Bridge (Four)

I quickly pulled on some tight black leather skinny jeans, my heeled booties and a black sheer tank top with a stylish grey cardigan pulled over it.

Just because I felt like death didn't mean I had to look like it too.

I brushed my teeth (even though I didn't have to, turns out the nurses did that for me everyday while I was in a coma) and brushed my hair out quickly, the loose waves hanging down gently, still damp from the quick shower I had taken when I got home.

I studied my face in the mirror.

There was a gash above my left eyebrow, a butterfly bandage still applied to the area.  There was another cut on my right cheek right below my cheek bone, and this one was a little bigger, but I had to admit that it made me look badass.

There was a lot of bruising and purple coloration on the area above my left eyebrow and I winced when I touched it gingerly, wishing that I could go back in time and decide to walk with Josie to class instead.

I had called Josie in the hospital before I checked out with my parents.  She made me swear to have a sleep over soon and talk about everything that she was in the dark about.

I felt like such a bad friend for keeping so many things from her in such a short period of time.  I just didn't know if I could act normal around her with a giant aching hole in my chest where my happiness was supposed to be...

She also made me promise to go to a party with her.  It was supposed to be the biggest one of the year, everyone who knew anyone would be there, and although I agreed, it was very reluctantly.

I didn't want to run into Dylan again, and when we were at school, I could have a teacher escort me or even Josie and some of her other friends, that way we would have strength in numbers!

But at a party?  Everyone would be drinking, emotions would be running high and I just didn't want to think about what would happen if Dylan got his hands on me again.

I knew if he cornered me and got me alone again, he wouldn't hesitate.  He would finish the job he tried to finish a week ago.   He would definitely kill me, I had no doubts about that whatsoever.

But I wouldn't hesitate, either.  When I felt myself going down those stairs, I remembered wrapping myself around him so tight that he would be the one going down with me.

I wasn't scared of hurting someone else, of killing him, and it didn't matter that it was in self defense, it still made me feel like a terrible person.  I didn't even feel guilty about it...

And that was the worst part.

A pinging sound from my phone letting me know of a current event that was trending online got my attention away from my somber expression in my mirror and I paled when I realized just exactly what it was.

'This just in:  Sebastian Jennings' new girlfriend embroiled in Sacramento Mayor and Chief of Police's son's scandal.  WARNING: Graphic images.  Viewer discretion advised'

I felt sick to my stomach as I clicked on the video attached to it.  It was a security camera footage of me walking through the hallways.  And then it cut to me being cornered in that very same hallway.

My throat closed up.

Dylan backed me up into the wall.

I choked on a sob.

His friends gripped my arms, holding me still as Dylan pulled my shirt up, allowing the camera to get a good angle of my bra.  It was black and white, but you could still see all of my cleavage, the entire world to see it.

I could feel their arms on me as if I was back in that moment.  A tendril of panic twirled its nasty hands up and down my body, threatening to destroy me if I allowed it.

And then I began to fight.  You could see my body thrashing and moving all about, trying desperately to get out of his hold.  I saw myself kick Dylan in the balls and he doubled over in pain.

And then the fear struck again, because I knew what happened after that.  His face was full of malice and anger, and the ache in my chest turned into a fúcking black hole of torment, the tears now freely flowing down my bruised and scarred face.

And then we were tumbling, free falling down the stairs into a world that I never wanted to be a part of.  It was all his fault, if he hadn't set his sights on me after he'd broken up with me, none of this would have ever happened.

He was a selfish, manipulative, lying son of a bitch and he was going to get what he deserved.

When the video was over, I read the accompanying article that went along with it.

Holly Vickers, the supposed new girlfriend of singer/actor Sebastian Jennings has been embroiled in a scandal involving the mayor of Sacramento and Chief of Police's son, Dylan Haim.  Video evidence from their shared high school shows Haim forcing Vickers into a corner, harassing and assaulting her, and then the fight that ensues results in both of them falling down three flights of stairs.

Vickers has yet to comment on any story, seeing as though she sustained multiple injuries from the incident and Haim's team has sent out a statement, saying, "We are deeply troubled by the injuries of Miss Vickers and send good thoughts her way.  The incident was simply a misunderstanding between teenagers and does not need to be seen in a court of law, it would be a waste of time and taxpayer money.  Again, we are deeply sorry for the tragic events that have occurred and wish the Vickers family well."

Haim, who was not injured during the incident, was questioned by police and gave a statement that has not been released yet.  More word on the story that we are following will come in the days after Miss Vickers is released from the hospital, which occurred today.  Stay tuned.

I was stunned.  I was more than stunned, I was floored.

There it was, my life on display for all to see and there was nothing that I could do about it.

They were broadcasting the worst moment of my life on national news networks, talking about me like I wasn't an actual human being with feelings of my own?!

And what of Dylan and his asshat family?!

A teenage misunderstanding?!

What the fùck was that supposed to mean, that Dylan didn't corner me in a hallway and attack me and try to rape me in school, the one place where I was supposed to be safe from harm and protected from monsters like him?

Of course, I should have known something like this would have happened.  Of course he'd get away with it, he was the son of the damn Mayor AND the Chief of Police for god's sakes!

What did I expect, to actually get justice?

I had spent the entire time avoiding thinking about it because all it did was cause me heartache and pain, but the second I let it in, it was like the flood gates opened and it was all I could think about.

Of course he would deny it, deny deny deny until everyone forgets about it is what all of the politicians say.  I should know, my dad was going to be one of them until he lost his race because of yet another scandal.

They hacked his computer and found his porn sites.  Of course, he was running for Mayor and I had about one guess who the person was that hired the hacker to dig up dirt on him.

Once it was out, there was no getting it back in and that ended his electoral campaign.

Or so we thought.  He wanted to run for Justice of the Peace and then work his way up the ranks, proving his worth and that what he did in his private life had nothing to do with the way he would go about his politics.

In retrospect, dating the son of the people who had basically ruined my father's political career, but I didn't think of it that way.

The sins of the father did not transpire over to the son, or so I had thought at the time.  I wanted to give him a chance, show him that I wasn't biased to not dating him because of my father.

And look at where that had gotten me.

I was slid down to the ground by my vanity, silent tears coursing down my face with my phone on the ground beside me, replaying over and over the video that had somehow been clicked again.

There was no audio, only the sound of white noise that showed up on the tv when it was black and white and crackling.  It was like the sound of my head at the moment, filled with white noise.

It was like I was numb, and I couldn't feel the ache in my chest anymore.  It was like I had become the ache, like it swallowed me whole...and I didn't know how to put myself back together again.

***

Author's Note:

Dun dun dunnnn!!!

What do you think is gonna happen next??

Did you enjoy the direction this chapter took?

Let me know how you feel!!

-Kristen :)