Hasn't anyone ever told you not to Blink?
Blink and you're dead.
Blink and you're forgotten.
Don't Blink.
You've been warned. Good Luck
x x x x x x x
Meet Tunbridge College's walking mystery. A girl named Blink who eats candy to quell her smoking u...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The morning air was frigid, driving the two teens to huddle closer together as they lay snuggled together.
After leaving Blink's house, she'd lead him down a few other streets, still silent as they reached the parking lot of an old middle school. It still functioned as the neighborhood's local middle school, but since it was winter break for the kids too, the place looked more abandoned than a haunted house.
He hadn't broken the promise of not asking questions, so when Blink pulled him around the building and gestured to a broken down van behind the school, he only nodded when she pulled a set of keys out of her book bag. It doesn't run, she had said, but its where I sleep when I come to this part of town.
He remembered the way his jaw had clenched in utter revulsion. Not at the van or the pallet of thick blankets on the floor of the van (where it was evident Blink had slept many of times), but he was disgusted with the way her mother had treated her. Blink mentioned nights ago how her mother had acted when she was little. She said she treated her as if she was shit on the bottom of her shoe, but never in million years did Justin think a metaphor could so closely resemble the actual truth.
So now, as he sat wide awake, the sun rising in the distance before him and Blink curled into his side to erase the chill of the morning, he couldn't dismiss the swelling of her cheek or the pain portrayed on her face as she slept.
When he boarded that train with her back in Maine, he didn't think this was ever what she was hiding so many miles away. A sick father, a precious sister, and an abusive mother who apparently called in a group of large men to remove her daughter whenever she saw fit.
Not to mention, she didn't even entertain the idea of Blink having somewhere to rest her head at night, but instead knew nothing of her whereabouts. Nor did she seem to care about what could possibly happen to her daughter.
When her hand began to clench around the front of his hoodie a few times, Justin knew Blink was waking up. When he expected her to push him away, she only brought him closer, sniffling at the cool temperature. Figuring that her mind was probably reeling, Justin started rubbing the same soothing circles he had on her back the day before. She endured it for a few minutes, but when she felt as if he was beginning to pity her, she sat up quickly, checking her wrist watch before she cursed out loud.
"I'm supposed to be at Reynolds in five minutes in order to have a place to shower and get ready. It's a ten minute walk, but we can make it in time if we run" she sighed then. Cracking her back from the long sleep in the van, she quickly threw her hair up in a bun and threw open the van door, breathing in deeply at the fresh air.
Watching as she locked the van doors, Justin sighed, accepting the hand Blink held out. "We should talk about yesterday..." he made sure not to form it like a stupid question for Blink's sake as they rounded the school's side.
"No" Blink groaned. "No questions. The only way we could possibly talk about yesterday was if you asked questions. I can't handle that right now, I'm sorry." She grew quieter as she spoke, ignoring the cat call she received as they walked down the street. She had to pull a little harder on Justin's hand when he stopped to spit something nasty at the guy, but her pace gave him no choice but to keep moving.
"Your cheek is all swollen, Blink. You can't just ignore that like it never happened. Your mom hit yo—"
"Lets get this straight Justin. That woman...that monster is not my mom. She is my biological mother, but she was never and will never be my mom. The only reason I let her boss me around and hit me like that is because of Althea."
"As soon as I try to talk back or defy her, she rips Althea away from me just like she did my piano. I don't have a problem giving that up. I don't need to play to feel happy, but I need to make sure Althea stays safe and learns to play. If she turns out like me in any way, she'll ship Althea out just like she did me. And if that happens I'll never be able to forgive myself" her breathing was ragged again and Justin had to pull them to a stop in order to get her to calm down.
"That's not going to happen" he wrapped his hands around her shorter frame, pressing multiple kisses to her ear while she focused on breathing normally again. "You won't let it happen. I won't let it happen. We'll figure something out."
x x x x x x x
Arriving at a private gym named Reynolds Gym fifteen minutes later, Blink pointed to Justin as they approached a very tall man who was built like a private security guard. His arms were so bulky that as he pulled them across his chest in irritation, the black v-neck he wore screamed out for the torment. He sported a bald head and a dark pair of shades that shielded his gem blue eyes. "This is Justin, he's with me this week"
"For everything?" The man's voice was deep and rumbled from deep within his chest.
"For everything" There was a hidden message engraved deep within that one word, Justin was sure of it.
"Well, you're a little late. The gym opens up in forty-five minutes to the regulars, so if you both need showers, I would hurry up and get it over with before the boxers come in." He unlocked the front doors of the large building, gesturing for both of them to walk in. "Thanks Rey," Blink smiled.
Motioning Justin in past the dozens of boxing rings, they filed past the numerous lockers and into the back room of white tiles. It stunk a bit of sweat and aggression, but Justin ignored that completely when Blink dropped her backpack and quickly shed her shirt.
"Don't just stand there" Blink smirked, facing Justin as she began working on her leather belt. She shed her pants just as fast, turning to twist the tap to one of the shower stalls.
Just like any other shower room, there were few curtains to entertain privacy aside from the one at the front of each stall. Instead, the walls were high enough to keep certain neighbors from peaking into the stall next to them, this way the shower room could work as a coed bathroom for both females and males.
Turning on the shower next to her own, Blink made her way back over to the boy who stood as still as a statue. "I'm guessing you shower fully clothed then?" Blink giggled when the boy only shook his head, his eyes traveling down the girl's nearly nude body.
"Jesus, Blink" he licked his lips, his hands moving to grip her practically bare hips. He didn't know what was more surprising, her lace panties or how perfect her body felt in his hands.
"C'mon" she quipped, gripping the edge of his hoodie and t-shirt and pulling the two of them over his head together. "Are you getting the idea now?" She giggled. "Ya'know a shower with soap, water—"
"And naked, yeah I got it" he smiled, his hands sliding to her butt where he urged her to jump and wrap her legs around him. As soon as she was up, he was jogging down the aisle of showers, Blink squealing in rebuttal when some of the cold spray hit her back.
"I'm not showering with you Justin" she grinned wide when he acted like he couldn't hear her over the shower. "I said I'm not showering with you" she accepted the peck of their lips.
