Slave

By: Amdana Di

    He sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees. His back was slightly arched and the middle of it ran flush with the door that he was leaning against. The head that used to be held high was now buried in within his knees instead. Tears ran down his cheekbones and slowly fell from his face. His lips quivered and his body shook with fear.

~Earlier that day~

    “JC, I told you that I didn’t want all this crap laying around my place!” Becca yelled and threw JC’s shoes at him.
    “Baby, I’m sorry. I’ll pick it up,” he said quickly and dodged from the flying shoes.
    “I know you will,” she said matter-of-factly.
    JC didn’t dare cross his girlfriend Becca. They had been dating for almost a year, and it was just in the last month that things started to get bad. Becca somehow had become a totally different person. There was no way that she was the same person that JC had gotten involved with a little less than a year ago. JC couldn’t think of a reason for it, but he seemed to ignore her constant yelling and pushing.
    “Well,” Becca said, and her hands were firmly placed on her hips.
    “Sorry,” JC replied quickly and got off of the couch.
    “I’m going to go get the mail and when I get back I expect this mess you made to be cleaned up.”
    “It will be baby. Promise.”
    Becca knelt down to JC’s level on the floor and kissed his forehead. “I’ll be back in five minutes.”
    JC nodded his head and sighed lightly. He loved her so much and he was just hoping that she would get over this trip that she has been on. He wanted his old girlfriend back. “Alright,” he said as she headed for the door.

    JC picked up all of his shoes and sheet music off of the floor and put them away so that Becca wouldn’t have anything to complain about. Scratch that... she’d find something.

    Almost ten minutes later, Becca returned from the mail box down at the office on the main floor of the apartment building. She opened the door to find JC sitting on the couch again with chips in his lap. “Hello?” she said crudely.
    “I picked it all up,” JC said with his mouth full. He pointed to where all his stuff was. It was clean, that’s for sure.
    “Manners maybe JC?”
    JC swallowed his chips and cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he said softly.
    “Just,” she began, “what the hell is this?” she finished a new sentence.
    “What’s what?” JC asked cluelessly.
    “Don’t act like you don’t know,” Becca demanded.
    “Baby I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
    Becca held up a piece of small paper that was sitting next to the sheet music JC stacked on the counter next to the telephone. “This,” she pointed specifically at the number on it.
    “Becca that’s,” he started.
    “That’s what JC? Is this some slut’s number? Is this who you go to when you aren’t in Florida with me?” she got closer to him.
    “Becca calm down.”
    “CALM DOWN? Calm down, you say?”
    “That’s Heather’s new phone number. I haven’t written it in my book yet,” he defended himself.
    “Don’t lie to me JC.”
    “I’m not lying!”
    “And now you’re raising your voice to me,” she stated and stood right in front of him.
    “I told you whose it was.”
    “Heather didn’t move,” she dared to say.
    “Is she your sister all of a sudden? Do you know her better than I do?” he got brave. He regretted it after he said it though.
    “How dare you talk to me like that?”
    “I’m sorry,” JC was quick to say.
    Becca reached out and back-handed him across the face. JC’s hand darted to his cheek to cover the spot she had just hit. His deep blue eyes looked up at her with pure fear. JC couldn’t hit her back. No matter how many time she had hit him, he could never bring himself to hit her.
    He would end up with black eyes and bruises, and would lie to the guys about how it happened. JC would make stupid stories about running into things, or slipping on the mopped kitchen ... anything to keep them in the dark about Becca.

    Becca looked at JC with cold eyes. She had no regret on what she had just done. JC on the other hand was afraid because he knew that she wasn’t just going to leave after only slapping him. Becca turned her head from side to side and her face started to get red. She huffed and puffed as she paced in front of JC.
    JC attempted to stand, but Becca pushed him back onto the couch. “Don’t move.”
    “Becca I think I should go.” JC wanted to get out before anything else happened.
    “What? Now you’re leaving me?” Becca insinuated.
    “I didn’t say I was leaving you Becca. I just think I should go home now.”
    “No, we aren’t through with this.” Becca held up the now crumpled paper.
    “Yes we are baby. I already told you...”
    “The hell with what you told me,” she raised a hand to hit him.
    In his own defense, JC’s natural reaction was to put his hand up in the way to block her. “Please don’t,” he said in a whispering tone.
    With Becca’s opposite hand she hit JC from the other direction. He took a straight blow to the side of his head. “Please don’t what?” she mocked. She slapped his again and JC tried to back away. “Don’t back away from me!” she hollered and grabbed him by the shirt.
    Tears filled JC’s eyes. Here it comes.

    Before JC knew it, he was laying on the floor with his hands covering his face. It was his only protection. Becca’s shoe slammed into his ribs and she yelled at him as she continued to kick. JC blocked out her words and all he heard was a loud mumble of words. He often saw the black of his inner eyelids because he was always closing his eyes hoping that it would all end.
    JC managed to bring himself to his knees. Becca stood in front of him with her hair shagged over her face. “Please stop Becca. I can’t keep doing this,” his defense was weakening.
    “Yes you can.”
    JC’s words were short and sharp. “You...treat...me...like...a...slave...”
    “You want to see what it would be like if I treated you like a slave? JC you don’t know what you have and how it is.” Becca looked down at her frightened boyfriend and raised her knee. It rammed straight into JC’s nose and his head flew back immediately. A groan escaped his mouth and then blood dripped over his soft pink lips.
    No shame. Becca felt nothing. JC’s entire body shook as he looked up at this beautiful beast. “I’m sorry,” he said and then swung his arm. A loud thud sounded, and Becca’s body hit the floor. JC couldn’t take the pain anymore. Slowly he rose to his feet and looked at her lying on the floor. She had her hand over her stomach and a look of pure evil in her eyes.
    JC close his eyes and took a deep breath. He lifted his foot and started to push it in the direction of Becca’s face. He stopped just short of it and sobbed. He turned quickly and ran out of the room as fast as his damaged body could carry him.

Black eyes, I don't need 'em
Blue tears, gimme freedom

    JC got into his car and put his head on the steering wheel. The blood from both his nose and upper lip ran down the front of the gray covered wheel and seeped within the small crevices. He lifted his head and started the car. Without looking back, he took off.

Positively never goin' back
I won't live where things are so out of whack
No more rollin' with the punches
No more usin' or abusin'

    JC thought back to all the times that he had taken the abuse. He thought of all the lies he had told his best friends and family. Becca was so wonderful for so long that he just wanted to believe that it would eventually go back to normal. But JC finally realized that things weren’t changing. He couldn’t live a life full of shame... full of fear.

I'd rather die standing
Than live on my knees
Begging please--no more

Black eyes--I don't need 'em
Blue tears--gimme freedom
Black eyes--all behind me
Blue tears'll never find me now

    JC opened the door to his house. He walked in with his hand over his nose. He still could hear her voice. He could see her lying on the floor. JC closed the door and his body gave way. He slid down the frame of the door and balled himself up on the floor.

Definitely found my self-esteem
Finally--I'm forever free to dream
No more cryin' in the corner
No excuses--no more bruises

I'd rather die standing
Than live on my knees
Begging please--no more

Black eyes--I don't need 'em
Blue tears--gimme freedom
Black eyes--all behind me
Blue tears'll never find me now

    He sat on the floor with his arms wrapped around his knees. His back was slightly arched and the middle of it ran flush with the door that he was leaning against. The head that used to be held high was now buried in within his knees instead. Tears ran down his cheekbones and slowly fell from his face. His lips quivered and his body shook with fear. Things would get better though. He was sure of it.

The End

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