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Prologue
The moment I walked in I heard his voice and knew it wouldn’t end well.
“Where ya been, Lex?” He slurred, looking at the empty shot glass he was twirling with his fingers.
I spotted the empty bottle of scotch on the table in front of him. “Hey baby,” I said hesitantly, knowing he was already drunk. He must have got off work early, probably even stopped at the bar before coming home.
“I forgot the garlic bread for dinner tonight so I ran to the store to grab a loaf.” I said, holding up the grocery sack while I hung my purse on the hook by the door.
“Don’t fucking patronize me. Do you think I’m dumb enough to believe you were just at the grocery store?” He slammed the shot glass down on the table, the noise making me flinch. Shit. I knew my mistake as soon as I did it.
“Aw, what’s wrong, Aleeeexis?” He said, dragging my name out. Taunting me. You ain’t scared of me, are ya?” He laughed.
That laugh. It was dark with malice and a shiver crawled down my spine. “N-no sweetie, of course not,” I stuttered while I walked past the side of the table where he wasn’t seated and into the kitchen.
He likes when I am scared of him, gets off on it.
I headed to the sink and made myself busy, starting to wash up some of the pots and pans from the dinner that was in the oven. I heard him come up behind me and I braced myself for what I knew was going to happen next. He placed one hand on each side of me at the sink, effectively caging me in, and leaned down next to my ear.
“You wear this hot little dress for me, Lex?” he breathed out, running his tongue along the side of my neck. There was a time that it would have turned me on but now it just makes me cringe. He roughly grabbed my hip, causing my dress to ride up my thigh.
“Of course, Jase. Only you baby. I know how much you love this one.” I managed to spit out while not showing him how disgusted I was. I felt his heat leave my back and immediately started to relax. Unfortunately, it was only for a fleeting moment because he grabbed me by my bicep, spun me around, and tossed me across the kitchen causing me to land violently on my ass on the hardwood floor. I scrambled to my feet and started retreating towards the dining room. I held my hands out in front of me as if that would stop what came next. I hit the dining room table with my back just as he caught up to me, wrapping his hand around my hair and yanking me to the ground, violently.
I looked up just in time to see his uniform issued boot connect with my stomach. Doubling over I tried to ignore the blinding pain while I flipped to my knees. The next blow was to my ribs and I could feel them crack. The pain was so intense I dropped down, clutching my side.
“Up bitch,” he growled, “I told you if you stepped out on me again that I was going to end your fucking life!” I roll from my side to try and push myself up on my knees and into a standing position. Jason grabbed another fistful of my honey blonde locks and ripped me to my feet so that we’re nose to nose. I cried out in pain.
I’d never stepped out on him. We’d been together since I was 17 and he was 23. It had always been him stepping out on me and me being forced to ignore it. All the nights he came home hours after he was off of work smelling like sex. The condom wrappers I would find in his pockets when he always refused to use them with me.
“I swear baby, I wasn’t s-s-st-stepping out on you,” I stuttered, trying to ignore the blinding pain radiating from my left side where he kicked me and the hot tears streaming down my face. This wasn’t the first time I’d been in this position. He never used to hit me. He controlled me in other ways, never putting his hands on me. But the last few months it had felt like I’d done something to upset him every day. It was always my fault. If some man looked at me in the grocery store, it was because I wore too much makeup that day. If the delivery guy smiled at me, it was because whatever top I had on was too revealing. If his work friends asked him how I was doing, it was because I was sleeping with everyone in the precinct.
Yeah, you read that right. The precinct. Lieutenant Jason Crenshaw of the Spring Lake, New Jersey police department. You may be asking yourself why I stayed as long as I did? It’s because I couldn’t afford to leave yet, and Jason has too many resources to find me. I’ve been scraping and saving pennies so I can get out of here for the last two months. When he got home from work and I wasn’t here? It was because I was at the bank pulling what little money I had out of my savings account so I could finally leave him.
“You’re so full of shit,” he spit in my face while backing me up against the wall in the dining room, “spreading your legs for everyone in this fucking town. Out whoring around just like your ma.” He laughed hollowly, sending a shiver up my spine. He moved his hand that was wrapped around my hair and put it against my throat, lifting me up off the ground and holding me there. I could feel my breath leaving my body. I smacked my palms against the wall of our formal dining room, the first room he let me paint when I finally agreed to move in with him. My first mistake of many.
“I s-s-swear,” I wheezed out, stretching my toes out to try to reach the floor while I gently placed my hands on his chest, hoping it would entice him to loosen his grip a little. “It’s…. only….you…” I wheezed out, trying to keep myself from passing out from the lack of oxygen in my body. My throat burning, I blindly reached with my right hand to find anything to protect myself with. I could feel his grip tightening on my throat. He tossed me into the sofa table, and it splintered underneath my weight.
“You’re such. A. Fucking. Liar!” He had roared, punctuating each word with a slam to the wall with his fist. “I don’t know why you have to make shit so hard, Alexis. Just keep your goddamn legs closed, that’s all I asked. And now I have to teach you a lesson. Teach you that pussy belongs to me…” he trailed off and I could hear his footfalls as he walked away from me.
I know where he’s going, and I can’t go through it again. I heard the bedroom door crash against the wall and him stomping through our room. I scurried to my feet as quick as I could, all while clutching my ribs. My hand bleeding from where I hit some of the glass that shattered from a picture frame that was on the hall table, a frame that held an image of Jason and I shortly after our first date. I stumbled through our dining room, no shoes on my feet, snatching my purse off the hook and limping towards the door. If I hesitated for even a second, I knew he’d kill me. I stumbled through the foyer and out the front door into the black night. And I ran. I ran as fast as I could. And I didn’t look back…...
Four years later….
Lex
This is it. I can’t believe I’ve finally made it. My first teaching job. I’m officially a high school history teacher. Well, when school starts I will be. Today I’m here at Jefferson High attempting to set up my classroom. The sweltering heat is making it nearly impossible. Who knew Alabama could be so hot? Rearranging these desks can wait, I need to find the teachers’ lounge and hope that they have a fridge with some bottled water in it.
I head out of my classroom and take a right. The hallway is deserted; I’m convinced I’m the only teacher insane enough to be here in the middle of the day when Alabama humidity is at its worst. Unfortunately, setting up my classroom just happens to take place at the same time I’m trying to move into my new rental house. I’m exhausted just thinking about trying to make time for both.
I round the corner of the third-floor hallway in my quest for water and the sound of little girl giggles has me slowing my steps. I come to a stop in front of an open classroom door. Inside there’s a boy, maybe 10 years’ old, bright green headphones on and his back turned to me, completely engrossed
in whatever he’s doing, head bopping side to side while he swings his feet. But that’s not what has commanded my attention. No, that would be the man sitting in the middle of the floor in front of the large oak teachers desk with a tiara on top of his sandy blonde hair. Thick hair that looks like he’s been running his fingers through it all day. From where I’m at I can only make out his backside but what a fine sight that backside is. Broad shoulders and a thick back on display in a gray cutoff shirt that’s hugging his muscles in all the right ways. Is it a few degrees warmer in here or is it just me?
