Listen

*Flashback*

Victoriå

Hey, can you hear me over there?

I can't really tell if you can hear me.

My mom used to say that someone was always listening, no matter if you were alone.

That's a bit creepy.

But if I had to take that advice, now would be the best time.

Tears fell from my opened eyes as his already tight grip on my ankles only tightened.

I stared up at the ceiling, praying to anyone at this point.

But that never worked.

I looked down slightly, just enough to see his back as he forcefully dragged me into the living room where his friends were.

Then, it started. Just like every other night.

They took turns, beating me as I laid on the cold ground helplessly. 

This went on often enough for me to know that if I made a sound, things would only get worse.

My mother stood in the doorway, silently watching all of this happen.

I didn't blame her. She couldn't do anything or she'd suffer the same fate as me right now.

A foot connected with my ribs and I shut my eyes as I felt the pain, not being able to take it anymore.

I just laid there, staying completely still until they stopped to check if I was dead.

They finally stopped after that and I listened as their footsteps left the house. 

I opened my eyes, the first thing coming into view was my mother's teary face.

"Baby, I'm so sorry." She said, her voice breaking as she cried.

"I'm okay." I replied, trying to reassure her even though I was too weak to even wipe away the tear that fell from my eye.

"I'll get us out of here, I promise." She told me as she sat on the floor next to me, cradling my head and I shut my eyes.

She said that every night for the past seven years. 

She'd never leave him. She cared about him more than she even cared about me.

"I'm going out." I told her, sniffling before wincing as I sat up.

She didn't say anything, she just nodded. 

I took my time in getting up, trying not to worsen the pain in my ribs right now.

Walking outside, I took a deep breath as I was instantly engulfed by the cold air.

I kept walking, not having a specific destination but wanting to be as far away from home right now as possible.

My family moves a lot because my father didn't have to best reputation.

He'd hit women in workplaces when they didn't do things his way or in his timing.

The streets were empty tonight and the area was quiet as families stayed inside to spend time with each other.

I ran a hand through my hair then tucked my hands into my pockets.

I hated my life. I hated every single aspect about it.

I had no one I could talk to about this, making this worse for me. 

I tried talking to a friend at my old school about it and she reported it, forcing my father to flee with us yet again.

My cheek was cut up and bruised and I felt the throbbing in my ribs intensify.

My eyebrows furrowed and eyes widened as I saw something running toward me at the speed of light and thought of the possibility that I could be mauled by this thing right now.

As it got closer, I realized that this was a pit bull, and it was darker than even the shadows on the streets.

I didn't run, knowing that most dogs only got more vicious when you ran.

It ran toward me with its tail wagging in the back, jumped onto me full force and pushed me to the ground.Instead of sinking its teeth into my flesh, she cracked my face by its tongue.

I smiled, letting out a small giggle as it licked my face. I sat up, realizing that it was a girl.

"Where's your owner, Pretty Lady?" I asked softly as she stood over me, extremely excited as if she had known me for years before.

I checked for a name tag but found none attached to the collar.

After a while, I got back onto my feet, dusting off my clothing and looking around.

There was no sign of anyone or anything, only confusing me more about where she came from.

"Alright then. Come on, Girl." I said, walking in the direction she came from, and she followed closely, walking ahead of me willingly.

This was a huge dog. Well, she was huge to me, as I was only five foot three.

She was completely black with blue eyes and a "Happy Doggy Face".

I was positive that she could've killed me if she wanted. But she seemed to be friendly.

The cold breeze whipped against my cheek and as I looked across the street, I saw someone sitting on the hood of a shiny, black car across the street.

They stared into an alley as they smoked, their shirt was basically none existent.

That only gave me time to observe their heavily tatted skin and muscular back. 

They were very tall, even from this distance and I prayed that I could just walk by without interaction.

But that went out the window after the dog barked, catching their attention.

He looked over slowly, grey eyes landing on the dog before slowly drifting toward me.

His eyes were still on me and I got the chills after seeing just how cold they were.

His jaw was clenched and obviously sculpted by the Gods. 

His lips were a dark shade of pink and the tattoos on his neck framed his face.

As introverted as I was, I wasn't a liar. This guy was probably the purest definition of "Hot".

I smiled nervously and his face held no emotion, remaining in a blank state.

"Jinx." He said suddenly, his deep voice travelling smoothly through the cold night, confusing me for a second.

That was until the dog ran across the street toward him, going over to where he was a sitting at his feet.

She was his.

I didn't bother going over to him, honestly feeling too intimidated to move and if I even attempted to open my mouth right now, nothing would come out.

Instead of going over there and having him overhear my buttcheeks clapping in fear, I gave him a kind smile and turned, walking back in the direction of my house.

Guess I'm sleeping in the tool shed again.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

I groaned as I woke up, darting up as I heard a noise outside and hitting my head on the shelf.

Opening my eyes, I found myself sleeping on one of the shelves.

How did I manage to fit here? I don't know.

I had a routine every day. 

Wake up at 8:30 when my father left for work, went inside and made breakfast out of the little groceries we had, then got ready for school and got there in time before my first period was over.

The pain hit me like a sack of bricks when I stood, almost making me topple over.

I'm too young to have these God damn Jelly legs.

I walked toward the door, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror and cringing.

My eyes sported bruises around them, and my cheek had a lovely slice across it.

Not even God knows what I did to deserve this torture. 

As I got out of the shed, I looked over the fence and saw my neighbour, Miss Reid, approaching.

"Victoria." She sang in her Spanish accent, and I gave her a smile.

"Hi, Miss Reid," I replied, and she returned my smile.

"I made you breakfast, and thanks for helping me take care of my husband yesterday." She said, coming over to the fence to give me two plates.

"No, Ma'am," I shook my head, kindly refusing. "You don't have to give me anything. You and Mr Reid mean a lot to me." I told her, and she tilted her head to the side, smiling softly.

"You're such a sweetheart to everyone, Love. I made this breakfast, especially for you." She continued, and I went over, taking it with a smile.

"Thank you so much, Ma'am," I said, and she nodded.

"Anything for you." 

I went inside and gave my mother one of the plates and packed mine, deciding that I'd eat it later.

I took a shower, changed into some clothes and grabbed my bookbag and phone after I did my makeup.

Then I went to my mother's room once I was finished and watched as she lay in bed.

"I'm leaving, Momma," I said, giving her a smile.

"Okay, Baby." She replied, leaving her eyes shut, and I went.

I walked to school, greeting everyone on my way there even though I didn't know them.

After some time, I walked into the school gates, stopping outside in the parking lot to check my schedule.

Math? I came on time for Math!? 

That's it, and I'm throwing myself off of the Grand Canyon!

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even hear someone approaching until they tapped my shoulder.

I jumped, obviously startled and I turned around to see a guy standing there.

His blonde hair was in a bun on his head and his perfect teeth peeked through his lips as he smiled.

He was strikingly gorgeous.

If I had to guess which group he fell under, I'd most likely put him in the "Popular" category.

"Hey there." He started, staring at me with his big brown eyes and I returned his smile.

"Hi." I replied softly, watching as his smile only widened.

There was no way he wasn't up to something.

"Are you free tonight?" He asked confidently.

"Yes." I responded, brushing some hair back out of my face as the wind blew.

"Can I take you out on a date, then?" 

I smiled, my eyes getting so small I couldn't even see out of them as I tried to hold in a giggle.

"No thanks, I'm sorry." I responded and his smile dropped.

"Why not?" He almost pouted and I wanted to laugh.

"I'm really sorry." I apologized yet again, expecting him to scream at me or something but to my surprise, he chuckled.

"That has to be my first rejection and trust me," he paused, placing a hand over his heart. "That hurted." He finished.

I laughed as he purposely mispronounced the word before shaking my head.

"I have to get to class. But it was nice talking to you." I told him, taking a step backward in the direction of the building.

"I'll see you around, Beautiful." He smiled, walking back across the parking lot where I finally spotted his friends standing.

I walked away, going into the building and to my locker.

The hallway was clear, aside from the three students that were obviously skipping class.

For obvious reasons. 

*cough* Math *cough*

...I must be catching a cold. 

Putting my bag into my locker, I grabbed the book I needed for class.

I knocked on the door before entering, giving the teacher a smile.

He rolled his eyes, not liking the fact that I was late, but not caring enough to scold me.

Taking a seat at the back of the class, I received smiles from some of the students around me before I placed my head down.

After a few minutes of trying to sleep, a ruler was slammed down onto my desk, silently startling me.

"Miss Rhee!" The teacher shouted and I sat up, my anxiety rising to the roof. "The answer to the number 5."

"X equals twenty-six." I said softly, catching him by surprise.

"And Number 6?" He asked.

"A equals twenty-seven and B equals thirty. So Fifty-Seven." My voice came out softly.

I always felt like crying while being shouted at. 

The teacher sighed, walking away from my desk and I leaned my head against my hand.

As I stared out of the window, I saw a very sleek, black car enter the parking lot outside. 

The shiny rims almost blinded me as I looked at it.

Why does that look spit-shined?

My eyes drifted to the tint, which, was extremely dark.

Too dark to even be legal.

The person parked at the speed of light, perfectly parking within the lines.

Another car entered after that one, parking right next to it. But a bit slower.

The doors of the second car opened, revealing four guys.

The first guy and the second guy looked the same, same blue eyes sparkled under the sunlight and brown shoulder-length hair. One of them had theirs in a messy ponytail while the other left theirs down. They were identical twins.

I wasn't even a guy and they made me feel self-conscious.

The next guy shut the door harshly and got out. He had the curliest hair I had ever seen and covered his eyes, glowing brown skin, and dark brown eyes. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, staring angrily at one of the twins.

They began arguing and as he rolled his eyes, they landed on me briefly.

Well, shit.