The Skinny Belle

Belle’s POV

I’m living in a nightmare.

Everyday is the same.

Wake up. Get dressed. Go do my studies. Go home.

But that’s not how my day ends.

After I get home, I’m being abused by the hands of my father.

He’s never gone farther than his fists or kicks, but I wouldn’t put it past him to go further. He likes to spend his days drinking. If there’s no beer when he gets home, he goes to the hard liquor cabinet.

You don’t want to see what he’s like when he doesn’t have any alcohol to drink.

But let’s get back to the present.

I’m currently sitting at my desk, attempting to cover the angry new shiner I received from my father last night. I had to use a color corrector to get it so you could barely see it.

Makeup became my new art. Covering any and all bruises you could deem visible, I can cover it. Not perfectly, but it’s enough.

After I got the bruise over my eye covered, I made sure to powder it so it wouldn’t crease. Adding a little mascara, I considered my makeup done.

I dressed in a matching lace underwear set, a pair of black leggings, a camisole, and an over sized grey knit sweater. I grabbed a pair a calve height socks, and shoved my feet into my black military style boots.

I then took a brush through my long black hair, making sure to get every knot out.

I turned back to my mirror to make sure I at least looked presentable. Dull gray eyes looked back at me. They used to be so bright and full of life. Not so much anymore.

Calling it good, I grabbed my keys off my desk, my book bag off my bed, and headed out the door. I closed it quietly, locking it behind me. My only safe space was my room and I was not about to havehimruin it.

I silently, and quickly walked down the steps. I was met with empty bottles and trash loitering the living room. Ignoring it for now, I walked through and out the front door.

Getting into my rusty beat up blue 2005 Jeep Liberty, I threw my bag over to the passenger seat and started it. I got out to clean it from snow, that the godawful Minnesota winter always brings.

It didn’t take me long to clean it off, considering the snowfall last night was light and fluffy. I got back in, shoving the car brush into my back seat haphazardly, not caring where it ended up. Sitting there a few minutes longer, I waited for my car to warm up.

The chill from outside was not something I was unfamiliar with. Some days we have negative degree wind chills. Other days, like today, it was warm enough not to need a coat. Which I was thankful for, because my sad excuse of a father refuses to buy me one.

But what he doesn’t know, is that i’ve been saving up money from my job at the library. I’m 18 now, but don’t have enough funds to make an escape from him to my own place yet.

After waiting for around 10 minutes, my car was finally warm enough to move. Putting on my seat belt, I threw my gearshift into reverse and backed out of the driveway.

I made my drive towards the college I attended, taking my time. Since I was up early for once, and halfway to school, I decided to stop by a coffee shop to grab a much needed coffee.

I got into the drive thru lane, waiting behind an expensive, shiny black car. I didn’t care enough about it to know what it was, just that it looked sporty.

“Definitely a guy,” I snorted.

They pulled forward to the window, so I pulled up to the speaker, rolling my window halfway down to keep some warmth in.

The cheery voice of the girl working came through the speaker, “Hi thank you for choosing Caribou, what can I get for you?”

I rolled my eyes a little, annoyed at how chirpy she was at 6 o’clock in the morning. “Hi, can I get an iced caramel latte, light ice with oat milk? That’ll be all.”

“Of course! That’ll be $5.89 at the window.”

I rolled my window back up and pulled forward. The car in front of me handed them their card. Shortly later they were being handed a bag, a coffee, and their card back and they pulled away.

I drove up to the window, simultaneously rolling my window back down. I waited for them to open the window after pulling my bank card from my wallet.

The girl behind the window opened it, “Hi! The person ahead of you paid for your drink. So you don’t owe us anything!” She happily handed me my drink and closed the window.

Looking at the cup in my hand, I was astonished that anything good for once happened to me. I was thankful for it, and smiled to myself slightly.

Setting my drink in a cup holder, I rolled my window back up. I drove off making my way towards the highway, to head back towards school.

Now you may be asking why I didn’t live in the dorms. But here’s the thing, they think that I do. So when the RA comes to check everyone’s rooms, it looks like I’ve been staying there.

I made a deal with my dorm mate when I came by for dorm assignments. I shared very little information, just told her it needed to look like I had been staying in the dorm too. My half of the room was filled to the brim with her excessive clothing, my spare bedding resting on the unused flimsy mattress across from hers. So when the RA comes in to do her checks, it looks like I’m residing there.

Enough about my dorms though, that’s not important.

I finally pulled into the lot of my college, parking near the exit so I can get out faster.

I turned my car off after sitting in the warm for a few minutes. I grabbed my book bag and coffee, exiting my vehicle. Closing and locking the doors, I headed off towards the building.

As I was walking towards the building, the same shiny black car from earlier drives past me, close enough to run me over. The tint on the windows was so dark I couldn’t see who it was, but I sent them a glare anyways and kept walking.

Hearing them lock their vehicles doors, footsteps were heard heading towards me. I ignored it until the person got up right behind me. I turned my head, ready to yell at them for getting into my personal space. But I was too stunned to speak.

Standing in front of me was my ex-best friend.

Chase fucking Griffin. He stood next to me grinning like he won the lottery, until his eyes met my cold ones. His face immediately dropped and turned into one of concern.

I decided to ignore him. I whipped my head forwards where I was headed to in the first place.

“Hey wait up!,” he walked faster to catch up to me. When he finally did, he grabbed my bruised arm and turned me towards him. Grimacing in pain, I looked up ready to yell, but he spoke before I could. “Belle, what happened? Are you okay?”

I almost broke down, but over the years of him not being here, I decided to yell at him instead. “Oh come on Chase, be real. After you disappeared for two years, without a single call or text, now you’re concerned about me? Just fuck off and leave me alone. I didn’t need you for the past two years, and I don’t need you now.” I ripped my arm from his grip and stormed into the building. I must have stunned him into silence because he didn’t follow me in.

Good. I didn’t want to speak to him anyways.

Now annoyed, I walked towards the trash cans by the front doors. I took another few sips of my coffee and tossed it into the bin, my happy morning now ruined.

I walked further into the building, towards the stairs to the upper level. When I made my way to the top, I took a right turn and headed towards my first class of the day.

Introduction to Psychology was one of my favorite subjects. Learning about all the different brain functions, and why people think the way that they do.

Part of my reason for wanting to become a Psychologist was because of my father. He changed the day my mother and older brother got into a car accident.

Heading into the room, I walked up the stairs in the middle and found a seat in the center of the room.Putting my bag in the seat next to mine on the left, I took out a notebook and a pen for notes. I also grabbed the iPad I rented from the college to see what today’s lesson was.

A few minutes later, more students came into the lesson hall and found seats. There were about 20 of us total in this classroom, not including myself. No one had to sit next to anyone if they didn’t have to.

Seeing as I had no friends in college, I got to sit alone peacefully.

The professor walked in a few minutes behind everyone else, closing the door behind him. Setting up his mic, he started our lesson for the day.

About 10 minutes into the lesson, the door swings open.

And you guessed it, Chase walks in. I roll my eyes and pray he doesn’t see me sitting here. But luck wasn’t on my side today. After the professor introduced himself, Chase walked up the middle towards me. He took the open seat on my right that didn’t hold my book bag.

Ignoring his presence, I continued to listen to the professors lesson, taking notes on highlighted subjects.

A nudge from my right almost made me mess up my handwriting, I shot Chase a dirty look.

He looked at me smugly. “Hey, B, you got a pen I can borrow?”

I rolled my eyes, digging into my pencil case to give him a pen for his notes. I shot him one more dirty look before looking back up to the professor.

This was one of my nest subjects and I was not going to let Chase fucking Griffin ruin it for me.

The lesson lasted for about another hour before the professor ended it.Looking at the time, I had about 20 minutes before my next one started. I packed all my belongings back into my bag and stood up. Walking past Chase, I headed down the stairs and out the door without a word.

Halfway down the steps to the main level, Chase had caught up to me.

“Look Belle, I’m sorry. Can we please talk? Maybe catch up? Please?” He had said, still walking in sync with me.

I looked up at him once we got to the bottom, forgetting how tall he was. “Chase, I think if it’s best we don’t. It’s not a good idea. I’m still in the same boat I was in two years ago. You didn’t want that version of me in your life, and you certainly don’t want this one.”

He was stunned for a second before replying, “Belle, I didn’t want to leave. I didn’t call or text you because my number had to be changed. My crazy ex was stalking me. I’m sorry, okay? Can we please talk?”

He was pleading and begging. That wasn’t something normal for him. But the stalker ex? She was still crazy.

Chase dated a girl in high school named Samantha. She was popular, pretty, athletic, and all around the perfect queen bee. But she didn’t like me. She would often bully me and try telling everyone I was “trying to steal her boyfriend”, when in fact,Ihad him first. We had been friends since we were little due to us being neighbors.

She was so insane, she had told everyone that Chase got her pregnant so he wouldn’t “leave her”. Chase took her to the doctor the same day to confirm it. She had lied.

Chases final straw though, was the day he caught her with her hand wrapped around my hair. She was getting ready to slam my head into a locker. It wouldn’t have done much considering what I had been going through at home. But he had had enough.

A week later she got arrested for breaking and entering into his family’s home. And a few weeks after that when it happened again, his whole family moved to Georgia.

And now he was back, and he was looking at me expectantly.

“We can talk, but we can’t be friends. I mean it, Chase.” I continued my journey out the doors, and back towards my car. He followed me the whole way.

Pulling out my keys and unlocking my doors, I got in and dug around in my center console. I forgot that Chase was hovering over next to my door. Because as soon as I pulled out the little bag I was looking for, he ripped it from my hand.

“Seriously, B? You’re smoking now? Is that seriously resorted to after I left? Because this will not do. There are other ways of coping.” He looked desperately at me, hoping for another answer.

I gently pried the bag bag from him. I opened it and broke apart the green plant that keeps me numb, and shoved it into the bowl I had hidden in my glove box. I turned back to him, looking him dead in the eyes. “There could be, but I can’t afford them.”

I immediately sparked it, inhaling a large amount.

Then, I blew it in his face.