Time Goes On
by Chelle

~ CHAPTER 13 ~

I had willed myself up and into the shower later that morning. I was sore and hurting all over. I had a bruises on my wrist and all around my mouth was a deep red and my throat was still sore. I washed off and let the hot water relax my muscles. I got out and pulled on some jeans and a t-shirt.
I sat on my couch, drinking water and thinking about everything that had happened in the days before. I loved Zac and yet he had hurt me in a way that seemed unforgivable. I wondered if I would ever be able to be around him again. I could barely walk to the door when I heard a knock. I prayed it wasn't Zac. I sighed relieved when I saw Ike and Diana standing there. I stepped back and without a word, they stepped inside and sat side by side on the couch. I closed the door and asked "You guys want something to drink?" They both shook their heads.
I noticed a small, white square envelope in Diana's hands that was packed full of something but didn't ask about it. I walked over and sat in the chair next to the couch. "Mel, Honey," Diana said leaning forward, she sat the envelope down on the small coffee table, "I was wondering if you were ok." I sighed and nodded "Yeah,I'm fine. Why?"
Isaac leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and lacing his fingers together. "Are you sure?" he asked, "What happened to your wrist?"
I glanced at him and asked "What?" Diana grabbed my fingers making me jerk. When she gently pulled my hand toward her she said "Your wrist. These bruises here. What happened?"
Ike looked at me and asked "And your mouth? What happened last night Melissa?" He and Diana sit and stared at me as I tried to come up with an answer. God how could I tell them what really happened? I quickly came up with something that was somewhere between the truth and a lie. "Oh, well, Zac and me... we just got a bit rough last night." I tried to smile shyly but the looks of concern on their faces told me that they didn't buy a word of it.
"Melissa, Zac was drunk when he came home. He passed out and when we finally did get to talk to him all he could do was say he was sorry." Diana looked down as Ike continued for her. "We know something happened here. Please, you don't have to protect anybody. You can tell us please." he reached over Diana and took my hand she had been holding. They both almost had tears in their eyes and I felt tears in mine as well."Zac hurt you didn't he?" Diana asked quietly. "He was drunk and he hurt you?"
I couldn't hold the tears back anymore. I cried and nodded. When I looked up, Diana had tears coming down her face and Isaac just stared straight ahead with his hands folded and the back of his fingers on his mouth.
I told them everything. It all came pouring out and I told them about everything. "Melissa, you can't see him anymore. He's gonna hurt you worse next time. This isn't the first time he's done this." Ike said. "But I love him. He didn't mean to. If he hadn't been drunk he would have never..."
Ike shook his head and said "But he gets drunk a lot. He's gonna hurt you worse next time and you have to get away from him while you can." I just shook my head as I looked down. "Melissa, look. Read these and look at the pictures." Diana said handing my the envelope.
I slowly wiped away the tears and took the heavy envelope from her. I opened it and pulled out what seemed to be about twenty photos and a stack of writings on note paper. The writing seemed to be notes taken on different days. They told of abuse, rape, harsh words I couldn't imagine someone saying to another human, drunken lash outs and details of times spent locked in rooms and closets. I read them quietly and then asked
"What are these? Who wrote them?" Diana took the glass of water Ike had offered her and took a sip. He took his seat next to her with his own half full glass. They both looked away. I slowly began thumbing through the pictures.
They were of a young girl that appeared to be in her late teens. Two photos were of her... happy. One of her in a bathing suit with her legs hanging over a chair arm and another was a close-up showing just her shoulders and head with her hair pulled up and she was smiling. She had green eyes and tanned skin. Her hair was dark and long.
The other photos showed her with no smile but on the verge of tears, pain in her dark, heavy eyes. They were photos of a busted lip, a bruised jaw and cheek, legs covered in bruises and what seemed to be red rashes as though tape had been around her ankles. Her wrist were bruised and deep red and she had black eyes and blue and purple finger marks on her arms. She had a cut above her eyebrow and deep red marks on her neck.
The pictures were taken at different times but were all of the same girl.
I felt tears in my eyes as I looked at Isaac and Diana. "Who is this?" I asked. Ike looked up at me and sighed. "That's the girl Zac loved so much. That's the girl he swore to never hurt. That's the girl everyone tried to protect from him." Diana took my hands and said "Taylor said he mentioned her to you. Her name is Courtney. She was Zac's girlfriend. They were together for a long time." I stood and threw the pictures on the table. "NO! Zac didn't do this!!"
Ike stood up and took my hands saying, "Yes he did. He hurt her. He almost killed her. She was lucky enough to have gotten away from him." I jerked away and yelled "NO! What are you trying to do. Zac said no one will ever take me away from him. He loves me. If he hadn't been drunk, nothing would have happened. So he made a mistake and now you are trying to make me break up with him?!" Diana stood up and yelled "No we're not. We just don't want you getting hurt. Please, stay away from him." I opened the door and yelled "GET OUT! Zac and I will always be together!"
They stood for a moment and with tears in their eyes slowly walked out. I slammed the door and fell onto the floor and cried. About twenty minutes later, I got up and walked over to the table and put the pictures and notes back into the envelope and carried them into the kitchen and got a glass of water. I left the envelope on the counter and went into the bedroom.I laid in bed and alternated between crying and watching TV. I laid across the bed and tried to think about what to do. I had become almost convinced that they were trying to keep me and Zac apart.
I wasn't thinking clearly and had not yet come to the conclusion that what Zac had done, though drunk, was wrong. I was using him being drunk to justify what his actions. I kept telling myself he was angry, he felt that his family was trying to ruin his happiness.

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