I Am The In Between
Children Surrender...
Andy’s POV
“Next time you fucking listen to me, got it faggot?” Mason squats down to the ground to look me in the eye & snarl his abuse at me.
“Fuck you Mason. I had my earphones in and I’m not a fucking faggot… unlike your dad.” I groan out, clutching my right side. When I retaliate it’s always worse, but I’m not about to let them fuck me up without a fight.
I see Mason’s eyes blaze with anger and he straightens up. Ready to launch an attack… I should have known better than to throw homophobic remarks at his family, that’s the one thing he hates most. I’m not homophobic at all, but I know it angers him.
Mason pulls his leg back as far as he can & drives his foot forward into my face, forcing me to scream out and hear a crunch as it makes contact with my cheekbone. He does the same again, but hits my ribs which winds me and reduces me to tears.
“Beg for mercy Biersack, I’d suggest you do it quickly too” he whispers, almost silently. But everyone around us knows volume doesn’t matter in this instance, Mason’s being deadly serious.
“P-please stop, I’m sorry… I’m so s-sorry” I whimper, my words catching in my mouth as I gasp for air between my violent sobs.
I curl instinctively into a ball to protect myself, only to hear more laughs and whispers around me. I feel the strength being drained out of me by the second, and silently lay there on the floor avoiding any further injuries.
“Well, faggot. Let’s make sure you hear me next time. Give me your fucking iPod.” He sneers down at me.
I cough gently a few times, regretting it immediately, feeling the pain spread through my ribs like wildfire. My tears obstruct my vision, causing Mason & his cronies to become mere blotches of colour surrounding me. I slide my iPod across the ground, admitting defeat to both myself and him. He takes it and laughs as I wipe the tears from my face & glare up at him making sure he knows that I hate him as much as it’s humanely possible.
There’s now a figure running up behind Mason, his athletic physique coated in a letterman jacket embellished with our school badge; obviously a jock. And yet, he looks strangely familiar to me… maybe we share a class or something. He slows down to a quick walk as he gets nearer, running his hand through his long black hair, unusual for a guy like him. By this point, Mason and his uneducated cronies are still in fits of laughter at me on the floor while the jock simply stares down at me, his expression impossible to be deciphered. Mason shoves my iPod into his hands and chuckles out his command. “Smash it, Purdy!”
‘Purdy’ looks almost apprehensive, until something inside him changes. It’s like a switch has been flipped and any sense of remorse or empathy in his eyes instantly vanishes. He spins the iPod in his hands a couple of times before throwing it to the ground with such force that the screen cracks and it bounces before coming to a stand still. He stares into my eyes again, and then crushes the iPod beneath his foot, with a tiny smirk on his face all the while. Purdy then takes a few small steps backwards, his Nike sneakers making marks on the ground as he does so.
“We’re done here guys. Lets go to the bar, and leave this faggot where he is.” He speaks for the first time and the words come out almost as a growl in his low melodic tone. The rest of the guys make noises in agreement and turn towards the parking lot. As soon as they’re all out of earshot he crouches down to me and turns my body so the pressure is off my obviously injured right side. I instantly sense regret in him & see it in his face, but I say nothing yet.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll make it… I’ll try to make it up to you. I swear.” His voice quivers slightly, considerably higher than it was before. He runs his hand through his hair again, and gets up, steps over me & strides away. And with that… he’s gone. No explanation, nothing. I cast my glance sideward towards the parking lot, and see him kick-starting a motorcycle to life and then speeding away behind Mason & his cronies’ cars, leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Fuck them. Fuck them all. I think as I gently push myself up off the floor & begin to hobble my way home… hopefully I’ve taken all the beatings for today and Colton, my stepfather, won’t do anything to me. Approaching our house, I take in the familiarity of the typical red bricks, white porch and perfectly mowed front lawn. I slip my keys out of my pocket and jiggle them in the lock, swinging the door open, only to be greeted by Colton, holding his belt in one hand and now proceeding to look down at the watch on his other wrist. Colton’s not the tallest of men, standing at around 5’7; I tower him at 6’3. However, he’s unbelievably strong, and the muscle from his old body building career shows this before you can even get on his bad side. I wince at the very thought of what he’s going to do, but to my surprise he simply raises an eyebrow at me.
“What the fuck?” he asks. I have to hold back from smiling at how stupid he looks and sounds right now, however my urge to laugh vanishes when I catch a glance of myself in the mirror behind Colton’s head. A huge purple bruise has formed and started to swell on my right cheek, there’s blood emerging from the corner of my mouth, my nose is crooked and angled to the left side and I look unnaturally drained and tired. And that’s just the visible damage.
“Some kids from school got me while I was walking back… I’ll do my chores now.” I mumble & try to walk into the kitchen to begin clearing up after HIS mess.
“No, no, no. You’re still 45 minutes late and you know your mother likes you to be back on time” he folds his belt in two and takes a step towards me.
“My mom’s not home yet. Stop using her as an excuse to- FUCK!” Colton’s belt makes direct contact with my hurt ribs and I crumple to the floor feeling the cut that the belt has caused on my side open up & begin to dribble blood down my hip. I cry my eyes out like I’m 6 years old instead of 16, going on 17 & whisper ‘No more, please… no more’ over and over again. Defeated. Colton's eyes widen at the sight of this, with him being used to the fighter side of me & he pulls out his phone, dials my mom & quietly says “Honey… Andy’s just come home, he’s injured & I think he needs to go to hospital…”
I close my eyes… content with the fact that my wishes have been granted. No more.
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Ashley’s POV
The wheels of my motorcycle screech across the tarmac as I pull up outside the bar. I swing myself off, immediately storming towards the door without waiting for Mason or his crew. I feel like shit for leaving that kid there like that, and it must show on my face that I’m not in the mood for anyone’s bullshit because Mason comes and stands near me without a single word. I cast him a glance of pure evil before ordering my first Jack & coke of the night without getting ID’d. He questions me as I take a sip of my drink.
“You went too far this time, Mason.” I hiss at him. His eyes widen with surprise as he realizes what I’m talking about.
“Come on Ash, he fucking deserves it. He’ll be fine anyway…” his voice trails off sheepishly, portraying his own doubt.
“Did you see his goddamn face? You beat the SHIT out of him and made me smash his property… You know what? I’m done with you guys. Fuck you and your reputation. I should never have joined you; I fucking HATE what you’ve turned me into!” I take off my jacket which is covered with the schools football team badges and throw it at him, knocking his drink out of his hand & causing it to soak his shirt & jeans.
“I’m off all of the school teams and I don’t ever wanna see you dickheads again.” I shake my head at his blank expression and turn to leave.
“Come on Ash, man! I know you don’t like the shit we do, but don’t forget we saved your ass from all the other dudes in school when you was some emo fag like that kid back there…” he runs in front of me & puts his hand on my chest, trying to push me back to the bar with a menacing look on his face.
“…don’t fucking forget all the times you got the shit beaten out of you for being the ‘kill your mother rape your sister’ kid before you met us. Me and the crew made you into a somebody Purdy. Never forget.”
I feel myself begin to get more and more heated. I snarl at him and he looks almost intimidated as I begin to flip out. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and punch him in the face, his nose audibly crunching and causing him to grunt in pain.
“Fuck you Mason.”
~
By the time I’m home, all the memories come flooding back. It started out with just names, then being robbed after school. Then people destroying my books and locker, the gum in my hair and finally being beaten up day after day. I can almost feel the pain in my right side of being kicked repeatedly while trying to protect myself on the floor. I shake the images out of my head and strip down to my boxers & get into bed. The bullies return as soon as I close my eyes, and the kicking continues. But my face morphs into the kids from earlier … Aaron… A…Andrew. Andy, that’s it. The images of him and me continue to flash and merge together in my mind until I can’t take it anymore and sit bolt upright in the dark, tears streaming down my face. I hug my knees to my chest & feel more alone than I ever have before. The tears carry on flowing until I’m convulsing with audible sobs. But it doesn’t even matter whether I’m making any sound or not, there’s never anybody in the house. The waves of guilt keep hitting me like car crashes and I realise I have to do something to make it up to him.
I’m so sorry Andy. I’m so sorry…
“Next time you fucking listen to me, got it faggot?” Mason squats down to the ground to look me in the eye & snarl his abuse at me.
“Fuck you Mason. I had my earphones in and I’m not a fucking faggot… unlike your dad.” I groan out, clutching my right side. When I retaliate it’s always worse, but I’m not about to let them fuck me up without a fight.
I see Mason’s eyes blaze with anger and he straightens up. Ready to launch an attack… I should have known better than to throw homophobic remarks at his family, that’s the one thing he hates most. I’m not homophobic at all, but I know it angers him.
Mason pulls his leg back as far as he can & drives his foot forward into my face, forcing me to scream out and hear a crunch as it makes contact with my cheekbone. He does the same again, but hits my ribs which winds me and reduces me to tears.
“Beg for mercy Biersack, I’d suggest you do it quickly too” he whispers, almost silently. But everyone around us knows volume doesn’t matter in this instance, Mason’s being deadly serious.
“P-please stop, I’m sorry… I’m so s-sorry” I whimper, my words catching in my mouth as I gasp for air between my violent sobs.
I curl instinctively into a ball to protect myself, only to hear more laughs and whispers around me. I feel the strength being drained out of me by the second, and silently lay there on the floor avoiding any further injuries.
“Well, faggot. Let’s make sure you hear me next time. Give me your fucking iPod.” He sneers down at me.
I cough gently a few times, regretting it immediately, feeling the pain spread through my ribs like wildfire. My tears obstruct my vision, causing Mason & his cronies to become mere blotches of colour surrounding me. I slide my iPod across the ground, admitting defeat to both myself and him. He takes it and laughs as I wipe the tears from my face & glare up at him making sure he knows that I hate him as much as it’s humanely possible.
There’s now a figure running up behind Mason, his athletic physique coated in a letterman jacket embellished with our school badge; obviously a jock. And yet, he looks strangely familiar to me… maybe we share a class or something. He slows down to a quick walk as he gets nearer, running his hand through his long black hair, unusual for a guy like him. By this point, Mason and his uneducated cronies are still in fits of laughter at me on the floor while the jock simply stares down at me, his expression impossible to be deciphered. Mason shoves my iPod into his hands and chuckles out his command. “Smash it, Purdy!”
‘Purdy’ looks almost apprehensive, until something inside him changes. It’s like a switch has been flipped and any sense of remorse or empathy in his eyes instantly vanishes. He spins the iPod in his hands a couple of times before throwing it to the ground with such force that the screen cracks and it bounces before coming to a stand still. He stares into my eyes again, and then crushes the iPod beneath his foot, with a tiny smirk on his face all the while. Purdy then takes a few small steps backwards, his Nike sneakers making marks on the ground as he does so.
“We’re done here guys. Lets go to the bar, and leave this faggot where he is.” He speaks for the first time and the words come out almost as a growl in his low melodic tone. The rest of the guys make noises in agreement and turn towards the parking lot. As soon as they’re all out of earshot he crouches down to me and turns my body so the pressure is off my obviously injured right side. I instantly sense regret in him & see it in his face, but I say nothing yet.
“I’m so sorry. I’ll make it… I’ll try to make it up to you. I swear.” His voice quivers slightly, considerably higher than it was before. He runs his hand through his hair again, and gets up, steps over me & strides away. And with that… he’s gone. No explanation, nothing. I cast my glance sideward towards the parking lot, and see him kick-starting a motorcycle to life and then speeding away behind Mason & his cronies’ cars, leaving a trail of dust behind him.
Fuck them. Fuck them all. I think as I gently push myself up off the floor & begin to hobble my way home… hopefully I’ve taken all the beatings for today and Colton, my stepfather, won’t do anything to me. Approaching our house, I take in the familiarity of the typical red bricks, white porch and perfectly mowed front lawn. I slip my keys out of my pocket and jiggle them in the lock, swinging the door open, only to be greeted by Colton, holding his belt in one hand and now proceeding to look down at the watch on his other wrist. Colton’s not the tallest of men, standing at around 5’7; I tower him at 6’3. However, he’s unbelievably strong, and the muscle from his old body building career shows this before you can even get on his bad side. I wince at the very thought of what he’s going to do, but to my surprise he simply raises an eyebrow at me.
“What the fuck?” he asks. I have to hold back from smiling at how stupid he looks and sounds right now, however my urge to laugh vanishes when I catch a glance of myself in the mirror behind Colton’s head. A huge purple bruise has formed and started to swell on my right cheek, there’s blood emerging from the corner of my mouth, my nose is crooked and angled to the left side and I look unnaturally drained and tired. And that’s just the visible damage.
“Some kids from school got me while I was walking back… I’ll do my chores now.” I mumble & try to walk into the kitchen to begin clearing up after HIS mess.
“No, no, no. You’re still 45 minutes late and you know your mother likes you to be back on time” he folds his belt in two and takes a step towards me.
“My mom’s not home yet. Stop using her as an excuse to- FUCK!” Colton’s belt makes direct contact with my hurt ribs and I crumple to the floor feeling the cut that the belt has caused on my side open up & begin to dribble blood down my hip. I cry my eyes out like I’m 6 years old instead of 16, going on 17 & whisper ‘No more, please… no more’ over and over again. Defeated. Colton's eyes widen at the sight of this, with him being used to the fighter side of me & he pulls out his phone, dials my mom & quietly says “Honey… Andy’s just come home, he’s injured & I think he needs to go to hospital…”
I close my eyes… content with the fact that my wishes have been granted. No more.
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Ashley’s POV
The wheels of my motorcycle screech across the tarmac as I pull up outside the bar. I swing myself off, immediately storming towards the door without waiting for Mason or his crew. I feel like shit for leaving that kid there like that, and it must show on my face that I’m not in the mood for anyone’s bullshit because Mason comes and stands near me without a single word. I cast him a glance of pure evil before ordering my first Jack & coke of the night without getting ID’d. He questions me as I take a sip of my drink.
“You went too far this time, Mason.” I hiss at him. His eyes widen with surprise as he realizes what I’m talking about.
“Come on Ash, he fucking deserves it. He’ll be fine anyway…” his voice trails off sheepishly, portraying his own doubt.
“Did you see his goddamn face? You beat the SHIT out of him and made me smash his property… You know what? I’m done with you guys. Fuck you and your reputation. I should never have joined you; I fucking HATE what you’ve turned me into!” I take off my jacket which is covered with the schools football team badges and throw it at him, knocking his drink out of his hand & causing it to soak his shirt & jeans.
“I’m off all of the school teams and I don’t ever wanna see you dickheads again.” I shake my head at his blank expression and turn to leave.
“Come on Ash, man! I know you don’t like the shit we do, but don’t forget we saved your ass from all the other dudes in school when you was some emo fag like that kid back there…” he runs in front of me & puts his hand on my chest, trying to push me back to the bar with a menacing look on his face.
“…don’t fucking forget all the times you got the shit beaten out of you for being the ‘kill your mother rape your sister’ kid before you met us. Me and the crew made you into a somebody Purdy. Never forget.”
I feel myself begin to get more and more heated. I snarl at him and he looks almost intimidated as I begin to flip out. I grab him by the collar of his shirt and punch him in the face, his nose audibly crunching and causing him to grunt in pain.
“Fuck you Mason.”
~
By the time I’m home, all the memories come flooding back. It started out with just names, then being robbed after school. Then people destroying my books and locker, the gum in my hair and finally being beaten up day after day. I can almost feel the pain in my right side of being kicked repeatedly while trying to protect myself on the floor. I shake the images out of my head and strip down to my boxers & get into bed. The bullies return as soon as I close my eyes, and the kicking continues. But my face morphs into the kids from earlier … Aaron… A…Andrew. Andy, that’s it. The images of him and me continue to flash and merge together in my mind until I can’t take it anymore and sit bolt upright in the dark, tears streaming down my face. I hug my knees to my chest & feel more alone than I ever have before. The tears carry on flowing until I’m convulsing with audible sobs. But it doesn’t even matter whether I’m making any sound or not, there’s never anybody in the house. The waves of guilt keep hitting me like car crashes and I realise I have to do something to make it up to him.
I’m so sorry Andy. I’m so sorry…
I hope maybe you get around to updating this. It's truly amazing.
6/16/15