The Beginning

Tess

Bright lights flashed in my eyes and hands gripped me all over. Everyone spoke at once, yet no one spoke to me. Only every once in a while, did a nurse let me know that I would be pricked or prodded.

Why didn't I listen to him? I could've stayed at that beautiful, albeit tacky, house. I could be in that king-sized bed, held firmly by a man with which I felt safe. Reaffirmed. Comfortable.

"Starla Dietz?" A male voice questioned.

"Is she in there?" Star's voice shook from beyond the curtain that separated us. "Is she okay?"

"Are you Starla Dietz?" He repeated with annoyance.

"Yes, I'm Star. Is Tess in there?" She barked back.

"Tess is fine. She was in a car accident earlier this morning."

I barely made it to town. Maybe a half-mile from the Welcome sign, I suddenly spun out.

"She's got some bruising and few small lacerations, but she will be just fine. She'll need someone to be with her for the next couple of days. Has Tess expressed any stressful situations recently?"

"We're adults, of course she's stressed." Star replied sarcastically.

"She'll need to step away from those things while she's in your care."

"My care?" Star asked, taken aback. I knew she couldn't afford to take the time off to watch me.

"You are her emergency contact."

Star remained silent for a moment, then said, "I'll do you one better." Her shadow shifted behind the curtain. "Can I see her now? Please?"

He drew back the curtain and revealed her disheveled appearance. Star hustled toward me for a hug, then stopped short. "There's no room for me in there." She lamented, taking one of my hands and a seat on the rolling stool behind her. "How are you feeling?"

"I don't think it's hit me yet." I admitted. "All I've been thinking about is how I'm going to afford that car. I was supposed to put gas in and maintain it, but here's the funny thing, it's electric." A laugh escaped me and echoed off the walls back at me. "I didn't even have a chance to put gas in it and now I have to buy it." I glanced at her, tears obscuring my vision. "And school, happy I got my homework done, but for what? Why? I'll have to drop out. I can't pay him and for school. I—"

"Tess." Star's hand smoothed the gown sleeve that hung down to my elbow. "You're still shaken up. We don't have to worry about that right now, okay? We only need to think about your recovery."

"I'm scared, Star. He's going to be so pissed."

She let out a calming breath and patted my arm.

I hissed at the bruise she disturbed.

Star drew her hand back quickly, then cupped both her hands around mine. "I know what you're used to, 'cause I am too. Nicky's not the type of guy that you think he is. Sure, he was a troublemaker, but he's not Hannibal and he's definitely not Nate."

Usually, the sound of his name struck a chord in my heart. A pitiful, sorrow-filled version of myself would come to the surface and I was unable to cope. Now I felt that string plucked, yet it didn't reverberate inside me. It held no weight.

"He's not going to raise his voice, he's not going to blame you and he, sure as shit, wouldn't intentionally hurt you. Nicky's just as worried as I was."

I tried to furrow my brows in confusion, only to be caught off guard by the stitches in my brow. "How do you know he's scared?" I wondered.

"I might have—look, the doctor said you need someone to take care of you, and who's been trying to do that all week?"