Tangled Love

I sit on my bed and sigh, running my hands through my wild hair. I barely slept a wink, my entire sleep was plagued with nightmares. The sun is now beginning to rise, sending a small amount of light peeking through my curtains. The light bounces off the walls, creating an iridescent glow of golds. 

I close my eyes and lean back against the wall, enjoying the silence and peace the morning has to offer. The air is always so crisp and fresh, almost as if the world is offering me a clean slate every single day. My thoughts drift to the encounter with Jake yesterday.

What if he figures out my secret?

Surely he wouldn't.

I've kept everything a secret for years and now one silly little mistake is threatening to ruin that. I curse under my breath, rubbing my temple as I feel a headache beginning to form. Lack of sleep and stress can do that to you.

"Just stay away from him Emily," I mutter to myself. . . That's kind of hard to do when we both share a classroom.

I pull up my jeans and settle on wearing a crop jumper with denim jeans. My hair is pin straight and I walk over to my dresser, wincing as I catch a glimpse of my face.

"Damn, I need a miracle," I groan unhappily, reaching for my makeup bag. I apply concealer under my eyes to disguise the lack of sleep. I also use it to cover up a tender bruise and after a few minutes, it's barely recognisable. Over the years I've mastered hiding cuts, bruises and scars with makeup. It's a hidden talent of mine.

of blush. When I'm satisfied, I choose a lip colour before popping it into my school bag. I gather everything I need before heading

and Trevor arguing for hours, thankfully he never laid a finger on her. They'd clearly made up as after the arguing came noises from their bedroom that I never want to hear again. I mentally gag, hoping to God they used a condom. The last thing this dysfunctional

breathe incase he hears me. I slowly back up, my feet moving at a snails pace so I don't alert him. I manage to turn halfway around when I hear his voice cut through the silent atmosphere —

do you think

drunken state. I hear the fresh anger in them and wince as I stop in my tracks. I close my eyes and count to five in an effort to calm my breathing down. My hands begin to tremble by my side as I turn around slowly, coming face to face with him.

I press myself back into the wall as much as I can, wishing he'll walk straight past me and leave me alone. The stench of alcohol hits me as he approaches and I

skin on my neck. He's so close and growing closer by the second. His presence causes my stomach to clench in fear before twisting and turning in

need to put distance between us.

around my waist. I let out a small squeak in fear, his sudden movement catching me off guard. He yanks me backwards against him, pinning me to his body. I squirm against his touch, my throat closing in as I struggle to breathe. I open my mouth to protest but no sound comes out as I'm

your body is failing you when you

line with my ear, dirty breath invading my personal space. I squeeze my eyes shut tightly, feeling the familiar stinging sensation of tears in my eyes. I refuse to let them drop, I

I finally protest, grateful to have found my voice. I slap his

me like that."

my arm forward and elbow him between his legs, hard. His grip on me

comes charging at me like a raging bull in a