
“Oh, it’s okay. I came down with a summer fever and it was bad,” I say. “One hundred and two. I would have gotten everyone sick, and then there would have been no graduation ceremony whatsoever, so it’s better that I didn’t go,” I say quickly. “It’s okay.”
Mrs. Valente nods, accepting my story.
“You’re right, my niece over in Pleasantville came down with whooping cough last summer. It was strange, I tell you! In the middle of May with the sun out, she was hacking out her lungs like there was no tomorrow. You made the right choice,” the middle-aged woman says while nodding. “And you look alright now, if a little pale.”
“Oh, I’m completely fine,” I say hurriedly. “Still a little under but not contagious at all. But Jace,” I add. “Do you know where he is?”
Mrs. Valente squints a bit. “No, he walked with the rest of the senior class, but after he got his degree, he disappeared. I assumed he was working construction this summer or something like that. They like him over at the yard. But didn’t he have a plan to go to New York?”
I nod, trying not to look eager.
“Yes, actually we had a plan to go to New York together, but I can’t find him now.”
Mrs. Valente shrugs again.
“I’m sorry honey, but we don’t keep track of students after they graduate. I’ll make sure to keep my eyes peeled though. Boys like that don’t go far, if you know what I mean,” she hints,
I stiffen with outrage. What is she saying? That Jace is a nobody who’s never going to make it because he comes from a poor family? That he has no pride, no work ethic, and nothing that matters at his fingertips? I open my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, but then shut it just as suddenly. It’s not worth it. As long as the middle-aged woman helps me locate my boyfriend, that’s all I need.
&nbs
p; “Thank you, Mrs. Valente,” I say politely while giving her a tight smile. “Let me know if you hear anything, okay?”
But Mrs. Valente never contacted me, as I knew was going to happen. In fact, no one seems to know where Jace is, and now I don’t know what to do. I’m pregnant with his child, and the thought scares me and thrills me at once. It’s scary because I’m so young to be a mother. Even here down South where we have kids a little earlier than usual, I still count as a very young mom.
But at the same time, the thought of the tiny child growing in my body right now has me over the top with happiness. He or she was conceived in love, and as proof of our love for each other, it only took one time. Now, I just have to find Jace and tell him about the child we’re expecting.
Where do I look? Why has he gone incognito? What’s changed in the last few weeks? With a shake of my head, I take a deep breath and hop into my car. I haven’t told anyone about the pregnancy yet, but it’s been just on the tip of my tongue. It’s a gift that I want to share with the man I love, as soon as I can find him.
The tiny compact hums down the road, and crossing over the proverbial tracks, I drive into the south side of town. Here, the houses are dumpy and dilapidated, a lot of them with garbage scattered about outside. The rusted hulks of broken-down cars litter the street, and more than a few times, I see ferocious looking pitbulls tied to trees as they slaver at me. I shiver. The sooner I find Jace, the better. We’re headed to New York, and he’ll never have to come back to Lenville.
Finally, the car pulls up in front of a broke-down looking duplex. There’s a saggy porch that wraps around, and a blue door with a torn screen and rusted windchimes that hang limply in the dead air. Slowly, I get out of my vehicle to walk up the path to the house. Jace never wanted me to meet his family, but now they’re the only option I have left.