When Angels Fall (Fallen Angels) (11 page)

Come to the gazebo,
the message read.

He thought that it was strange that Chloe would text that to him. She should’ve been home by now, or at least he thought that was where she should’ve been.
Bad Date, lol,
he texted back.

Please come.

“Hey, Mark, can you drop me off at the park? I just got a strange text from Chloe and I want to see if she’s okay,” Nick asked, wondering his calls to her went straight to voice mail.

“Nicky, you don’t think it’s some kind of set up, do you? I mean, Josh was pretty pissed about you two doing that project together,” Kevin suggested.

“Yeah, I don’t know.” Nick thought about that, too, but even if it were, he still had to check.

“We aren’t leaving you there.” Mark started to become the protective older brother again. He always did when someone picked on his brothers.

“That might be a good idea. I don’t think Chloe would do that to me. It’s just that something doesn’t sound right,” Nick agreed and wondered what was up.

When he got to the gazebo, he didn’t see her. Now it was really starting to concern him. Would she set him up like this? He took out his phone and texted her. “I’m here.” He heard her phone chime in the darkness of the gazebo. Squinting, he could barely make out a form hunching between the benched. “Chloe?” He walked towards her and saw her huddled with her head down. It looked like she was shaking.

Slowly, he walked towards her and touched her arm.

She screamed and started fighting him, swatting her arms wildly and crying out to stop.

“Chloe, it’s me,” he tried to explain.

 
She halted and it looked as if she was trying to focus on his face. “Nick?” Her voice was hoarse now but still sounded as unsure of who he was.

“Yes, it’s me. You’re safe now. What happened?” He almost didn’t want to know.

 
She still sat huddled in the small space, trying to keep herself warm. Then, she fell into his arms and sobbed against his shoulder. “You were right. This was such a mistake.” She was trembling in his arms, clinging to him, unable to stop crying.

Her hair was full of leaves and dirt. As he held onto her, she winced in pain. “Chloe, look at me,” Nick said, pulling away and shining the light from his phone on her face. What he saw made his stomach turn.

Her cheeks were red and swollen. Her beautiful green eyes were bruised. Her lips were cracked and her bottom lip had grown fat with dry blood in the crease of her mouth. Her shirt had been shredded and she held on to her chest.

“What did he do to you?” He pulled her close and held her, making sure not to hold her too tight.

She pulled away from him. “I stood up to him. I told him no. I fought, Nick. I swear I fought.” She stared sobbing harder.

“I know you did. I know. I’m going to take care of you. I’m going to get help,” he said and texted Kevin.

Within seconds, he heard Kevin’s voice calling him. When his brothers got to the gazebo, they both stopped and saw him holding her on the ground.

“Where the hell is he?” Kevin asked, balling his hands into fists, ready for a fight.

“We’ll find him later. Mark, go start the car! Kevin, help me bring her up. I don’t know if she can walk,” Nick said through gritted teeth, wanting to find Josh Tuner and beat the crap out of him.

Kevin went over and put his arm around her waist. He could tell she was pretty bad. “Okay, Chlo, we’re going to help you to stand. On three, Nick,” he instructed and they helped her up slowly.

Once they got her on her feet, and out of the gazebo, they both got their first real look at her. By the look of her clothes and the scrapes on her legs, they could tell how hard she‘d fought him.

“Should we call Mom?” Kevin asked him as they got closer to the car.

“Yeah, but we have to get her to the hospital first. Chloe, do you want me to call your dad?” Nick asked her as he opened the door and helped her in.

In the light of the car, they saw the full damage to her face and body. Nick quickly took off his jacket and covered her with it to keep her warm. When he got in next to her, she had closed her eyes.

“He won’t come.” It was just a whisper, and he could see tears form in her eyes.

Nick held her as Mark drove to the hospital. He couldn’t help but think he let her down. And now, somehow, he had to make it right.

Once they got to the hospital, Chloe was taken right back and they were told to stay put. Nick passed the room, waiting for someone to tell him how she was. He thought about texting Gabbie and getting Josh’s number too, so he could show up there and beat him the way he ‘d done to her. He couldn’t believe this was happening. What could she have done to make him do this to her?

“Oh, thank God!” His mother hugged him tightly, and then looked over Mark and Kevin. “What happened?” She seemed a little confused

“I got a text from Chloe tonight to meet her at the park. When we got there, we saw she‘d been beaten up pretty bad,” Nick explained softly, not wanting to relive what he’d seen.

“Chloe from school? The one you’re doing that project with?” she questioned.

Kevin spoke for him. “Yeah, she had been on a date with some jock and he really did a number on her.”

A nurse approached them and asked if they were the ones who’d brought Chloe in. When they explained they had, she asked if they knew any other relative who could come and get her. It seemed Chloe’s parents were out of town and weren’t coming home until the following Monday. His mother took over and left the boys to wait for her while she got more information.

It seemed like hours before Chloe had been released. His mother had sent Kevin and Mark home with instructions to move Max into their room and clean up Max’s and change his sheets.

Nick wasn’t going to leave her.

On the way home, Chloe was quiet. She just sat staring out the window, fighting the sleep the painkillers were causing.

They’d said he’d bruised her ribs when he kicked her; the marks and bruising on her face would start to heal in a few days. She just needed to take it easy.

His mother had stopped at the drugstore and got her some things she would need at their house. She explained to Chloe that she could stay the weekend and asked if she wanted to stop at her house first before they went home. Chloe shook her head no, and continued to look out the window.

Once they got home, she went in to take a shower.

Nick got changed for bed. He knew he wasn’t going to sleep much; he was still worried about her even though she would be in the next room. As he started out of his room, he saw her standing at the bathroom door, wearing a pair of his sweatpants and a tee shirt. She‘d pulled her wet hair up into a lose ponytail and was trying to steady herself.

“You okay?” he asked, walking over to her.

“I’m dizzy,” she answered shyly, putting her hand to her head.

Nick put his arm around her and led her into Max’s room, where he helped her into bed, and then covered her with the blanket.

“Nick,” she said softly.

 
He came back over and sat on the floor next to her. “What’s up?”

“Would you—you don’t have to, but…” She seemed scared to ask him.

“You want me to stay with you for a while?” he offered.

She nodded her head, and then closed her eyes. “Would you—hold my hand until I fall asleep? You don’t have to, I was…”

He took her hand and squeezed it a little.

She got quiet again, as he held her hand and stroked it with his thumb. Her hand was so warm and soft.
Damn, why did she have to be so pretty? Why was he starting to care about her? Why was the smell of her shampoo driving him crazy right now?

“He didn’t rape me. He tried. He got mad when I finally kicked him in the crotch. That’s when he started kicking me in the ribs. Nick, I know you want to go after him. Please, promise me you won’t,” she pleaded.

“Chloe, how can you ask me—?”

“Please, Nick, let it go.” She was starting to show the effect of the painkillers

He hated that she asked this of him, but knew she’d been through enough and didn’t need anything else to deal with. “Okay, for you, I promise. I don’t want to, but I will.” He couldn’t believe she made him do this. Then, she did something that shocked him a little.

She leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thank you for being my friend and helping me tonight.”

He smiled a little to himself. “What are friends for?” he answered, still feeling the warmth of her lips as her soft kiss burned on his cheek.

*
   
*
   
*
   
*

At school the next week, rumors were flying. And with each new one they had heard, the madder Nick got and the worst part was that he couldn’t do anything about it.

 
Chloe tried to just ignore them all, hoping the rumors would go away, like they always had. But it seemed Josh had to keep his reputation, so they kept on. In the locker room after gym, it got worse.

Nick tried to keep his cool, but it was getting harder.

“So yeah, all I can say is she’s a screamer. When I popped that girl, she went wild,” Josh boasted to his friends, as they all laughed around him.

“I’m going to pop him,” Nick threatened under his breath.

“Calm down. His day is coming. You don’t need to get thrown out of school for that lowlife,” Kevin reminded him.

The past few days, all Josh had been talking about was how he had screwed Chloe and how he was the one to get her ‘cherry’..

“How can I just sit here and let him talk about her like this?” Nick said, trying to reason with Kevin.

“She asked you not to do anything. The people who matter, know the truth,” Kevin replied, laying his hand on Nick’s shoulder and shutting the locker.

“I hope you’re right,” Nick muttered and shut his locker too.

“I’m always right. You should know that. I’ll meet you at the car,” Kevin said.

 
Just then, Josh called to Nick, “I just wanted you to know, there’s no hard feelings. I warmed her up for you. And let Chloe know, whenever she’s ready for another ride, just to let me know, if you can’t handle it,” Josh boasted.

“You son of a bitch,” Nick seethed as he started for him.

 
Kevin held him back.

Josh and his friends just laughed it off.

“Ha ha ha. You know, Josh, the funny thing is that I heard a different story. I heard you couldn’t seal the deal and she got tired of you, and in order to get your limp ass off her, she kicked you in the balls. Was that after she told you that you were no bigger than the size of a roll of dimes?” Kevin shot back at him.

Josh got right in Kevin’s face. “I think you’re lying. She wasn’t complaining about the size and she enjoyed the whole thing,” he hissed.

“You are really sad. You have to force girls to do what you want, and then lie when you get fought off. That’s right, I went there,” Kevin shot right back at him.

“Kev, he isn’t worth it. He’s just some pathetic jock who has to make up things to make himself look big,” Nick retorted, ready to leave now.

As they started out the door, Josh countered. “You can have that stupid little slut. Ask her why her daddy wants nothing to do with her and why she wears the bracelets. Once you know the truth, you’ll be running away as fast as you can. I tried to help her, but she needs special help, the kind only a doctor can prescribe.” Josh laughed.