MIDSUMMER CRUSH

Chapter 6

“Freak, look at those dark circles under your eyes!” Kesha panicked on seeing Giselle walk in class. “Have you been studying all night to ace the final exams?” she enquired as Giselle yawned and took a seat beside her.

“Nah…I was talking to Bruce all night,” she replied and startled her.

“Wtf! Is he a vampire or something? What were you guys talking anyway?” Kesha looked at her suspiciously.

“His parents…” Giselle sighed and rubbed her eyes. “The poor soul has problems at home…his parents keep fighting all the time and he feels insecure,” she explained and stretched her arms.

“I don’t buy that story, Giselle. Look at him, he’s a jock…he parties, spends most of his time out of school  and has a bad reputation…duh why are you even involved with him?” Kesha frowned.

“He has a bad reputation because nobody understands him,  he’s just misunderstood…” Giselle said and irked Kesha.

“And you’re the one who understands him and his problems, huh? I know you love helping and hearing out to people’s problems, but don’t exert and neglect yourself,” Kesha advised and hoped Giselle would improve but only kept getting worse.

Throughout the lectures,  Giselle kept wondering about the mystery note. No soon the bell rang, she rushed to the library and looked around.  There were many students sitting inside preparing for their exams that was approaching fast. Eager to know who could have written the note, she kept sauntering until  someone tapped her from behind.

“Hi…” Alice the cheerleader whom Giselle hardly spoke to, greeted her when she turned around.

“Oh…Hi…” She greeted back and tilted her head, wondering what work the high school cheerleader had with her.

“Uhm…You were waiting for me, right? I was the one who wrote that note to you,” Alice explained and surprised her. “Sorry if I freaked you out, I could have come directly but…” she paused and smiled while Giselle kept staring at her in bewilderment.

“You…Oh…I would have hardly guessed it was a girl,” She ran her fingers to her hair and smiled back. “So what was it you wanted to tell me?” she enquired curiously.

Alice looked around to see if nobody was watching them before she whispered. “ Bruce is not what he portrays he is, Giselle. I’m his ex if you aren’t aware of it, I hope he has told you about us because seriously he’s a big time liar,” she revealed and shocked her.

“You’re his ex?” Giselle gasped.

“Yes, and I’m glad it’s over between us. When I heard that you were dating him, I couldn’t help but warn you to stay away from him. He’s not what he seems…” she said when the librarian gestured them to be quiet.

“Oh…I don’t know…I’m confused now…” Giselle pouted and made a face.

“Trust me, I’m telling this for your own good. We may never have spoken to each other all these years , but I can’t see another girl commit the same mistake I did…oh no…” Alice paused abruptly and widened her eyes.

Giselle sensed her sudden nervousness and turned behind only to find Bruce approaching them. “s**t he saw me…good luck to you, I’m out of here!” Alice exclaimed and ran from there.

“I was wondering where you had disappeared to…until the nerd told me he saw you walk into the library,” Bruce said it in a hoarse whisper as his gaze followed Alice till she left the library.

Alice’s words echoed in her mind as she argued whether or not to believe her. Bruce sensed something was fishy and immediately took her out to the front lawn. “What was that b***h telling you about me?” he cornered her and seemed dead angry that he had caught  her talking to Giselle.

Seeing his expression, Giselle recoiled in fear and blurted out everything Alice had told her about him. “And you believed it?” he looked into her eyes and intimidated her.

Giselle gulped and stuttered in confusion. “Honestly…I don’t know who to believe…you never told me you had an ex flame…” she mustered courage and said.

Bruce paused for a moment and shifted his gaze away from her. “I knew this would happen someday…but trust me the only reason I never told you this was because I feared I would lose you,” he suddenly choked as his voice broke.

“Everything she said was a lie, she never loved me, but my money. She’s a b***h and broke up after realising I found out her plan. Believe me, Giselle, she was the one who played with my emotions,” he said while Giselle merely stared at him with an absentminded look.

“Don’t tell me she succeeded in brain washing you? Giselle, please are you reconsidering our relationship?” he got paranoid and grabbed her shoulders. “Please don’t leave me, Giselle! You know I have no one , but you. I love you more than anything, please…don’t leave me…I’ll be lost and broken if you walk out on me,” he shed a tear and melted her heart.

“Bruce, are you crying? Oh no…please stop! I’m not leaving you and going anywhere,” she felt bad and tried pacifying him. “I’m sorry if I offended you. I believe every word you said. Please control yourself…I’m not leaving you just because Alice made that up,” she said and felt guilty for she had never seen a guy cry like that before.

“Promise me, you’ll always be my girl,” he held back his tears and looked at her. Giselle had never seen him so emotional before. She nodded her head and held his hand to assure him. “And you’ll never talk to Alice again,” he added to which Giselle felt it was unnecessary, yet agreed to it to satisfy him.

Little did she know that in the following days he would restrict her from talking to everyone he disliked. It was Bruce who decided whom she would talk to and whom she wouldn’t.  A month passed and Giselle gradually distanced herself  from her friends in Hamilton high to please Bruce. At first she didn’t realize what she had done, but when none of her friends wished her on her birthday, she felt she had lost some really good friends she had made over the years.

It was Giselle’s 18th birthday, a day she should have spent celebrating with friends outside, but here she was in her room sulking and sitting idle. “Am I to be blamed for shutting them away?” she wondered and stared at her cell phone. As she went through her messages and call history all that she saw was Bruce.

Feeling irritated she kept it aside and looked out the window. It had been long since she had been feeling trapped in this relationship. Bruce was controlling her life and she hated it. She had practically done everything to keep him happy, even if it meant cutting off ties with all her friends or avoiding doing things that annoyed him. She tried adjusting and changing herself according to his whims and fancies, but realised that she had lost her identity somewhere behind.

She often talked it out with him, but unfortunately it always ended with an argument or he black mailing her emotionally. Sometimes Giselle felt he was being too possessive and didn’t really love her, but her body. There was not a day when he wouldn’t talk without touching or feeling her inappropriately.  She tried as much  as she could to get out of this relationship, but she being  submissive, Bruce always managed to play the emotional card and hold her back. Their relationship wasn’t shaping up the way she had imagined. Bruce always suppressed her by being too dominating in the relationship, so much that he always made her feel unworthy of his love and affection.

As Giselle stared through the window, thinking about where she had gone wrong, she noticed  Bruce’s waving out from his car.  He gestured her to check her phone, which she did and realised that he had sent a text stating that he had planned to celebrate her birthday in a club.

Giselle sighed and politely declined the invitation, but Bruce got mad and threatened to walk up to her room and bring her down. Reluctant, she got dressed in a classy party dress gifted by him earlier. “Hey birthday girl, where are you heading?” her mother enquired as she prepared to leave.

“Uhm…my friends have planned something for me…” she lied and hoped her mother wouldn’t probe further.  “You don’t look happy though…is everything alright, honey?” her mother asked.

“Everything’s cool, don’t bother…” Giselle assured when her mother offered to drop her.

“it’s odd none of your friends came home to pick you up, are you going by yourself? Do you want me to drop you where ever the party is?” she insisted.

Giselle got tensed and gulped, “Erm…no I’ll manage…it’s not too far…see you later,” she hurriedly excused herself and sprint towards his car.

Likewise in the club, Giselle sported the same sad expression while Bruce and his friends enjoyed the party. She felt out of place amidst his friends, and wondered when the evening would end so she could go back home. Bruce as usual wasn’t paying attention to her, he danced with one of his female friends while Giselle watched from a distance. Bored, she thought of catching a fruit drink at the bar counter and suddenly set sight on David, her second cousin.

Delighted to see a familiar face she approached and embraced him. “Wow, I didn’t know it was your birthday, let me buy you a drink,” he insisted. “So you’re here with your friends?” he enquired.

“Yes…kind of….anyway, how’s uncle Sam? And what about that photography project you were working on?” she changed the topic and got engrossed in his talks.

Giselle felt relieved talking to  him, she felt like she had just been released from a cage to socialise with people known to her.  “Hey, let’s take a picture to show mom, she will be thrilled to know you’re in town,” she suggested and took a selfie with him only to realize that she had annoyed Bruce to the core.

“Get your hands away from her!” Bruce shouted and created a scene while she cringed in embarrassment for she realised he was drunk.  “Excuse me…and who are you?” David raised his brows and frowned.

Giselle sensed the tension and tired to sort the matter, but it only got worst. “Bruce, he’s my cousin, David…stop blowing things out of proportion,” she requested.

“And so you’ll embrace and let him buy you a drink? What the heck is going on? Are you cheating on me again?” He yelled and grabbed her by the arm as she winced in pain.

David saw the rough manner in which he treated Giselle and tried to interrupt, but it snowballed into a scuffle where Bruce beat him up black and blue. It wasn’t long before the bouncers came in and ordered Bruce to leave the club immediately.

Feeling insulted, he took Giselle along and left the club in rage. “This is all your fault? Nobody has dared to throw me out of a club before, but it all happened because of you,” he blamed her at the parking lot. “You think you could cheat on me and I wouldn’t find out? Damn you’re such a w***e, I never knew it,” he humiliated and made her cry.

“I swear it was nothing, Bruce! Why are you making such an issue?” she protested while he kept shouting.

Reaching for her neck, he choked her and stared into her eyes with rage. “I warned  you thousands of times to listen to me, but you always end up doing what you want. I guess people like you need more than just warnings,” he said and what he did next shocked Giselle beyond anything.

Slapping her across the face, he yanked her hair and banged her head against his car till she bled.  “That should teach you never to cheat on me…If I find you talking to a guy again, I swear I’ll run you down with my car,” he threatened and made her face him. Numb and frightened, she stared into his devilish eyes while he caressed the swelling on her forehead.

“You’re mine, remember….only mine, I won’t let anyone come between us,” he wiped her bleeding lips and suddenly showed concern which made her sick. “I love you Giselle….don’t get me wrong…I was only trying to protect you,” he said and kissed when all of a sudden she screamed and kicked him in the shin.

“No you don’t! Stay away from me or I’ll call the cops!” she warned and pushed him away. Bruce tried calming her , but she had had enough of his lies and abuse. Assaulting her was the last thing she had expected from him.  Realizing that she had to put an end to her abusive relationship, she clearly stated that she was breaking up with him, which didn’t go lightly with him.

“You can’t break up with me like this!” he yelled and got angry.

“Yes I can! I’ve had enough of you Bruce. You’ve been nothing but trouble to me. I can never love a rogue like you ,” she complained and turned to walk away when he held her back and dragged her to his car.

“Let me go!” she protested and fought back, unaware of what his intentions were until he closed the door and forced himself on her. Suppressing her screams for help, he tried stripping her naked when all of a sudden a police car appeared out of nowhere and pulled Bruce out.

“He’s the one, “ David pointed as Giselle’s father  cracked his knuckles and frowned in anger.

Confused and shocked, Bruce hurled abuses on both till her father tossed him inside his car. Rushing to his daughter, he wrapped her in his jacket and gently brought her out. Scared and relieved that she had been saved on time, she clinged to her father and apologised.

“We’ll talk about this latter…” he whispered and instructed his partner to lock up the culprit and inform his parents.

“Thank a lot, David. Had it not been for your timely call, I don’t know what would have happened to her,” her father thanked David and offered him stay over at their place as he took Giselle and drove back home. That night all that Giselle thought was how lucky she was to have finally come out of an abusive relationship with a man she never loved.